The Trouble with Being a Gemini

Ah, yes. You probably know one of them: Those temperamental, moody and, dare I say, charming folks. You probably have one as a boss, a best friend, a brother or sister. We Geminis are an interesting bunch. We have tons of passion, but with so much we can't choose one thing to spend our energy on. We are witty, yet can be cutting in our  humor. We are incredibly restless. Pinning us down on something from an opinion to a commitment can take the patience of Job and the charm of a used car salesman. We like variety and always want to learn something new and exciting. In all my years in the Film business (about 15 plus now), I have learned to tap into this extreme part of me. The Film world, alone, takes a special breed (we are kind of like Carni folk traveling from one city to another setting up our little exotic worlds) and when you are a Gemini in this field you thrive. No job is ever the same. You meet new people every time. I love it and miss it when I am away. I bounce back and forth quite a bit these days from my life in Film to my life as a natural perfumer and candle-maker. Sometimes I feel like someone is going to ask me to just pick and that thought frightens me. I am learning to embrace my crazy world of dual careers. I have done some amazing things in my life in both worlds and can't imagine just picking one. Geminis are ultimately two people existing in one body. Giving each twin a chance to be creative makes us happy and balanced. I am learning more about how to focus my energy, yet still have a lot further to go. I pay attention to those people in my life who carry themselves with grace and extreme talent. I have many mentors in the film world (too many to mention) and those in the perfume world like Ayala Sender of  Ayala Moriel Parfums and Roxana Villa of Illuminated Perfumes are kind, talented and giving. I pay attention to people like this as they also balance their lives in a beautiful way. I will be tapping into the perfumer side of me more in the next few months and hope to come up with some brand new things. I look forward to hearing from readers about what they might be juggling in their lives and what they are creating. Whether or not you are a Gemini, we all have the creative Twin just under the surface. Set it free!

Seattle showers bring lovely May flowers

I am very excited and honored to participate in this fragrant May Flowers Blog Project hosted by Roxana of Illuminated Perfume. Please check out the other wonderful posts throughout this month celebrating the lovely month of May here.

In March of 2005, this Texas gal became a Seattleite. I spent March through late May of that year wondering "Does the sun EVER come out here? Where are my 80 degree temperatures?!" After weeks of clouds, rain and cold (and walking around in sweatshirts most of the time), the first sunny and warm day arrived in May and, with it, a variety of vegetation I had never seen in North Texas. I had always heard from locals that late Spring and Early Summer are why you live here. Well, 5 years later, I have experienced, first hand, that amazement of how incredibly beautiful this area can be. It was also around this time that I was transitioning from a candle maker to a perfumer and I felt like a kid in a candy store experiencing the fragrant offerings of this area. What amazed me was I was surrounded by Lilacs everywhere I turned. Lilacs of all varieties grow wild here and range from deep, intensely purple (like the Klager Double Purple growing in my Mother's yard shown above) to gorgeous white blossoms (like the Edith Cavell below). Lilacs, in the Spring, are one of the very first flowers to bloom up here and, sadly, the first to leave us. I always miss the smell that permeates the warm air when you are around them. Perfumers covet the scent as it encompasses all that is sexy and sweet.

Recently, my thoughts and sniffer have been obsessed with another fragrant wonder of the Pacific Northwest, Pieris Japonica or Lily of the Valley Bush. While this fragrant bush is not native to the area (it is native to the Far East), it grows very well in the soil here and in the salty air of the coast. It adorns many fences in the area making it lovely for those who enjoy the evening stroll. It reminds me of when I was a kid walking with my friends while stopping to sniff and taste the sweet Honeysuckle growing wild in the neighborhood.

As a Texan, you don't go too long without participating in this ritual. I blogged a few weeks ago about how inspired I was to create a a honeysuckle/white florals/woodsmoke blend. This inspiration came with my first sniff of these urn-shaped flowers on warm evening stroll. There was the scent of burning wood in the air and the Lily of the Valley bushes were starting their bloom. I am often drawn to memories of Spring and Summer in North Texas and the Lily of The Valley Bush takes me back there while welcoming me to Seattle's Springtime. Unfortunately, these bushes and their fragrant blooms are poisonous, but I will continue to enjoy them until they are gone. These flowers have fragrantly guided me through my new journey as a Pacific Northwest girl and perfumer.

