Rosemary Flavoured Salt

DIY Rosemary Salt, Kiku Corner

Rosemary is such a flavourful herb with a woodsy, foresty, somewhat piney aroma that nicely compliments the strong taste of lamb. For non-meat eaters like myself, I enjoy rosemary with potatoes, onions, or beans. Rosemary surprisingly goes nicely with apples or pears in sweet dishes – just be sure to not add too much. Like the thyme […]

DIY: Make Your Own Paper Book Cover

When you buy a book in Japan, the checkout person will ask you if you want your book covered. Normally they cover it with a kind of parchment printed with the bookshop’s name. This is done to protect the book (or perhaps hide what you’re reading from everyone on the subway). Here is how you […]

DIY: How To Make Vanilla Sugar

DIY Vanilla Sugar, Kiku Corner

Once you have a vanilla bean, it is really simple to make your own vanilla sugar. When we lived in Saudi Arabia, it was impossible to buy vanilla extract since it was made with alcohol – and alcohol was illegal. Instead, I would bring Dr. Oetker vanilla sugar from Germany every summer to use in my […]

DIY: Lavender Sugar + Salt Scrub

DIY Lavender Sugar + Salt Scrub, Kiku Corner

Greece. Indonesia. Thailand. Whenever our family would visit a beach during our vacations, our mom would always sit in the shallows and rub sand over her arms and legs. While we kids were playing and messing around, we laughed at how she looked covered in damp sand. But it seems like she had the last laugh, since […]

DIY: Make Your Own Powdered Laundry Soap

DIY Powdered Laundry Soap, Kiku Corner

This is a great basic laundry soap that gets my clothes as clean as the storebought variety. I also made an unscented batch for my mom, so she can wash our dad’s shirts for the office. The washing soda is, chemically, sodium carbonate (versus baking soda, which is sodium bicarbonate). It is included in homemade laundry soap […]