TerraScents

Practical beauties from Etsy

2011-12-09T02:42:00.003-05:00

ExaltHimx7 is an Etsier offering some lovely upcycled and vintage items for those looking to spice up their wardrobe(deck out those dreadlocks, baby!) or add a little sparkle to their jewelry selection. Here are three of my personal faves from her shop.

Dread beads in gorgeous swirls of color and various sizes.

Steampunk gorgeousness!! I love the tiny gears and bits and pieces in this pendant.

Are your dreads in need of some woolie love and beautification? How about a sweet headband to accent your lovely locks? (Also a great ear warmer....)

Salsa and Margarita!

2011-09-05T17:55:00.002-04:00

Muy sexy, no? This treasury is making me awful thirsty....

One of these items is in the TerraScents shop. Can you find it?

Getting Ready For Fall

2011-06-22T02:11:00.001-04:00

Yup, it's heading toward that time of year again: Hunting Season!

I have been elbow deep in terra cotta clay the past two weeks, desperately trying to fill a few boxes of Hunter's Helpers before I get slammed with orders. I don't want to be caught off guard when the kids are back in school because it was really not fun last year. So I'm taking the initiative and getting a great deal of work done during the summer. So far so good. I've got one box full!

Now ask me how I've managed to keep my cat away from the skein of sisal twine while getting the orders together. hehehe... Bribery! Yes, it's true. Straight out bribery. He gets one long length to run around the house like an idiot with and I get to work in relative peace for a little while.

Here's the little brat himself. Totally incorrigible. An unrepentant comedian.

This Treasury was a real treat to trip across a while back. It contained one of my terra cotta diffusers(in the red box). It was called Freshly Southwestern. Cute, eh? What a wide variety of objects! You've got everything from jewelry to cookware and photography, all the way down to stone carving, soap, and photography.

Featured in Treasury!

2011-06-19T03:10:00.001-04:00

I discovered today that a Celtic inspired design of mine made its way into a Treasury!

In Red highlighting, there is my Celtic brown and tan terra cotta diffuser. Surrounded by plaid and terriers.... that diffuser seems right at home, don't you think?

New Nature Photography

2011-06-18T00:57:00.002-04:00

Top to bottom, here are some new items available in TerraScents: October Sunset, Broken Spine, and Floral Mandala. The third photograph is offered in either color or black-and-white.

New Additions To The Shop

2011-06-05T01:27:00.001-04:00

It's been quite a number of months since my last update here. I've been holding off and crossing my fingers, praying desperately for certain things to change in the economy. Alas, it's only gotten worse. This is one of those Good News/Bad News sort of updates.

Some craziness going on in Africa and I'm guessing Italy as well has led to a complete lack of olive butter here in the USA. (Let me clarify that-- REPUTABLE olive butter. Not the cheap watered down stuff that I refuse to use.) What does that mean for TerraScents fans? I can't make Boo-Boo Cream OR my Anti-Frizz Hair Balm!! Nada. Zero. Zilch. No more can be produced.

The last jar of Boo-Boo Cream is in my own refrigerator and is already half empty. I shipped out the last jar of Anti-Frizz Hair Balm to a loyal customer a while back and all these months of crossing my fingers and holding my breath have resulted in failure. I've searched high and low for another reputable butter dealer and none have surfaced yet.

It's not just a matter of my dealer not being able to get it anymore--they also went out of business! I'm so frustrated I could scream. I can't find anyone with comparable quality that has reasonable prices.

The only natural oil based product I can make right now is my Coconut Cookie Scrub. The oils and other ingredients contained in it are able to be obtained locally without compromising the quality in any way.

My Neemzuki and Amla Clay face & body products are also pulled from the cyber-shelves due to such drastic inflation on the price of natural grains and clays. Or the grains I use in my formulations just simply aren't able to be obtained easily anymore! There's some real supply issues going on lately in the USA with natural bath and body ingredients. This has led to the more economical "pre-made" formulations you see out there now in which a person simply has to add a scent to and then sell. But if you're looking for something withOUT all those cheap fillers and you want the real deal..... that's going to be more expensive now. And I just plain don't have the cash to do it. And I don't think I could keep a good customer base with the products, unfortunately. There are too many cheap imitations out now and so quality goes by the wayside. If I'm going to put my name on something then I want to be able to say that 100% of the finished product was inspired by and created by my own hands.

OK, so now that I'm done with the Bad News let's get to the Good stuff already and see the New Additions the title of this post implies are in the shop.

There are three ballet themed photos currently in TerraScents: Balance, Crossed Pointes, and One Pointe, all shown below.

These photos were all shot in the summer of 2007 before I had to quit dancing due to illness. I'm quite fond of black and white photography and also the 'near black and white' style of selectively adding and subtracting color for a certain feel.

In the same category of black and white but backing away from athletic sports, there is a certain feline who is making his debut this weekend: my tuxedo cat who is appropriately named Killer Kitty. He loves to hunt three things: naps, my raggedy smelly pointe shoes, and deer. Thankfully, he is now domesticated and the local deer are no longer in danger. The first two on that list, however, are always in danger. He tries to cram his face into my pointes as far as he can and then fall asleep. He's a royal terror when it comes to satin ribbon, too.

With Killer's photo I wanted to offer something a bit different to my customers: customization!

Here's the original look of his eyes in the pure black and white version of the photo. And then here he is again with Gold, Blue, or Green eyes!

I am currently hard at work on getting test samples printed on dozens of other artistic photos taken over the past few years. When I am satisfied with them then they'll be listed. Just check directly in the shop at www.terrascents.etsy.com or you can glance back here and look to your right----> to see a random selection of the goodies available.

TerraScents terra cotta diffusers and Hunters Helpers are still in stock and ready to ship! Hunting Season is creeping up again and I think I'd better get my hands dirty with some clay sometime real soon to increase my stock of the Hunter's Helpers.... I remember being quite overwhelmed with orders last year right before Christmas and staying up a few nights until well after midnight.

I hope everyone is having a lovely summer so far. Stay hydrated and stay safe!

Seed Bombs!

2011-01-13T00:49:00.002-05:00

RecycledIdeas is a green-thumb friendly place to hang out. I've favorited more than a few of her items over the past year and even tried them out. Fantastic gifts!! All my friends and family have raved over them.

I am in love with the thought of infusing such a small but powerful thing as seeds in something as simple as paper. Call me a minimalist, but I adore functional art which makes a statement without wasting too many syllables.

Browsing around today I stumbled upon a wonderful new addition to RecycledIdeas' collection of handmade seed papers: guerrilla seed bombs! (What a great way for her to use those left over scraggly pieces after she's done cutting out shapes. Waste not- want not, right? Very smart.)

For Valentine's Day she's offering a collection of pinks and reds:

Makes me wish Spring was here already.

Saving A Lot Of Money On Laundry Soap- a recipe

2010-01-16T21:40:00.004-05:00

If you are trying to find ways to save money (blog author raises hand to add herself to this crowd) then I have one way you may want to investigate. Talking to a few folks and doing some research has led me to an awesome solution for saving money on laundry detergent and I'd like to share it with you. Print this article out and pass it around to all your friends! Everyone likes saving money, right?

The section on the breakdown of how much $$$ you'd save is below the two recipes. The savings are substantial so this is worth your time to really investigate the math on what you're paying now versus what you could be.

To start, let's make sure some terminology is understood. When I speak of "one batch" I mean a full quart-sized ZipLock baggie. This is the amount which is easiest to whip up at one time and is equal to a five-gallon bucket of wet soap. So one quart-sized baggie of dry = a five gallon bucket of wet. You have a choice of using it either wet or dry but the process is different for the wet version. Both recipes are below.

A total of 4 cups dry volume of ingredients equals 64 tablespoons of product. If you regularly use 2 tablespoons of product because you always do large loads of laundry at a time then you're looking at 32 loads of laundry per batch of soap made.

Here's the recipe that I have been happily using for a few weeks. It's quite concentrated and works very well.

1.5 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda(NOT baking soda!)($2.19 for 3lbs 7oz)
1.5 cups Mule Team Borax ($2.98 for 4lbs 12oz)
1 bar of Fels Naptha Bar Soap($.99 per bar)

I prefer the dry soap, myself. It really saves space in my tiny apartment. If you'd rather make the wet soap then you can purchase a five gallon bucket+lid set at any hardware store for around $2.50.

Dry recipe:

Use a cheese grater to shred the whole bar of Fels Naptha soap, as shown below.

Next, use a food processor to finely chop the soap as small as possible. In my own food processor I found that I had to take a sharp steak knife to dig around under the blades from time to time. Do it in a few small batches if you have to. It's pretty quick. It will end up looking a bit like cous cous.

Mix the finely processed soap flakes with the Borax and the Washing Soda in a bowl and stir with a spoon. Here is what the finished product looks like:

Voila. Simple. It's done. Then you simply scoop the dry soap mix into a container and make sure you keep a tablespoon handy for use. One tablespoon for a small load 2 for a medium large load and 3 for a super large load. Even on my kids' nastiest stuff I've only had to use 2 tablespoons and everything comes out very clean.

This soap doesn't create a lot of suds but that has no bearing on how effective it is. Commercial laundry soaps are full of synthetic surfactants which make it "prettier" for the customer. Quit paying an arm and a leg for pretty and make something that works just as well with your own two hands!

