What's Bloomin?

 

I love these Giant Black Swallowtail Caterpillars - they love eating away at my dill, and since I don't use dill that much I don't really mind. They critters are just so beautiful and fun to watch up close.

 

My front yard. We replaced almost all of our grass over the years with Sunshine Mimosa. It's a Florida native groundcover that is drought-tolerant, requires no fertilizers or chemicals, and no mowing (although it will take mowing if you want to mow). Plus, it's gorgeous when planted in mass like this, I adore the pink flowers every morning when the are still sparkling in the dew and throughout the day as they glow with happiness from all the sunshine. That's Gallardia (Blanket flower) in the background which is also a Florida native.

 

 The beautyberry bushes are getting ready to show off their brilliant magenta berries this fall. As soon as they are ready I'm going to harvest them for a batch of soap, I can't wait.

 

Elderberries - not too many left since the birds have gotten to them. I also made some infusions for my Elderberry Lip Balm and hope to combine some of these with the Beautyberries for a batch of soap.

 

This is what graces our front door entrance area. It's called Fiddlewood and the fragrance is amazing. The white flowers are visited by butterflies and bees throughout the day, and the delicate white flowers look stunning against the shiny evergreen leaves.

 I hope you enjoyed a little walk around my garden today. Do you have any native plants near you that are your favorites? I'd love to hear about them.

Aha Moment - Hair Shampoo

Do you ever do anything kind of crazy like purchase a shampoo from where you get your hair cut? I did that a few months ago, and although it was from a more "natural" type of company, I really just wanted something new, and went outside my normal habit of only using things I make myself. I know, I know, what in the world was I thinking? Sometimes, hair stylists can be soooo convincing.
So, I sort of forgot about this, and I just wasn't able to figure out why my hair wasn't looking/feeling like it's old self lately. I never questioned that it could be my shampoo. The shampoo I spent $28 on!
 That is, until my daughter dumped out all the shampoo into the bathtub, and my shampoo bottle was empty.

What's a mom to do? I grabbed a bar of Rosemary Rhassoul Shampoo Soap, and scrub a dub dub. I can't believe I have been without using this wonderful bar for so long, why why? The main ingredient, Rhassoul Clay works wonders. It smooths the hair with its multitude of minerals, removes excess oils and toxins without stripping the hair of its natural moisture. Unbelievable! And the Rosemary essential oil is outstanding when it comes to normalizing and rejuvenating hair follicles.

Now I know why this bar is always so popular in the summer (we were sold out for awhile in June). For those of you who swim, are outside in the sun, and using heat/styling tools, there can be a great deal of wear and tear on the hair shaft, causing breakage and split ends. I encourage you to give this natural shampoo bar a try. It's a true gem in the world of shampoos. Fun, easy to use, and you'll love the results! Happy Showering!

Oh, and for more information on Rosemary Rhassoul soap, click here.

Southern Comfort: A Sweet Sugar-free Lemonade to Beat the Heat

Stevia Lemonade Recipe

Want to spark up your party with a healthy, delicious recipe? Here's one I've been enjoying a bunch this summer, and my kids just love. Noone will even notice it does not contain sugar. Instead it contains Stevia, a zero-calorie natural sweetener from the Stevia plant, which I also have growing in my garden. Be sure though when buying Stevia that you are just buying Stevia. Some Stevias on the market now also contains other sweeteners so it's not just Stevia! Yikes! I love the liquid form made with a glycerine base, it makes it easy to disperse into liquid beverages such as this. I hope you enjoy!

Lemonade with Stevia
6 Lemons
6 Cups Water
2 Tablespoons Stevia (about 4-5 drops per cup of water)

I usually use a ratio of 1 lemon to 1 cup water, so if you want to make just a single serving for yourself in a pinch, you can use 1 cup water with 1 lemon, juiced. Then, add about 4-5 drops of Stevia per cup of water, and garnish with ice, fresh mint or a slice of lemon. I hope you are enjoy all the sights and sounds of summer! Have you ever experimented with Stevia before?

An Oldie but a Goodie Summer Craft

This summer my kids are out of school and we are having fun days with lots of arts and crafts. Here's one of our latest creations that's fun and easy to do.

1. First attach a coat hanger or wire to your pine cone by wrapping it around the top. I like these bendable wires because they are so easy for kids to use.

2. Fill a large bin with bird seed and begin coating your pinecone with peanut butter.

3. Roll your peanut butter pine cone in the bird seed and coat it as much as possible.
4. Hang on your favorite tree and remember that it's there, so you can see what interesting birds it will attract.

I hope you are all having a great summer. Are you doing any fun summer activities or crafts?

Rainy Summer Days and a Burst of Color

 Yesterday I was walking outside and saw this Scarlett Hibiscus (a native Florida wetland plant) in full bloom. What a sight! It always blooms on the dreariest of days, making a spectacular display for all to enjoy.

I love how it contrasts with the Dune Sunflowers in the background. I hope this brightens up your day too!

The Natural Sunburn Soother Recipe Everyone Should Have

If you get into a bind with a sunburn, hopefully it was an accident. I can't stress enough how important it is to avoid the sun as much as possible to help prevent all types of skin damage. I think that you will find that if you are looking for that healthy "glow" on your skin, it's more beneficial to use good products on it, and consume healthy, organic whole foods in your daily diet to help promote that glow, instead of tanning.
But, like I said, if you did get yourself into a bind with a sunburn, there are natural options to help ease the discomfort.

Sunburn Soother Recipe

1/4 Cup Fresh Aloe Gel

1/2 Teaspoon Lavender Essential Oil

Directions: Slice off an outer leaf of an aloe plant, peel (as much as possible with a vegetable peeler), and place into a blender. Add lavender essential oil and mix. Apply to affected area. Store in fridge. To make this last a little longer, you can add some powdered Vitamin C, but will still need to store it in the fridge. You can add this mixture to cool bath water and soak your body to help relieve discomfort caused by the sunburn, and you can also add the mixture to a spray bottle (or one of your previously used glass cobalt blue toner bottles work great for this) and gently mist the body as well. You can also apply it by massaging it directly on the skin.

Aloe gel is believed to have anti-inflammatory effects and is used topically to soothe burned skin and to help heal wounds. The thick, jelly-like substance found in the leaf of the plant, aloe vera gel is soothing probably due in part to anthraquinones (natural analgesics). Aloe plants are imperative to keep at home. The Aloe plant is both aesthetically pleasing and useful in home remedies such as this, so be sure to pick one up if you don't have one already. I keep mine outside on the front porch (in the shade), and move it sometimes a little further out where it loves to be soaked by fresh rain (like today).

Note: This mixture also works well with any of our powdered facial masques as the liquid base.

Face Petals Sample Kits Get BIGGER

Our best-selling sample kits are getting even better, and BIGGER. When my manufacturer of jars discontinued the previous ones I was using, I was in a bind. What to do, what to do? Change can sometimes be good, but sometimes frustrating as well. I didn't want to go smaller, I didn't want to switch to plastic, and so the search began. And the perfect jars were found. Bigger and nicer, but since I purchased them in such a large quantity I was able to keep the price the same to you. So keep on enjoying our Face Petals Sample Kits, especially this summer since they make excellent travel companions for yourself or a friend. Now, the face cream jars are a big 1/2 oz! What a deal!

Share the Love
Do you love our products? This is a great way to introduce them to someone you know who is experiencing sensitive skin conditions, or just wanting to switch to a more natural-based product line.
If a friend you have referred to us orders from us, tell them to let us know and we will give you both a free gift! Gotta love freebies! I sure do, but most of all I LOVE giving them away to special people like you!