For the members of the Clarkston Farm and Garden Club, an idea for a method to raise money was growing right in their own back yards.
At the club’s April 5 meeting, members were treated to a wide variety of beauty product samples as part of a fund-raiser that raised $130 to purchase flowers for the city’s ‘Welcome to Clarkston? signs.
Julie Piazza, club vice president and program chair, created herbal beauty remedies that were part of a raffle to club members. An assortment of homemade ‘goodie? bags, filled with the organic products were the incentives to purchase the raffle tickets.
‘I’m always willing to do things for our club to raise money and help the community,? Piazza said.
The idea came to Piazza after reading books by author Janice Cox. She found 10 different recipes for natural beauty products created from garden materials and assigned member volunteers to try the recipes and report back to her.
One of the unique features about the project was that all the products used were organic, a title that not all products can claim to have, according to Piazza.
‘Things we grow in our backyard are organic, but you could go to Kroger and buy a banana and have it not be organic,? Piazza said. ‘It’s more expensive to use organic, but to me it’s worth it.?
The volunteers tested lip balms, bath salts and other relaxing creations to various reactions.
Club member Blair Schweitzer tried an oil recipe for sore muscles.
‘It was fun doing it, but I don’t know if it did anything,? Schweitzer said.
Sheila Partington tried an avocado and honey facial recipe that had positive results.
‘It wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t like the smell of avocado for 20 minutes,? Partington said. ‘I would use it again.?
After the firsthand reports, club members were able to try creating the homemade remedies themselves to conclude the meeting.
The club plans to purchase flowers for the welcome signs some time around Memorial Day, according to Piazza.
‘I learned that I can use things from my home to make simple beauty products,? Piazza said. ‘I used castor oil on my lips to get the same result as a $1.50 lip balm from the drug store.?