Wet Version:

You're going to need a larger pot for this. Dump the shredded bar soap(you don't have to run this through the food processor) into the pot and turn on medium heat. Mix in 12 cups of plain tap water.
Stir frequently as soap melts down and keep stirring until soap is completely dissolved.
Add the Borax and Washing Soda to this soap soup.
Dump 8 cups of water into your 5 gallon bucket.
Add your soap soup from the pot to your 5 gallon bucket.
Mix well.
Add 2 gallons + 12 cups(water) to your 5 gallon bucket. Mix well.
Allow mixture to sit 24 hours in bucket. Then mix one last time. It's not going to be a clear liquid. You will see some random slimy soap flakes floating throughout. That's normal.

Some people use a drill with a paint mixing attachment to mix the solution in the bucket. If your wrists and hands hurt then this would be an excellent option. If not, then a nice long paint stirring stick works just as well.

You can fill old laundry soap containers(the pourable kind- not the button mashing kind) and use as needed.

1 cup of liquid soap per large load and 2 cups if you've got rolling-in-the-mud/small child type laundry to contend with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where do you find these three ingredients? I was able to purchase the Fels Naptha bar soap and Washing Soda at Publix while the Borax was cheaper at Walmart. Borax and Washing Soda are fairly easy to find in the detergent isle of most grocery stores while Fels Naptha soap can be a bit trickier to find depending on which locations will carry them. In my city there is only ONE store that carries the Fels Naptha bar soap. Go figure. Even when we have 2 Publix stores, 2 Super Walmarts, and several other smaller chains in the city. All three of these recipe ingredients can be found online, however. Just make sure you check out the laundry isle in all of your city's supermarkets before going this route. Nine times out of ten purchasing these items online is way more expensive from what I've seen because of the shipping costs.

Helpful details/Stuff I learned the hard way:

Do not EVER put the clothes in the washer and then dump this laundry soap on top. You'll be sorry. It gets clogged up in the folds of cloth and then you're scraping it out. Instead, turn on your washer and put the laundry soap in the bottom of the machine then put the clothes on top. Sounds terribly stupid to point out this minor detail if you already do this but... hey. I thought I was doing a good thing at the time when I put a little extra soap on top. Wound up making me feel pretty damn dumb in the end as I spent several minutes scraping the soap off with a spoon and then rinsing my jeans out by hand. If you put the soap in the bottom of the washer then you will have no issues like this.

The math and how much you'd save

There are three different weights and densities with these three ingredients. Using the simplest method to see exactly how much of an investment a person would be making I measured how much product was in each box and then worked out how many batches each box would make.

One box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda is 3lbs 7oz (55oz total) and costs $2.19 at Publix.
One box of 20 Muleteam Borax is 4lbs 12oz (76oz total) and costs $2.98 at Walmart
One bar of Fels Naptha Soap 5.5oz and costs $.99 at Publix

Note: I shopped around at Walmart and Publix and there was a whole $1.01 difference between the stores when it came to the Borax. It PAYS to compare! Every little bit helps.

You need one full bar of Fels Naptha Soap for each batch but each box of Washing Soda and Borax holds many more times the quantity for one batch. Each box of Washing Soda holds 6 cups and each box of Borax holds 10.5 cups. (And yes, I actually sat down at my kitchen table with a measuring cup to verify this.)

That means that a $2.19 box of Washing Soda will make 4 batches of laundry soap while the $2.98 box of Borax will make 7 batches!!! Can you see the savings adding up now?

1 1/3 cup grated soap + 1.5 cup Washing Soda + 1.5 cups Borax settled down to equaling just over 4 cups of product after the soap was run through the food processor for the dry method. Each competed batch of dry laundry soap is 1lb 12 ounces.

So how much does it cost per batch to make?

$2.19 box of Washing Soda divided by 4 equals $.55 per batch
$2.98 box of Borax divided by 7 equals $.43 per batch
+ One full Fels Naptha Bar of soap at $.99 per batch

The grand total is $1.97 for one batch equaling 1 quart bag dry or a 5 gallon bucket wet.

Using this average example of Tide soap ($13.99 for 24 loads) you're looking at paying $.58 per load. Whereas with homemade laundry soap it's $1.97 for 65 loads(using one tablespoon) or 33 loads if you double up and use 2 tablespoons per load. That's $.05 per load of laundry soap if you use two tablespoons and under $.03 if you use one.

Happy Soap Making!

Plantain Hoecake Recipe

2009-12-14T22:50:00.007-05:00

I am a Southern woman born and bred. There are few things I love more than salty pork chops and tomato gravy rice. However, one must deviate from those tried and true recipes sometimes for... something a bit different.

Figures that I'd latch onto yet another Southern tradition to fall in love with. My two children as well.

The recipe I'm about to share with you is not only Southern it has it's roots in the Caribbean island slaves' kitchens. And with the price of plantains(ugly/green bananas) right now ($.38 per!!) I'd be an idiot not to enjoy these with my family while we can.

Plantain Hoecakes/Johnny-cakes

Serves 4

You need:

Two plantains, the uglier the better. If you buy them while they're still pretty and unbruised then let them sit out on your kitchen counter for a few days until they're good and ugly. They'll be a bit soft to the touch usually, when they're ripe.
1 cup of cornmeal.
Vegetable oil.
1 large round skillet for the stove top + 1 glass pan for the oven.

Cut the tips off the plantains. Then, take the pointy tip of a knife and make several long but shallow cuts down the length of the plantain, all the way around it. Peel the strips of skin off. This is the only easy way to do so.
Slice plantains into quarter inch rounds and place them in the glass pan after it has been coated with cooking spray or vegetable oil.
Bake in oven on 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and poke with a fork. The slices should be softer and have a brownish swirly pattern to them.
After the plantain slices have cooled for about five minutes dump them into a bowl and using a fork, mash them up very fine. It takes some work but by cooking them in the oven your job is made much easier.
Once your plantains are thoroughly mashed begin adding the cornmeal to it about an eighth of a cup at a time. Make sure you are mixing well. The more you add the thicker in consistency the mash becomes. The goal is to create a mash which you can form with your fingers into a patty. One cup of cornmeal generally does the trick for two plantains. Don't add too much more than that otherwise it'll make the cake crumble apart in the pan.
Warm up your skillet just below medium heat. Add a quarter inch of vegetable oil to the pan.
When oil is hot then you can start forming your cakes. One heaping tablespoon equals one cake. Scoop up some mash on your spoon and then roll it into a ball. Mash it flat and put it into pan oil. Make each cake between a quarter inch and a half an inch thick.
The easiest way I've found to turn them over is with a spoon and a fork. The fork grabs and the spoon cradles it so it doesn't fall apart. Fill your pan up with little cakes and then begin turning them over. Generally it's about four minutes before the first side is done. Cook until both sides are golden brown.
Gently transfer your golden brown hoecakes onto a plate which has been lined with paper towels to sop up the oil. Lightly salt the hoecakes before the oil dries.
Let cool for five minutes and then... enjoy!

I think plantain hoecakes are a wonderful marriage of salty and sweet flavors. My two kids adore them and instead of considering them a side dish to the entree of the evening they really think they're dessert. Sometimes they like to put a drizzle of honey on them. It satisfies their sweet tooth and still gives them some healthy fiber. Plantains have a much lower sugar content than your average yellow bananas and yet when they are cooked they have a taste very similar to them.

Shea Butter & Eczema

2009-11-19T13:46:00.008-05:00

Summeresque wrote, "I left feedback but I just wanted to personally thank you for such an amazing product. I have never seen anything work so well on my sons eczema. I am so glad I decided to search etsy for something better than big corporations were putting out. I have tried so many things and nothing truly helped the itch or helped him heal. This cream does both! Amazing! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

Admittedly, I do get a lot of rave reviews for my Boo-Boo Cream. And I certainly don't mind talking about how the ingredients work- but I'm going to do you one better. I'm going to talk a bit about how to stop eczema rashes in their tracks. No, you're not getting my recipe for the Cream. This is a preventative measure.

I wrote back, "Aww you are so sweet! Thank you. I adore fan mail. Boo-Boo Cream certainly has the longest list of it compared to my other products.

I know exactly what you mean by 'nothing really helped the itch or helped it to heal' all too well. That stuff made by pharmaceutical companies is full of steroids or synthetic "moisturizers" and quite honestly, the skin knows what's fake and what's natural. Our body craves natural ingredients. The steroid creams are the worst, in my experience. You might as well by coating the skin with Vaseline with a little colony of ants mixed in. Once you stop using the cream your skin freaks out and then you've got a problem that's become worse than it was before. And it doesn't ever really HEAL the skin to begin with, and that's the biggest problem with eczema. If you've still got those cracks and fissures you're never going to be able to stop the itch.

Ever tried Lachydren(can't remember exactly how to spell it. It's Lack-Hye-Dren) on your boy? Don't. Stuff's $45 a bottle, smells like butt, you can only get it from a dermatologist(usually), and it makes the skin feel like it's been slathered with so many vitamins it's about to start growing things. Fake pharmaceutical moisturizers. That was the last product I tried before I screamed ENOUGH.

Here's a helpful tip to keep your boy's skin super supple and to help stop eczema flares. He may balk at it, being a boy, but if he becomes accustomed to just doing it every day it will save him from having to use the Boo-Boo Cream so much. Over time it gradually reduces flares and then... the skin is a peace. It's amazing, really. And so simple I wanted to bang my head against my desk when I discovered it.

