Heather Scent Aromatherapy

It’s Not Good-Bye, It’s See You Later!

2011-04-10T09:06:00.001-04:00

Hello, lovelies!

Quick update on what I’ve been doing: reading, running, cleaning, painting, running, reading, cleaning.

Oh, sometimes I work. Like, only eight hours a day or so.

After having no luck with selling the house last year, we’re putting it back on the market in May and it will stay there until it’s sold.

I’ll be packing up most of my office to make the house look less cluttered and more presentable. This means I’ll need to put the product-making & selling end of Heather Scent Aromatherapy on hold for a little while. Maybe a long while.

As of Monday, April 18, the Etsy shop will be put into semi-permanent vacation mode. My essential oils will not be packed (of course), but most of my bottles, raw materials and shipping supplies will be, therefore I will not be making any new batches of product or doing a lot of shipping. I’ll still be available for advice and consultations, and to make custom inhalers.

The blog will still run – as often as I can update it. I’ll be doing a ton of painting this Easter weekend, and everyone’s a sucker for some before & after photos!

This Is Not So Bad (or Putting It Into Perspective)

2011-03-11T22:14:00.001-05:00

We woke up to several inches of snow this morning.

Again.

Today was scheduled to be one of my running days – I’m exercising now, you know. Doing the Couch to 5K running program, specifically.

Running in the cold does not deter me – you get warmed up enough after five minutes anyway, and 0 degrees Celsius isn’t really “cold” by Canadian standards.

It’s running through four inches of thick, heavy, slushy, slippery snow that deters me.

So when I looked outside and saw this:

I thought, “Great! There goes my run for today! I thought this was suppose to be March! It was 4 degrees yesterday! All the snow melted! I almost had shorts on! Who can I yell at for this?!” (I was thinking in very exclamative terms, wasn’t I?)

Then I turned on the computer and saw this:

(screenshot from cnn.com)

And then I realized that a few inches of snow is not so bad.

It is not going to ruin my life.

It isn’t even going to ruin my day.

And this is true for most of the ‘bad’ things that happen in our lives.

You know, the ‘why me?!” moments:

Your headlight burns out.

Your basement is leaking.

Your kid has an ear infection.

Your cat peed on your brand-new running shoes.

These are all very annoying events that will cause you aggravation (and cost you money), but they are not the end of the world!

{Incidentally they are all very annoying events that have happened to me in the last week!}

Always, always, always remember to put things into perspective. 99% of the time our circumstances are really not so bad. There is always someone who is worse off, someone who is dealing with a much heavier load.

Does this mean you don’t have a right to get angry and maybe let out a bad word or two (or fourteen)?

Of course not!

But don’t let the little things, things that can easily be fixed, ruin your life, or even your day.

Instead, you wait for the sun to come out, melt some of the snow, and then go running on your lunch break at work.

Perspective.

Peace, love & prayers to all in Japan.

Yoga is hard! & other excuses for not exercising.

2011-03-03T11:48:00.001-05:00

There have been some changes in my life recently.

First, I deleted my personal Facebook page.

Don’t worry, my wonderful business page, Heather Scent Aromatherapy, is still there. And you are still a fan, I’m sure.

Facebook can be a huge time suck. I would sit down at the computer to check a few messages, and before you know it, 45 minutes have passed! And I don’t even play any games on there, so where was my time going?

{There I am, sitting at my computer. Which, incidentally, looks like it has one of those plastic monitors you see on office furniture floor models at Staples. I’m also seventeen years old, did you not know that?}

Second change: I’ve started exercising.

Before I got pregnant, I was beginning to practice yoga. Then I had to stop for a bit since it’s not advised to practice yoga in the first trimester if you have a history of miscarriage. Then I had morning sickness well into the second trimester. Then I was really, really, huge and didn’t feel like it. Plus it was hot.

Then I had a baby and leaky boobs, and well, you know how it goes.

Before I knew it, that ‘baby’ was starting kindergarten and I was still carrying around the extra 25 pounds he gave me.

Thanks a lot, kid! I gave you life, and you give me back fat. Not a fair trade.

Anyway. Next year is my non-husband and mine’s 10th anniversary and to celebrate we are taking a tropical vacation, most likely to Cuba.

There is NO WAY I am walking my jiggly belly around the beach in Cuba.

I’ve got a year to lose the jiggle.

I’ve cut back to 1 can of Pepsi a day. (Sadface)

I haven’t been to McDonald’s in weeks. (Double sadface. With cheese.)

And I’m exercising a little bit each day, no matter how much I don’t want to.

I tried yoga again, but I’m too spazzy.

I want to run, but it’s too cold right now. That will change soon, and I’ll be doing the Couch-to-5k running program, with the aid of the Get Running iPhone app. It’s on sale for 99 cents right now, so you should check it out.

Today I did the Tone Zone workout from Women’s Health Magazine. {You should sign up with their website. You get access to all sorts of PDF workouts for free.}

I couldn’t get up to a full 15 reps for most of the exercises, but I worked as hard as I could. And then I pushed for one more.

This one, The Plank, is especially difficult. I had to do it on my knees, and could only manage 3 reps on each side.

And now I’m going to go stand in a hot shower for eighty minutes, then crawl into bed and never get out again.

Purex 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets

2011-02-23T12:36:00.001-05:00

I’ve been meaning to tell you about this product for some time.

While spending a week in Vancouver last summer, I needed to buy some laundry supplies.

In Vancouver, we walk or take public transportation for all our errands.

Which means we carry everything.

In our arms.

Bags of groceries for a family of four (three of which are boys who are missing that part of the brain that tells you to stop eating! when you are full) can be pretty heavy.

So there I was at Safeway, all alone (ungrateful boys can’t even carry their own food!), and faced with a dilemma. Even the smallest bottles of detergent and fabric softener are fairly heavy. And the smaller a bottle, the more expensive it is. I just couldn’t bring myself to pay $8 for a 16-load bottle, when a bottle twice the size was only a few dollars more.

Plus, I only needed a few loads worth of products and (for reasons I am legally obligated to not divulge), I didn’t want to leave the extra behind for the apartment owner.

My God, I am really making a federal case out of laundry detergent, aren’t I?

That’s how I roll.

Then I saw this on the shelf:

I recalled seeing a commercial for it months earlier. At that time, I thought, “Oh great – another single-use, disposable, ‘convenience’ product! Just what the world needs – more garbage!”

Boy, I was indignant!

{I was also very wrong, and you’ll find out why in a minute.}

BUT (and that is a capital-letter “but”) - I really did have a need for something ‘convenient’ and these babies fit the bill perfectly.

The small package was very light-weight, they were reasonably priced (remember – it replaces 3 products), and whatever I didn’t use could easily be transported home in my suitcase, without adding extra weight or running the risk of spilling.

They are so easy to use, even a kid could do laundry.

Not that my kids would or anything, but if they wanted to, it would be easy.

You just start the water, toss in the sheet and then add your clothes. Then you transport the sheet into the dryer with your clothes.

They smell lovely, and unlike many brands of liquid detergent I’ve used, the scent remains in the clothing (towels especially) after the clothes have dried.

You may be wondering why an Aromatherapist is so partial to having artificially-scented towels.

Well, my friend, I’ll tell you a secret: scent memory is not specific to essential oils and other 100% natural botanicals.

There is nothing like the scent of fresh laundry to bring me back to those days of my early 20s, living in my first apartment and playing grown-up. Doing laundry was an enjoyable pastime for me back then.

As I’m sure it would be now if I had only 2 loads per WEEK instead of per DAY.

And my concern about the single-use, disposable, extra-garbage aspect?

This is what you are left with after the sheet has run through the washer and dryer. A thick, fluffy sheet that has a nap on one side, making it perfect to use as a Swiffer-style dust cloth.

Plus it still smells nice.

I keep them in an old tissue box by the TV and use them to dust the electronics.

We’d always used dryer sheets, so we’re not really creating any more waste than before.

Since I buy the ‘refill’ packages, the only waste ~~is the plastic wrapper.~~ (See Update, below)

No bottles. No caps.

As for cost? It works out to about 25 cents per load.

Remember, that is INCLUDING detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheets. When you add it all up, it’s no more than I was spending before buying all three products – plus we are looking at a lot less packaging now.

UPDATE: This morning while picking up some refills, I discovered Purex is now packaging its 3-in-1 sheets in a 100% recyclable cardboard box, with no inner plastic liner! Even better!

(The Canadian version has 24 sheets, not 22. But we don’t have the Pure & Clean scent here).

Disclaimer: Purex has no idea who I am, nor do they care. I bought this product with my own money, of my own accord (as evidenced by the lengthy story I just told you all about my adventures in Safeway laundry aisle), and am not being compensated for recommending it.

Valentine’s Day Blend

2011-02-14T00:22:00.000-05:00

Sensual Essential Oil Blend

1 drop Ylang Ylang

2 drops Sandalwood

4 drops Petitgrain

Add to your oil burner, a warm bath, or double the proportions and mix with 2 tablespoons carrier oil for a luxurious massage.

Awesome Geekery on Etsy

2011-02-06T20:50:00.001-05:00

Just a random collection of incredibleness I found on Etsy today. As always, click any photo to be taken to the item’s listing.

Green Zombies nesting dolls by Shani4d. The smallest one is a brain! Pure win.

Martian cell phone charm by dvrdown. “The Claw!”

Drunk Robot sculpture by sleepyrobot13. Sometimes robots like to tie one on. Who are we to judge?

Buffy pendant by SnarkyAndSweet. Which reminds me…have you seen this yet:

Wordless Wednesday – Snowmageddon?

2011-02-02T15:39:00.001-05:00

Citrus Essential Oils & Phototoxicity

2011-01-19T12:41:00.001-05:00

First of all, my computer is trying to tell me that “phototoxicity” is not a word.

“Photo” is a word.

“Toxicity” is a word.

But together, they do not make a word that is recognized by the spellchecker.

Anyway. Here is what’s important:

Certain essential oils (mainly citrus oils) will increase the skin’s sensitivity to ultra-violet light.

Some aromatherapists also refer to this as “photosensitisation”.

{Those people are also saving themselves the trouble of arguing with their computer over whether or not the word “phototoxicity” exists.}

What This Means For You

If you put a product containing a high concentration of a phototoxic oil on your skin before heading out into the sun (or tanning bed), you are going to burn. Badly.

This won’t be a regular sunburn. It will be much worse. The skin will blister and peel and take an extremely long time to heal.

The chemical responsible for all this trouble is called bergaptene (or bergapten). Bergamot EO has a very high bergaptene content; It is considered the most phototoxic oil. Other oils with elevated levels of bergaptene are: Lemon, Lime, and Bitter Orange.

It use to be that some companies purposely put bergaptene in sun tanning products. They thought it would help you get a darker tan. Then people found out about stuff like,ya know, CANCER, and realized that purposely toasting your skin is a bad, bad, idea.

Bad idea.

“Safe” Citrus Oils

A few citrus EOs, such as Grapefruit, Sweet Orange and Tangerine have not shown conclusively to cause photosensitization. In the interest of safety, however, it’s always best to err on the side of caution.

This is why all citrus oils tend to get blanketed with the phototoxic label. Rather than trying to get people to remember which ones are safe and which ones aren’t, it’s easier to simply tell people:

Do not apply citrus oils before exposure to sunlight.

Non-Citrus Phototoxic Oils

According to Patricia Davis in her book, Aromatherapy: An A – Z , the following oils have also been found to have photo-sensitizing properties:

Verbena
Rue
Angelica Root
Cumin
Opoponax
St. John’s Wort (carrier oil)

The good news is, it’s doubtful that you, as a home user, will ever come into contact with those oils. Rue is toxic in all ways, so you just shouldn’t have that anyway. And Opoponax? What the heck is that? I mean, I’m a professional and I’ve never even heard of it.

Remember kids, read your product labels. And:

Do not apply citrus oils before exposure to sunlight.

Aromatherapy? Umm…did I come to the right place?

2011-01-12T05:16:00.000-05:00

Some of you may be asking yourselves that very question right now.

In recent ~~weeks~~ months, there has been a noticeable lack of posts regarding the very subject this blog purports to be about!

Whatever happened to the essential oil Spotlight series? Or Ask An Aromatherapist? Or Tutorial Tuesdays?

{Okay, there never really were ‘Tutorial Tuesdays’. I’ve posted, like, two tutorials and one of them happened to be on a Tuesday.}

Well, what are you asking me for?! I just run the place, I don’t know anything!

{This stock photo may or may not be relevant to the post, but it was just to crazy not to use. I have a fever and congested head so an actual photo of me would look something more like this:}

The Etsy shop has been a bit slow lately.

I could be using the time to design new products, work on a website, take new photos, balance the books, do some promotion.

Nope.

I’ve been using the free time to catch up on all my book readin’

Clearly, I am a very savvy businesswoman.

To keep business and pleasure (somewhat) separated, I created a new blog for all things bookiness – The Book Whore.

The Book Whore is lonely and needs some followers!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Or not, since I may decide next week that I am now into kite-making.

11 Lessons You Should Take Before Having Children

2011-01-05T12:33:00.001-05:00

{I take no credit for this little piece of hilarity – I didn’t write it, and I’m not sure who did. It’s been floating around the Internet since the days of AOL.}

Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.

2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.

3. Go home.

4. Pick up the paper.

5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.

2. Lack of patience.

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.

4. Allowing their children to run wild.

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

{Note added by me – If you plan to breastfeed, you can make the scenario a little more realistic by attaching the pincers of tiny lobsters to your nipples.}

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favourite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle Cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

365 Days of Aromatic Affirmations

2010-12-31T15:59:00.001-05:00

A little over a year ago, I purchased the book Daily Aromatherapy by Joni Keim & Ruah Bull.

In the book, one essential oil is profiled each week. For each week, there is a different type of intention exercise to be performed each day: an affirmation, emotional self-discovery questions, a ceremony, a blessing, an activity, a visualization, and a prayer.

At the CFA Retreat in September 2009, we used the book daily.

The dates were September 18th, 19th and 20th, and the essential oil was Bay Laurel. At the time it was an oil I had never used. It reminded me of Christmas trees.

On a subtle level, Bay Laurel helps promote good judgment, nurtures your intuition and opens your mind’s eye to prophetic vision.

At the end of the weekend, I felt recharged and re-energized. And maybe I wasn’t completely “at one” with the Universe, but I was getting there.

Then I came home, put the book on my shelf, and never looked at it again.

Until yesterday.

Eureka!

While cleaning my office and trying to pare down my stacks of reference books {which, by the way, I really could not whittle down any further. I have about 83 reference books, which is the exact bare minimum of books about aromatherapy, herbalism, anatomy, reflexology and holistic medicine that a girl needs}, I came across the book and had a really ambitious thought:

“Hey! A new year starts in two days! What if I vowed to perform the exercises in the book every day for all of 2011?”

Clearly I am the first person EVER who has had the idea to vow to change her ways and start a-new at the beginning of a new year.

It’s genius! People should do this all the time!

Then I patted myself on the back for being such a clever girl.

Then I had to get an ice pack because I strained my shoulder a bit whilst patting myself on the back.

{There is a stock photo for everything, isn’t there?}

Serendipitously, the essential oil for the first week of January is Neroli – my favourite. I’m really not a big fan of florals – Rose is lovely, but it’s a too sweet for me. Neroli comes from the blossoms of the orange tree, so it’s the perfect combination of floral, greenery and citrus.

Let’s Do It Together!

If anyone would like to join in my 365 Days of Aromatic Affirmations quest, please comment here or Tweet me or Facebook me. I’ll be updating Twitter and/or Facebook as I perform each exercise.

If a group of you want to get together and take bets on how long I’ll stick with it, that’s fine with me too.

There won’t be any pressure, and the book allows adjustments to practice weekly or monthly rather than daily.

You can pick up the book at any major book retailer, but I’ve included the links here because I’m just awesome like that.

Let’s give ‘er!

21 Book Challenge for 2011

2010-12-28T10:11:00.001-05:00

I am a self-confessed book whore.

Despite having shelves full of books waiting to be read, I keep buying more books.

I can’t stop.

Help.

Due to space limitations, I’ve been forced to practice some restraint. My book storage allotment is only one small section of shelving on one side of our fireplace.

But then I discovered this contraption:

With the Kobo, I do not have to limit myself to only as many books as can fit on my physical bookshelf.

Oh, no.

The Kobo can (theoretically) store an infinite number of books.

And believe me, I plan to test that theory.

