Waiting.............

It's yet another rainy weekend in Lexington!  That's okay because we are cleaning out the basement today and putting up some shelves so I can get the business more organized.  The more organized I am the easier it is to get things done!  I have gotten next to nothing done in the garden and I'm getting a little nervous 'cause it's almost June already.  Where does the time go?

I have managed to get some hydrosol done during the week on days when it doesn't rain and right now I'm clearing out my peppermint patch slowly but surely.  The distilled peppermint is better than I could have ever imagined.  Mu husband isn't into natural things like I am but even he is loving it.  It's so sweet and minty, like candy.

All of my plants are flowering and I even have my first big bud on my rosa rugosa (roses).  I can't wait to distill fresh fragrant roses!  I have tons of comfrey in, my helichrysums and lavenders have buds on them and I would think I should have tons of elder flowers in the wild soon.  And my St. John's Wort plants are getting tall and bushy!  Everything seems to be happening later than usual this year since we had such a prolonged cool period-not cold but very cool.  The magnolias aren't even in flower yet.  But the lemon balm  is looking good!  I may run a bunch of it through the still too and run big hydrosol sales all Summer!

I have a blend I distilled from a little bit of everything last year which I have been rationing all Winter.  I'll be distilling bigger batches this year and putting it up for sale.  It's the best toner I have ever used!  Comfrey, roses, lemon balm, fresh lavender buds, helichrysum, St. John's wort..............I may throw in some geraniums too.

I have my Eau de Cologne and Florida Water going, added the hydrosols today and now I have to wait.  I will have them on my new shelves where I can keep an eye on them.  I love alcohol based perfumes so much better than oil based.  The alcohol evaporates off of your skin throughout the day sending little blasts of fragrance into the air.  It's like I'm a human aromatherapy diffuser.  And those of you who know me know I am just mad about orange blossom and petitgrain.  The aroma is so beautiful it makes me feel like a supermodel even when I'm busting my ass working and sweating like a whore in Church (that's for you Gretchen-I know it tickles you when I talk all Southern). 

The ladies at work have been drooling over my Orange Blossom perfume that I have been wearing.  They all think it smells like Honeysuckle.  It doesn't really, but it's the closest frame of reference I guess.  However, it does make me wonder how it would work as a honeysuckle substitute in perfumery.  I would love to create a fragrance that smells like a Spring breeze in Kentucky (minus the horse smell, of course)-Honeysuckle and Magnolias with a touch of damp earth and green undertones.  So now that will be cooking in the back of my brain while I do other things until I finally get the inspiration to start experiments.

Buyer BEWARE!

Last night I decided to do a search of essential oils on etsy.  First I want to say that I'm horrified at how many essential oil sellers are still selling pure essential oils with the rubber dropper top bottles.

Do NOT buy essential oils that are packaged in this type of bottle!  The oils will eat through this rubber and your oil will be contaminated!  Next time you are trying to get an adhesive label off of a bottle, try using an essential oil instead of goo gone or rubbing alcohol-it will get the adhesive off much faster than any solvent.

Now to my main point in this post.  I usually don't call out sellers by name but this time I want to warn people about a new shop I found last night.  Here is the shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/loverain7fc.  Just for funsies I sent this convo:

These are NOT essential oils!!! Change the names to fragrance oils before you hurt somebody. This is false advertising. There is no champa oil for $4 for 5 ml and lavender oil is not purple. There is no such thing as essential oil of apple, pear or strawberry

Here is the response I got back:

This is essential oil, some our oil diluted with ethyl alcohol
ethyl alcohol is just regular rubbing which is safe to use on skin
This essential is made in thailand

Thank you

THIS IS A LIE!  I can prove these are fragrance oils just by the pricing.  ALL of them are $4 for 5ml and if you buy 3 you get 1 free.  And, as I pointed out to the seller, Lavender oil is NEVER purple!  Even if you make an infusion of fresh lavender it isn't purple.  In water, it's brown.  In oil, it's green.  And how do you make essential oils from plants and fruits that don't contain essential oils?  How do you make essential oil of apple, pear, strawberry, OCEAN?????  Please warn everyone you know about sellers like this.  There is NO SUCH THING as champa or frangipani for $4 on a 5 ml bottle!  Even at wholesale pricing you are looking at over $500 an ounce on frangipani absolute, so for $4 you get to take a whiff from the bottle-that's it.

Do your own research!  Never take the sellers word for anything!

And the Winner Is..................

Dana was the winner of the Flowers For Mom giveaway.  Congratulations!  You have 2 packages in the mail-I know you'll LOVE them!

Flowers For Mom Giveaway by Glory Be Herbals and Adirondack Aromatherapy

It's here!  The giveaway for Mother's Day is finally here and I have teamed up with Gretchen from
Adirondack Aromatherapy for this one.  I LOVE her products and you will too! 

Gretchen is giving away a bottle of her Monoi de Tahiti (coconut oil infused with Gardenia flowers), a bar of her Perfect Peace crystal gem soap, a 5 ml bottle of her Victorian Flowers perfume oil (Lemon Verbena, Lavender, Geranium, Rose and Violet leaf-a personal favorite of mine) and a wooden soap deck (keeps your soap dry between uses so it won't melt away).

I am giving away a set of floral based creams to keep your Mom's skin glowing all packaged up in a vinyl travel bag for convenient storage and travel.  This set will include a jar of my best selling cold cream (made with chamomile infused oil), Stephie's Rescue Cream (a medicated cream made with Lavender infused oil and Lavandin essential oil), a bottle of Calendula and Rose calming lotion, and a jar of my new Lavender body butter.  I haven't even listed the body butter yet but it is made with Lavender infused oils, Lavender hydrosol and High Altitude Bulgarian Lavender essential oil!  I have been using this on my hands before I go to bed and it soaks in quickly, makes my hands soft and helps me sleep soundly.

The combined value of this giveaway is at least $75-we want one lucky winner's Mom to have a FABULOUS Mother's day!  This will end at midnight on May 4th and the winner will be contacted on May 5th.  We hope to hear from the winner right away so we can get it all in the mail to you in time for Mother's Day (you will be receiving 2 packages).  To enter simply leave a comment and let me know why you think your Mom is the best!

Visit my store or Gretchen's store for more beautiful all natural gift ideas for Mom.  Open to the US only.

Giveaway?

I haven't had a giveaway in ages but I'm thinking about a Mother's Day giveaway.  What do you think?

I Think Spring is Finally Here

The plants are tired of waiting and they are shooting up like crazy!  All my potted plants made it too including my Artemesia, pictured above.  This is also known as western sage.

If you look closely in the middle you'll see my bloodroot starting to make an appearance.

Mugwort.  This is the first time I've had my mugwort come back.  It's a weed so I don't know why I have such a hard time growing it.

A fresh flush of sweetgrass in the midst of last years' dead grass.  And most exciting of all.............

I bought 3 rosa rugosa plants from horizon herbs last year and planted them.  That was the end of May or beginning of June, then it was way over 100 degrees the entire month of June and no rain.  I had a hell of time and really thought I would lose these precious babies.  Not only did they survive they are raring to go!

Clearance Specials!

I have some clearance specials in my aromatics store. I want to change it over to a natural perfumery shop so I am getting rid of all my old soaps that were made with fragrance oils and the fragrance oils themselves. If you know anyone who could use them please steer them here. It's a great deal!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/126016802/soap-clearance-handmade-soaps-with?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/126015829/fragrance-oil-surprise-package-clearance?