Aromatherapy Thursday - Change is on the wind again

It has been well over a year since I posted my first Aromatherapy Thursday and have come to a point where I feel I have exhausted the topic.  In an effort to freshen some of my posting habits I am going to modify the topic to include any natural craft, recipes with herbs, great teas and essential focus on anything natural and interesting. 

I used to receive a magazine called Healthy Living; it was filled with suggestions on how to improve a person’s life in general.  There is so much to be said for focusing on one’s overall balance and not just working towards eating right or exercising.  Often I see people that workout and are trim but they are chugging multiple energy drinks and/or sugary sodas.  Just because one portion of the person is in balance doesn’t mean that it will lead to good health or quality of life.  It is important to look at the big picture and incorporate as many positive habits as possible.

I am a RD by trade but I have a very spiritual and creative side which leads me to be a firm believer of finding a balance in mind/body/spirit as a whole.  I also believe that our Creator provided us with everything that we need to be balanced, happy and healthy through nature.  Although I work in a medical field and I believe in modern medicine and the evolving technology I still incorporate simple holistic treatments into my own life.  It can be as simple as drinking tea in the evening as I sit in my Japanese garden to relieve stress.   

So in a nut shell this is the direction I feel like going with our Aromatherapy Thursday.  As a side note I haven’t thought up of a catchy title yet so I am open for suggestions.

You know how I love ArtFire Eye-Candy so let’s take a look at these wonderful tea blends that I found:

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Curated By: ButterflyInTh...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

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ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Log Cabin In The Midwest (My Little House)

When I was growing up I spent most of my childhood living in a beautiful log home.  It was hand built by my parents and skillfully decorated by my mother.  The log cabin was nestled at the base of a sloping bluff in the countryside of Wisconsin.  It reminded me of the stories from Little House that I had read many times.  In the fall the colors would pop; yellow from the Paper Birch, burnt umber from the mighty Oak, bright pinkish orange from the Sugar Maples and the deep rich green from the many varieties of pine dotting the forest behind our house.

This beautiful picture was found in ETSY shop Carla Dyck Fine Art Photography at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CarlaDyck?ref=seller_info

I was blessed with a large 70+ acre yard and took many long walks through the trees.  My favorite pastime was to hike towards the top of the bluff and along the way I would discover many new herbs and plants.  The air would be damp and cool, the sun was bright cutting through the mist, and the forest bed would emit a the sweet smell of freshly fallen autumn leaves with every step I took.  I would get so excited at the thought of what I could make with the scraps of paper birch bark, the dried herbs or the nuts that I harvested (if I beat the squirrels to them.)  It was a wonderful playground that tantalized the imagination.  I often came home loaded down with treasures to cook, dry, or decorate with. 
Despite being a modern construction the log cabin had many antiques and features that gave it the old fashioned country feel.  My favorite was the old cast iron wood stove in the dining room.  I loved this little wood burner since it was one of the only sources of good dry heat that would successfully dry all of my treasures.  I carefully bundled the herbs by their stems and hung them around the freshly stoked stove.  I begged for any old sheet pan my mother had and placed the small items into the oven space. Most often the house would be filled with aromas of drying mint, comfrey, and chamomile (my favorites and these were the most abundant herbs.)   I looked forward to the days it was cool enough to start the wood stove since in the Midwest it was always so humid that drying things was a challenge.  

This sweet miniature replica looks a lot like the stove I grew up with.  It can be found in ETSY shop Rubees Nest at http://www.etsy.com/shop/RubeesNest?ref=seller_info

While I no longer make the home brew teas, I still make the other natural crafts and continue to add my own personally collect and dried touches to each.  I love my new life in California and rarely miss the cold winters of the Midwest but I get a touch of nostalgia with each project I create as it takes me back through time to my little log cabin at the base of the hill.

Saturday's Treasuries

Good Morning Everyone!!!  Here are a selection of treasuries that I have the honor of being featured in.  I am off to Turtle Bay Have a great day!!!