So now, in addition to my real books, I’ve got a virtual bookshelf full of books TBR (To Be Read).

{Okay, I know I said I’d never get on board with e-readers, but I’ve discovered it’s a great way to get new releases for about $7 each.}

Now, you all know I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. But if I did, it would be to not buy any more books until I’ve read all the ones currently sitting on shelf (or loaded on my Kobo).

To facilitate my non-resolution resolve to read all my books, I’m participating in a little book challenge. I originally read about this challenge on a message board and have modified it for my purposes.

Feel free to participate with me!

The Challenge:

You will choose 21 books to read – 3 from each category.

You do not have to choose them all up front, and they do not have to be books you already own. Because I realize that most people are normal (unlike me) and do not have eighty million books sitting around the house waiting to be read.

Dust Collectors

These are books that have been sitting (unread) on your shelf for some time. Obviously I’m not going to have a problem filling this category.

I’ll choose these books when it’s time to read them.

An Author That’s New To You.

1. The Bishop’s Man – Linden MacIntyre
2. The Last Days of Ptolmey Gray – Walter Mosley
3. Saving Max – Antoinette Van Heugten

A Trilogy - Read in Order.

I resolve to finally plough my way through the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. These are books that I definitely want to have read before I watch any of the films. Incidentally, I plan to watch the original Swedish films before the American versions.

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2. The Girl Who Played With Fire
3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

A Genre You Would Normally Never Read.

1. The Shack - William P. Young (Christian)
2. Something by Nicholas Sparks (Romance)
3. Something by Tom Clancy (War/Action)

Biographies or Memoirs.

1. Long Walk To Freedom – Nelson Mandela
2. Spoken From The Heart – Laura Bush
3. Last Words – George Carlin

Written More Than a Hundred Years Ago.

1. Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Harriet Beecher Stowe
2. A Journey to the Centre of the Earth – Jules Verne
3. The Romance of Tristan & Isolde - Joseph Bédier

Books by Canadian authors that are also set in Canada.

Even if you’re not from Canada, this could be a good opportunity to learn something about our culture. Believe it or not, it’s actually quite different than life in the United States.

1. Annabel – Kathleen Winter
2. Oryx & Crake – Margaret Atwood (Technically this is set in a dystopian future which may or may not have once been the Greater Toronto Area.)
3. Unless- Carol Shields (American-born, but considered herself Canadian.)

So what are YOU reading?

Best Letter To Santa Ever Written

2010-12-16T17:31:00.001-05:00

My 9-year-old step-son just mailed off his letter to Santa. Here is what he asked for:

1. 4th Generation iPod Touch {good luck with that one, kid}

2. Bottle of Root beer

3. Two, $50 iTunes gift cards

4. A shot gun

5. A heat-guided missile

6. A girlfriend {I hope this isn’t related to numbers 4 & 5 in any way.}

And in other news, my 4-year-old just tried to download the Zoost online dating app for my iPod Touch (which is only a lowly 3rd generation, by the way).

Christmas Fun On Etsy

2010-12-14T12:21:00.001-05:00

My blog has been languishing for awhile. Many dark things have been churning in my soul and I just have no desire to write. Sorry.

BUT -- as a small Christmas gift to you, my beautiful readers, I will share some cute stuff I’ve discovered on Etsy.

{Click on any picture to go to the item}

Cute Fat Plush Penguins by Sassy Pack Rat Studios. Cute indeed!

A robot nativity scene done in polymer clay. Robot Jesus People! I love it, I love it, I love it! By lubu. You need to check out the whole shop, by the way. Robot Wizard of Oz! I’m going to die.

Macchiato Snowflake soap by Savor. Do I eat this or wash with it?

Printable winter wonderland by Fantastic Toy’s. I loved doing this kind of stuff when I was a kid! Unfortunately, my own kids do not.

More later!

xoxo

Ugly 80s Oak Must Die – Before & After Photos

2010-11-18T11:32:00.001-05:00

I know y’all don’t want eight pages of me explaining how I did this, you just want to see the pictures. So let’s get to it!

First, the BEFORES:

And now….

Presenting…

The AFTERS!

{Sorry for the graininess of a few shots. By the time I was ready to take pictures, the sun was gone and so was my natural lighting}

I’m completely floored by how much brighter it is. We didn’t change the lighting at all, but with the light cabinets and glossy paint, the light now has surfaces to reflect off of instead of being absorbed and lost.

Paint Colours:

Cabinets & Trim – Behr’s Premium Plus Hi-Gloss Acrylic Latex in Hushed White

Walls – Behr’s Premium Plus Ultra (Primer & Paint in one) Semi-Gloss in Sliced Cucumber.

Oh, and look what I added under the sink!

For those that are interesting in taking on a project like this, I’m working on a post with tips and tricks and how to avoid screw-ups.

{If you have a good eye, you’ve noticed that the cabinets doors under the sink aren’t quite lining up. This is do to some hinge issues and will be fixed shortly. More about that in the Screw-Ups post to follow.}

One more thing:

To all those people who said I was crazy for painting wood cabinets, I have two words for you:

BOO-YAH!

Making Infused Rose Oil

2010-11-17T09:37:00.001-05:00

Last week I came into possession of some roses that had a very special meaning.

Rather than dry them out, I thought I’d try to preserve them by making an infused oil. Then I could distribute the oil to the other members of my extended family for whom the roses also had special meaning.

First I removed all the petals from the stems.

Next I slightly macerated the petals to start releasing the essence of the flowers.

I placed the crushed petals in a glass container (just a large Mason jar).

Then I poured a combination of oils over the petals. I didn’t even measure. I used a combination of coconut oil (fractionated), rosehip oil, avocado and jojoba.

Now to let the jar sit on the windowsill for about a week. I’d shake the jar up every time I thought of it.

After a week, I secured a piece of cheese cloth over the mouth of the jar and poured out the oil into another jar.

The oil does not smell at all like I expected it to. It smells fermented – like wine. I’d hope that the oil could be used as-is for a skin oil, but that won’t be possible with it smelling like vino.

My next option will be to mix it with some shea and beeswax and see if I can make a nice body butter or salve.

You will be duly informed about whether or not this is a success!

{Today’s Wednesday post was not exactly Wordless. Sorry!}

Wordless Wednesday – Christmas Shopping For My Boy

2010-11-10T05:16:00.000-05:00

{Okay, just a few words– all those Bruder trucks were found at Winners for only $24.99 each! Insanity!}

Kitchen Revamp – Day 6

2010-11-09T06:59:00.000-05:00

{Day 6 was actually Sunday, two days ago.}

Normally I work on Sundays, so the day was a welcome opportunity to spend some time with my little boy. We went on our favourite outing – first to Chapters bookstore to play with the Thomas the Tank train track, and then a visit to Starbucks for hot chocolate.

I thought I might be able to finish sanding the doors that afternoon while my son played basketball or drove trucks so I could keep an eye on him.

But my boy put the kibosh on that idea when he refused to come down into our Blair Witch Project-esque basement.

Whatevs.

Instead I did some more work cleaning the insides of the cupboards.

I love this new shelf-liner! It’s so cute I want to cover everything with it.

When my husband came home around suppertime, I fully intended to attack my goals for that day, but something stopped me.

The couch.

But after the third episode of House Hunters, I kicked my own ass and got down to business.

Can’t imagine why my boy didn’t want to play down here.

It’s not scary at all!

Once the doors were sanded, I needed to come up with a method to paint them. I started out by leaning them against the wall, but that didn’t work out because the paint could drip and it didn’t allow access to all four edges.

Laying them on the floor was not an option because this girl cannot be trusted.

No sooner would I roll the paint brush than she’d be walking through the wet paint.

I came up with the solution of using anything I could find to elevate the doors off the floor while still keeping them horizontal.

Boxes, bins, baskets, pic nic table. Even a cooler.

I’m doing the backs (insides) of the door first.

Here is why:

Since the doors have to rest on the newly-painted surface while the flip-side is painted, there is potential for scratches or scuffs in the new paint job. If you do the backs first, any dings will be on the insides of the cabinet doors instead of the fronts.

As of Monday morning (Day 7), the backs of the doors have 2 coats of primer on them and are ready to be painted. Painting will likely not happen until Wednesday since I am tied up with family business the rest of Monday and all day Tuesday.

IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: Do not paint in your basement if you are using oil-based paints. Oil paint fumes + pilot light on furnace or water heater or dryer (we have all three in our basement) = BOOM! Even if you do not have pilot lights, basements usually do not have enough ventilation to work with oil-based paint.

These Behr acrylic enamel paints I am using have virtually no odour at all.

I love them!

I want to marry them in a small ceremony on the beach.

Aromatherapy & Pregnancy – Safe Essential Oils & Dilutions

2010-11-08T09:58:00.001-05:00

{Click here to read about oils that are not safe for pregnancy.}

There are as many “safe for pregnancy” lists as there are aromatherapists. The oils here are ones that I’ve chosen based on recommendations from well-known aromatherapy authors, my own education, colleagues, and personal experience.

Essential Oils for Pregnancy

Bergamot
Black Pepper (in very small amounts)
Cajuput
Chamomile Roman
Dill
Eucalyptus radiata
Frankincense
Geranium
Ginger
Grapefruit
Jasmine (after 38 weeks gestation) (watch for adulteration)
Lavender
Lemon
Lime
Mandarin
Neroli (watch for adulteration)
Sweet Orange
Patchouli
Petitgrain
Rose – all types (after 38 weeks gestation) (watch for adulteration)
Sandalwood (watch for adulteration)
Spearmint
Tangerine
Tea Tree
Ylang Ylang

Adulteration

To save money, dishonest suppliers and producers will often adulterate expensive essential oils such as Rose, Jasmine & Sandalwood.

This is never okay, as it alters the therapeutic properties of the oils, but it is especially problematic during pregnancy, when you need to be 100% sure of what you are using. Synthetic chemicals, or cheaper essential oils with similar chemical properties may be added to expensive essential oils in an attempt to “stretch” out the batch.

Adulteration is not the same thing as dilution. Rose, Jasmine and Neroli are often sold as 3% or 5% or 10% dilutions. These floral oils are so fragrant that even when diluted the scent is still quite powerful. The dilution is usually done in Jojoba oil, which has an indefinite shelf life. Using dilutions is perfectly acceptable (so long as the bottle is clearly marked with the percentage and the type of base oil used) and it makes these prohibitively expensive oils available for use for everyone.

Hydrosols/Floral Waters

A hydrosol is the by-product of the steam distillation process used to obtain essential oils. After the steam passes through the plant product and condenses, it has become infused with the scent and some properties of the plant.

In pregnancy, hydrosols are a great alternative to the essential oil. Peppermint essential oil may be too strong and stimulating for a pregnant woman, but Peppermint floral water is not. If you are pregnant in the height of summer, it must may become your best friend!

Using Oils

While using essential oils during your pregnancy, you will not blend them at the same strength you would while not pregnant.

My general rule of thumb is to halve the dose. For example – if you’d normally add 5-6 drops of oil to the bath, add three. For massage oils, I do not go above a 1.5% dilution.

Kitchen Revamp – Day 5

2010-11-08T08:06:00.000-05:00

By the end of Day 4, all the drawers were painted. I let them dry for about 14 hours before I put the hardware on.

I love these cup pulls and I’m so glad I chose them, but let me tell ya – handles (as opposed to knobs, seen below) are a bitch to install. This is because you must perfectly measure out and drill two holes instead of one.

Of course, these cup pulls were about 1cm off the holes used for the old handles, so I had to drill all new holes. And of course, the machine screws that come with the handles were about 1/4 of an inch too short to properly catch the pull.

I had to make a decision – countersink 10 holes, or go buy new screws.

I chose Door B.

Oh, the drawers look so nice back in place! I can really see the project coming together now.

{And there on the counter you can see two of my favourite things – butter and a frosty mug of Pepsi.}

Remember that long piece of wood from Day 4? Here it is, installed under the sink.

In most houses, the area under the sink is a fake drawer or just a cover piece.

But in my house….

It’s a secret compartment! Perfect for scrubbies, sponges and bottles of essential oil used to freshen the drain.

This was installed using a kit from The Home Depot. The hinges were $9.99 and the plastic holder thingies were $8.99 for both. They easily lift off the screws so they can be removed for cleaning.

While waiting for the drawers to dry, I spent the morning finishing the cleaning of the cabinet doors. Just look at the level of dirt and grime I had to deal with:

This is the view of the bottom of one of the cabinet doors. No, that hole is not from a mouse or termites. All the doors have two holes on either the top or the bottom. I think it had something to do with hanging them to dry when they were originally stained at the shop in which they were made.

This is the bevelled edge along the bottom (front side) of one door. Perfect place for dust to collect! And since the doors were dark, the dirt wasn’t noticeable.

Which may be a good thing.

Stay tuned for Day 6…

Kitchen Revamp – Day 4

2010-11-07T19:58:00.000-05:00

There is no post for Day 3 because not much was done that day since I had to go to work. So I tidied up the kitchen, put in some new shelf liner paper and reorganized the insides of the cupboards.

I didn’t expect to get started on painting the drawers until my next scheduled days off work - next Tuesday & Wednesday, which would be Days 8 & 9 of the project. However, life has other plans, and I found myself with some unexpected time off work this past weekend.

All of Day 4 was dedicated to the drawers. First I washed and scrubbed them with a Scotch Brite pad. The industrial kind, not the kind you use for your dishes or bathtub. The beauty of using Scotch pads is they also provide an initial sanding of the surface.

The old hardware hole were filled in. I didn’t use wood putty – so kill me! I used some all-purpose spackle I found at the Habitat Restore for $1.75.

While I waiting for that to dry, I watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition and cried my eyes out.

Then I sanded all the drawers and when my husband came home I told him it was the sawdust making me cry.

{I actually had a lot of reasons to cry that day, but not all of them I care to share.}

Here are the drawers, all primed and waiting for paint! Yes, I only have 5 drawers in my kitchen. I’ve never been so happy to have a small kitchen. It makes a job like this much less daunting!

{If you are wondering what that long piece of wood is….I’m not going to tell you. It’s a surprise!}

I put the last coat of paint on at 11pm. Then I started watching a DVRed episode of Criminal Minds and fell asleep. When I woke up, it was 4am and Jack Lalanne was trying to sell me a juicer.

Here’s a little preview of the finished drawer with the vintage-looking cup pulls I choose. Purty! This kitchen was my inspiration:

Click the picture to go to the website and see a larger image.

More to come! And I’ll reveal the meaning behind that long piece of wood.

Kitchen Revamp Days 1 & 2

2010-11-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

Remember how I was debating whether or not to paint my hideous 80s oak kitchen?

Well, I gall-darned gone and dunnit!

I officially started the project last Tuesday. In two days I managed to prime & paint all the cabinet bases.

{The cabinet doors were removed several weeks ago and I took off all the hinges and hardware. I have been slowly scrubbing them and filling in the old hardware holes as I watched TV at night.}

Above is one wall of cabinets after priming. I started priming the wall, too, and then I realized I’d be painting it with Behr Primer & Paint in one, so why waste my time?

These are the cabinets above the sink in their finished state. I used Behr high gloss paint in Hushed White. I didn’t use the Premium Plus for the cabinets because it doesn’t come in high gloss. Anyway, a separate primer is really best for painting stained wood.

Since these cabinets will remain as open shelving, I painted the insides as well.

These cabinets use to have glass doors on them, but the glass in one door was broken and the wood frame on the other was crooked so I opted not to re-hang them.

As a bonus, I’ve learned that open shelving for your everyday dishes and glassware is amazingly convenient!

Stay tuned for more updates!

{P.S. The school-bus yellow walls will become Behr’s Premium Plus semi-gloss in Sliced Cucumber. To save money, I’ll also be using that colour to paint the wainscoting in my bathroom.}

Workshop Fun!

2010-11-06T09:35:00.001-04:00

{Let me apologize for the delay in the publication of this post. Right after the workshop, I decided I needed to paint my kitchen. Then we had a death in the family. So here it is, almost two weeks late, but still very relevant!}

I led my very first workshop ~~last Tuesday~~ over a week ago and it was awesome!

Yay me!

The workshop was organized by Made in Windsor and held in The Attic at The House.

I know that looks like I’m being pretentious by capitalizing “attic” and “house”, but those are the official names of the location.

The House is in a really beautiful old house (duh) in downtown Windsor. I stole an image from Google Street View so I could show y’all.