Shea butter. That's it. I'm not kidding. PURE shea butter. I have a little Pyrex bowl with a rubber lid of the stuff in my bathroom. After I shower I smear a bit of the shea butter into my hands, rub until it's warmed and turns into an oil, then pat it all over the body parts that flare the worst(my legs). Shea warms to the touch so it's especially nice in the winter. Less than a 1/16 of a tablespoon is enough to do one adult sized leg. Very cost effective. A small smear is all it takes.

Here's my recipe:

1 cup pure shea butter. NOT deodorized!

In a glass bowl, heat the shea butter for about 7 minutes on High. Make sure your bowl is big enough to contain the bubbles. Leave out in the open for about an hour to naturally cool. After an hour it will be safe to add a 5-10 drops of scent and stir with a butter knife. Pour liquid shea into an air tight container and let cool for two days.

The result is something which looks like alien cauliflower. Don't let that scare you away from it. Shea butter has a naturally lumpy appearance. It's a pure complex fat and therefore it ain't too pretty. Cocoa butter is pretty. Shea isn't. Cocoa butter is a 10 on the butter/oil hardness scale and shea is around a 6 or 7 depending on the location of the trees where it's harvested. I do use a lot of shea butter in Boo-Boo Cream but I'm quite sure you don't want him to run around reeking of neem and tea tree oil all the time.

Well, keep in touch and let me know how it goes! And thanks again for the rave feedback on the Cream. Mother Nature loves us.

All the best,

Angel

PS. www.oilsbynature.com and www.fromnaturewithlove.com are some great places to buy oils and butters. You can even mix in a teaspoon of wheat germ oil with the shea butter and it'll be even better! Wheat germ oil is a powerhouse of antioxidant vitamins and the skin recognizes it enough to where it can be properly absorbed, unlike the pharmaceutical stuff.

*********************

Demure

2009-11-11T19:23:00.004-05:00

Meet Demure. She is a super sexy shade of neutral green with a subdued silver/gray sheen. Paired up with Black Steele as a wet eye liner she rocks!!

Thanks, Doree! The first eye shadow for my PinkQuartzMinerals six month subscription is fantastic!!

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

2009-11-01T01:17:00.003-04:00

lolcats would like to go trick-or-treating at your house... Be scared. Be very scared.

PQM's Eye Shadow Of The Month

2009-10-31T01:23:00.025-04:00

PinkQuartzMinerals is my absolute favorite makeup seller. Anywhere. Period. I love writing about her. I love talking about her. My hair stylist hits me up for information on her new colors every time I get a trim. Because, naturally, I'm wearing different colors on my eyes every time I go. Everything Doree makes is one-of-a-kind. She specializes in custom foundations, blushes, bronzers, lipsticks, and of course eye shadows.

Although she constantly tells me that she needs to stay away from the micas, lest she mix like a madwoman and hours go by... she still does it. Over two hundred shades and counting now.

I purchased some large jars of my three most recently named "Faves" and received the package yesterday. I bought:

Wrap: a more subdued version of gold, meant to be an 'everyday' type shimmer and shine. A neutral sort of peachy gold with pale green sparkles.
(<----Pandysmonium: A funkadelic brown/green holographic effect shadow. I always get a lot of double takes with this shade. It is truly stunning. But very wearable.
Garland: a slightly more bold peachy gold shimmer and sparkle. Not 1,000 watt gold, more neutral and blends in with pale skin well.

Besides these three jars I got a new eyeliner brush and a flat/rounded eye shadow brush- YAY! I needed new brushes. Doree also sent me samples of her NEW unreleased shades and upon close inspection I saw that some envelopes had numbers on them like, #101. #102.. etc. Ok, so she needs help naming them. I'll bite.

I smeared some of the shadows on the back of my hand and looked at them in bright light individually, promptly deciding right then and there that I hate her. I mean, how is it that a person can whip micas and minerals together and create something so completely indescribable?!!!! Just when you think you have a color pinned down you shift your eye a bit to the side and BAM! you see another hue that jumps out at you. Or another layer of sparkle in a different color. It's not that she just dumps micas together and it looks like a jumbled mess- it's that she mixes so strategically that you can't tell where one color begins and another ends. They flow together seamlessly until a mirage effect is created. Thus, the problems of naming her creations.

I think I'll leave her with that headache for now. My brain is still buzzing trying to decide which one of my new lovelies I'm going to wear today for a party I'm attending.

Because I am consistently amazed at her mica mixing prowess I have have decided to give her Eye Shadow of the Month a try. I'm purchasing her six-month subscription.

The three month subscription is $23, six months is $45, and a full year is $78. And that's already including shipping. The way I figure it, I already get samples galore from her because I bat my eye lashes in front of my camera. But I want full sized jars, darn it!! Mine. All MINE! No samples. (I use up the samples, get pissed when I run out, and then beg for more. I'm so pathetic.) Big beautiful jars of colors made just for me. Greed concerning makeup is one personality flaw I plan to work on in the New Year. But not just yet. *grin*

Here's my eye with PinkQuartzMineral's Peachblow eye shadow and Jet Black eyeliner, used wet. Classic and sexy, yes? I plan to take pics of myself with the eye shadow I receive every month so keep checking back for updates!

(The first pic above is Hazelnut + Charcoal eye liner.)

Sweet Holiday Deals

2009-10-31T00:21:00.006-04:00

My Coconut Cookie Scrub has always been a favorite. I've even had customers track me down from one store incarnation to the next, begging, PLEADING with me to make them a few jars of it. (One woman wanted me to fill a gallon milk jug of the stuff and mail it to her. No joke.) No more! I've finally had my fill. It will be stocked permanently in the shop. No begging necessary.

To celebrate the occasion I have decided to offer a nice holiday gift pack. Two 7oz jars of Coconut Cookie Scrub for only $15 -- smooth skin for that great price, you gasp? Heck yeah, two whole jars of it. Pamper yourself. Pamper a friend, even.

I'm contemplating putting together a Pina Colada and Mojito themed ladies' night next week with some friends. Foot scrub? Check. Toenail polish... still shopping for that perfect shade.

For The Hunters

2009-10-18T18:58:00.005-04:00

Deer Hunter Helpers are fully stocked in the store!

A single Hunter Helper is available as is a Three Pack or a Six Pack. They make fantastic stocking stuffer gifts for the hunters in your life, or if you simply like a rustic decor ornament to liven up the area with assorted scents.

What exactly are Hunters Helpers? They are pure terra cotta disks which are hung by sisal twine(included) from trees and bushes around the hunter's stand. These disks are infused with doe urine(not included) in order to attract the bucks in the area.

Teflon Mishap

2009-09-29T07:11:00.003-04:00

Teflon isn't supposed to chip off your pans the first time you wash them... is it??

Needless to say, this whole set was returned.

Win Free Makeup!