OPEN NO MINIMUM BNR MAGIC 16~



OPEN - BNR - BUY AND STAY /BNE TILL 16 SALES - BIG RAFFLE



Round 3 -OPEN NOW- All Weekend BNR/BNS ~ Friday 13th



OPEN BNR Designs Early Saturday - Sales Today ~ 5



OPEN BNS ~~Team bnr Uprising~~ Sales~7

Aromatherapy Thursday - Chamomile

Grow Your Own!!!  Seeds found in ETSY shop Cubits at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cubits?ref=seller_info

Chamomile is such a sunny dainty little flower that has a clean soothing scent.  It looks and smells like came straight from the summer sun.  I am particularly fond of Chamomile because it was the first "herb" I discovered growing wild in the Midwest fields.  Of course there are many kinds of Chamomile and typically those that we relate to aromatherapy are German, Roman, and English Chamomile.  Their fragrances are more delicate than the wild Chamomile I found.

These dried flowers can be used to make your own wonderful relaxing blends.  Found in ETSY shop Herbal Sunshine at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/herbalsunshine?ref=seller_info

Chamomile is heralded for its soothing properties not only through aromatherapy but in teas.  It is often used to sooth stomach aches and noted for calming the nervous digestive tract. 

This scrumptious Chamomile Tea can be found in ETSY shop Spirit Horse Herbals at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/spirithorseherbals?ref=seller_info

In aromatherapy no other pair seems more natural as Lavender and Chamomile; Lavender aides in sleep and relaxation while Chamomile provides an additional soothing property.

This relaxing combination can be found in ETSY shop Skinplicity at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Skinplicity?ref=seller_info

Using these two wonderful herbs together can be as simple as adding 3 drops of Chamomile oil and 2 drops of Lavender oil into 2 Teaspoons of vegetable or grape seed oil.  Because of their clean scents, many other oils, such as Bergamot, can be easily added for additional "tones” creating a little more complex aroma.  Using this same combination you can treat yourself to a relaxing bath.

This wonderful Organic Herbal Bath Soak can be found in ETSY shop Organic Pagan at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThyLocalOrganicPagan?ref=pr_shop

Chamomile has also been noted to add special shine to a person's hair.  Used alone steeped as a strong tea it, can be used as a rinse to highlight blonde hair.  But it can also be used in companion with other herbs and ingredients to bring out highlights for anyone and it will give your hair a beautiful luster.   (My mother never let me color my hair so finding that large patch of wild Chamomile was extra important to me as a teen.)

This wonderful Herbal Rich Hair Oil was found in ETSY shop Brown Butter Beauty at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristineGant?ref=seller_info

To Chamomile the flower that makes you smile...




Remember to always check for allergies prior to using any essential oil or aromatherapy product.  Use the patch test as described in my blog post, Aromatherapy Thursday - Lavender.  Also note that aromatherapy is to enhance and bring enjoyment to a person's life and never to be substituted for medical care with your physician.  If you are a pregnant woman or if you are planning to use aromatherapy on a child you should check with your physician first.

Tuesdays Treasuries

Here are some great treasuries that I am participating in.  Please stop by leave a comment and let them know that the Butterfly sent you.   Also there are great coupon codes for my shop and others.  Please tweet these, FB them, and post them if you don't mind.  I would love the additional exposure for my shop and the others. I hope everyone is having a Happy Tuesday!!

Aromatherapy Thursday - Mandarin

This beautiful fine art print was found in ETSY shop Honey & Jam Photography at http://www.etsy.com/shop/honeyandjamphotos?ref=seller_info

The lovely fragrance of Mandarin oil is an uplifting and stimulating scent that can create a feeling of euphoria.  The Mandarin is part of the citrus family and has similar properties but with a gentler action.  This property makes using Mandarin oil for aromatherapy ideal for most people including children and those that are pregnant.  