May we all be lucky enough to have a chance to always sniff these May flowers.


Happy May.

Spring Shopping Event this Saturday Courtesy of Etsy Rain!

I don't know about you, but I am all about Spring right now. The smells, the plants, getting out there and getting your hands dirty (if only I had a garden right now). Oh, and SHOPPING for stuff! For those of you in Seattle, you get a great opportunity this Saturday to grab some amazing stuff for Mother's Day or just to celebrate Spring. If you have an Etsy addiction like I do, you have will be able to experience a ton of Etsy sellers for the big Etsy Rain show Saturday, May 8th from 11am-5pm. Come to the Intiman Theater at the Seattle Center for amazing products and art. This is the time and place to shop! I will be there with all my newest candles and perfumes plus all the favorites. Look for me in the downstairs lobby. The first 50 people in the door Saturday receive a SWAG bag filled with Etsy goodies! Bring your Mom for a fun-filled day of shopping or just come pick up some great stuff for yourself. Happy Spring!

A great event!

Thanks to all that showed up at the NorthWest Cellars Trunk Show this past Saturday. It was a lot of fun and I can still taste the amazing wines and chocolates! I was really excited to debut some new candles and perfumes there: "Currant" with Currant, Vanilla and Yuzu, "Lokum" with Lemon, Rose and Mint and "Torte" with Almond, Frangipani and Amber. They went over so well! Thanks to Betsey with EllieBluebell for coordinating this event with NorthWest Cellars. I had a great time. I have posted some pics from my table so enjoy and see you at the Etsy Rain event on May 8th!

What do I do anyway?

Seems like Earth Day is becoming more like Earth Month or week which is alright by me! Whatever helps and reminds us that life and environment are fragile is a good thing. I wish I knew exactly how many things I have changed in my life once made aware of the impact we have made on Mother Earth. I can list some things I do daily now and are basically second nature: (1) I compost like crazy: Coffee grounds, paper towels, veggies, fruits, breads, etc. Anything that will go in there, I will put. I recycle paper like crazy. Sometimes it seems that my paper issues are something I must have been born with because I am constantly surrounded by and sorting through paper. I rarely pour water down a drain anymore. I usually pour left over water from a cup of tea or pasta cooking into a planter or outside. I am slightly obsessive about this particular activity. I only use organic facial, body and makeup products now (I couldn't have said this last year this time). The list goes on and on. As far as my company goes, I made the commitment a long time ago to put all the money into 2 things: the candle or perfume itself and the labels. I don't spend money on fancy gift boxes. The tops of my glass votive candles are covered with a simple recycled paper seed top. It's compostable, plantable and recyclable. I use simple handmade pillow boxes from a company in Vancouver, B.C. for my perfumes. All of my containers and packaging can be sent back to me for re-use or be re-used by the customer. My soy wax is Kosher, Free of GMO material, pesticides and herbicides. That is what I do for Mother Earth. Earth day and the idea behind it have greatly impacted how I live my life and run my business so thank you to those who brought awareness to us. Happy Earth Day everyone.

Another Round of April Sales and Specials!

Get your Spring on this weekend! I am offering Free Shipping on all orders from Friday, April 16th-Sunday, April 18th in my Etsy shop. Try my new Spring and Summer scents, like "Torte" perfume or candle with Frangipani and Almond or Summer Love Perfume with Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Magnolia. Freshen things up a bit and stop by!

Going Loco for Local Artists

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know I have started Tweeting almost daily with New and Random Etsy Shop Local finds. I open up the "Shop Local" section from the front page of Etsy and just click on a shop that looks new and interesting to me. I have found some AMAZING local artists I never knew existed. So, this will be a weekly (sometimes daily) thing from now on. I want to support my fellow local artists all over Western Washington. I am also hoping to do a weekly or monthly feature here on my blog of local artists. If you are a Western Washington artist and would like to be featured here, then let me know. If you are not following me on Twitter, then do! Would love to have you!