2009-08-06T12:54:00.004-04:00

~~~~~~NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS~~~~~~~~

PinkQuartzMinerals, who I model makeup for, is holding a drawing for $100 worth of FREE makeup! Go to her blog to learn more: www.pinkquartzminerals.blogspot.com

Unusual Custom Paintings

2009-08-05T18:50:00.006-04:00

Here's me going out on a cliff: I moved from painting on canvas and paper to painting on plastic.

Yes. You read correctly. I've begun painting custom Transformers. The demand is surprisingly high. It is certainly a specialized niche, however if you're good at it you can be quite successful.

Spiced Honey

2009-07-23T14:37:00.006-04:00

KittyThing, a fellow Etsier, makes a most unusual edible treat.

"This clover honey was cooked in a small batch with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and lemon slices then seal up with spices and a lemon slice in the jar to mature. 8oz. jar

Enjoy it in your tea (hot or iced), on toast, warm biscuits or drizzled over fruit for an unusual dessert!"

Can I get a side order of scones with that?? I'm hungry now.

More cupcake lovin'

2009-07-05T14:07:00.005-04:00

An Etsier after my own heart....

Cupcakes!

2009-06-12T10:25:00.008-04:00

My hypoglycemic cravings just wont quit lately. And it seems that this is translating into my art.

Behold, sugary sweetness in terra cotta scent diffusers!

Scrumptious, yeah?

Here are a few of the other diffusers I made in that same batch:

Natural Garden Bug Spray

2009-05-07T19:50:00.008-04:00

"Aphids be gone!! Poof! Away with you! Quit eating my broccoli, greens, okra, and tomatoes, you greedy little bastards!!!"

That is what I was chanting (sobbing, really) in the garden a few days ago. I swear, between the hot Florida heat and the damn bugs there just ain't a way to keep a garden alive this year. I discovered a nifty recipe you can whip up in your kitchen that'll make those hungry critters scatter.

Here's what you need:

1 empty spray bottle (16oz) (I use an empty 409 Window Cleaner bottle.)
6-8 fresh cloves of raw garlic
1 cup plain vegetable oil
3 drops of dish soap
garlic press
food processor

Directions:

Take a knife and chop off the ends of each garlic clove. Squeeze each one in the garlic press. Put the minced garlic into the food processor. Toss the skins that are left in the garlic press into the trash.
Pour the vegetable oil into the food process with the minced garlic. Put the lid on and whip the heck out of the mixture. When you're done it'll look like a pale yellow.... soup. The garlic should almost invisible.
Pour 2 tablespoons of this mixture into the empty sprayer bottle. Add the 3 drops of dish soap.
Fill the bottle nearly full with water. Shake. And go kill some bugs!

Now technically you don't HAVE to use the garlic press, this just allows the garlic to be whipped into the nearly microscopic size necessary in the food processor to bind with the oil. A food processor/blender is a must, though. There's no way to do this by hand.

The rest of the garlic-oil can be poured into a container and kept in the fridge. Just dip out what you need for your next bug killing spree whenever you need it. I find that an empty water bottle does great for that. Just make sure you scribble "Garlic! Don't Drink!" on it otherwise you'll gag when you take a swig of it at 2am by accident thinking it was lemonade.

I don't think that this garlic-oil actually kills aphids. But it definitely makes them vacate the premises. Make sure you're spraying the underside of the leaves AND that the ground is lightly covered. Some aphids go to ground when threatened. Don't give them a place to hide. Spray the plant and the surrounding soil.

If you have aphids real bad (like I did) you'll notice that the ants are having a real picnic in your plants. They eat aphids, fyi. You spray this stuff on the ants and they aren't going to be happy either. In my garden on the second day ninety percent of the aphids and the ants were gone.

Lastly, be diligent about using this stuff. You may have to spray your plants every day for a while until the aphids get the hint. The garlic scent doesn't linger. It's not even noticeable to human noses after 5 minutes.

For those animal lovers out there; if your indoor cat is prone to chewing on your houseplants this spray works well as a deterrent. Cats hate the smell of garlic.

<---Meet Killer Kitty, the plant-eating-fiend-pain-in-the-butt. He is a reformed ex-plant chomper.

Just plain funny

2009-05-03T23:26:00.005-04:00

I have to say that what I find most strange about this picture is that EVERYTHING is totally symmetrical- from the broccoli to the background and right down to the cat's coloration! Very odd. Most cats are not completely symmetrical.

Front Page!

2009-04-30T16:06:00.007-04:00

Although Etsy just plain ticks me off even on a good day, there is still that school-girl giggly feeling I get when I'm on the front page, even if it's vicariously.

My own diffusers or art didn't make it this time, it was a modeling photo I took for PinkQuartzMinerals in her Black Orchid eye shadow listing. Here's a screenshot I took.

The little owl... creature... thing ... on the left of me kinda freaks me out but what the hey. This particular Treasury is full of 'unusual' items and themes. It fits.

If you click on the image it will take you to the actual Black Orchid listing in PQM's shop so you can see a clearer version of the eye pic. Enjoy!

Colorful Clay

2009-04-29T21:43:00.012-04:00

Itching to see some color? Here ya go!

These are just a couple of the brand new diffusers I've listed this week in my shop. Click on them to see more.

Artistic Weaving of Words

2009-04-29T20:43:00.008-04:00

Stories in pictures based on words from the hand of a very talented artist....

May I introduce you to LilyMoon! These are three of my faves from her shop.

Natural Body Powders & Handmade Soaps

2009-04-25T20:15:00.011-04:00

PegasusSoaps.ArtFire.com rocks my world. Not only does she make hot/cold processed soap(I am a soap-whore-extraordinaire and I know what the good stuff feels like) but she has also expanded her line to now include whipped soaps in a jar, skin scrubs and waxes, bath salts, yummy lip balms, and even scented soy melts.

Here's the cream of the crop in my book-

Silky All Over Body Powder, $7.00 for a 6oz shaker bottle. Ingredients: kaolin clay, arrowroot powder, rice powder, baking soda, corn starch, and any one of the gazillion scents she has to choose from.

Come ON!!?? What's not to love here? You get someone ELSE to do the rocket science of tinkering around with all these powders to come up with the perfect blend and then we get to put in the buyer's notes, "by the way, I want _______ scent to be added to it." I adore customizable products, don't you? It makes me feel pampered. Loved. And definitely appreciated as a customer.

I have not been able to find any other seller with this all natural recipe for body powder for this kind of price tag. Seriously. You gotta splurge and grab a bottle of this stuff! Treat your skin to what a REAL natural product is instead of automatically grabbing the bottle of Johnson and Johnson's, who by the way, loves slipping mineral oils, talcs, & paraffins in just about all of their products. Their body powder is mostly cornstarch which is overly drying to the skin. Pegasus uses more expensive ingredients which are soothing to the skin(and healthier) on a long term basis.

And just because I can I'm going to throw in a shameless plug here of my favorite soap by Pegasus:

Oatmeal Milk & Honey hot processed soap. I swear I can feel my skin sigh in relief when I use this stuff. The soft scent of warm honey is intoxicating. I love this soap!!! You can rub it on your skin to exfoliate because the mildly coarse oatmeal grains are perfectly distributed throughout the bar and then turn around and use the rich lather to shave with. Heck, I've washed my hair with it a few times and even my hair loves it.

PinkQuartzMinerals

2009-03-31T21:00:00.017-04:00

Anyone who has shopped for mineral makeup on ArtFire or Etsy will recognized the name PinkQuartzMinerals. The pretty pink handled brushes and superb customer service is really just the icing on the cake when it comes to this makeup magician!

As many already know, I am one of PQM's models. I've done every type of style for her. From sultry and sexy to 'oh my god--what is that?' Doree makes some magical color combinations and I love playing with them. I swear sometimes I think I'm like a kid in a candy store when I hear she's whipped up some new colors. I can't wait to get my hands on them.

So after around a year or so of only taking eye pictures for her makeup I decided I'd do a full face makeover. Yes, I cannot believe I am actually showing pictures of myself without makeup online for the world to see. But this is how much I love her makeup and stand behind her wizardry. She is a wildly imaginative artist and man is she dangerous with a supply of mineral micas and a little bit of spare time!!

In the After photos I am wearing:

Alabaster foundation
Marsh corrector
Firefly Glow lightly on cheeks
Summer Gold on lid and up to brow and Gold Ore in crease
Copper Peach lip gloss.

I started with a fresh clean face in the Before pictures. I have freckles, liver spots, and acne with oily skin. None of these pictures have been touched up in any way with editing programs. And as you can see my natural hair color isn’t auburn and I do have some gray. After applying Alabaster foundation and Veil my freckles and liver spots were minimized, my skin tone was evened out and my wrinkles are less noticeable. I’m 28 but hey, I’m starting to notice a few.

My complexion is pretty pale. I originally began with the Parchment foundation from PQM but when Doree made Alabaster I knew I had to try it. I have found that the lighter tone of Alabaster helps hide my freckles and liver spots even BETTER! I am thrilled. Lesson learned: don’t be afraid to try something a bit lighter or darker than your natural skin tone. You never know what the end result will be. Each shade seems to have it’s own unique personality when on skin.

My favorite PQM eye shadows are Piney, Copper Peach, Naked Frost, Ecstasy, Pandsymonium, Kjsagender, Cane, and Green Bean Casserole. And I can’t live without the dual ended brush! It is the biggest time saver I’ve ever found for applying mineral makeup; perfect control and it has the ability to hold a lot of product. This brush is the only thing I've found that will allow me to do all the crazy stuff I do in my modeling photos.

Dichroic Fused Glass Artisan Feature

2009-02-20T21:23:00.014-05:00

While traipsing around ArtFire today I stumbled upon some wonderful glass artisans and wanted to share their beautiful pendants with you. I chose my favorites from their shops to feature. Consider this my... wish list? My birthday is coming up. (hint HINT!)

Pink and Green Dragonflies by Luv2Have.ArtFire.com

Eureka by CombustionGlassworks.ArtFire.com

Donut Pendant by LampworkByAmy.Artfire.com

Crimson Red by GloriaLynnGlass.ArtFire.com

Pink and Lavender by DianaVCreations.ArtFire.com

TerraScents Featured!

2009-02-20T19:20:00.007-05:00

Whoo hoo!! One of my paintings was featured on ArtFire's front page today from 3-4pm. Darn it. I wish I'd been able to catch it and do a screenshot of it.

Classic Vs. Fetish
20" x 16" Acrylic Commentary Art
Completed in 2005

Etsy Features

2009-02-16T22:35:00.003-05:00

Here are a few things I recently found in Etsy. Quirky and fun. Enjoy!!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
TerraScents.etsy.com

Ink Print

2009-02-11T09:20:00.007-05:00

This feminine print was uploaded a few days ago to my ArtFire shop. It is based on the original painting which began my 'Woman' series. I am contemplating making a more prints within the theme. This print in particular is 1 of 1, meaning it is unique. I destroyed the carving as soon as the ink dried.

Snowflake

2009-02-08T16:23:00.007-05:00

This lovely beauty is being listed in my ArtFire shop today! At 4" by 6" she is a compact piece of collectible art using watercolor and minerals for texture. I like her for the simplicity she represents.

Mr. Bok

2009-02-02T13:13:00.013-05:00

Still in the realm of art but veering a bit more toward the landscape variety, I wanted to share something I'd found this weekend.

In my Sunday newspaper, Cinnamon Bair wrote a short article concerning a Floridian transplant by the name of Edward Bok. Now Mr. Bok is more widely known here in Lake Wales, Florida for the pretty white bell tower he built and the surrounding garden. The tower itself is built on the highest elevation in Florida. Yes, Florida is flat but it's not THAT flat! There are some hilly areas.

In his autobiography, "The Americanization of Edward Bok," he talks about his grandparents and particularly his grandmother. She told him, "Make you the world a bit more beautiful and better because you have been in it."

Edward Bok became the editor for Ladies' Home Journal and then once he found a place in Florida to settle, he decided the rather boring sandy ... hole... that is Lake Wales needed some greenery! So he unleashed his green thumb and the result is the locally famous Bok Tower Gardens. He built the Tower in memory of his wife, so I suppose this is the Floridian version of the 'Taj Mahal.'

All in all, I'd say that the article prompted me to think a bit more about my art and purpose behind it. What are my intentions? What does it say? What do I hope it accomplishes or makes people feel?

Past Works

2009-01-10T13:57:00.019-05:00

Looking back over my portfolio this afternoon I decided to share a few sold works with you.

Meet "The Pier." This layered multimedia piece was done in ACEO format using watercolor, acrylic, oil, and even a few odd minerals here and there. Rough abstracts can sometimes be the most meaningful to me.