It’s so gorgeous inside. The second level still has its original built-in laundry cupboard and drawers, with original hardware!

{I wanted to take pictures, but a situation arose in which the light on the 2nd floor landing was turned off and refused to turn back on. Hey, old houses have their quirks.}

I set up the tables while waiting for the participants to arrive.

Here is what everyone had waiting for them:

The idea was for everyone to create their own blend of oil in the blending cup (about 25-30 drops of essential oil in about 5mL of base oil) and then add it to the jar of unscented bath salt.

Lots of books were also required. Of course, this is but a smattering from my ridiculous book collection.

Everyone also received a packet of handouts with some basic information about aromatherapy, safety and blending.

To me, “basic information” means ten pages worth.

I like to be thorough.

We didn’t spend a lot of time on the lecturing part. Everyone wanted to get down to the fun stuff.

And by “fun stuff”, I mean drinking three bottles of wine, of course.

Wine helps clear the nasal palette and therefore assists you while you blend.

{There may or may not be any scientific basis to what I just said, but maybe you could test the theory by throwing your own blending party!}

Their palettes are now cleansed and they are ready to blend!

I brought all my oils, except for a few like Birch and Wintergreen because I didn’t want anyone messing with those. Those two are essentially liquid aspirin, and best left in the hands of professionals.

Participants asked me for my opinion on some things, but what I loved was that everyone worked together and gave each other feedback.

We did have one male participant and I can’t believe I didn’t get him in any of the pictures!

It’s really interesting how everyone’s blends turned out. I’d say there was only one blend that really turned everyone’s noses – it had a little too much Geranium and Lemongrass. Two very strong scents both competing for top position does not a good blend make! However, the creator was able to salvage it by adding some citrus oils and some Rosewood.

Overall, the workshop was a big success. Everyone said they had fun and looked forward to doing something similar in the future.

For those that couldn’t make this round, we will be doing other events in 2011.

Apples & Crisps Sammies. YUM!

2010-10-26T13:53:00.001-04:00

When you first hear about this sandwich you think, “Say what?”

{Unless you are weird like me because I immediately thought, “Boy, that sounds delish! I’m a-gonna whip me up one of those right now!”}

I learned about Apples & Crisps sandwiches from Nicole, one of my Internet BFFs. Her husband comes from the mother country and this is one of his favourite comfort foods.

Just try it.

Trust me.

You will need:
Apples (any kind, really)
Bread (again, any kind, but it really does work better with white bread)
Butter (softened)
Salt n Vinegar chips

Now take your apples….

… and slice ‘em up nice and thin.

Now grab your butter. Well, don’t really grab it or it will get all over your hands. Just grab the butter dish. Okay, maybe I should have just said that in the first place. I will next time.

Grab the butter dish.

Spread the butter all over the bread. How many slices of bread will depend on how many sammies you are making. You should be making at least two per person.

Why?

Because they are that good.

Mmmmm…butter. Isn’t it wonderful? I have a cookie bar recipe that calls for 2 pounds of butter. Yes, that’s correct. Two pounds.

While sharing this recipe with a friend, he told me, “You know, if you want to get away from butter, you could use applesauce instead.”

Huh?

Sorry, but you lost me at “get away from butter”.

Why would anyone want to get away from butter? It’s not something you run from. Butter is not a zombie. Butter is something you run towards.

Moving on!

Place your sliced apples on the buttered bread.

Now get that bag of chips. Or what is left of it after your kids found it in the cupboard last night.

Place a layer of chips over the apples.

Cover the whole shebang with the other slice of buttered bread.

Fun part! Get the kids for this step.

Smoosh it down real good.

“Smoosh” is the official chef’s term for this technique.

This is a perfectly smooshed Apples & Crisps sandwich:

And there ya go! Enjoy!

The Winner!

2010-10-19T20:50:00.001-04:00

And the Fur Baby with the most votes is….

George, from Arizona!

Congratulations George – and to your mommy, Sharon, who is the one that will be enjoying the prize you won!

Thank you to all who entered – in my books, all your fur babies are the cutest :)

To see all the other cute Fur Babies, check out the photo album on my Facebook Page.

Wordless Wednesday – Coffee Done “Heather-Style’

2010-10-13T06:28:00.000-04:00

Upcoming Workshop

2010-10-12T06:32:00.000-04:00

Aromatherapy 101!

Tuesday, October 26, 7-8:30 pm

Join me for an evening of interactive learning!

First we’ll go over the basics of Aromatherapy and Essential oils for the layperson. We’ll talk about what Aromatherapy is, what it isn’t and how it all started. I’ll give you some tips for purchasing, storing and using essential oils in your daily life.

Then I’ll guide you as the class creates their own individual essential oil blends, which can be added to my original Bath Powder mix. Each participant will go home with a 250g jar of the Bath Powder, scented with her custom blend.

For more details or to register, please contact Christine from Made In Windsor.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

2010-10-11T06:39:00.000-04:00

{Yes I know I post the same picture every year, but it’s just so dang cute!}

To Paint or Not to Paint?

2010-10-10T15:57:00.001-04:00

I asked this question on my personal Facebook page, but I’m not getting any answers!

{Okay, okay, okay. I’m getting responses, they just aren’t saying what I want to hear.}

Here’s the deal:

Would you leave these atrocious, 1980s oak cabinets as they are or would you paint them out to a nice, light, neutral tone? I’m thinking ‘antique white’.

Now before you get all, “Noooooooo! Not the wood, don’t paint THE WOOOOOOOOD!” -- let’s get something straight, here.

THIS is Wood:

I would never, ever dream of painting those beautiful wood details. The fireplace cabinets are retro-chic.

But THIS? This is retro-SHEESH!:

They are much worse in person. You’ll have to trust me.

From what I see on HGTV (and I watch a lot of HGTV), painting outdated cabinets is the first thing these home stagers do when they come in to spruce up a house. So I really don’t get why all of my friends are so anti-paint. These cabinets are gross, ugly and outdated. Am I the only one who sees this?!

{Yes, I know the border is very cheesy and the wall colour needs to be changed as well, but that’s not what I asked you about. Keep on topic, will ya?"}

Would you buy a house with outdated cabinets and plan to actually keep them that way?

Or would you prefer something modern & clean looking, like this:

{Please click the photo to see the “Before” picture and then tell me again why you are against painting 80s oak!}

The goal is to make the room look inviting enough for someone to say, “Hey, this is really cute and clean! I could live with this kitchen until I had enough money to gut the thing and completely re-do it.”

Basically I’m saying that these cabinets are not long for this world. If a buyer wants to redo this kitchen, they are NOT going to just put in granite counters and stainless steel appliances and leave the cabinets as is. They are going to be torn out. I just figure why not make them more appealing for what little life they have left?

What do you think?

And have you voted in my Cute Pet Contest yet? Please do!

Vote for the Cutest Pet!

2010-10-08T10:45:00.001-04:00

The photos are up and ooooooh, boy are these babies cute!

Here is how you can vote:

Visit my Facebook Page, Heather Scent Aromatherapy.

“Like” the Page if you don’t already. And really, why wouldn’t you?

Click on the “Photos” Tab, and view the “Fur Baby” album.

Choose the photo you think is cutest and “Like” that individual photo. While you are welcome to “like” the entire album, doing so won’t count as a vote for any particular photo.

You can vote for each picture if you want! Of course, if everyone does that we’ll never have a winner.

Share this contest with your friends on Facebook to encourage them to vote for your pet or your favourite pet!

Fall Giveaway - Fur Baby Photo Contest

2010-10-05T10:39:00.001-04:00

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW ENTRIES.

It’s time for a Fall Giveaway! Since the prize is HUGE this time, I wanted to do something a little different than just having people leave a comment – I want to make you work for it!

How it will work:

You enter your cutest or funniest photo of Fido or Socks. I’ll post them all on my Facebook Page. People will vote on their favourite photo by “Liking” the picture. Photo with the most votes wins! Easy peasy! The Grand Prize is a Tao Eco-Refresher Diffuser & a bottle of essential oil synergy blend. Total value: $102US. (See below for more details about the prizes).

How To Enter:

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED TO NEW ENTRIES. THANK-YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED.

E-mail me a photo of your fur baby with “Fur Baby Contest” as the subject. Please resize the picture so it is about 600x800 pixels, and not larger than a megabyte or so. I have a monthly bandwidth limit, ya know.

All entries should be sent to: heather.scent[@]yahoo.ca

Please include your pet’s name or nickname, and your location. This information will be included in the caption under the photo, as well as the owner’s first name.

Deadline to enter your photo is midnight on Thursday, October 7, 2010.

The photos will be uploaded to my Facebook Page in the album “Fur Baby Contest”.

The voting will begin Saturday, October 9, 2010 and run until Sunday, October 17 at midnight.

Once all the photos are up, Share the album with all your FB Friends and encourage them to vote for YOUR fur baby by “liking” his or her individual photo.

{A person will need to “Like” my Page before they can “like” individual photos.}

Please Tweet this contest and share it on Facebook!

Rules:

By entering the contest, you agree to comply with the following rules:

Due to import restrictions, the contest is open only to residents of the USA or Canada. If the winner does not have a mailing address in either or those countries, the prize will go to the entry with the next highest amount of votes.

The contest is open to FUR babies. This means the pet must have FUR or HAIR or be FUZZY! Not that your bearded dragon isn’t cute, but it’s not what we’re looking for this time around, sorry!

This is a cute pet contest, not a photography contest. The picture does not need to be taken by you. The prize will go to the pet owner, not the photographer.

One entry per person, per pet, to a maximum of THREE (3) total entries per person. In other words, if you have 10 fur babies, you’ll have to narrow it down to the cutest three, sorry! {Please don’t send me 3 pictures of your cat Morris in various poses and tell try to me that he was part of a litter of kittens that you adopted. I’m a bus driver, remember? I’ve heard every story in the book.}

Heaven pets count too! If your beloved fur baby is no longer with us, please feel free to enter him or her in the contest.

Borrow a friend’s pet! If you don’t have your own fur baby, take a picture of someone else's’!

Prize will be accepted AS IS – no substitutions or cash allowance.

Winner will be responsible for all import duties and taxes. (USA residents only. And it’s not likely you will be charged duty anyway since the package will be marked as a “gift”)

In keeping with Facebook’s Terms of Use, “Liking” my Facebook Page is NOT a requirement to enter. It is only required if you want to vote in the contest.

PRIZES!

There will be ONE (1) Grand Prize winner. Here’s what you’ll get:

An Eco-Refresher Diffuser

This diffuser is unique in that you don’t simply add a few drops of oil – you place 5 mL of oil in the reservoir. The scent will last for months, not just a few hours! {One word of advice – cover the top of the reservoir with a piece of tape if it will not be used for any length of time. Otherwise the essential oils will evaporate.}

This diffuser retails for $89.95 US. (For detailed info, see the bottom of this post)

10mL bottle of Thieves of Versailles Synergy Blend

This antiseptic blend is great for fighting winter illnesses. With its cinnamon & cloves, it’s also the quintessential Holiday smell.

This product retails for $12.95US.

Detailed Product Description for Tao Eco-Refresher:

{Information comes from the manufacturer.}

This state of the art electric oil diffuser adopts advanced air purification and sterilization technologies to achieve multiple functions of sterilization, purification and deodorization. It uses cool breeze to diffuse aroma so as to reserve the active ingredients in essential oils, and exert the magical effect of the aroma treatment. Designed for ease and safety you no longer need water or flame to produce an even and consistent puff of aroma. Plug into the wall in any treatment room, home or car knowing the Eco-Refresher is child safe and maintains the unique signatures of your aromatherapy oils.

Dimension: 4” x 4” x 3.6”

Eco-Refresher Functions:
• Nanometer Silver Ions
It adopts the most advanced nonometer silver ion sterilization technology to continually emit silver ions to realize functions of sterilization, mould resistance, corrosion protection, deodorization and aromatization.
• Active Carbon
It adopts good quality active carbon to effectively remove smell, strange odours and absorb harmful organic substances including formaldehyde, benzene and TVOC, and to realize the super-strong function of air purification.
• Cold Accelerant
Cold accelerant, the killer of formaldehyde, can effectively decompose harmful gases. Through high efficiency antibiotic function, it also has strong sterilization function.

Includes: TAO Eco-Refresher Diffuser, 6 Bottles, Aroma Diffuser cotton pads, power supply adapter for home use, power supply adapter for car-carried use and anti-slippery pad for car use.

Please Tweet this contest and share it on Facebook!

“Just Love Me”

2010-09-12T08:20:00.001-04:00

Summer has been very busy.

{Which is no excuse for the neglect I’ve shown to you, my lovely blog readers.}

Mercifully, summer holidays passed quickly, as it usually does when you’re an adult.

Ever notice that when you were a kid summer seemed to go on forever, but as a grown-up, the time just flies by?

Which works out nicely since kids want summer to never end and for the grown-ups, the first day of school can’t come soon enough.

Anyway.

Remember the magazine “Highlights for Kids”?

Remember the comic about the brothers named Goofus & Gallant?

One kid always minded his manners and did the right thing (Gallant), while the other kid (Goofus) was always running through the other kids’ sand castles and being, well, a goof?

Those cartoon characters perfectly describe my boys. The nine-year-old is Gallant and the four-year-old is Goofus.

Some people use the term “challenging” when (politely) describing my younger son.

As in, he challenges me every day to find a way to deal with him that does not involved my being reported to child protective services.

When he drives me to the brink and I’m teetering on the edge, two wheels on solid ground, the other two dangling over the cliff, I’ll exclaim in exasperation,

“WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU??!!!!”

And he’ll say,

“Just love me.”

So I do.

Because somewhere out there is a mother who didn’t get to take her baby home and she’d give anything to have her kid there, driving her crazy.

Someone out there is a father whose little boy who is confined to a hospital bed and may not make it until morning. And he’d give anything to be chasing his boy up the aisle of a church, as he ruins his cousin’s wedding.

Just love them.

Moving on up, to the South side…

2010-08-12T11:40:00.001-04:00

I love our house.

It was built in 1925.

I fell in love with it the moment I walked in and saw this:

A real working fireplace, with built-in bookshelves on either side.

{The Sno-Cone machine was added later.}

This 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house was the perfect size for us when we moved in.

“We” being me, my partner and his then 18-month-old son.

In the seven years we’ve lived here, the family has grown a bit.

Now there are two boys – one is four and one is nine. And they keep getting bigger!

There are two cats.

There is one home-based business.

And a kayak.

There is still only one bathroom.

And it’s really small.

{Anyone with kids will recognize that blue thing suctioned cupped to the wall.}

So the time has come to move on to a house that is just a bit bigger.

A 2nd bathroom.

A finished basement.

Closer to the boys’ school, which is in another district (long story).

A main floor den or office so my clients don’t have to traipse up a narrow flight of attic steps.

I don’t want much.

I’ll probably never get this again:

Since we’re moving from an older, downtown neighbourhood to a neighbourhood that was built up in the 1950s.

But I can hope…. there may be an old farmhouse or two.

A gem among the rocks!

So this is why you haven’t heard much from me this summer – I’m busy fixing up my old beauty so someone else can enjoy living here.

That and those two boys require a lot of time in the sandbox!

24 Reasons to be Proud to be Canadian! (A very late Canada Day post)

2010-07-23T11:51:00.001-04:00

Summer is a busy time.

Too busy to write a lot of researched-based posts.

You guys must be busy, too, because submissions to Ask An Aromatherapist have come to a halt!

{What’s up with that, by they way? Send me some more questions, people!}

So to keep you entertained, here is a fun list from a popular e-mail.

Yeah, I know some of these historical facts are not accurate, but whatevs. [My comments are in brackets.]

24 Reasons to be Proud to be Canadian

1. Our Smarties candy is way better than American Smarties.

2. Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp

3. The size of our footballs fields and one less down.

4. Baseball is Canadian. [Not true, actually. Modern baseball evolved from the English game of Rounders.]

5. Lacrosse is Canadian.

6. Hockey is Canadian.

7. Basketball is Canadian.

8. Apple pie is Canadian. [Can’t substantiate this. Pies were first used in Europe.]

9. Mr. Dress-up kicks Mr. Rogers ass. [Now this I have personally witnessed.]

10. Tim Hortons kicks Dunkin' Donuts ass.

11. In the war of 1812, started by America, Canadians pushed
the Americans back...past their 'White House'. Then we burned it...and most of Washington, under the command of William Lyon McKenzie who was insane and hammered all the time. We got bored because they ran away, so we came home and partied.

