Summer Specials

I already have a lot of specials going on in my Etsy store to celebrate the abundance of some of my plants, and I will be posting them to Hyenacart and Indiemade soon.  I have great deals on all of my comfrey products including the hydrosol.  And all of the comfrey oil based products are double infused with fresh comfrey so they are really strong!  If you have been reading my blog and FaceBook page you know I'm also distilling peppermint like crazy.  Soon I'll have a big run on Lemon Balm hydrosol and I'll have special Summer pricing on that.

I will be doing some special distillations too as my flowers bloom, including some co-distillations.  I have buds on my helichrysum and lavender plants and I have had one bloom on my rugosa Roses.  These are supposed to put out tons of fragrant blooms so I will be able to distill my own good quality rosewater!  There will not be any special pricing on the rosewater though since my quantities will be limited and I will reserve some for personal use throughout the year and for use in my perfumery projects.

I have seen NO signs of any elder flowers as of yet but I think everything is happening later than usual this year so I hope to have more elderflower water done by mid-June.  I have very little of last years left so if you want to order some, go ahead.  It still has at least a year before it goes bad (if stored properly).  I am also thinking about a big distillation of catnip.  By big, I mean a quart.  I think it would make an awesome base for an insect repellant spray, and of course a treat for your kitty.  This may also be a good training tool if you have a cat clawing your furniture.  Buy your kitty a scratching post and spritz it with catnip hydrosol.

I am also thinking about making a version of Jeanne Rose's Bruise Juice, which is an all purpose medicated oil.  Helichrysum flowers will be amazing in there!  I have tons of blooms on these plants so I will be making some more oil with them (infused in fractionated coconut oil) and will probably have enough to put up for sale.  It makes a wonderful replacement for the very expensive essential oil and can be used as is, or in ointments.  Helichrysum and Lavender are 2 of the greatest and gentlest healing plants and Heli is my absolute favorite for healing bruises.

I dipped into the Florida Water a bit and it smells incredible already!  I may get another batch going this weekend along with some Orange Blossom cologne and Eau de Cologne.  I LOVE PERFUME!  Especially when they are natural and therapeutic.  I am going to offer these for sale-domestic ground shipping only.

I'm freezing but My House Smells good

This has been a kinda weird weekend.  I was supposed to meet up with EtsyLex friends for lunch but got some horrendous tummy troubles at 9 AM so I spent most of the day in bed and in the bathroom.

This morning I got up early, feeling much better (thank goodness) to take my daughter's best friend to a class at Locust Trace.  That place is very interesting-the only negative plus in the country for energy use.  They not only are self-sustaining on energy they actually SELL energy to the electric company.  Anyway, she took a class to get certified as an animal rescuer.  It's near our largest park in town so I took a look around there to see if they had any of the elusive white cedar trees and, sure enough, they did.  So when I went to pick her up this afternoon I went back out there armed with clippers and a shopping bag and loaded up.  Now I don't have to use the stuff I got from Gretchen so sparingly.

I also trimmed our overloaded double knock-out rose bush.  I do love that plant but the canes are not strong enough to support the weight of all the leaves and flowers it produces.  Needless to say, I am on my second rose distillation.  I still can't believe the mild, sweet smell from knock out roses.  I need cold cream soon so it will be made with some homemade rosewater.

This still was SO TOTALLY worth the money!  It so satisfying to be able to make my own hydrosols.  It helps me get better use out of my garden and has inspired me to explore native plants more than ever.  Not to mention the money I save!

Champa Hydrosol

I ordered some hydrosols from Nature's Gift Aromatherapy and they arrived yesterday.  I had to try the Patchouli and also ordered Golden Champa and Owyhee.  The Owyhee smells much like the essential oil with some more medicinal undertones-this is a a nice first aid and relaxing hydrosol, which can be used for disinfecting wounds or as a pillow spray and is a good replacement for Roman Chamomile.  The Patchouli smells just like the frsh plant I had last year, which did not survive the winter inside my house (it had suffered some abuse by my husband, but that's another story for another time).  The Golden Champa...............WOW!  I am madly in love with this one!  So much so that I ordered a 4 ounce bottle this morning.  This will go into perfume blends and makes a lovely perfume in it's own right.  I spritzed some on my right hand at around 6:30 to sample the aroma and even after a handwashing I could still smell it at 9:30 when I went to bed.  I have no idea if there are any therapeutic applications for this one and honestly, don't care.  It's worth the money just for the fragrance.

Flower Waters

I am trying very hard to get some work done today since I will have absolutely no time again until next Sunday.  I have orders to work on-one of which is a surprise package.  I love doing these because I can get really creative and throw in some products not offered in my store and get feedback.  If I listed everything I think of I would be bankrupt from listing fees!

I haven't offered flower waters for a while and I have gotten some awesome new essential oils since then so I will be listing a few.  My flower waters are not to be confused with hydrosols-I dissolve essential oils in pure grain alcohol to make an essence then add the essence to distilled water.  This gives you the benefits of the essential oil in a more diluted form plus the alcohol acts as a preservative so there's no need to refrigerate them.  It's also a lot more economical!  I love making these because I can carry them in my purse, or leave a bottle in my locker or keep a bottle in my nightstand to use as a pillow spray and they won't spoil.  Plus since I can do this with just about any oil I have so I can make any water or blend that I like.  I felt inspired to do this when I received the order for the surprise package so she is getting a bottle of Rosalina flower water.  I also made essences from Fragonia and cermonial White Sage today.  I have been thinking about doing a kit with essential oils for meditation with 10% dilutions of Holy Basil, Sandalwood, Frankincense and Myrrh so the sage spray would be a nice edition for clearing sacred space.

I'm also getting ready to make anointing ointments based on the Temple blend of Exodus.  Some people get nervous about duplicating this blend because of the stern warnings in the Bible.  But it is supposed to be formulated by a perfumer (aromatherapist?) for use by the priesthood.  Under the New Covenant we are all members of the common priesthood.  Besides, it is extremely unlikely that I am duplicating the exact formula for a number of reasons: 1)  We can't be 100% certain that the translation is correct 2)  Even if it is correct which Myrrh is it referring to? 3)  They wouldn't have been using essential oils but infused oils  and 4)  I have no clue what a HIN is.