The next piece you are about to see was sold right before Christmas and is one of my absolute favorite abstracts on canvas. "Inevitable" is a triptych which hangs vertically. If you click on it you will be taken to the Sold listing in Etsy which also has some great close up views of each panel. Very touchable.

Natural Moisturizing Spray

2008-12-24T15:43:00.013-05:00

FromNatureWithLove.com has got to be the coolest 'natural' ingredient shop around for whipping up awesome skincare goodies! This is where I started purchasing my own supplies, in fact. For a business, when it comes to their butters they're pretty pricey- but if you're looking to purchase in small personal sized quantity then they are superb. Great service and fabulous quality.

I mention this particular shop to give you an example of where to purchase an ingredient which is the Mother of all moisturizers. Vegetable glycerin.

Here is FNWL.com's listing for it. A thicker consistency clear liquid, vegetable glycerin is the byproduct of making natural soap. The most obvious question then becomes, "how/where do you get this glycerin?" The answer is probably going to make you develop an eye twitch in consternation but.... it's the truth.

Commercial soap makers chemically EXTRACT this natural glycerin and then sell it. The soap you buy in big stores does not contain vegetable glycerin. What you are purchasing then is essentially detergent. Because the glycerin is left out of the final product you bring home, you end up with skin that is more susceptible to drying and cracking. (Can you say Winter Skin ten times fast? )

I've discovered a natural way to replace this humectant (definition: substance which draws moisture into the skin from the outside air) in a very economical way. You can personalize it, too!!! This is the recipe I use every day to keep my skin in great condition.

You will need:
4oz spray bottle (pump works best)
Fill bottle nearly full with water.
1 full tablespoon of vegetable glycerin

Once the water and glycerin are in the bottle, put the lid on and shake. Spray lightly on skin and wipe over it with your hand. It will feel like water. Don't let that deceive you! It's technically 'glycerin water.' If, after ten minutes, it feels a bit tacky to the touch then only use a single teaspoon in the mixture instead of a full tablespoon. This means that your skin doesn't necessarily need that much glycerin. One tablespoon for every 4 oz is the MAX you should use. If you use any more than that you're going to have a sticky mess on your hands. Glycerin is very concentrated.

You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oils if you like. Your favorite perfume. You name it. Add whatever you like.

I do not recommend making more than a single 4oz bottle at a time. You'll need to add a preservative if you do.

At $12 for a hefty 16oz bottle of glycerin, you're looking at way over a year's worth of moisturizer. Not a bad deal when you think of how much moisture your skin is missing.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, everyone!

New Home at ArtFire!

2008-12-08T12:54:00.023-05:00

Etsy, the place where I began listing my wares, is officially my ..... closet storefront now. My new main store is located at www.terrascents.artfire.com which is a sweet new art community built by people who've taken notice of Etsy's shortcomings and decided to capitalize on it. (Not that I can blame them.) I am slowly moving items over to ArtFire and am adding LOTS of new items during the coming weeks!

I finally had enough of Etsy tightening the noose around our necks making 'small' changes which absolutely have no relevance to what the community wants or needs.

I had opened an ArtFire store in October when I first heard about its grand opening but never did anything with it until last evening. This is what made me take the leap. Enough is enough. A renewal strike? HA! I think the cupcakes were piled a little too high with icing yesterday. I just about went into hypoglycemic shock reading those responses. How can this be such a 'non issue' when the things which need to be fixed are NOT fixed and still more changes keep being made which do not benefit the artist or the buyer? Of course the shop owners are rebelling and heading over to ArtFire in droves.

I responded with this post in the Etsy forums and was quite amused at the outcome. Typical Etsy. I was in kind of a bad mood when MaryMary closed that thread so... I started another, simply asking for clarification. Egads! One would think I had just threatened to confiscate all the cupcakes in the breakroom of Etsy Headquarters with the weird responses I was getting.

Regardless of the s#*%storm going on over in Etsy, my products will all be available on ArtFire by the first of the New Year. I'm keeping a few items on Etsy for customers who originally found me there can still know I'm alive.

Hey, maybe Etsy just needs a refill of Boo-Boo Cream. Everyone has their ouchy days. I even have small one oz jars for portability!

More Great Herbs For Your Hair

2008-11-16T11:14:00.024-05:00

Last week I discussed how fantastic henna is for your hair. It heals, protects, help fight dandruff, .... you name it! However, what if you're not a redhead and... quite frankly you don't want to be?

There are so many other herbal options available for you but you probably didn't even know they existed!! You do not have to use man-made chemicals on your hair to change the color. Mother Nature knows what vain creatures we are. She gave us some healthy choices so we can indulge all we want while keeping our locks beautiful.

So lets go through your options. We're going to go from light to dark:

What if you have pale blonde hair or gray? Or what if you don't want to change your color at all but you simply want something that will heal the damage you've already done to it?

Zizyphus Spina Christi, also known as "Sedr" conditions, improves, and cleans hair without changing the color at all! Great for sensitive scalped folks or if you can't use commercial shampoos.

Blonde? Want to stay blonde but might want to tweak the color a bit? Or how about if you have brown or auburn hair and you'd like it to be just a bit lighter?

Cassia is the one you want. Cassia Obovata. It does have a slighty golden hue to it. But on most people when you use ONLY cassia on the hair you really can't see a difference in the color. It's when you add other things like henna that the real magic happens. Cassia is also known as 'neutral henna.' But it is not henna! Cassia is a completely different plant altogether. Cassia conditions, strengthens, and adds shine.

If you are trying to maintain or want to change to a simple brown with no red undertones then Buxus dioica is your answer. Also known as 'Katam.' Buxus/Katam has a GRAY dye. Now don't read that last part and get scared. What this means is that it essentially neutralizes the red in henna!! Keeps the brown and lifts the red out. Example: when you mix an equal amount of henna and katam together the end result is a plain brown. No brassy tones. No red, period.

All of these colors we've talked about so far are medium to light. They're on the upper end of the light spectrum.

What if you want to deepen the color? Make it a rich dark mahogany, black cherry, or the darkest black? Indigo is what you are looking for! Here is an indigo community to read and learn all of the finer points.

Indigo is a tricky little plant. It gives off a magnificent blue dye. So how exactly does one take a blue dye and end up with darker red, brown, or black hair? Henna. I'm not kidding. Redbrown and blue = black. Or at least it does in the world of herbology.

Let's say for example that you've got mousy brown hair and you want a deep dark cherry red. You're going to take henna and mix it with a bit of indigo. The more indigo you use the deeper the color will be. YOU control the color!

But what if you want a plain black? Please, ye gods, do not just slap a slushy bowl full of indigo on your hair. You will wind up with blue hair. The trick is to use straight henna on your hair first. Rinse.... rinse some more... and then you add pure indigo. Voila! Raven black hair. Shiny and healthy.

So you see, you can use Mother Nature's gifts wisely and enjoy a chemical free hair color. No more itchy scalp. No more "but they discontinued my color" whining in the hair dye isle. (Oh I am soooo familiar with that particular nasal tone emanating from the haircare section. I, myself am guilty.)

My own freezer has a ziplock bag full of individual baggies of pre-made henna. It's my own recipe stuff. When I want to freshen up my color or I feel like I need some pampering, I grab one of those individual baggies and lay it in a bowl of room temperature water. Once the henna mix is at room temp I put on my gloves, cut open the bag and apply it to my hair. (And I don't have to open a window so I don't die from the fumes, either)

No chemicals. No fuss. No allergies. Healthy hair.

The Truth of Henna

2008-11-08T20:34:00.030-05:00

Ever been to an art or craft fair and saw a "Henna Tattoo Art" booth? Have you ever seen 'black henna'?

The reason why I am making this a subject for discussion on my blog is that it encompasses a HEALTH issue. There are various dangers associated with henna(or what some people call henna) and I would like to dispell some myths and enlighten those who are truly interested in learning about this natural plant-based art form.

The definition of henna is "Lawsonia Inermis" a small shrub-like tree that is native to Asia and the Arab countries. The leaves are dried and crushed to a powder and the super concentration of red-brown dye in the plant itself means that it will stain anything it comes into contact with: hair, human skin, animal skin(think: drums and wooden ornaments or instruments), finernails, shampoos, conditioners, and even moderately used in self tanning lotions! Very versatile stuff. Henna has been used since Biblical times to beautify the body and even keep the hands and feet cool in very arid regions.

Safe, ecologically sound and efficient when you look at water usage and the humane harvesting methods. An industry which needs to be protected at all cost, in my opinion. It is one of the last truly natural and safe coloring ingredients available to us.

It is not a permanent stain unless the item it was painted on never comes in contact with water. Think of henna as a temporary tattoo on the skin or a semi-permanent hair dye.

This is real henna. The good stuff. The cream of the crop.

There are dozens of brands out there. My personal fave is Jamila. It's consistent and great for body art or hair coloring. I'm going to share my recipe with you in a bit, too!!

The problem is that there are folks out here today selling all sorts of things that are not henna but their packaging or advertizing states that it is. When you use these products you are in danger of rashes, blisters(which permanently SCAR!), hives, asthma attacks, liver and kidney cancers/failure, fainting, itching of the affected skin, swollen eyelids, and.. even death.

Straight from Dermnetnz.org: "Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is a chemical substance that is widely used as a permanent hair dye. It may also been found in textile or fur dyes, dark coloured cosmetics, temporary tattoos, photographic developer and lithography plates, photocopying and printing inks, black rubber, oils, greases and gasoline."

Alternative names for paraphenylenediamine:

PPD or PPDA
Phenylenediamine base
p-Phenylenediamine
4-Phenylenediamine
1,4-Phenylenediamine
4-Benzenediamine
1,4-Benzenediamine
para-Diaminobenzene (p-Diaminobenzene)
para-Aminoaniline (p-Aminoaniline)
Orsin™
Rodol™
Ursol™

__________________________

Now go back and look again at the picture of Jamila in the picture above. Notice that it is a very earthy looking green, yes? Not at all like it is going to give you a reddish brown hue to your hair or skin.... Or like these people's hair! Yes. Those colors were ALL made with henna + other natural spices and liquids you can find in a grocery store! (L'Oreal eat your heart out)

True henna powder can be found in many colors, depending on the area it is harvested and the amount of rain in a given season. Not sure what you're buying? Here's a good idea to keep in mind: Real henna can be olive green, light to medium mud brown, and even a medium brown with a 'sunny' hue to it. If it reminds you of a weird kind of dirt then it is most likely henna. (hate to be blunt but... that's the best example I could come up with.)

True henna is never bright red. It is also never black or mostly yellow or super light brown. True henna has an earthy hue which is always deceptive in what its final color will be.

If you find prepackaged hair color which says it is natural henna and when you open the package you see that it has any color except green or appears to match what color you are supposed to achieve as a final result- throw it out immediately!! All of these prepackaged deals are henna mixed with powdered hair dye chemicals. And if they're so devious to not inform you right up front that there are other dyes and chemicals added to their mix then heaven help you. You can't tell what your body's reaction is going to be.

I went into my local healthfood store last weekend and found at least 3 types of prepackaged henna hair dyes. Red, Brown, and Blonde in all three brands. I wouldn't touch these things with a ten foot pole.

Click here for more info and articles on fake henna.

My own personal recipe for natural auburn hair that also hide my grays?

A single 100gram box of Jamila henna.
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon or lime(key lime is my fave) juice.
1 regular sized coffe mug full of freshly made Good Earth Chai Tea.

In a glass or plastic bowl, dump box of henna powder in and then add the 1/2 cup of citrus juice. Using a fork mix until it is a bowl full of clumps of even size. Do not add tea(made with one bag) until it is just slightly warmer than room temp. Let it cool down naturally. When ready, pour it in your henna mixture a little bit at a time and mix thoroughly. You may not use the entire cup or you may need to add a bit of room temp water. It depends on the weather.