12. Canada has the largest French population that never surrendered to Germany.

13. We have the largest English population that never ever surrendered or withdrew during any war to anyone, anywhere.

14. Our civil war was a bar fight that lasted a little over an hour.

15. The only person who was arrested in our civil war was an American mercenary, who slept in and missed the whole thing... but showed up just in time to get caught.

16. We knew plaid was cool far before Seattle caught on.

17. The Hudsons Bay Company once owned over 10% of the earth's surface and is still around as the world’s oldest company. [But it’s currently owned by an American corporation.]

18. The average dog sled team can kill and devour a full grown human in under 3 minutes.

19. We still know what to do with all the parts of a buffalo.

20. We don't marry our kin-folk. [Except in Saskatchewan.]

21. We invented ski-doos, jet-skis, velcro, zippers, insulin, penicillin, zambonis, the telephone and short wave radios that save countless lives each year.

22. We ALL have frozen our tongues to something metal and lived to tell about it.

23. A Canadian invented Superman.

BUT MOST IMPORTANT!

24. The handles on our beer cases are big enough to fit your hands with mitts on. OOOoohhhhh Canada!!

Oh yeah... and our elections only take one day. [But they can happen as often as 18 times a year if we feel like it.]

Forget Sexy - I’m Bringing Reading Back.

2010-07-15T11:02:00.001-04:00

I read a scary statistic this week.

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

What?!

Then I read an even more frightening statistic:

42% of college graduates never read another book after college!

Seriously?!

Am I understanding this correctly?

Nearly half of all people who paid a lot of money for higher education do not read for pleasure?

So where did you read these crazy statistics, Heather?

I read them in Stephen King’s Entertainment Weekly column.

If Uncle Stevie says so, then it must be true! Also, he had some reliable-sounding sources.

You can see his 6-Must Reads For Summer, on ew.com, but his column in its entirety is not available on line. In a harebrained scheme to make money, the publishers probably want you to actually buy the magazine or something silly like that.

It’s worth it to subscribe to EW just to read King’s column. Just so you know.

It’s no secret that I’m a book whore. Lately I’ve been amassing non-fiction books about aromatherapy, anatomy and energy medicine. While I do love reading those kinds of books (because I am a geek), those books are still for work, not pleasure.

Let’s get down to pleasure!

Here is a selection of books I recently purchased and plan to read this summer:

Audrey Niffenegger also wrote The Time Traveler’s Wife, which I love almost more than Pepsi. If you’ve only seen the film version, you are doing yourself a disservice.

From the publisher:

Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers -- normal, at least, for identical "mirror" twins who have no interest in college or jobs or possibly anything outside their cozy suburban home. But everything changes when they receive notice that an aunt whom they didn't know existed has died and left them her amazing flat in a building by Highgate Cemetery in London. They feel that at last their own lives can begin ... but they have no idea that they've been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the OCD-suffering crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt's mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them, and even to their aunt herself, who never got over her estrangement from the mother of the girls -- her own twin -- and who can't even seem to quite leave her flat....

Here’s another reason to love Uncle Stevie: He didn’t put his own book on his own must-read list! Ugh. That’s so pretentious.

As a teenager I devoured King’s novels. Then pesky things like jobs, school and children got in the way of my reading for pleasure. King’s stories stay with you for life. I still cannot abide by having a closet door open a crack. Want to know why? Read “The Boogeyman”, a short story in the compilation book Night Shift.

As a young girl, I fully expected I would be attacked by dinosaurs one day.

{Nope, there is no back story to explain that statement. That’s just the sort of kid I was.}

Then I read “The Mist”, and knew for sure that I would be attacked by giant creatures one day, although they may not be dinosaurs.

Now I’m just waiting for the right storm.

Read it and you’ll understand.

Read it! Don’t watch it. It’s not the same thing.

From the publisher:

Just down Route 119 in Chester's Mill, Maine, all hell is about to break loose. . . .

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day, a small town is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and rain down flaming wreckage. A gardener's hand is severed as the dome descends. Cars explode on impact. Families are separated and panic mounts. No one can fathom what the barrier is, where it came from, and when-or if-it will go away. Now a few intrepid citizens, led by an Iraq vet turned short-order cook, face down a ruthless politician dead set on seizing the reins of power under the dome. But their main adversary is the dome itself. Because time isn't just running short. It's running out.

This book is on King’s list. It’s right up my alley – a story about vampires that does not involve sparkles or immature, adolescent, ‘undying’ love.

In other words – a story about vampires that doesn’t suck. In literary terms, of course. Blood suckage is acceptable. In fact, it is encouraged. Unlike certain books in which blood suckage is as a metaphor for sex and therefore must be used only for teasing & tempting. Never follow through, lest you go to hell. Or kill your girlfriend. Which of course would be her fault for tempting you.

In case it’s not obvious, I have issues with a popular ‘vampire’ book series.

From the publisher:

The Andromeda Strain meets The Stand in this startling and stunning thriller that brings to life a unique vision of the apocalypse and plays brilliantly with vampire mythology, revealing what becomes of human society when a top-secret government experiment spins wildly out of control.

At an army research station in Colorado, an experiment is being conducted by the U.S. Government: twelve men are exposed to a virus meant to weaponize the human form by super-charging the immune system. But when the experiment goes terribly wrong, terror is unleashed. Amy, a young girl abandoned by her mother and set to be the thirteenth test subject, is rescued by Brad Wolgast, the FBI agent who has been tasked with handing her over, and together they escape to the mountains of Oregon. As civilization crumbles around them, Brad and Amy struggle to keep each other alive, clinging to hope and unable to comprehend the nightmare that approaches with great speed and no mercy. . .

This book was published over a year ago. Frankly, I meant to read it last summer. I purchased it this year out of guilt.

There.

I said it!

From the publisher:

When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others--everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?

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

What are YOU reading this summer?

Fighting Insects Part Two: Essential Oils

2010-07-07T08:35:00.000-04:00

People often ask me about ‘natural’ insect repellents. They want to protect themselves from diseases such as West Nile and Lyme, but they are also concerned about possible harmful effects of chemicals such as DEET.

Since there is so much information to be covered in this topic, I’ve broken it up into a short series of blog posts.

Today let’s talk about some essential oils traditionally used in Aromatherapy as insect repellents.

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

In her book, The Fragrant Pharmacy, Valerie Ann Worwood writes, “Essential oils are not about murdering insects and small animals on a mass scale but about deterring them from entering or staying in our living space.”

In other words, if you have a serious pest problem, please call the Orkin man! Or Billy The Exterminator. That guy kinda rocks, by the way. Either way, if you already have a full-on infestation, you will not likely eliminate it with essential oils alone.

If you want to keep your house smelling beautifully while at the same time making it unappetizing to unwanted visitors, try experimenting with some of these essential oils.

{In alphabetical order}

Basil

This oil is a bit of a skin sensitizer, so dilute it well. Probably best used in a room or surface spray.

Catnip

I have no experience with this oil, so I cannot rightly comment. I’m afraid to bring this oil into my house. My cats are crazy enough.

Cedarwood Atlas

There are a few versions of Cedarwood oil. Make sure you are using Cedrus atlantica. Northern White Cedar is high in toxins.

Cinnamon

You can sprinkle ground cinnamon on ant hills and along baseboards to discourage creepy crawlies. It will take over a blend, so use the essential oil sparingly.

Citronella

When it comes to fighting off mosquitoes, this is probably the most widely-known essential oil. Honestly – I can’t stand the smell of this oil. It’s just awful. No wonder bugs hate it.

Geranium

This is a very strong oil. You need a lot less than you think you do! Even one drop can overpower a blend. Even though the common potted geraniums are of a different type than the one used for essential oil, I’ve heard they also work as repellents. Try placing them all over your deck!

Lavender

It just does everything, doesn’t it? If you’re experimenting with essential oil repellents, it never hurts to throw a bit of lavender in the blend. This can also be used as a remedy for any type of bug bite or sting. Just apply a few neat (undiluted) drops on the wound.

Lemon Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora)

Scent is very similar to Citronella. Just a slightly sweeter edge. It’s not one of my favourites, but since it’s a lab-proven mosquito repellent, I’m experimenting with it this summer.

Lemongrass

Honestly, I hate Lemongrass. I do own some because it’s such an effective anti-bacterial, and it’s slightly less gross than Citronella. But it’s one of the first oils everyone lists when discussing insect repellents, so I figured I should mention it.

Pennyroyal

This oil is an extreme neurotoxin and has no place in holistic aromatherapy. An acquaintance told me that her grandfather used to soak their dog’s collar in Pennyroyal to keep fleas away. When I explained how dangerous the oil is, her eyes opened wide with horror. She told me that the dog died of mysterious causes. His body seemed to simply shut down.

Please don’t use Pennyroyal. On yourself or your animals.

Peppermint

Best for ants and spiders. Drop some right into the anthill, and all along their path. Mice also hate peppermint. Soak some cotton balls in peppermint extract and place them in the holes where mice have been coming in the house.

Rue

This is another oil I do not use because its potential toxicity. There are so many other oils that can be experimented with for the same purposes, why take a chance?

Thyme

Thyme is such a strong antibacterial, it can kill anything, so why not bugs! Since it’s a bit harsh, I’ve never used this in a repellent blend intended for the skin. It would be good in a room spray or surface spray, or to place along baseboards and such to deter bugs.

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

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the essential oils that are potential insect and pest repellents.

Which ones do you use? I’d love to hear from you!

Fighting Insects Part One: Natural or Not?

2010-07-05T07:05:00.000-04:00

Since there is so much information to be covered in this topic, I’ve broken it up into a short series of blog posts.

First, let’s talk about what constitutes a ‘natural’ product.

The Myth of the “Natural” Body Lotion/Spray

Most skin products contain water, and if something contains water it needs a preservative. There is currently no such thing as a naturally occurring, broad-spectrum preservative.

Grapefruit seed extract, Rosemary seed extract, and Vitamin E (Tocopherol), are not preservatives; They are anti-oxidants. They do not prevent the growth of bacteria – they merely prevent oils from going rancid.

Unless you plan to store a product in the fridge and use it up within a week, all water-based lotions or sprays must have a preservative, thus making them less than 100% natural.

If it doesn’t have a preservative, it will get gross in a hurry. And nobody likes gross.

Be wary of purchasing products that claim to contain ‘no preservatives’, especially if that is touted as a selling point. Read the label. If the ingredients contain water, put the product back. And if there are no ingredients listed on the label at all, put the product back!

Bottom line:

You are not going to find a 100% “natural” insect repellent in lotion or spray form.

BUT - The inert ingredients may not be 100% natural, but there are some naturally occurring chemicals that have been proven to repel insects.

More about those later.

Boring Government Stuff

In Canada, products with the following ingredients can apply for a Pest Control Product (PCP) registration number:

DEET

P-menthane 3,8-diol (synthesized version of Eucalyptus citriodora)

Soybean Oil {seriously?}

Citronella (Its effectiveness is still under review, but since it doesn’t cause harm, Health Canada has decided to let it stand for now.)

In the USA, the CDC recognizes the following substances as providing acceptable levels of protection against mosquito bites, and by extension, West Nile disease:

DEET

Picaridin (or KBR3023)

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (para-Menthane-3,8-diol)

IR3535 (This is the ‘secret ingredient’ in Skin-So-Soft)

Small potatoes (or handmade) cosmetics manufactures (like me) generally cannot legally market or sell insect repellents (or sunscreen, for that matter).

You need to go through all these crazy government applications and lab testing to be able to claim your product is an effective insect repellent (or sunscreen). Most small businesses simply cannot afford this expense.

In Canada, you would need to obtain a Pest Control Product (PCP) registration number before you could legally market a product as being a personal insect repellent.

If the product doesn’t contain any of the ingredients listed above, your application will be denied.

The rules may be different in countries other than Canada. Maybe there are some lotion crafters who have gone through the time, trouble and expense. If you have, I’d love to hear your experience.

A lot of crafters get around this by labelling their products something like, “Bug Off” or “Don’t Bug Me!” or “Outdoors”. Even that is risky because you cannot make any sort of claim or insinuation that a lotion or spray does anything other than moisturize or scent the skin.

{I’m not saying I agree with these rules, or I’m going around enforcing them and reporting people. I’m just giving you the facts, ma’am.}

Handmade “Natural” Insect Repellents

Most products made by small cosmetic companies that imply they provide protection from bugs and are are probably not registered with Health Canada as a PCP. They may be registered as a simple lotion, body spray, or ointment.

This does not mean they are “bad” products. It does not mean thy are unsafe or that they won’t work. It just means the manufacturer cannot make any guarantees about the effectiveness.

I have a lotion called “Summer Time”. It’s scent is very fresh & floral. No where on the label or in any of my marketing materials do I make a claim about what the product does or what the essential oils it contains are reputed to do. It’s registered with Health Canada as a “skin moisturizer”. It contains Lemon Eucalyptus, Geranium, Lavender and Cedarwood atlas.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Next topic: Essential Oils traditionally used as insect repellents.

Rosewood Oil & Headaches: Ask An Aromatherapist – July 2, 2010

2010-07-02T07:37:00.000-04:00

I would like to make a salve or oil mix for headache relief. The recipe calls for Rosewood oil , but I have read about how harmful the harvesting process is for those trees. Can you recommend a substitute essential oil? The recipe calls for 40% Rosewood, so I am assuming it is the dominant fragrance. The other oils are German chamomile, Lavender Peppermint and Spearmint.

-M

Great question! Thanks for writing to me.

Rosewood is a very controversial oil. In order to harvest the wood from which the essential oils is obtained, the tree must be cut down and destroyed. The trees are normally already being cut down for the production of furniture, and the essential oil itself is a by-product of this industry.

Many believe (myself included) that destroying these rainforest trees is wrong, no matter what the purpose. Some aromatherapists boycott purchasing Rosewood oil for this reason. On the other hand, some say that even if everyone stopped buying Rosewood oil, the trees would still be cut down to make furniture, so why not buy the oil?

When I first began studying Aromatherapy, I purchased a student kit that came with a bottle of Rosewood. There is still quite a bit of oil left in the bottle, but I've made a promise that I will not buy any more once this bottle is gone.

This controversy over Rosewood oil has left many aromatherapists searching for a suitable substitute. Due to their similar chemical compositions, there has been some discussion in the field about using Ho-Wood Leaf Oil.

As discussed in my Spotlight On Ho-Wood blog post, I do not find Ho Wood to be a suitable substitute for Rosewood. The scents are just way too different.

In chemical terms, Rosewood is composed of almost 90% linalool, an alcohol (not the same kind we drink!). Coriander and Sweet Basil are also high in linalool content. Basil is a great oil for migraines, but it can be a bit of a skin irritant when used straight or in high dilutions. I would not substitute is straight for the Rosewood, by using it as a full 40% of the blend.

Try increasing the Lavender (also high in linalool) and Peppermint percentages by about 10% each, and decrease the Basil to 20%.

The menthol content in Peppermint is so fabulous for headaches. It's what gives us that "tingling" feeling, like the pain is just being pulled right out of your head. Remember "Head-On - Apply directly to forehead!"? The main ingredient in that is menthol!

Just remember that once you've made your headache blend, dilute it before applying to the skin, especially if you'll be putting Basil in the mix.

Sample recipe for Headache Oil:

Place the following essential oils in a 1 ounce –size (30mL) dark glass bottle:

5 drops Lavender
6 drops Peppermint
3 drops Basil
1 drop German Chamomile
2 drops Spearmint

Top up the bottle with a carrier oil. Jojoba or Fractionated coconut oil are great choices because they have indefinite shelf lives.

To use, massage in a few drops whenever you have a headache. You could also use this blend for muscle aches.

Sea Otter iPod Case – Etsy Shout Out: SewInMachine

2010-06-29T13:52:00.001-04:00

The fantastically cute Sea Otter iPod Touch/iPhone case I ordered from SewInMachine arrived today!

Otters are my favourite animal --who can resist them, really. The timing could not be better because the iPod case I had made for myself mysteriously disappeared about two days ago.

Love the simple and tasteful packaging! Take heed, sellers. This is so much better than just tossing the item into a mailer. It only takes a few extra seconds to wrap something in tissue paper.

“Hello! Want to be my friend?”

Check out my backside:

Love it!

A handwritten note is always appreciated. I sometimes forget to do this myself when sending out order.

Did you notice his paws are ear bud holders?

My iPod fits perfectly!