A wonderful Mandarin Orange/Citrus Blend Sugar Body Scrub found in ETSY shop Sweet Sunny Girl at http://www.etsy.com/people/sweetsunnygirl?ref=ls_profile

I love the citrus family because it reminds me of summer and sunshine.  So it is a wonderful treat to make a lovely bright colored sachet or potpourri mix to brighten up your room in the winter.  The stimulating scent helps chase my winter blues away.  It is also a lovely refreshing fragrance on those hot summer days.  What a perfect natural gift.

My Sunny Citrus Sachet mix in ETSY shop Butterfly In The Attic at
http://www.etsy.com/listing/67026880/handmade-sunny-lemon-grass-sachet-mix

The Mandarin’s fruity and mild aroma blends well with many other fragrances such as chamomile.  This mixture of 4 drops Mandarin and 1 drop Chamomile oil in 2 teaspoons of carrier will be a nice soothing rub which can also prevent and treat stretch marks.  A bath of 3 drops Mandarin oil and 3 drops Rose oil mixed with 1/4 cup Epsom salts creates a relaxing home spa in your bathroom.  There are many uses for Mandarin oil in aromatherapy.  I have included a treasury with many wonderful treats that use this Heavenly fruity scent.

A wonderful Satsuma- Whipped Soap found in ETSY shop Paradise Body Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ParadiseBodyShop?ref=seller_info

Always use a carrier oil such as vegetable oil or sweet grape seed oil with essential oils at a ratio of approx. 5 drops of essential oil to 2 teaspoons of carrier.  A carrier can also be Epsom salts, sea salts, or anything that will dilute the oil.  Often essential oils are very powerful and can damage the mucous membranes of the nose if inhaled directly from the bottle.  A technique called "wafting" is used when testing the scent of essential oils.  This technique is simple:  open the container and holding it at least 4 inches away from your nose, use your hand and gently wave across the top up to your nose to waft the fragrance to you.  Never directly sniff from the container's opening. 

Aromatherapy Thursday Picks...Mandarin...Part 1


Aromatherapy Thursday Picks...Mandarin...Part 2


Luxurious Bath and Beauty...Mandarin


Sunny Citrus Summer Fun

Treasuries Featuring Butterfly In The Attic

Some of the wonderful people at ETSY has featured items from my shops in treasuries recently.  I would love to share their creative choices and curation.


Always End Up Wearing Grey featuring my Lavender Bath Salts



Sweetness featuring my Lavender Oatmeal Bath Sachets



Pink Lullaby featuring one of my antique postcards



Sunshine featuring my Handmade Lemon Grass Sachet Mix



Summer is Just Around The Corner featuring my vintage saucy seaside postcard



and last but not least
I Love You Mom featuring my vintage plastic buttons



Thank you to all my ETSY friends for your support.

Creating My New Bath Products & The Walk Down Memory Lane It Stirred

I've been so busy having fun creating my special bath and aromatherapy products. I haven't had many opportunities to work on these and I am so glad that I have been able to today. It brings back many beautiful memories.

My daughter, Ashley Rose, has significant special needs, but despite these challenges she is one of the most creative people I know. I spent many years with her and her brother, Wally, creating potpourri and bath salts as gifts for family, friends, and teachers. I feel blessed to have had such creative children; they both are artists, although in very different ways.

Ashley's rendition of Sponge Bob in playdough.  She is an abstract artist.

One year, when the kids were in their teens, the local library offered a craft show for children. Although she was older than the usual participant they allowed her to sign up because she was at the same level as the other kids cognitively. We spent hours in my gardens and out in the fields picking beautiful flowers, leaves, herbs, and pods to add to her creations.

We brought in buckets and bags of our handpicked goodies. As I started to prepare them for cleaning and drying I noticed that she had picked a significant amount of wild catmint (catnip.) If you have a cat, more than likely you are aware of its strong pungent odor. I tried to very gently tell her that this was not an appropriate ingredient for potpourri. She insisted that she wanted to keep it. Since there was an entire grocery bag full I figured it was her project and who am I to tell her what to use.

We spent hours carefully stripping petals and leaves from their stems. We placed them on our drying sheets, in my oven, in my dehydrators, and anywhere else they could dry in time. We had quite a little production line going.