The final texture of your henna should be very much like brownie mix or creamy cake icing. When you have reached that texture, take plastic wrap and cover the bowl. Make sure it is airtight!! I usually have to use two pieces crossed and then tucked under.

Let sit for an hour at room temp. During this time the bowl or plastic covering may feel slightly warm to the touch. This is normal. After at least an hour, take a spoon or butter knife and gently scrape the upper layer off. If the color you uncover is different than the upper layer then you're ready to go! The color change means that the henna is properly mixed and ready to impart color.

Put on plastic or rubber gloves. (If you don't your hands will turn red. Fun.)Apply to hair starting at the roots. There is no such thing as 'too much henna on your hair.' Seriously. Slap it on like it's mud. Don't be afraid of it. Make it thick. When you're done, cover your hair with a plastic hair bonnet/shower cap and then go read a book for an hour. Or clean the house. Whatever strikes your fancy.

My recipe makes a rather thick henna so it doesn't drip or run down your neck. A lot better than that old chemical stuff out of the store!

It's far easier to rinse henna out in the shower than by hanging your head in the kitchen sink. Trust me on this. Otherwise you're going to end up with a very painful neck. So hop in the shower and using mildly warm water rinse it out. It's going to be thick; take your time.The great stuff about using henna is that you can use shampoo the day you dye your hair! Some people do and some people don't. But the point is that you CAN and it won't kill the color.

Awesome Ingredients To Add for Color Adjustment

Dried/powdered herbs like: ginger, cardamom, rosehips, paprika, cinnamon, clove, allspice, tumeric, cayenne pepper, and spiced tea of all varieties.

Don't

Don't add coffee. It'll make you jittery and it kills the color quick.
Don't use scalding hot liquids in your mix.
Don't use wines unless you are prepared to stink like a wet dog. Not cool. The colors you can achieve are pretty darn nice but... sometimes I don't think it's worth it. I haven't found anything yet that will mute the scent enough for me to use it on a regular basis. If you're going to use wine and you don't mind the eau d'dog then I highly recommend Gallo's red cabernet. It's cheap and you can buy it in a little four-pack of single servings. Not that you need a whole lot of it anyway.

I hope you enjoyed learning about henna! Next I will be discussing a few other possible herbs you can use alone or add to henna to tint/color the hair + shop links for you to browse. Learning about this stuff is great but if you don't know where to get your hands on some then it's pretty frustrating, yes?

{Picture is from www.henname.net which is where I get my own henna. Great prices and service. Their 2008 crop is spectacular!!}

Elemental Art

2008-11-01T18:42:00.016-04:00

This is a painting I've just listed today in my Etsy Store. "Falling Down" was originally painted in 2007 but.... it's kinda been shoved to the wayside until recently. *shrugs* It's getting nippy in my area and I've been longing for those warm summer days, what can I say? This painting says to me, "soul food."

Pure acrylic medium with a lovely thick impasto texture medium, this is one hefty piece of art. 14"x18."

"Elements no. 1" is another of my more elemental inspired works. Also 14"x18", this particular painting is a bit confusing in that I can't totally make up my mind what direction I prefer it to be seen. Highly textured with rough lava-like mediums and smooth spherical mediums which diffuse the underlying color with an almost hypnotic effect when bright lights are directed at it.

Quality Butters?

2008-10-24T19:53:00.015-04:00

I've got a test for you.

A skin/haircare product test. And it's a doozy.

Ready?

Contact the maker of your skin/haircare products and ask them, "of all the plant and nut based butters you use in your products, which are made using the actual extracts of the plant itself?"

Now when you think about it at first glance that's a pretty weird question, yeah? I mean, of course the butters they use (shea, kokum, cocoa, etc) only contain the oils and extracts of the plant or nut, right?

WRONG!

I hate to say it but I had to learn this the hard way. All "butters" available for purchase online or in stores are not created equal. When I first began making my own skin and hair care products I bought the cheapest stuff I could find because well... I was kinda strapped for cash. I wanted something to experiment with and use for my own needs. While formulating my recipes I had tons of fun, set my stove on fire, and just generally had a blast. The end result was that when I thought I had perfected my recipes and then went to order from the same butter/oil suppliers I got a nasty shock: they were out of stock in some of the products I needed.

So I shopped around. And I ended up purchasing butters from an entirely different source. (Quite a bit more $$$ too!) Dear God was I shocked at the difference! I had gone from working with butters which were as thin in consistency as table margarine to butters that had to be chipped out of the bucket with a steak knife.

Perturbed at how my perfected recipes were apparently not going to work, I tried to compensate for the new butters' hardness with oils and extracts and... you name it. Hell, I even tried emulsifying wax + water! It took a lot of experimenting to tweak my old recipes and make them work with the new harder butters but I eventually succeded. How? I learned to love and live with the harder butters. I decided that making it 'smoother' wasn't necessarily a good thing or beneficial in the long run when it comes to how a product performs.

Here's the Good, the Bad, and the dowright Awful and True: You must pay for quality. It is true. When I compared my original recipe's product with the product made with the harder and more expensive butters there is really no comparison at all. The harder butters make a finer and more worthwhile skin/hair care product. You use less of it because it is that much more concentrated. It works better because it is not diluted with the other mess the butter makers put in it. As a matter of fact, products made with these high quality butters don't separate nearly as much!

And just what do those butter suppliers put in their products to make them "creamier, and perfect for lotions and other skincare items."

Cheap oils, folks. CHEAP oils. Like the lowest grade sunflower, olive, and super refined coconut oils. The stuff that is perfect for making harder soaps lather (saponify) with luxurious suds. But in a hair/skincare product that may not be what you really want.

How sad is this? I learned that most of the butter suppliers out there today dilute their avocado and aloe butter with cheap olive oil. And that creamy cocoa butter? Cocoa butter has a hardness rating of anywhere between 8 and 10 depending on the area it is harvested. It is in fact one of the hardest butters available, not counting kokum butter. So if your "pure cocoa butter" pours out of the container with the consistency of sour cream then you'll know that it isn't so pure after all. It has much more than likely been made with sunflower oil as a base.

I don't have anything against folks using oils to thin out the pure butters to suit their own needs, but I DO have a problem with false advertisement on behalf of the butter suppliers and import/exporters who claim to have a pure product. And worst case scenario-- what if you or your customer is allergic to the oils which are used to thin the butter?!! If you were not informed of this ingredient when you purchased the "pure" butter then you're going to have a pretty rough conversation with that customer who has an allergic reaction.

If you're selling me something that isn't pure I don't want it and I certainly wont use it. And I definitely don't want to be mislead to where I end up selling a product to my own customers that is not pure.

I am just thankful I discovered this so early on and can appreciate the time and care it takes to perfect a recipe while using the highest quality ingredients. It is worth every second of it and every dime spent. You get what you pay for and your skin/hair health will improve because of it.

{Maybe I should give a link of this rant to my first butter suppliers???}

Halloween and Chapped Lip Help

2008-10-18T12:15:00.018-04:00

Greetings! And for all you gearing up for Halloween, I hope that you're stocking up on candy 'cause.... I was kinda thinking about making a grand tour in my vampire costume. *wink* You're never too old to trick-or-treat.

I've been doing some more modeling for PinkQuartzMinerals and voila! I have finally perfected my vamp makeup and my tribute to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Love her... just plain love her. And you can't help but adore her 1992 statement when she put in her bid for presidency, "We already have two boobs in the White House, might as well be mine."

Still on the subject of PQM makeup, Doree(maker of my wonderful sparkly vamp makeup) is holding a constest with some very nice prizes. Every item purchased gives you one entry. December the first is the deadline. Grand prize is $200 worth PQM makeup!!!!!! I am donating one of the runner-up prizes to be given away. There are several other Etsiers who are doing the same, all with very nice products from their stores. Myself? I am going to offer a 1oz jar of healing Boo-Boo Cream and the winner's choice of diffuser from my Etsy Store.

I have quite a large batch of new designs coming out in the next few weeks. And of course the Holidays are creeping up on us like a ....freight train, really. I need to get some more Holiday inspired things up in the store.

In other Winter Holiday inspired news: chapped lips. Now I know that this is a painful subject for all of you. Some more than others. I would like to offer a helpful tidbit of advice, if I may?

Boo-Boo Cream: apply liberally to bleeding and cracking chapped lips as often as you desire. And no, it does NOT give your lips a green tint.

The stuff works wonders, I tell ya! I woke up three days ago with a most horrible case of painful smoochers. Frightening. Tried my regular lip balm. Tried it again. Multiple times. It didn't moisturize enough and didn't really HEAL the deep fissures and cracks I had. At my wits end I put a dab of my Boo-Boo Cream on my lips with my fingertip and .... my lips weren't painful anymore! The combined herbs, butters, and essential oils in Boo-Boo Cream takes the sting and burning sensation out of chapped lips. It only makes your lips slightly shiny and the smallest dab is all you need for pain relief and long term healing.

Another helpful hint I discovered was that if you apply it just as you're climbing into bed for the night then your lips benefit from it even more because you're not eating, drinking, and talking. All around great stuff, whether applied to skinned knees, eczema rashes, or... chapped lips!

Orange & Red Delights

2008-09-12T19:02:00.010-04:00

I've seen some fantastic photography and artwork on Etsy lately and thought I'd share.

The"Summer Heat" eye shadow kit from PinkQuartzMinerals

A clownfish by kself.

"Red Flowers" acrylic on canvas by Nataera.

Mixed Thread Selection by SassaLynne.

Books... Purses?

2008-09-07T13:06:00.015-04:00

I found an Etsy artist today who makes me positively seethe with envy. (But in a good way!) I wish I was as imaginative and crafty with needle and thread. This lovely lady makes purses out of BOOKS! The sky is the limit and she also offers custom orders based on the book or color scheme.

This is the purse that 1) I'd kill to own. 2) Brings back nostalgic memories of the days in gradeschool when I read encyclopedias for entertainment. Hey, I'm a simple person. As long as I am learning something new I'm happy.

Chic, elegant, and classy. This is definitely the most beautiful purse I've found on Etsy so far. www.rebounddesigns.etsy.com is where you can find her shop with this purse and many others to choose from.

What's In A Name?

2008-07-29T17:23:00.007-04:00

A friend notified me early this afternoon that someone .com'ed my Etsy store name.

I am miffed. Why, you may wonder?

My blood pressure skyrocketed for about two hours until I come to the conclusion that:

1) I am mad that I didn't do it first. I'm mad at myself. Yeah, it's a dumbass reason. No, I really don't want the hassle of dealing with any other websites besides my Etsy store and my Blog. That's enough stress. What would be the point? I have total freedom on my blog and I can even sell here too if I wanted to, using a PayPal widget.

2) It seems like they poached the name because it was 'cute.' Of course it's cute! I made it up! But if they didn't poach it on purpose then they're going to have fun thinking of alternate blog names. *smile*

I opened my Etsy store on June 7th, 2008 and my Blog on the same day, although my first post wasn't until the 19th of June. Then suddenly today the .com is taken. Very nice.

The decision that I have come to is that ultimately I don't care. I'm not going to open a terrascents2.com or a terrascents.whatever.com just to have a .com because I already do. They just have other cute names after terrascents... like.... blogspot... and etsy... .com

I will still continue to offer the same products eventhough there is a .com out there that has nothing to do with ME and goes by the name TerraScents. Aggravating, but there ya go.

www.TerraScents.Etsy.com will remain my home.

Cupcakes

2008-07-19T18:29:00.018-04:00

Don’t be frightened, my friends. It is only a cupcake. It will not harm you...

...unless you ask it for more sprinkles to go with that great icing than what it already has. Then it turns vicious!

The solution?

I can think of a few. The most logical is to take a piece of kitchen cutlery and—