Thanks so much, Jen! I love my iPod cozy. Not only is it adorable, the craftswomanship is suburb!

I’m thinking about getting the hippo for my son’s Nano:

Or maybe the froggie:

What do you guys think?

New Commitments & A New Blog

2010-06-27T19:10:00.001-04:00

When I arrived at Aromafest this year, I was just a girl with a bottle of Lavender oil and a dream.

When I left, I was a member of TWO new committees.

Gulp.

I’m still not sure how it happened.

I think Monika strong-armed me.

Committing to sit on two committees is a big commitment for a commitment-phobe gal like me.

I may need to be committed.

{Okay, I went too far with it. I admit it.}

Committee #1: Membership & Outreach

Objectives of this committee:

Encourage students of Aromatherapy to join the CFA
Encourage practicing Aromatherapists to join the CFA
Keep current members up-to-date with CFA events & news
Inform non-members of the benefits of joining the CFA
Find and offer aromatherapy-related courses, workshops and events to our members across Canada

Here’s what this basically means:

I’m COMING TO GET YOU!

That’s right!

If you practice aromatherapy…

If you are learning aromatherapy…

If you’ve ever said “lavender”…

If you live in Canada…

If you don’t live in Canada…

We want YOU to join us!

Yay! Teamwork rocks! {Sorry, this is the lamest stock photo ever, I know.}

Committee #2: Public Relations

Objectives of this committee:

Keeping in touch with the public at large.
Educating the public about aromatherapy, essential oils, and what aromatherapists do.
Working with other modalities (i.e. massage therapists) to help ensure safe and proper use of essential oils.
Encouraging practicing Aromatherapists to join the CFA

To help facilitate my participation in these committees, I’ve created a new blog to help everyone stay up-to-date with what we’re doing.

CFA News Blog

Even if you aren’t a member of the CFA (and why is that, by the way? Huh?), you should follow this new blog. Mainly because I’m telling you to, and I like people to do what I say.

But also because there will be updates not only about our association, but about all sorts of happenings in the field of complementary medicine and essential oil research.

Using oils ‘neat’ & ingesting oils: Ask an Aromatherapist – June 25, 2010

2010-06-25T08:06:00.001-04:00

Dear Heather – My 8-year-old son is prone to canker sores. A friend said I can rub some clove oil straight on the sores to help stop infection. She sells [brand name removed] essential oils and says they are so pure they are safe to ingest. What do you think?

Oh, boy, I am so glad you contacted me!

The answer is a big, fat NO!

Please, please, PLEASE do not use neat (undiluted) clove oil in your son’s mouth. It would likely burn him. Clove is just too strong of an oil to be used neat on the skin, let alone a membrane such as the gums. Especially on a child.

Here’s what you can do for preventing infections in mouth sores: Place 1 cup of salt in a glass jar. Add 2 drops clove and 2 drops tea tree and mix well. Dissolve a few tablespoons of the salt in a glass, and have him gargle with that twice a day. DO NOT SWALLOW.

There are a few oils that can be used neat on the skin. The SKIN, not inside the mouth. Lavender and Tea Tree are the two most common ones. I pour lavender straight on minor burns and it seems to get rid of all redness within 24 hours!

Ingesting Essential Oils

This is a topic I’d like to address in a full-length article some day.

For now I’ll say this: Unless your friend is a medical doctor and a certified aromatherapist, she should not be making recommendations to people about ingesting therapeutic grade essential oils.

As long as the oils come from a reputable manufacturer (i.e., are not adulterated), no one brand of essential oil is any more ‘pure’ than any other oil. And ‘purity’ doesn’t mean the oil is safe to ingest.

Keep in mind that we do safely ingest essential oils all the time. When you eat a citrus fruit, you are ingesting some of the oil from the rind. Essential oils are used to flavour candy and gum. However, the oils have been tested for these applications, are used in very low dilutions, and have often had some of their active chemical components removed (fractionated).

However, when it comes to ingesting essential oils straight out of the bottle, things get a bit complicated.

Wintergreen and Sweet Birch essential oils both have a sweet, minty smell reminiscent of root beer, which is very attractive to children.

Yet they are composed of about 98% methyl salicylate – liquid aspirin. Ingesting even a few millilitres of either of these oils could seriously harm anyone, not just children.

On the other hand, adding a drop of diluted Lime oil to your Pico de galo recipe (which I’ve done in the past) isn’t going to cause any harm. Unless you add too much and ruin the dip!

One of the (many) problems with the company your friend sells oils for is they do not differentiate between the gentler oils and the downright dangerous ones.

Prescribing essential oils for ingestion is outside of my scope of practice, and I am a certified aromatherapist. Therefore, it should be safe to assume that it would definitely be outside of the scope of practice of anyone who is not a certified aromatherapist.

Let’s be safe and leave the medical aromatherapy to the doctors in France. Especially if you are dealing with children.

Sunday Smiles – June 20, 2010

2010-06-20T21:43:00.001-04:00

Whoo-hoo!

1. Best smile ever – I didn’t have to work today! In the 12 years that I’ve been a full-time employee, this is the first time I’ve been able to sign a shift with hours that work for my schedule, AND Sundays off.

2. I received my first consignment cheque from Made In Windsor, the local shop that sells my products. It was a nice amount for the first month!

3. This morning I slept in until 9:30. Yes, for those of you without children, 9:30 will be sleeping in to you someday, too.

4. Had a great dinner with the two best Dads in the world – my own father, and my baby-daddy. They took our boys on a camping trip this weekend, so even though it’s Father’s Day, Mom got the real gift – two days of peace, quiet and a toilet not covered in pee.

5. My faith in humanity was renewed by watching Extreme Home Makeover. Whenever I watch that show, I feel like the Grinch must have felt when his heart started growing. There are still people in this world who want to do good things. We just don’t hear enough about them.

What made YOU smile this week?

Aromafest - Spring 2010

2010-06-17T23:38:00.001-04:00

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been almost a week since Aromafest and I haven’t blogged about it yet!

Friday

I drove to Guelph.

Sorry, no pictures of that because I can’t drive and photograph at the same time.

There’s nothing worth seeing along Highway 401 anyway.

I arrived at the beautiful London House Bed & Breakfast.

Side view:

That little window at the top is “my” kitchen.

And here is “my” dining room:

And “my” living room:

Hallway to my room (that’s the bathroom door on the right):

And, finally, MY room.

You can tell it’s mine because of the mess.

I was relaxing in my room when a man in a cherry picker suddenly appeared outside my window. I think he was painting the roof or trim or something.

I didn’t take a picture because I was too busy trying to close the blinds without seeming rude.

So I went for a little walk. I found an art store.

But I didn’t buy anything. Sadface.

I went to a wonderful place called Meals that Heal and got this fantasmagorical pasta:

Take a closer look.

I can no longer remember what it was called, but it was all made from scratch and it was all organic.

And it cancelled out the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stuff I had for lunch that day.

The offending cherry picker, parked for the night. It was now safe to go back to my room.

Saturday

When I arrived at the building, I went straight to the gym to check out the vendors. Obviously.

Books!

Looking at the display, I literally could not remember which ones I already owned.

That may be a sign that I have too many books.

I bought this one anyway.

Turns out I didn’t already own it!

Yay!

Someone was selling chocolate this year.

I said CHOCOLATE.

Exquisitely Chocolate, to be precise.

Smudge & White Sage from The Arrhianna Centre.

Beautiful plants from Busy Bee Gardens.

Calendula.

Lavender. Of which my obtuse camera refused to correctly photograph the colour.

Okay, down to business.

Time for the annual general meeting.

Then my camera batteries died.

The end.

Oh, but not before I found the goody bags!

Gotta love the free stuff!

The Cupboard (over) The Stairs

2010-06-15T14:49:00.001-04:00

When I arrived at the bed & breakfast, there was a need to ‘air out’ the floor I was staying on.

I won’t elaborate on what caused the need for fresh air.

But it may or may not have had something to do with one of the guests smoking wacky tabacky.

That’s all I’m sayin’!

The innkeeper asked me to open up a non-descript door adjacent to the linen closet.

I thought I’d find a fan or something.

Instead I found this.

A secret room!

This is the former bedroom of the innkeeper’s son.

It’s teeny tiny. Maybe 6x10 feet.

I find it hard to believe a bed could even fit in here.

But if this were my house, I’d totally want this room, too.

This house originally belonged to some old rich dude, and the third floor would have been the servants’ quarters'.

I doubt this tiny room was expected to be one of the maids’ bedrooms, as that is what this (significantly larger) room once was:

Clearly, there is no longer a maid residing in this room.

As evidenced by the unkempt bed covers, and the lack of a coaster on the side table.

{A maid did come clean up after I left. She’s an angel, obviously.}

Anyone know anything about old houses?

What would a teeny-tiny room on the 3rd floor be used for?

{Why do I always take pictures on an angle? Do I think it’s arty or something? It’s nauseating is what it is.}

Life’s Important Questions – Where’s My Chocolate?

2010-06-11T19:50:00.001-04:00

I demand to know why there is not a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in my city.

‘Splain it to me, Lucy.

Now.

I see no good reason why I should not be able to purchase things this this whenever I wish.

Noooo, I have to wait until I go on a trip somewhere. Because every city in the province of Ontario has a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory -- except for the one I live in, of course.

If it’s about money, Corporate Guys, you need not worry. I’ll support the store single handedly.

Trust me.

I can’t even remember what these are called. Let’s just call them “Yum and Yummier”.

I’m pretty sure the green one has something to do with mint and Oreo cookies.

The other one involved Rice Krispies and marshmallows.

{Speaking of marshmallows; For his birthday, I bought my oldest son a gun that shoots mini-marshmallows! Off-topic, yes, but still very interesting.}

I got a little hungry while taking pictures.

Please forgive me.

Ask An Aromatherapist: Cradle Cap – June 11, 2010

2010-06-11T06:20:00.000-04:00

Heather Scent – I hope you can help. My newborn has terrible cradle cap. Is there anything I can do to clear it up?

T. in Illinois

Cradle cap, or seborrhoeic dermatitis, is a yellow-looking, crusty, scaly rash that appears on the scalp of newborn babies. Rarely is it a serious condition – it just doesn’t look very pretty!

It’s possibly caused by over-active sebaceous glands. They release too much oil, causing dead skin cells stick to the scalp instead of flaking off as they normally would.

One thing it is not caused by is poor hygiene. Over washing of the infant’s hair won’t get rid of cradle cap. In fact, it may make it worse as the sebaceous glands will start working even harder to replace the oils being stripped away by the shampoo.

You don’t mention your baby’s age, but since you call her a ‘newborn’, I’ll assume she is under 3 months. In that case, I do not recommend skin application of essential oils.

There have been studies to indicate Borage oil is effective at treating cradle cap. However, this is a very costly seed oil and not many people would have in their homes. Furthermore, as a carrier oil for massage, it’s contraindicated in pregnancy, so I’d question it’s safety with newborns as well.

Instead of borage, you can use a small amount of olive, sweet almond, jojoba or grapeseed oil. Please do not use baby oil or mineral oil.

Gently massage the oil into her head and let it sit for several hours or overnight. This will soften the scales. The following day, use a fine tooth comb to gently remove the scales that have come loose. Do not force the comb through or pick at the scales. After combing, spritz the scalp with some lavender hydrosol.

Repeat the process on this schedule:

Day #1 – scalp massage with oil.
Day #2 – Comb out scales
Day #3 – Scalp massage with oil.
Day #4 – Comb out scales

Etc….

It may seem counter-intuitive to use oil to treat a condition that is caused by over-active sebaceous glands. Remember your grandma’s old laundry stain advice – like removes like!

Cradle cap will eventually go away on its own without any treatment at all. If her scalp becomes red or inflamed, the rash spreads to other parts of the body, or it is causing obvious discomfort and pain to the baby (cradle cap usually does not bother the baby – it just bothers the parents!), please see your doctor immediately.

----------

Submit your own question for Heather.

Roadtrip!

2010-06-10T23:16:00.001-04:00

Wow, it feels like just last week that I made the decision to attend this year’s Aromafest in Guelph, Ontario.

I didn’t think I’d be able to get the time off work, but it all came together.

Friday morning I’ll hit the road after dropping my son off at daycare. I need to be out of here by noon so I beat the Friday afternoon cottage traffic. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in traffic and not getting paid for it!

{For those of you just getting aquatinted with the craziness that is me, my alter ego is a city bus driver for about 8 hours a day.}

Confession time: I hate driving.

When I’m working, it’s fine.

But as part of a vacation? Not so much.

I mean, if you were a waitress, wouldn’t it suck if you had to serve food for 3 hours before you could start your holidays?

It would suck very much.

It would suck like a Dyson.

And they never lose suction.

Ever!

Or so I hear, anyway, because we have hardwood floors and don’t need some fancy-pants European vacuum.

At least when I arrive in Guelph, I’ll have this waiting for me:

The English Maid’s room at London House Bed & Breakfast.

That picture is from two years ago, when I stayed there for a week during my massage training course.

This time I’ll be staying in her twin, the French Maid’s room:

Which is equally quaint and welcoming, only in reverse.

After a sleep that will not be interrupted by a preschooler screaming for water at 3am, I’ll gorge myself on their yummy breakfast, and then head over to Aromafest.

I hear there will be goody bags!

I love goodies!

I hear there will be lunch!

I love food!

I hear there will be fabulous workshops!

I love learning!

I hear there will be vendors!

I love shopping!

Good gravy, I better get some sleep before all this excitement.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

37 Uses for Lavender Water

2010-06-09T03:06:00.000-04:00

1. Spray on a sunburn.

2. As a facial toner.

3. Clean & disinfect a cut or scrape.

4. Relieve the itch & discomfort of bug bites.

5. Counteract an allergic dermal reaction (i.e. when your skin starts turning red.)

6. Cool & refresh the skin in hot weather.

7. Set your make-up.

8. Gargle with it, especially if you have a canker sore or abscess.

9. Spritz in the face of a tantruming toddler (results will vary – this works for my son!)

10. Keep yourself refreshed on an airplane – reduces jetlag.

11. Use in place of Febreze to refresh clothing.

12. Spray around your desk when work has you stressed.

13. As a foot soak.

14. Diffuse your anger – spray yourself when you feel your temper rising.

15. Spruce up towels & linens.

16. Give yourself a sponge bath.

17. In a pinch, spray on your hands when you have no access to soap & water or hand sanitizer.

18. In place of Windex to clean mirrors/glass.

19. As an air freshener.

20. Counter-act the offensive stench of someone who overdosed on cheap commercial perfume .

21. In the rinse water when you give the dog a bath.

22. To dampen wrinkled clothing while ironing.

23. If you’re a cosmetic crafter, use it in place of plain water in your lotion recipes.

24. Mix with powdered clay or ground oatmeal to make a facial masque.

25. Add a capful to your next pitcher of homemade lemonade.

26. Put a tiny bit into your bedtime tea.

27. “Hairspray” for little ones (thanks to ADKaromatherapy for this tip!)

28. Give the kiddos some in water pistols for a pre-bedtime water fight this summer.

29. Spray in the crib before putting baby to bed.

30. Wipe down the litterbox, inside & out, when you change the old stuff out for fresh litter.

31. Experiment with it in your cooking – replace a few tablespoons of liquid in any recipe.

32. As a sitz bath, especially after childbirth.

33. Or, just keep a spray bottle handy to spritz the perineum, especially after using the washroom.

34. Clean your yoga mat.

35. ‘Cleanse’ your space while you meditate by spraying the area.

36. Flavour your ice water – just a few drops per glass is all you need.

37. Add a cup to the water in your humidifier.

Mushroom-Bacon Sauce

2010-06-07T21:42:00.001-04:00

I made a sauce tonight that was so good it made all the other sauces jealous.

Let’s get something straight: I am not a Holly Homemaker type of gal. My favourite thing to make for dinner is pancakes or grilled cheese.

So this is a special accomplishment for me.

I made it on a whim.

I made it from scratch.

Now I share it with you!

{I wasn’t planning to blog about this until I tasted it and realized the world needed to know. The photos are afterthoughts, not a real documentation of the step-by-step process. They are, however, an accurate depiction of the poor natural lighting in my kitchen.}

What You Need:

1/2 pound of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 packaged of bacon, chopped
2 can cream of mushroom soup
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped.
1/2 cup white wine
large bunch of chives
cooked pasta for serving

I generally do not measure when I cook, so these amounts are guesses. You could use more or less of the bacon, mushrooms, garlic & chives. Or throw in another can of soup if you want to increase the number of servings.