About a week later everything had dried and was ready to mix with the fixatives and essential oils. Ashley was very skilled with this already, so with supervision she concocted most of the entire potpourri herself. With the exception of the catnip, which I purposely set aside, not sure what I wanted to do with it.

Ashley spent many hours mixing and adding a little of this and a little of that. It is amazing but if you let kids make potpourri it always turns out beautiful. We also had time to make Bath Salts and Soaks. She loved mixing the salts with the dye and fragrance. These also always looked very professional when she was through.


After almost 10 years Ashley's Potpourri still has the light fragrance of Hyacinth and just as beautiful as when she made it.

 Ashley helped me package all of her creations with beautiful cardstock headers that had Victorian lettering brightly declaring, "Designs by Ashley Rose" with a picture of a beautiful cabbage rose and the item's description.   At the point we were almost done with all of our hard work I thought she had forgotten about her catmint. But of course she had not and she asked me where it was. I showed her the container and told her that we could sell it people that had cats. I made the header and we packaged it. She was happy but I was skeptical thinking that I would be lugging around 2-3 pounds of catnip all day.

The day of the big craft show Ashley I set up our little table and chairs. Wally helped us, but at that age he was not extremely thrilled with the whole girly process so he went to find something else to do while we peddled our wares. We set out all her wares and a sign with the prices. The prices probably were a little low but I wanted her to feel the excitement of success from a job well done and it worked. She was selling items left and right.

Pretty soon we sold the last bag of catmint. Ashley's wild catnip was the talk of the craft show. We had several people come up asking if we had more and were disappointed that they had missed out. Ashley was beaming, not only is she the most creative person I know, but she is the best sales lady I know.

Even though I am making these items for my business, the simple smell of lavender or hyacinth will bring me back to those wonderful summer days.   Back to the day when my kids were little and we were creating our handmade gifts together. It was a treasured learning experience for them but also for me and it was a good thing that I didn't get rid of that catmint.

Here are some of my newly listed items that I was able to create today without getting too nostalgic.

Lavender Bath Salts at Butterfly In The Attic http://www.etsy.com/listing/71825380/handmade-lavender-bath-salts

Almond Milk Bath by Butterfly In The Attic at http://www.etsy.com/listing/71799984/handmade-almond-milk-bath

8 oz Almond Milk Bath by Butterfly In The Attic at http://www.etsy.com/listing/71800714/handmade-almond-milk-bath

Please remember to go to: http://byhandgiveaways.blogspot.com/search/label/saturday tomorrow and vote for my Lavender Bath Salts under Butterfly In The Attic.  They will look like the Lavender Bath Salts shown above.  I want you to know how much I appreciate the time you take to visit the blog and cast your vote.

I'm Exhausted and It's Only Tuesday - I'm In Need Of A Home Spa

So...I realize that it is only Tuesday but for some reason or another I am exhausted.  I can't drink enough coffee or smell enough peppermint to get myself going.  Along with those symptoms, I have a writer's block of sorts so I apologize in advance. 

I am dreaming of getting a spa treatment on a Caribbean Island but the reality is that I am freezing my tuchus off on a mountain.  So...what's the next best thing?  A home spa!   My treasury and featured shop include those home spa necessities.  I hope you can treat yourself to some of these yummy delights.

To start off my fantasy spa...Hana sent me a wonderful sample of her Detox Foot Scrub and Hydrating 101 Body Butter.  I really enjoyed the foot scrub but I especially loved the Body Butter.  It is thick, very creamy and absorbs right away leaving your skin feeling immediately softer.  Love it!!!  So, thank you Hana Essentials at  http://www.etsy.com/shop/hanaessentials?ref=pr_shop



Wonderful scent at Hana Essentials



Love how my skin felt after using this product A++ at Hana Essentials



Maybe this is what I need to wake up today found at Hana Essentials



Now to complete my fantasy home spa...My Treasury

If you are on a budget; fear not.  Here is a treasury full of spa-bath & beauty samples all $2.00 and under + Shipping. Treat yourself or treat a friend or maybe both!