~~~~~~~~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, so this was a piece-of-fluff article. But I had a container of cupcakes in the house and I couldn't resist the urge to stab one of them.

What does that say about me?

....... Maybe I should go slather myself with Boo-Boo Cream and see if that helps. {Snide self deprecating humor}

Neem: Q and A

2008-07-14T17:07:00.008-04:00

In my formulation for Boo-Boo Cream I use an extremely high ratio of an Indian herb called neem. I’ve received numerous questions over the past few months about this curious ingredient and I would like to address them in the most straightforward way I can. The research I have done has been both in books and hands-on. The results have been nothing less than astounding.

I love the stuff. I swear by it. My household medicine cabinet is devoid of any commercial ‘boo-boo’ creams such as Triple Anti-Biotic or Neosporin as a result. There is no comparison whatsoever in the level of healing you see in a neem product versus the pharmaceutical... stuff... out there in most stores nowadays.

Neem can be a literal miracle to people suffering from skin ailments who are tired of the expensive Rx’s their dermatologists and General Practitioners give them that have more side effects than benefits. Neem is also effective when used internally. Diabetics may one day take neem pills instead of insulin shots.

In the Western mindset, the problem is that from its description neem may seem like a cure-all; too broad spectrum to look like it’s good at any ONE thing. A jack of all trades in the herb kingdom. Some people may call it Snake Oil. Which is funny because neem is currently being studied in relation to its anti-venom properties!

Since neem has been introduced to the West, you can now visit any health store, co-op, homeopathic/natural food establishment and find neem: toothpaste, soap, mouthwash, creams, shampoos, conditioners, bug spray and more. For humans & pets!

There are tons of resources out there concerning neem. What you see below is from Wikipedia, as I thought it had the most condensed selection of information:

In India, the tree is variously known as "Divine Tree", "Heal All", "Nature's Drugstore", "Village Pharmacy" and "Panacea for all diseases". Products made from neem have proven medicinal properties, being anthelmintic, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-infertility, and sedative. It is considered a major component in Ayurvedic medicine and is particularly prescribed for skin diseases.

Neem twigs are used for brushing teeth in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This practice is perhaps one of the earliest and most effective forms of dental care.
All parts of the tree (seeds, leaves, flowers and bark) are used for preparing many different medical preparations.
Neem oil is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, shampoo, balms and creams), and is useful for skin care such as acne, and keeping skin elasticity.
Besides its use in traditional Indian medicine the neem tree is of great importance for its anti-desertification properties and possibly as a good carbon dioxide sink.
Practictioners of traditional Indian medicine recommend that patients suffering from Chicken Pox sleep on neem leaves.
Neem Gum is used as a bulking agent and for the preparation of special purpose food (those for diabetics).
Aquaous extracts of neem leaves have demonstrated significant antidiabetic potential.

Horticultural usages

Neem is a source of environment-friendly biopesticides. Among the isolated neem constituents, limonoids (such as Azadirachtin) are effective in insect growth-regulating activity. The unique feature of neem products is that they do not directly kill the pests, but alter the life-processing behavior in such a manner that the insect can no longer feed, breed or undergo metamorphosis. However, this does not mean that the plant extracts are harmful to all insects. Since, to be effective, the product has to be ingested; only the insects that feed on plant tissues succumb. Those that feed on nectar or other insects (such as butterflies, bees, and ladybugs) hardly accumulate significant concentrations of neem products.

Uses in pest and disease control

Neem is deemed very effective in the treatment of scabies although only preliminary scientific proof exists which still has to be corroborated, and is recommended for those who are sensitive to permethrin, a known insecticide which might be an irritant. Also, the scabies mite has yet to become resistant to neem, so in persistent cases neem has been shown to be very effective. There is also anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness in treating infestations of head lice in humans. A tea made of boiled neem leaves, sometimes combined with other herbs such as ginger, can be ingested to fight intestinal worms.

The oil is also used in sprays against fleas in cats and dogs.

The tender shoots and flowers of the neem tree are eaten as a vegetable in India. Neem flowers are very popular for their use in Ugadi Pachadi (soup-like pickle) which is made on Ugadi day in South India. A soup like dish called Veppampoo Rasam (translated as 'juice of neem flower') made of the flower of neem is prepared in Tamil Nadu.

Neem is also used in parts of mainland Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia and Thailand (where it is known as sadao or sdao), Laos (where it is called kadao) and Vietnam (where it is called sầu đâu). Even lightly cooked, the flavour is quite bitter and thus the food is not enjoyed by all inhabitants of these nations, though it is believed to be good for one's health. Neem Gum is a rich source of protein.