But don’t get too crazy with the wine, kids.

I mean it.

What You Do:

1. Heat up a large pan over medium-high. You will not need to grease it. Unless you feel that the bacon itself doesn’t already have enough grease. In which case, I wish you and your heart the best of luck and hope you have good health insurance.

2. Throw the bacon into the hot pan. Let it sizzle for a few minutes and release some grease.

3. Throw in the mushrooms, give ‘em a stir.

4. Chop your garlic (if you haven’t already) and throw that in.

Mmmmm, wonderful, fresh garlic!

There is just no substitute for fresh garlic!

Unless you are me, of course.

Then instead of chopping up some fresh garlic, what you really did in Step 4 was go to the fridge and get this:

Whatevs.

Moving on.

5. Add your soup to the pan, and stir well. Let it come to a simmer.

Want to know a secret?

The no-name stuff poured out of the can freely and sauce-like, while the fancy red-label brand plopped out in can-shaped blob.

What am I paying the extra 39 cents for, huh?

6. Okay, here’s what you’ve been waiting for, you lushes. Get out the wine.

I know nothing about wine, so I don’t know if any one is better than the other for this recipe. This is some homemade stuff that happened to be in the fridge.

Then I couldn’t get the cork back in, which would be a good excuse to drink the rest of the bottle, if I was the type of gal to drink wine.

Which I’m not.

7. After stirring in the wine, let it come to a simmer again. Then reduce heat and cover.

8. Snip up your chives and throw' ‘em in.

If you live in a neighbourhood where feral cats like to pee in your garden, make sure you wash the chives first.

Give the sauce one final stir, and it’s ready to eat now.

You can keep it warm on low if you need to finish making the pasta or veggies.

You are welcome.

The end.

Where can I find this stuff?

2010-06-05T22:28:00.001-04:00

This stuff:

{Charles Worthington’s Relax & Unwind Blow-Dry Straightening Balm.}

Makes my hair go from this:

To this:

Okay, so it doesn’t make it turn that gorgeous shade of red -- but it does get rid of the frizz.

My hair is what one might politely describe as ‘unruly’.

This stuff:

Was made for hair like mine.

It says so right on the label.

Curly? Check!

Frizzy? Check!

Unruly? Check!

Here’s my problem:

I don’t know where the heck to get some more!!

Flashback story – Us ladies have an informal system at my work. When we no longer want a beauty product, leave it in the staff washroom for someone else that may have use for it. We don’t do this with stuff like lipstick or mascara, just lotions, hair stuff, etc…

Someone once left a whole box full of stuff designed for curly, frizzy hair. This product was in the box.

I figure the person either gave up the fight and just shaved her head.

This bottle was FULL. I bet it hadn’t been used once.

But where did it come from??? My guess is a salon.

{And no, I don’t know who brought it in. I work with a lot of people, some of whom I’ve never even met.}

I’ve Googled it. Oh yes, I’ve Googled my pants off.

No help!

Just a link to some travel sized bottles.

So….can anyone help me? Have you ever seen this in its large sized format?

Please help. The situation is dire.

I lied, you see.

I don’t look like The One In Barbados Monica Gellar when I wake up in the morning.

This is the real ‘before’ picture:

Help.

{Sorry, no Sunday Smiles post today because it’s been an exceptionally crazy week and I can’t remember smiling once.}

Ask An Aromatherapist – June 4, 2010

2010-06-04T00:23:00.001-04:00

Do essential oils have expiry dates? How do I know when they’ve gone bad?

D. in Alberta

Essential oils do not always come with expiry dates printed on the package. Most oils begin to lose their therapeutic properties about 2 years after the date they are distilled. The general rule of thumb is it if smells good, it is good.

Some oils (like patchouli) improve with age. Others (like citrus oils) will oxidize long before 2 years has passed.

This is why it’s important to ensure you are buying from a trustworthy source, as you need to know how long a bottle of oil has been sitting on a shelf before you purchased it.

Citrus oils should be purchased in very small quantities – a 5mL bottle is usually sufficient. I like to replace my entire citrus collection every 12 months. Luckily, citrus oils are relatively inexpensive.

{Tip: Keep your “expired” citrus oils in the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room. Use them to freshen drains, the dishwasher, or the toilet water.}

Oils that have been diluted (i.e., mixed with a carrier oil) should be used within 6 months. Be sure to label and date any blends that you make!

Storage

The time frames outlined above assume optimal storage conditions of the essential oils. If your oils are exposed to sunlight, heat, left with their caps off, or stored in light glass bottles (or plastic – eeek!), they will start to degrade much sooner.

Always take proper storage precautions to protect your essential oil investment.

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

Submit your own question for Heather.

Etsy Shout-Out – Seasons Come and Glow

2010-06-01T21:42:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I went on a little spending spree on Etsy.

Hey! I needed new soap, okay? My stash is down to, like, only 17 bars.

I made a big purchase from a relatively new seller, Seasons Come And Glow, whom I discovered through an Etsy forum post.

The package came yesterday, and it really did feel like my birthday!

Wrapped up so pretty!

Let’s open up this baby!

Aw, a personalized note card. What a lovely touch.

Look at all the goodies!

Love those circle labels ;)

Almond Roca Whipped Soap. Smells awesome! You need some.

Yes, you do.

Everything in the package was nicely presented, the seller provided excellent, friendly communication and shipped promptly. Her prices are also extremely reasonable.

You should definitely check her out!

Introduction to Holistic Aromatherapy

2010-05-31T12:00:00.000-04:00

{This post is an HTML version of my brochure publication, “Holistic Aromatherapy: An Introduction”. You can also download it in PDF form. Some of this information has also been published on this blog in a series of shorter posts.}

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils to achieve and maintain optimum health & balance in your life.

Although it’s considered “alternative” medicine by many, Aromatherapy is based on science. Essential oils can be broken down into individual chemical components, and each of these components has specific therapeutic properties. You have probably already used Aromatherapy without even realizing it. Products like Vicks VapoRub, Ben-Gay and Tiger Balm all contain essential oils as their main medicinal ingredients.

What are Essential oils?

Essentials oils are the concentrated aromatic essences of plants, trees, flowers, herbs, fruits, roots, spices, wood, leaves, etc... They are actually not oily at all. Some, like lavender, are very thin liquids and others, like vetiver, are quite thick and viscous.

The most common way to extract essential oils is through steam distillation. The plant matter is placed in a still and water is boiled underneath. The steam passes through the plant matter, and then through a series of coils where it is rapidly cooled, condensed and collected. The essential oil rises to the top and is separated from the water. The leftover material (the aromatic water) is called a hydrosol.

There are 3 different ways that essential oils can enter the bloodstream:

Ingestion (by mouth)
Inhalation (by nose)
Absorption (through the skin)

What is Holistic Aromatherapy ?

Taking a holistic approach to aromatherapy means that we treat the person as a whole, rather than just the disease or the symptoms. If we can find and eliminate the underlying cause of a disease, we can expect that the symptoms will also be eliminated.

Essential oils do not just affect our physical bodies and biological systems -- they can have a profound effect on our psyches. Using essential oils to heal the mind & soul is sometimes referred to as “subtle aromatherapy”.

In holistic aromatherapy (the type generally practiced in North America), essential oils are either inhaled or applied on the skin. In France and other parts of Europe, Medical Aromatherapy (in which the oils are ingested) is commonly practiced by medical doctors. European pharmacists often mix and dispense essential oils. For example, a mixture of fennel and anise seed may be given to a baby with colic.

In addition to aroma-massage, an aromatherapist may suggest some changes in diet or lifestyle, or refer a client to other health practitioners such as chiropractors, registered massage therapists, physiotherapists, homeopaths, or medical doctors.

Is Aromatherapy safe?

Holistic Aromatherapy is very safe, provided you receive treatment from a qualified practitioner. Be sure your Aromatherapist is a member of your country’s governing body. In Ontario, this is the Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists (CFA).

A CAHP (Certified Aromatherapy Health Professional) has completed courses in anatomy, chemistry and essential oils. He or she adheres to a strict code of ethics and will always take a full health history before your first treatment. They will ensure that none of the oils they use on you are contraindicated for any health conditions you have, and they will never attempt to practice outside their capabilities.

How Can I Benefit From Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy can help with many physical, mental and spiritual conditions. Scent is our strongest link to memory – our scent memories are stored in the oldest part of our brains. Therefore, scent is able to invoke very strong feelings in us. Bringing these feelings to the forefront opens pathways in the brain that allow us to change our thinking about a certain experience.

Aromatherapists seek to integrate with your overall health plan. You can continue to receive traditional (or allopathic) health treatments while receiving aroma-massage, or using essential oils. Think of Aromatherapy as “complementary” medicine, rather than “alternative”. It works with modern medicine to help you achieve balance in your life. For example, if you suffer from migraines, massaging the head and neck with essential oils can help relieve your pain while you wait for your migraine pills to start working.

Some conditions that respond well to aromatherapy treatments are:

Arthritis
Depression
Digestive disorders
Eczema (and other skin problems)
Headaches
Insomnia
Nausea (including morning sickness)
Sinusitis

How does aroma-massage differ from a therapeutic massage?

There are two main objectives in an aroma-massage, or full-body aromatherapy treatment:

1) To get the essential oils into the blood stream via the body’s largest receptive organ – the skin.

2) To encourage and assist in lymphatic drainage. Unlike the circulatory system, which is run by the heart, our lymphatic system does not have its own pump. It relies on our own movements to keep the lymph flowing freely and eliminate blockages.

You will not experience deep-tissue work during an aroma-massage (unless the practitioner is also a qualified Registered Massage Therapist). At no point should you experience any physical pain or discomfort, and you should not be sore afterwards. Please notify the practitioner immediately should you feel any pain during your aroma-massage.

Many aromatherapists also employ some sort of energy healing, chakra clearing or aura cleansing into their work. You may experience a surge of emotional release after a treatment. It is not uncommon to start crying during or after an aroma-massage. Do not be embarrassed or try to suppress your feelings – let them flow.

Sunday Smiles – May 30, 2010

2010-05-30T21:12:00.001-04:00

1. My books came! Okay, I didn’t order all six of them, I ordered these three:

2. The bus I drove on Friday had air conditioning, even though I’m not normally suppose to get one (only the wheelchair accessible buses have A/C).

3. We are in the process of ‘training’ our nearly 4-year-old son to sleep all night in his OWN bed. The first night was a semi-success! Only about 2 hours of stalling, and he woke up once in the night. Tonight, he went to bed with absolutely no stalling at all.

{That is not my son. Or my baby-daddy. It’s just a random Microsoft Clipart picture that fit the situation.}

4. I found out I won’t have to bother with charging HST when the Ontario government makes the switch July 1st. It’s a long story – just read the Etsy post.

5.I got a new portable & rechargeable iPod speaker/dock – on sale!

6. Buttonwilloe, a seller on Etsy, told me about Feliway, a product that may save my kitty, Jelly. Jelly has been marking everywhere. It’s a long story, involving a rude and overbearing houseguest and her stupid unwelcome cats. We’re on the verge of having to send him to a farm or something. My friend is a vet tech and recommends this as well.

Hmmmm, only 6 things? Oh, wait!

7. The season finale of Criminal Minds is on tonight. I love me some Hotch!

What made YOU smile this week?

Ask An Aromatherapist – May 28, 2010

2010-05-28T06:09:00.000-04:00

Please give me some eczema advice for my daughter's “alligator” skin.

W. in Texas

Eczema is a term applied to a wide range of skin problems. Some of the symptoms may include: redness, swelling, dryness, itching, flaking, and in extreme cases – blistering, cracking, oozing, or even bleeding.

Some types of eczema are hereditary. Others are caused by food allergies, such as dairy, or contact allergies, such as laundry detergent.

Whatever the cause, it’s not pretty and it’s not fun!

Before moving on to skin treatments, be sure to rule out all possible allergic causes of your daughter’s eczema.

Wash

Many doctors will recommend you avoid using soap on a child with eczema as it’s too drying. However, most of the commercial “soap” we buy from stores is not really soap at all – they are syndet bars – synthetic detergent. If you look closely, usually you will not even find the word “soap” on the label. They are called “beauty bars” or “cleansing” bars.

Pure soap (unscented) is the best option for bathing a child with a skin condition. Most of the “baby” bars out there are not true soap – they contain synthetic foaming agents. I recommend you buy some unscented handmade soap, or pure castile soap.

Strange as it sounds, water is actually very drying, especially hot water, so keep baths short and the water as cool as she will tolerate.

Exfoliate

In some cases, scaly patches can be caused by old, dead skin cells failing to shed off the skin properly. If your daughter is older than two, you may want to try gently exfoliating her skin using a sugar scrub.

Do not do this if she has blisters or oozing sores.

Place a few tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl or cup. Drizzle the sugar with a base oil such as olive, sweet almond or sunflower (do not use baby or mineral oil), until it is saturated.

While she’s in the bath, gently apply the scrub to her legs and arms, or scaly patches on the trunk. You want to do this with a feather-light touch. Just applying it will provide enough exfoliation – you won’t need to scrub it in. Rinse well. Do not use it on her face or delicate areas.

This will make the tub very slippery, so use extra caution. This only needs to be done 1-2 a week.

Moisturize

The best time to moisturize is after bathing, while the skin is still slightly damp. Really, you don’t need to use anything more fancy than plain oil! Sweet almond, jojoba and grape seed are good choices. If desired, for children over 6 months old, you could add 1 drop of Lavender and 1 drop of Roman Chamomile to a tablespoon of base oil.

Whatever you do, NEVER use “baby” oil or any other type of “baby” product on her. Baby oil is simply mineral oil. It cannot be absorbed by the skin – it just forms a barrier and blocks the pores.

You could also use a natural, unscented body butter. These consist of butters such as shea or cocoa blended with oils. Most will contain a non-toxic preservative – this is necessary to prevent bacteria growth in a water-based product.

I recommend the line of Purity products by BL Soaps on Etsy. She even has a sugar scrub.

Unscented vs. Fragrance-Free

When choosing products, ensure they are labelled “unscented”, not “fragrance-free”.

Manufacturers will often add a masking scent to “fragrance-free” products to hid the natural scent of the ingredients.

You’ll need to read the label of every product that will come into contact with your daughter’s skin, or anything that will come in contact with something else that will touch her skin (i.e. laundry detergent) -- I’m sure you probably do this already. You want to reduce or eliminate any chemicals and synthetics she is exposed to.

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Do you have a question for Heather? Use our easy submission form.

Need a Self-Esteem Boost? Try This!

2010-05-26T06:27:00.000-04:00

Working out on a regular basis is a great way to improve your body image. Creating an exercise routine and sticking to it gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Or at least I hear it does, since I personally do not participate in any sort of activity that requires me to “work” on a “regular” basis.

Not that I don’t want to, or anything. I’ve been meaning to start working out ever since I saw Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2.

18 years ago.

Uh. Yeah.

Moving on…

Any exercise is going to give you a boost. I’m sure there are some fancy psychological and physiological reasons for it.

But some exercises are better than others at improving body image.

Next time you are feeling like crap and force yourself to go to the gym anyway (God bless you, by the way), instead of doing something like this:

Try doing this:

Why?

When we lift weights, we are working directly on the muscles and focusing on doing something positive – gaining strength.

When we do cardio, we are thinking about something negative – losing pounds or burning calories. Sure, the long-term gains of cardio are positive, but the immediate goal is a negative one.

{By the way, that woman in the gray tank top, lifting weights? That is totally what I look like. Just thought you should know.}

I’m not making this up!

Although I completely understand why you would think that, what with my (non) history of exercise and all.

This information came from a one-paragraph blurb in the April 26th issue of Woman’s World.

And I turned it into an entire blog post!

With blogging skills like that, who needs to exercise?

Sunscreen: Are You Using Enough? or Why You Should Put a Shot Glass in Your Beach Bag.

2010-05-25T06:11:00.000-04:00

Some people are of the sunscreen-is-a-conspiracy-that-causes-the-very-cancer-it-claims-to-prevent school. The reasons range from it blocking your pores to depriving you of vitamin D.

I am not one of those people.

Depending on where you live, you need only about 5-30 minutes of sun exposure 2x week to get your full of the UVB rays that help the body produce vitamin D.

Most of us get this much sun without even trying.

I’ve been using sunscreen on my face every day since I was twelve. Now I am 27 (plus 5) and have the skin of a teenager.