Neem Resources Worth Checking Out

To Learn and Give: NeemFoundation.org
Book Suggestion- Neem: A Tree for Solving Global Problems
To Shop: Organic India {Pic of neem leaves from this same site.}

Still Life Artist

2008-07-14T14:51:00.008-04:00

The lovely self-taught artist I discovered in my wanderings at weaselle.etsy.com is more than a little eclectic in her love of the flora and fauna around her. I can appreciate the fact that she’s got paintings of flowers right next to rabbits and kitties. What the future holds for her is a mystery, but what I do know is that she’s got talent to spare! This woman is dangerous with a paint brush.

I'm feeling a bit hungry now........

Can I have these for my dining room centerpiece?

What better way to immortalize your beloved pet than with a portrait? She does them! This little tabby tugs my heartstrings. Such gorgeous eyes.

Nourishing Handmade Soap

2008-07-10T20:42:00.008-04:00

I told myself I was only going to do this ‘Feature an Etsier’ thing once a week. My problem is that I find too many nifty treasures when I browse. So I’ll fess up now. I am a weak willed shopper. But I also know what I like. I have very strict rules about what kind of skin care products I’ll buy from anyone.

This particular Etsier I’d like to introduce to you made me fall in love with true handmade soaps. Having a propensity to develop dry patches and eczema in cold dry weather, I’ve always chased after products which claim to make my skin feel more hydrated and supple. And yeah, I even went the route of the dermatologist. (*sadly shakes head in memory of the resulting empty wallet*) My own Boo-Boo Cream works wonderfully on an emergency flair up- but what about simple maintenance so you don’t get quite so many flair ups? That’s the kind of thing that I’m sure a lot of people who suffer from dry skin would love to know about.

LilyBaySoap says about her products: “Real handcrafted soap is very nourishing to the skin. I use plenty of shea butter to ensure extra moisture. If you've used handcrafted soap before you know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't - you MUST try it! Handcrafted soaps retain their natural glycerin, which is something that manufacturers remove and sell. Store brand soaps are drying because they are made to be that. With the glycerin removed and chemicals added, its no wonder we're so dry and itchy after a shower. Try handcrafted, we think you'll notice the difference!”

I have to agree with her. Handcrafted is the best.

And here they are! Going down from top to bottom you can see my personal faves: Cedar/Sandalwood, Plain Castile with a bit of coconut for a harder bar, and Elements of Bamboo.

Lights! Camera! .... Wine?

2008-07-09T05:30:00.005-04:00

At vsilcoxdesigns.etsy.com you can find all kinds of colorful things. The kinds of things you don't know whether to gawk at or actually touch because they're so unbelievably beautiful. Thankfully, they're all lead free and diswasher safe.

I just thought I'd share two of my faves with you today:

Hair We Go!

2008-07-08T22:34:00.013-04:00

I have some great news for those who have fallen in love with my special Anti-Frizz Hair Balm. A nice supplier of extra virgin coconut oil was FINALLY discovered and offers decent sized containers so..... keep your eyes open for the Hair Balm in TerraScents.Etsy.com!

My best guess will be that I'll have it available by the end of July. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get everything I need.

For those who have never heard of it, just what is it you ask?

A vegan formula smoothing leave in conditioning cream. That's about the best SHORT description I can think of. You can use it on wet or dry hair. It can be used to smooth down fly-aways or all through your hair to keep your style throughout the day.

One of my most recent new customers stated she is a reinactor (Civil War period) during the summer and with the very precise hairstyles she finds herself wearing, she needed something to keep her hair smooth but not stiff. Anti-Frizz Hair Balm does the trick for her. And keeps her hair healthy without using synthetic preservatives or harsh alcohols which will ultimately dry out the hair to cause breakage.

I'll keep updating the blog as I progressively get closer to making it available.

May I Introduce....

2008-07-08T20:40:00.011-04:00

A friend of mine and fanatic fan of Boo-Boo Cream created something last evening and sent it to me. Here he is in all his green glory.

Meet "Mr. Boo-Boo Blob."

Although not a very social creature, Mr. Boo-Boo Blob loves to help those in need. You'll have no problem finding him. He's rather hard to miss.... His natural tea tree oil and neem aroma gives him away.

Dry, Chapped Hands- HELP!

2008-07-08T02:00:00.002-04:00

Anyone who either works in the dirt full time or construction type jobs will tell you: dirt isn’t moisturizing. Neither is sawdust, cement dust, plaster, paint, or any other number of raw materials that such laborers must handle on a daily basis.

I recently had a gardener contact me with a painful plight- her hands. She said that her hands were chafed, chapped, cracked, and bleeding from her gardening business. She had also recently purchased a jar of my Boo-Boo Cream. Along with that jar of Cream I offered the following advice which I thought would be nice to pass along to anyone else who needs it: Cheap plastic gloves are going to end up being your best friend for nighttime usage of healing ointments.

If your hands are chaffed and disgusting and you want to really get some healing done in a hurry, slather all your boo-boos with the cream and then gently put on a pair of disposable plastic gloves. The best kind are available at Sally's Beauty Supply or some other beauty store in your area that sells hair dyes. Get the thin disposable ones, not the tight latex. Covering your hands with the plastic gloves will force the butters and other healing herbs down into your skin.

Dabbing on the Boo-Boo Cream and/or covering over each spot with a bandage is fine for random cuts and abrasions, but quite frankly if you’re hands are just one Big Boo-Boo, you’re going to need some additional help! Plastic gloves are the best thing to use as a barrier to keep those helpful ingredients as close to the skin as possible.

Yes, building up calluses is a must if you plan on working in such elements long term. Boo-Boo Cream does have a high concentration of plant based butters which will soften the skin. But it will not remove those calluses you’ve worked so hard to get and need to keep. Neem and tea tree oil disinfect and neutralize any microbes from further infecting your skin.

Petroleum Products

2008-07-08T01:53:00.003-04:00

Petroluem Based Products vs. Natural Plant Butters & Oils has been a topic which has created an uproar in the homeopathy community the past ten years. What’s so horrible about petroleum based products such as: petroleum jelly, mineral oil, baby oil, and paraffin?

Petroleum is based on crude oil. It is simply ultra refined crude oil. The very same crude oil that is refined to go into your vehicle and the very same crude oil which has seen so much violence in the Middle East. Politics aside, crude oil when refined and made into petroleum based products are marketed correctly when they are labeled as a “protective coating, barrier, or lubricant” but not when they are labeled as “moisturizing.” Ongoing research in the cancer field has found some rather damning evidence that petroleum products are even related to the increase in cancers this past generation.

Petroleum is not water soluble. It does not import moisture into the skin in any way, shape or form. It’s the equivalent of wrapping your skin in plastic wrap. So when we look at the characteristics of petroleum, one has to wonder just why some people still swear that it is moisturizing to the skin. When one coats the human(or animal) skin with petroleum jelly, we are counting on the fact that this creature will still be eating and drinking while they expect their skin to heal, yes? While we eat and drink we are refurbishing our bodies with moisture and this makes it way to the collagen skin cells which plump up to push moisture out into the outer layers of skin. Simply put, WE are moisturizing our skin by doing what we naturally do! Not the petroleum jelly.

Plant based butters and oils when used in place of such petroleum based products do the opposite. They do in fact soak into the skin because they are organic like we are. Our skin cells recognize this similarity and readily accept it and allow it to bind with the collagen to help repair fissures and cracks which may be present. Combining beneficial herbs which have been shown to heal with such plant based butters and oils means that your skin will be accepting ‘outside help’ and not just relying on how you are fueling/hydrating your body(like with petroleum products).

Long story short: petroleum based products will lock in whatever microbes exist in the wound while plant based butters/oils and herbs have the ability to truly hydrate and heal. Petroleum products are never recommended for burns because it literally seals in the heat while organic based products like aloe vera are perfectly suited to draw out the heat. Plant based butters and oils can be used after the heat is dissipated to allow the skin to re-hydrate and heal faster.

Welcome!

2008-06-19T16:07:00.012-04:00

Hello everyone, and thanks for dropping by my business blog for TerraScents.Etsy.com I hope you have fun browsing around. While I am not new to the Etsy venue, this is my new 'baby'.

I traveled to the Etsy forums last night and received some interesting feedback concerning TerraScents. Some folks aren't too happy that I'm selling my Boo-Boo Cream next to my scent diffusers and canvas art. Well..... sorry guys. Can't be helped. I tried having several different shops and it got to be a headache and a half.

Good news: I DO utilize the Section tool on the right part of my store. I DO use all the tag spaces available to me by Etsy and I DO make sure I'm listing each item in their proper respective categories. So although the store may appear a bit jumbled, just know that those Section links are there for you to narrow down your search and when all else fails- convo me.

One last note & a plea for help: I've had some people contact me screaming that they want to be able to buy my Hair Balm again. I'd love to be able to make it available again! However there is one teesy little problem with that endeavor- the coconut oil. I cannot for the life of me find a good wholesaler for "extra virgin coconut oil." Ya know.. the kind of coconut oil that has the highest concentration of coconut fat + the scent? Yeah, that stuff! Everywhere I go it's only for sale fractionated or deodorized and... I can't use it! It kills my recipe! The last time I tried that stuff I ended up with a pot full of gritty coconut soup I appropriately named "Coconut Crap."

If you know of any place that sells the GOOD virgin coconut oil, please let me know at terrascents@hotmail.com

Kisses!

~ Angel