By that I mean my forehead is covered in acne and I have dark circles under my eyes from staying up late to watch Southpark re-runs.

More importantly - no wrinkles.

To adequately cover your entire body, you need to use a full ounce of sunscreen. That’s how much a shot glass holds.

A typical bottle of sunscreen should only last for 8-10 applications, not four summers.

Don’t look at me like that – you know you have a 4-year-old bottle of sunscreen somewhere.

If you do forget your sunscreen and get burned, try this sunburn balm.

How to make a sandwich – LOST style

2010-05-24T19:28:00.001-04:00

Disclaimer: I DID NOT WRITE THIS! I found this in the Etsy forums and thought it was too funny not to share. If you know who originally wrote this, please let me know!

Jack
1. Gather ingredients
2. Point gun at ingredients and shout "HOW DO I MAKE A SANDWICH OUT OF YOU?!?!?"
3. Breathe heavily through your nose as though you were about to hit ingredients
4. Give up and make the sandwich yourself, and eat it bitterly.

Kate
1. Make separate sandwiches, one with peanut butter and one with jelly
2. Take a bite of the peanut butter sandwich, declaring it the best
3. Take a bite of the jelly sandwich, declaring it the best
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 ad infinitum
5. Follow peanut butter or jelly sandwich into grave danger

Sawyer
1. Throw the jar of jelly at wall, sneering "I don't need no sandwich"
2. Call the mascot on the jar of peanut butter lots of clever nicknames
3. Huff and puff and stomp around and grumble a lot
4. When no one's looking, make perfect, even, symmetrical peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sit in a corner, enjoying every bite

Locke
1. Sit idly by, believing that the ingredients will find a way to make a sandwich out of themselves
2. Lose faith and make the sandwich anyway
3. Realize that you were the instrument by which the ingredients chose to make a sandwich after all
4. Run around the room and grab everyone's knives, insisting that their sandwiches will do the same in time

Hurley
1. Make sandwich
2. Eat sandwich
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 ad infinitum

Sayid
1. Procure 23 milligrams of uranium-20
2. Set hadron supercollider to eight megajoules
3. Program a sandwich-making macro using Cobol or Visual Basic
4. Act all tough-like

Desmond
1. Eat sandwich
2. Call the sandwich "brother"
3. Place peanut butter slice over jelly slice
4. Spread jelly on the other slice
5. Spread peanut butter on one slice
6. Take two slices of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly

Ben
1. Steal someone else's sandwich
2. Claim you coerced them into making the sandwich for you all along
3. Say you'll tell them everything if they make you another sandwich
4. Stare at them all creepy-like

Libby
1. Lay out plans for one of the most intricate, fascinating, and delicious sandwiches of all time
2. Just as you start making it, get shot

Danielle
1. Apply peanut butter
2. Disappear for eight months
3. Apply jelly
4. Disappear for eight months
5. Eat sandwich

Claire
1. Mmmmmmm, peanut butter

Lost co-executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (Darlton to their fans)
1. Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
2. Have someone take a bite, then tell them it's a baloney sandwich
3. Make up a whole bunch of other stuff, then say you had planned it all along
4. Buy a few yachts

The Winner!

2010-05-24T12:48:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to…….

SAMY!

Her comment on the post, “Books I Need” was randomly selected as the winning entry for my Spring 2010 giveaway. She will be receiving her choice of any three Aromatherapy Inhalers.

Thank you to all who entered. Keep following my blog because I will be having more giveaways, including a HUGE one at the end of summer.

Sunday Smiles – May 23, 2010

2010-05-23T08:38:00.001-04:00

In an effort to focus on the positive (I can be a bit cynical sometimes. Not that you can tell, or anything), I’ll be blogging every Sunday about things that made me smile during the previous week.

1. We got our income tax refund cheques. Though the money’s already been spent on plane tickets. Oops, there I go with the negative!

2. I purchased some carpet thyme plants for my front garden. I’ve wanted to cover the bed with thyme forever, but could never find a type that creeped the way I wanted it to.

3. We went to see the band Chicago last night. Awesome show! I took my Dad for his birthday. I grew up listening to him playing Chicago songs (among others) on his trumpet & sax. My dad was always in a band when I was a kid. Yeah, he’s cooler than your dad.

4. The bald patch in our front lawn is no longer bald. Look at the cute baby grass. Aww…

5. My blog giveaway was a success, I have some new followers & readers. Thank-you, everyone! The winner will be announced tomorrow. I have better things to do tonight, you know such as watch the…

6. Season Finale of Lost. This is more bittersweet. We get to find out all the secrets of the Island and how it all will end (we better, anyway!). But it also means that one of my favourite shows is going off the air. Forever.

I’m sure I’ll find some way to get on with my life. I did it with Buffy. I did it with Friends. I did it with Family Ties.

Good-bye forever!

Suggested Shops From Etsy

2010-05-22T06:24:00.000-04:00

Etsy has a new feature that will recommend shops to you based on items/shops you have already ‘hearted’.

Here are a few of my suggestions. So far, Etsy’s doing a good job at reading my mind.

{Click on any photo montage to go to the shop}

Owlishly – Amigurumi Crochet Patterns, because Handmade is a Hoot!

How adorable are these little guys (and gals)? If only I knew how to crochet! It’s not hard to learn, is it?

Bubbletime - Whimsical handmade collectible crafts.

These are just too cute! The material looks super soft. I’d love to have a basket full of these guys.

Candyland Beads - Polymer Clay Bead Creations

For goodness sakes! This shop is so adorable that it was extremely difficult to pick four items to feature in this post. I’m keeping this one in mind for future crafting projects.

{Umm..can you tell by know that I’m partial to things that are cute, adorable, cuddly, etc? I’m going to need a thesaurus to write the rest of this post.}

Gifts Define - Unique Handmade Gift Giving, Home Decor & Party Favors

I have one thing to say – where was Etsy when I had a baby, huh? HUH? Okay, Etsy was in the same place it’s always been, I just didn’t know about it.

Gorgeous and unique mobiles! Love those pencil toppers!

Ivy Lane Designs - Home of Eco-Fabulous Nifty Gifties

You really need to visit this shop to see all the unique items it has to offer. Here’s just a smattering.

Clockwise from top left: Kool Aid notebooks; matchbox party favours; Herb Alpert notebook (Is there anyone whose parents didn’t own this album? I didn’t think so.); recycled crayon cars.

Which ones are your favourites?

Ask An Aromatherapist – May 21, 2010

2010-05-21T05:12:00.000-04:00

Dear Heatherscent,

Can you recommend something for skin irritations in children? Also is there any such thing as an aromatherapy "natural" insect repellent ?

L., Ontario, Canada

Thanks for writing to me, L.! You ask some great (and timely with the warm weather arriving) questions.

To answer the first part - When it comes to skin irritation, you’ll want to look for oils that have anti-inflammatory properties. Lavender is probably the best known, but it’s not necessarily the most effective. However, it’s readily available and most people already have some in their homes.

Either of the Chamomiles would work well. I prefer German (or Blue) as an anti-inflammatory, but Roman Chamomile has a more appealing scent, and is a more useful oil overall for treating a variety of children’s ailments.

A combination of all three – Lavender, German Chamomile & Roman Chamomile – in a base of Macadamia nut oil, with a bit of St.John’s Wort oil would be a great blend for treating skin irritation.

When working with children, keep the dilution rate low – 1% or even 1/2 of 1%.

To answer the second part of your question -- When it comes to insect repellent, the strict answer is that no, there really is no such thing as a “natural” insect repellent.

This is not because there aren’t essential oils or herbs that are effective at repelling insects. It’s because the government will not allow any product that doesn’t contain certain chemicals to be labelled “insect repellent”.

Many companies get around this by calling their products something relating to bugs or the outdoors. I call mine the “Nature” line.

Choosing which essential oils to use depends on which specific type of pest you are trying to repel. Certain oils work better on certain bugs.

In the past many people used Pennyroyal as a natural repellent for fleas and other insects, but we now know this oil is highly toxic and should be avoided.

One of the best mosquito repellents is geranium. It is reportedly more effective than citronella. A combination of the two would be extremely effective.

Lavender, Cedarwood and any Mint also work well. Be sure to dilute any essential oil before applying to the skin. Citronella can be somewhat irritating, so placing a drop on the cuff of a shirt or pants is recommended over applying to the skin.

-----

Submit your own question for Heather.

Add a Facebook “Like” Button To Your Blog

2010-05-20T09:19:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I started noticing that my friends on Facebook were “liking” some funny-looking pages:

This raised my suspicions for several reasons:

I have a Greasemonkey script that will hide all applications, liking & friending activity, so I only see updates and photos in my Newsfeed. Yet even thought the script is working find, these “liked” Pages were still showing up in my feed.
They were linked to outside web pages, not a Facebook Page.
The titles were ridiculously long.

I thought it was a virus or something, so I did a little investigating.

Turns out that if you have a Facebook “Like” button on your blog and people click it, a link to your blog post will show up directly in their Newsfeed and be broadcast to all their Friends!

This can be good or bad. As a blog author, it’s a good thing!

What a great way to make your blog viral!

{Don’t worry – only you and people who you are friends with on Facebook will be able to see your name on any blog posts that you like. Everyone else will just see “3 people like this”, including the blog author.}

Here’s a tutorial on how to add a “Like” button to your blog posts. It’s super easy.

Leave me a link in the comments so I can see it in action on your blog!

Just Because It’s Spring

2010-05-19T23:10:00.001-04:00

And the chives are in full bloom.

And there are bugs everywhere.

I thought I’d share these photos with you.

Enjoy!

Photos taken by me! Feel free to share them, but don’t pretend you took them.

P.S. These were actually taken three years ago. But I didn’t have a blog three years ago, so here ya go.

Aromatherapy & Pregnancy – The Benefits

2010-05-18T12:04:00.000-04:00

Before reading this post, please read Safety First! which outlines which essential oils are not recommended for use during pregnancy.

Why Use Aromatherapy During Your Pregnancy?

Essential oils can help with many conditions that a woman faces during her pregnancy. These include:

nausea/morning sickness
headaches
skin problems (elasticity)
mood swings
hot flashes
digestive disorders

Aromatherapy provides a natural and safe (when used properly) alternative to many synthetic drugs. Since they are used topically, or inhaled, EOs can be safer to use than some herbals.

{Homeopathy and Herbal medicine are not interchangeable terms. Homeopathic remedies are based in an inert sugar pill form. They have no side effects and are perfectly safe for use during pregnancy. You should still consult an expert to ensure you are using the right type of remedy for your constitution. Certain Herbal remedies, on the other hand, can be quite potent and dangerous for pregnant women.}

Not only can using essential oils help you during the gestation period, many women have used Aromatherapy to help them successfully have a non-medicated labour and delivery experience.

Many doulas or midwives carry essential oils or massage blends in their bag of tricks. Spritzing or diffusing EOs throughout the room will take away that hospital smell and put you more at ease. Of course, many of the oils themselves help relieve pain or stimulate uterine contractions.

If you breastfeed, you are still considered “pregnant” when it comes to drug use. Any drug that enters your bloodstream will also be present in your milk. For safety’s sake, we assume that this includes essential oils. In some cases, this can be beneficial. For example, Mom could give herself a massage with Lavender & Chamomile an hour or so before bedtime, and then baby would also reap the benefits.

Is Aromatherapy Safe To Use During Pregnancy?

Many people are very leery of using aromatherapy or homeopathy during their pregnancy, but will not even for an instant question a doctor’s recommendation to take a medication like Tylenol Cold, which contains Class C drugs.

Most MDs will advise against using any type of herbal, homeopathic or natural product during pregnancy. This is generally because natural medicine is not their area of expertise and therefore they do not feel comfortable giving out advice on the subject. That is a sound practice.

You should always consult a trained expert before using any type of drug during your pregnancy, and this includes essential oils.

Google is not a “trained expert”.

Neither are the women on your pregnancy message board.

Or your co-workers.

Or your barista.

An expert is someone who went to an accredited school/training facility specific to the field you are interested in. They probably have some letters after their name.

If there is ever a doubt, err on the side of caution and do not use the product/drug.

Next Topic: The best essential oils to use during pregnancy.

{Read more posts about Aromatherapy & Pregnancy.}

Hands on Belly Image: healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Pills image from Microsoft Clip Art Gallery.

Facebook Funnies

2010-05-18T00:32:00.001-04:00

Well I sure as heck hope so!

Ad proximity FAIL.

When I Was an Etsy Noob – Part Two

2010-05-17T10:07:00.001-04:00

{Read all about my first three cringe-worthy mistakes here.}

Cringe-Worthy Mistake #4: Listing Items I Didn’t Have in Stock

My Aromatherapy Inhalers were an instant hit. When I made a sale, I relisted the item without keeping track of my supply of inhaler blanks.

Sure enough, I get an order for 3 inhalers, and I’ve only got 2 blanks left! Then my supplier, which normally fills order within a day or two, took almost 10 days to fill and ship my order!

In this case, I had a wonderfully understanding buyer. I stayed in contact with her the entire time and kept her informed on what was happening, which helped a lot.

Look at my first label style. And look how bad the photo is! (Also cringe-worthy, but having bad photos in the beginning goes without saying, so I’m not going to dwell on that one.)

The lesson here: Don’t be afraid to talk to your customers if you run into a problem with their order. It’s much better to let them know what is going on and give them some options than it is to just pretend everything is fine and hope the problems resolve themselves.

Click the photo to be taken to my current listing for the inhalers, and the fabulous evolution of my labels (and photos!).

{Don’t worry, I have lots in stock right now, so if you order them it will ship promptly!}

Cringe-Worthy Mistake #5: Under-Pricing My Items

When selling anything, you need to have a system for pricing.

For retail (mass-produced) items, this is usually pretty simple:

Wholesale cost + Mark-up % = Retail Price.

For a handmade item, the formula might be something like this:

(Cost of Raw materials) + (Hourly Wage x Time to make item) + (mark-up %) = retail price of item.

This is the formula I used:

Ummm… I dunno…., like, 9 bucks?

When I opened my shop, the retail price of a set of 3 inhalers was barley more than what the materials (inhaler blanks, labels, printer ink, essential oils) cost. That’s not even included labour!

Price your items accordingly right off the bat. Since I work in batches, pricing bath & body items is a bit different than pricing something like a hand-knit sweater. Whatever you sell, figure out a system for pricing and USE IT!

Cringe-Worthy Mistake #6: Kamikaze Record Keeping

The first year I filed a tax return for my business, it took several weeks of tedious work for me to get all my records in order.

I had to break down each sale, separate my shipping expenses, Pay Pal fees, Etsy fees, business expenses (my receipts were all over the place) and then I had to convert all that into Canadian dollars.

Not done yet! I needed to do inventory of my raw materials to calculate the value of my remaining inventory. That is something that will need to be done every year anyway, no matter what kind of records you are keeping. You’ll always need to double-check that your physical inventory matches what’s on paper, especially when you sell something that requires keeping stock of a large variety of materials.

Can I just tell you how tedious inventory for this business is – every bottle and container cap has to be counted separately. Large bottles of oil that are not used up have to be broken down by cost per millilitre.

Ugh!

So there you have them – the six worse mistakes from my long list of gaffes.

A list that continues to multiple, much like my grey hairs.

I’d love for you to share your stories with me!

---------------------------------

Image of money jar: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image of cash register: Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Spring 2010 Giveaway

2010-05-15T21:49:00.001-04:00

This Giveaway is now closed.
Thanks to all who entered!

I’m giving away a set of 3 of my Aromatherapy Nasal Inhalers!

You know, just because I’m feeling extra generous.

Headache is one of the most popular sellers – Eucalyptus & Peppermint start soothing immediately. It can also work for nausea, although I do have a separate blend just for that.

Nausea, with Ginger & Spearmint – pregnant women go crazy for this one!

ALERT! This is my latest blend. Keep those kiddos focused while they do their homework!

Those are just a few of the 15 different blends I currently have in stock.

If you win, you will get to choose whichever 3 types you want.

To see all the different types available, take a look around my Etsy shop.

{click the photo}

Then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which three you would pick if you win.

Want to enter some more? Take a look around my blog and leave a thoughtful comment on any of my other blog entries.

{By “thoughtful” I mean, please don’t just write “Nice post!” without reading the actual post!}

Rules & Boring Stuff

Contest will end at 11:59 EST on Friday, May 21st. Any comments/entries posted after this time will not be eligible.
Contest is open to everyone over 18 years old – any country!
First entry MUST be a comment on THIS post.
Subsequent entries – one comment per blog post; comment on as many different posts as you want.
Comments posted before May 15 do not qualify.
Be sure to leave an e-mail address or Twitter – some way I can contact you if you win.
Winner will be chosen at random on Sunday, May 23 and announced on Monday, May 24.
Retail value of prize: $15.95 US

Good luck!

This Giveaway is now closed.
Thanks to all who entered!

When I Was an Etsy Noob – Part One

2010-05-13T07:57:00.000-04:00

{Originally published a year ago, I’ve updated & edited this post for easier readability, as its lessons are ones that stand the test of time.}

Some people have had a shop on Etsy for years and have only a handful of sales. Others have been there for only a few months and have hundreds, or even more than a thousand sales.

Newbie (or noobie) is a relative term, but however you want to define it, we’ve all been one.

Looking back at my first few weeks on Etsy, I now cringe at some of the things I did. I will share my embarrassment with you, in the hopes that you will learn something and prevent yourself from making the same mistakes.

If you are a seasoned Etsian, maybe you can commiserate with my experience and perhaps share some of your own in the comments section.

{Or if you are an Etsy snob, you can laugh & point and leave some scathing comments.}

Cringe-Worthy Mistake #1 –Eager Beaver Feedback

I left feedback for my first purchase as soon as I bought the item.

As in, about 5 minutes after I completed the transaction.

Yup, I didn’t even wait until I had the item in my hands before I raved about how much I loved it! Good thing the item lived up to my expectations!

{I’ll save you the trouble of going through my feedback, you lookie-loo! Just click the image.}

Cringe-Worthy Mistake #2 –Missed Marketing

When I began listing items in my shop, I dutifully wrote out the fancy descriptions, settled on shipping (more about that later) and prices …. but didn’t add any photos!!

I wrote “photos coming soon” in all the listings.

????????

Did I really think people would purchase something over the Internet without knowing what the something actually looked like?

Oh, to think how many views I must have lost! How many people probably never bothered to click those blank boxes above my wonderful product names?

Those were the days when an item showed up in “search”, or on the front page of your category almost right away, and it stayed there for a good 5-10 minutes sometimes. Things didn’t get buried as quickly as they do now.

When I was a newbie, I wasn’t aware that hitting the “list” button is your first marketing opportunity for that item.

Cringe-Worthy Mistake #3 – Not doing my shipping homework or Thinking Canada Post is normal

Before opening my Etsy shop, I was blissfully unaware of Canada Post’s infamous “Slot of Doom”.

The Slot ‘O Doom is similar to the Death Pit in the movie 300. If King Leonides doesn’t like what you say to him, you get the boot. If the Slot doesn’t like your item because it’s a shave over 20mm thick (that’s less than 3/4 of a inch, folks), you pay something like $12 in shipping instead of something like $2.

Regardless of weight! Weight is secondary for some reason. CP is all about the girth.

Here’s the other fun part: This rule is enforced arbitrarily by Canada Post’s employees.

A few weeks before opening shop, I sent a small amber glass bottle in a bubble mailer to a friend in the United States. I was charged just under $2. I figured that was the standard rate to the US, and mailing within Canada would be even less. So I set my shipping prices to something like $2 for the US and $1 for Canada.

One of my very first sales was a small bottle of my Head Aid Oil. The buyer lived in Canada, so only $1 shipping was added to the $12.50 sale price.

Imagine my surprise at the postal counter when the clerk told me the shipping cost – almost $12!

Open mouth – insert extra shipping charges here!

At least I did the non-cringe-worthy thing by eating those extra charges. Whether or not to ask a customer to pony up when the seller has mis-underestimated (see, George W? It is a word!) the shipping costs is a question that often comes up in the Etsy Forums. Here is the answer:

You must never go back and ask a customer for more money for shipping once a sale is final.

Never!

It’s not only tacky, but it’s poor customer service and looks unprofessional.

I did contact the buyer to explain why the shipping charge on the listing is now significantly higher, should they ever come back to purchase another one.

I am now so familiar with Canada Post’s crazy rules that I think I should be working the postal counter at Rexall. I’ve got my own Slot ‘o Doom and everything!

Had enough embarrassment for one day?

{Mistakes 4-6 will be up later this week.}

Aromafest 2010

2010-05-12T09:40:00.001-04:00

I have made the firm and final decision to attend this year’s Aromafest and the CFA’s AGM in Guelph, ON.

Last year’s was a blast, and this year’s workshops look fun & intriguing.

Of course, let’s not forget about the vendors.

{This year I’ll remember to bring cash}

I’ve booked my room at the beautiful London House B & B.

Anyone is welcome to attend Aromafest. See the flyer below for information about signing up!

But hurry, you only have 1 more week to register!

(and there’s only 1 room left at London House!)

{click on photo to enlarge}

Books I Need

2010-05-11T09:28:00.001-04:00

That’s right, I need these books.

Not want.

Need.

In italics!

Books are food for the soul, after all.

A room without books is like a body without a soul.

If I didn’t buy these, I’d just be an empty shell of a human! And even if I did have a soul, it would be starving to death.

Never mind that I have 2 bookcases full of Aromatherapy related books already.

Just you never mind that.

I discovered most of these tomes by playing with Google Books. Have you used that service yet? I think it just might change my life! Used to be that when I bought books on-line, I was shopping “blind”. I had to trust the publisher’s description, and pretty much judge the book by its cover. Now I can get a comprehensive look at a book before buying it on-line.

{Clicking on any book will take you to the Chapters/Indigo website.}

The World of Aromatherapy
Edited by Jeanne Rose & Susan Earle

This one is a must-have. Even more must-have than than just “needing” it. It’s a collection of articles, essays written by some of the foremost women in aromatherapy.

From the Publisher: The voices in this collection are those of leading British and American women active in aromatherapy today. They write with verve about the growth of the distillery process and the essential oil industry, discuss such technical issues as whether synthetic or natural products are best, and describe how they use oils and blends in healing, skin care, and stress reduction.

Clinical Aromatherapy for Pregnancy and Childbirth
Denise Tiran

I do not have an aromatherapy book that takes a clinical approach specifically dedicated to pregnancy and childbirth. I may hold off on purchasing this one until I take a course in pregnancy massage techniques. It’s possible there may be an updated edition by then, or the course instructors may recommend a different book.

From the Publisher: This is the most detailed and research-based book available on aromatherapy aimed specifically at those caring for pregnant and childbearing women, especially midwives and aromatherapists. Building on the success of the last edition, this book contains new and expanded information on physiology related to obstetrics, the principles of safe use of essential oils for pregnant and childbearing women, and infant massage. Thoroughly revised and updated to include the latest information on aromatherapy, essential oils, and massage for pregnancy, childbirth, and the post-natal period.

Essential Chemistry for Aromatherapy
The Chemistry of Aromatherapeutic Oils
Sue Clarke & E. Joy Bowles (respectively)

Knowing your chemistry is such an important part of being an aromatherapist. Many people think aromatherapy is some sort of hoodo-voodo faith healing. They don’t realize that it’s rooted in science. Essential oils contain potent chemicals, and these chemicals are known for causing changes in the human body.

I’ve had my struggles with chemistry.

Who hasn’t, really?

Finding a book that makes it a bit easier to understand (while not glossing over any pertinent facts) is essential.

I’m trying to decide which of these two books to buy. I’d love to buy both, but they are a bit pricy ($58 and $38, respectively). If you have read/own either of them (or any book in the post), I’d love to hear what you think about them. Leave me a comment, please.

From the Publisher: This new edition of ESSENTIAL CHEMISTRY FOR SAFE AROMATHERAPY provides an accessible account of the key theoretical aspects of chemistry and their application into the safe practice of aromatherapy. For readers with a limited science background, this book offers a clear and concisely written guide to essential information in chemistry. For practitioners, the book applies chemistry to the practical and therapeutic use of essential oils, and leads to a better understanding of composition, properties and technical data related to essential oils.

There may be some repetition, but they each take a different approach to explaining the chemistry in terms that “laymen” (which is really just code for “dummies”) like me can understand.

From the Publisher: This revised study of the chemistry and pharmacology of aromatherapy oils offers a practical approach to learning the basics of essential oils. Moving step-by-step at the molecular level through 89 scents, this work includes useful diagrams as well as techniques for oil extraction. Discussed are techniques for applying the benefits of aromatherapy to different body systems including muscles and joints, the respiratory system, and the immune system. An ideal handbook for those interested in aromatherapy as a holistic therapy, this work also provides many tips for how even the most simple applications of aromatherapy can improve one''s quality of life.

Well, that does it! I’ll just need to buy both!

Aromadermatology
Bensouilah

This one looks really interesting. So interesting, in fact, that the author has invented a new word – aromadermatology.

{The cover is also in purple, so that alone is reason enough to buy it.}

What I like about this book is that it uses medical terminology to explains how to treat dermatological conditions using essential oils. It’s directed towards people already practicing in the health services field – it’s not your typical “home spa” book. Books like this are taking aromatherapy seriously.

From the publisher: Comprehensive, evidence-based guide promotes an integrative approach to using complementary therapies with conventional medicines. Topics include essential oil sciences in context, safety issues, essentials of aromatic formulations, skin infections, childhood skin complaints, and more. For practitioners.

Aromatherapy: A Practical Approach
Vicki Pitman

This book is intended to be a textbook for teaching aromatherapy. If you check it out at Google Books, you can see it is laid out like a text book, and at the end of each section are review questions and activities.

I suppose I don’t strictly need this book, since I’ve completed my formal schooling, but one must never stop learning! Every text approaches the information with fresh eyes.

From the Publisher: This book contains in-depth detail on the characteristics, chemistry, sourcing and application of essential oils. It covers the effects of odours on mind, body and emotions. It provides tutors with an ideal support text for any advanced-level aromatherapy course. It covers the recent National Occupational Standards. It provides a clear focus on clinical and professional aromatherapy making it suitable for any qualification associated with the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA).

Anybody out there read these books or have any reviews to share with me?

My Display At Made in Windsor

2010-05-04T13:08:00.001-04:00

Last week I told you all about getting my products into the local shop, Made in Windsor.

The other day I snuck inside to take a peek at how the owner set up my products.

I want this shelf, by the way. It’s a vintage find – I bet it came from an old kitchen or something.

And then I bought this shirt:

{By the way, Heather – you are not a size “S” anymore, so please buy your clothes accordingly.}

Okay, I’m done talking to myself.

Made In Windsor – Buy Local, Buy Handmade!

2010-05-02T10:14:00.001-04:00

There is this great little shop in my city called Made in Windsor. As one might guess, the store is stocked with goods that were (hand)made in Windsor!

It’s located at 1465 Ottawa Street, in Windsor, Ontario, for anyone wanting to check it out.

A few months ago, the shop owner contacted me and said she was interested in carrying some of my products.

Weeeee! How exciting! I’ve never thought about putting my items in shops. Well, I’ve thought about it, but then an episode of Criminal Minds came on TV and I got distracted. Damn you, Shemar Moore and your tight black t-shirts!

A few weeks ago, I went in for an informal meeting where I showed the owner, Christine, some samples of my products, and we discussed the consignment terms.

{Then I bought these hair clips.}

After that I ran home to start readying my products. I needed to decide which stock to bring to the shop, and how I wanted to price/group things.

All these little wood crates & trays are from the dollar store. If I had a bit more time, I probably would have painted them. Purple, of course.

I needed a way to convey information about the products that I’d normally include in the product description area of an Etsy listing, so I printed little ‘fact sheets’ on my custom notepad paper.

Business cards make great hang-tags! This isn’t the first time I’ve used this trick.

I’m lovin’ these organza bags! Could they be a better match for my stuff?? I found them on a lark at the dollar shop.

Since shipping isn’t an issue, I was also able to supply some products I do not sell on Etsy, such as bath salts packaged in these unique glass “SALT” jars. Which I’ve been hoarding for some time.

I created 3 different blends – Relax, Indulge & Relieve.

Relax ~ Lavender, Bergamot & Ylang Ylang
Relieve ~ Rosemary, Bay & Clove Bud
Indulge ~ Rose, Neroli & Grapefruit

The “Relieve” blends kicks some serious butt, let me tell you.
It would be great for either muscle aches or head colds.

A week after our initial meeting, I dropped off my inventory and now everything is all tagged and on the shelves! I’ll be sharing some pictures tomorrow!

Or if you want to look at pictures that are actually in focus, check out Made In Windsor’s blog post about me.

Facebook Community Pages & Connected Profiles – Useful tools, or just another threat to our privacy?

2010-04-26T15:21:00.001-04:00

What are Facebook Community Pages?

In a nutshell, Community Pages are Facebook’s answer to the problem of people creating “fan” pages for experiences and lifestyles, rather than actual public figures, brands, or businesses.

For example, things like Cooking, Eating & Sleeping and even things like Farting, Being Hung-Over & Burping are now called Community Pages, rather than Fan Pages.

Tip: You can tell if you are on a Community Page and not a Fan Page because the following blurb will be at the top:

Our goal is to make this Community Page the best collection of shared knowledge on this topic. If you have a passion for {page name}, sign up and we'll let you know when we're ready for your help. You can also get us started by suggesting a relevant Wikipedia article or the Official Site.

The kicker here is, if you create a status update on your personal page that contains the same words as the title of a community page, and you’ve got your Wall privacy setting set to “Everyone”, your status update will also show up on that community page.

While researching this blog post, I discovered that when I went to these Community Pages, any posts that my own Friends, or ‘liked’ Fan Pages had made with the words “cooking” or “farting” in them showed up at the top of the Community Page.

{I have blurred out my friends’ post for privacy’s sake, as they only show up on the Community Pages I viewed because they are my friends. The owners of the other posts have obviously left their Walls privacy setting set to “Everyone”, so I didn’t bother to blur their names.}

Connected Profiles – We Share Everything!

{This feature is rolling out, so not all users have these options yet, myself included.}

When you created your profile, you listed particulars about yourself, such as schools, hometown, work places, hobbies, political affiliations, etc… With the advent of connected profiles, these descriptive terms will automatically be linked to the applicable Pages, should one exist. Some might be the tradition Fan Pages we’ve all come to know and “like”, and others might be the new-fangled Community Pages.

As far as I can tell, you must opt-in to this feature. Please read the article linked to below for the full explanation:

Connecting to Everything You Care About

What You Can Do To Keep Your Info As Private As Possible

When the connected profile option rolls out to you, be sure to not link your profile to any of the Pages.

To avoid having your status updates show up on random Community Pages, make sure all of your privacy defaults are set to “only friends”. Here’s how:

Make sure you are logged in to Facebook.

1. Click on “Account” in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

2. Select “Privacy Settings”.

3. Click on “Profile information”.

4. On this page, make sure every single drop-down menu is set to “only friends”.

5. Click the “edit settings” button beside “Photo Albums”.

6. Again, make sure every single drop-down menu is set to “only friends”. It may surprise you to learn that all your photo albums have been public – that’s Facebook’s default when you create a new album! {You might want to keep your profile pictures public, if you want long lost friends to be able to identify you easier in a search}

7. Click “Privacy” to go back to the main Privacy Page.

8. Now choose “Contact Information”.

9. Again, set all of these drop-down menus to “only friends”. You may want to leave the ‘add me as a friend’ option set to “friends of friends”, if you don’t mind mutual friends sending you requests.

The most important thing to remember is this: Nothing, and I mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G you put on the Internet is truly private. Do what you can to make it harder for people to find the information, but you can never be certain that anything is 100% safe.

Heather Scent Aromatherapy

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Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Lesson 7

Lesson 8

Lesson 9

Lesson 10

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The Challenge:

Dust Collectors

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A Trilogy - Read in Order.

A Genre You Would Normally Never Read.

Biographies or Memoirs.

Written More Than a Hundred Years Ago.

Books by Canadian authors that are also set in Canada.

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Adulteration

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Further Reading:

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Kitchen Revamp – Day 4

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Apples & Crisps Sammies. YUM!

The Winner!

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Fall Giveaway - Fur Baby Photo Contest

How it will work:

How To Enter:

Rules:

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10mL bottle of Thieves of Versailles Synergy Blend

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Moving on up, to the South side…

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24 Reasons to be Proud to be Canadian

Forget Sexy - I’m Bringing Reading Back.

Fighting Insects Part Two: Essential Oils

Basil

Catnip

Cedarwood Atlas

Cinnamon

Citronella

Geranium

Lavender