http://tiny.cc/6y40y first project of the new year planned, homemade yogurt in cooler, sick child, helpful friend, working on cheese. whew!

didcha know liberace was from wisconsin? http://ping.fm/3GI4I

perfume tutorial with recycled glass container

Everyone enjoys scent. It hits of primitive reptilian brain in such an amazing way. Smell links us to our childhood and is the sense that I believe is the strongest.
Solid perfume is a perfume with an ingredient in it that keeps it stiff, solid perfume holds up better in warm bathrooms, doesn't spill easily, has a good feel on your skin and rubs into your skin very fast. This solid perfume is easy to make and only requires ingredients you either have at home or you can easily get at the health food store or online. In honor of our mother earth I used recycled containers for my solid perfume. Just make sure you wash it out really well or your sandalwood perfume might become sandalwood anchovy perfume and I don't think thats what you're looking for.

You'll need:
1 small clean jar
beeswax 1 inch cube or candelilla wax 1/2 inch cube
a couple of tablespoons oil of choice (olive oil, coconut oil, etc.)
essential oil of choice, I highly recommend getting the highest quality you can.
a sauce pan
two cup sized mason jars, one for oil one for wax

First wash your area, really. Get out the CLEAN container your going to reuse for you perfume jar. The container should be easy for you to reach into and the mouth not to small. I used a recycled anchovy container.

Get out your beeswax, I used a 1 inch square piece, if you're vegan or the recipient of your solid perfume is vegan use half as much candelilla wax. Place the wax in a mason jar then place the mason jar in a sauce pan on the stove making a sort of double boiler. Add a little water to the pan, enough to cover the sides of the mason jar but not so much that the water will fill the mason jar. If water does touch the beeswax don't worry. Just pour it out before the wax melts. MELTED WAX WILL BURN YOU!!!

Use a tong! Melted wax burns! Use caution!

Add 1 Tablespoon of the oil of your choice to the melted beeswax. I used Olive but you can use coconut, olive, jojoba, rice bran, which ever you have. Please don't use animal fat like butter or lard or any kind of margarine as they will go rancid and ruin your product. That just doesn't sound good. Slowly combine the melted wax and oil in on of the mason jars. Stir and pour the oil and wax base into your reused perfume jar and stir it a little. Don't fill it to the very top.  You want to leave enough room for the essential oil.  If the wax cools too quickly for you to add the essential oil just reheat the oil and wax base in the double boiler for a minute.

remelted beeswax and oil in a double boiler set up.

Stir a little bit letting it cool ever so slightly, then add the essential oils of your choice. Depending on how strong you want your solid perfume use between 20 and 80 drops of essential oil. I used a couple of different kinds. Use ones that you really like the scent of or let the aromatherapist in you out and go with something like lavender for relaxation or say geranium for steadiness and depression.

After letting it cool if your solid perfume is too solid melt it again using the double boiler method and add a tiny bit more oil. How much of each ingredient varies slightly.


Your solid perfume is done! Yay you! It takes 20-30 minutes to cool completely. You can put it in the refrigerator to speed up this process. You'll be able to feel when its cool enough to use the perfume also becomes firm, opaque and smooth. Use solid perfume like you would any other perfume.

Perfume made with essential oils and other scents made from real things and NOT in a lab, evaporates faster on your skin or in the air then lab made perfumes. The scent of essential oil perfumes also sticks closer to you making perfume a more private thing then the lab made scents that get shared with everyone in the room.

and finally if you have any questions or anything else go here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MayaMade/304846675233
and ask away or leave a comment.




www.mountainroseherbs.com for the items you might need to buy, but look around first, you probably don't need to buy anything.

thanks 2 seward coop i won seasonal fruit desserts by deborah madison! great book!

easy peasy do it yourself light box. http://ping.fm/qs7V7

the perfect FREE book for all of us ad/h/d & multitasking types. really. free. no spam, no virus, no joke. http://ping.fm/gqosA

vanilla & chocolate and pumpkin pie with vanilla soap is cut and curing. smells so very good.

today i got my essential oil order! i huge collection of essential oils and a little coffee butter. my apothecary room smells incredible.

MayaMade's orange scream smoothie: 1 frzn banana, 5 frzn strawberries, 1C milk or alternative, 2T frzn o.j. concentrate. blend.

MayaMade's dessert smoothie: 1 scoop icecream/ricedream/coconutdream, 1 shot cold press or espresso, 2T chocolate syrup, 1C milk of choice.

very easy, wonderful rose room and body mister: @ holy land/hampden park coop/other purchase rose water, add to mister, mist room and self.

MayaMade's juicing ginger garden 2 apples, 1 knuckle ginger, 3 med. carrots, 1 sm. beet. add to juicer in order listed. v. earthy.

MayaMade's avocado smoothie: 5 mint leaves+ 1t. diced ginger blended w/ 2C lemonade + flesh of 1 avocado. blend well. serves 2 enjoy

MayaMade's green smoothie: 1C spinach 1 cucumber peeled, blend + enough mint T to liquify + 1T honey +1T spirulina (option) serves 2.

MayaMade's sleepy smoothie: 1c xtra strong chamomile T, 1/2 frzn banana, 1/2 C yogurt blend til yummy. 1 serving excellent bedtime snack

TIP: When making smoothies (anything else!) use best produce avail. taste test the diff. btwn frmrs mrkt/coop cherries and megamart cherries

MayaMade's smoothie recipe: chunk 1 sm. cantelope no skin no seeds blend + apple juice if needed, + 1C vanilla yogurt, 1t vanilla. serves 2

MayaMade's nectarine lime smoothie: 2C lemon or lime aide 1C sliced nectarines frozen/fresh & 1T honey. blend. add 1C yogurt if desired yum!

http://ping.fm/oIV1Q
lies my nurse practitioner told me. this is an incredible piece.

in case you didn't know 55 gallon drums weight nothing empty and a whole lot full of water. but the future compost barrel is clean.

MayaMade's smoothie recipe. Raspberry and mint tea 2C, 1C raspberries, 1T honey, blend. garnish w/ mint. cool off & enjoy

got a 55 gallon drum to turn into a compost barrel today. very excited to start new composting situation.

MayaMade's milk & honey smoothie 1 C. milk of choice (almond, soy, rice, cow) & 1 frozen banana blend w/1 T honey. makes @ 2 C. serving.

birthday party for cancers today

and it was beautiful. we saw all kinds of old friends and met a couple of new ones. two friend came with their baby, and lemme tell you she is DARLING. big squishy cheeps and dimpled knee's. my god. i coulda snuggled her all day.

and good news! i finally got a working camera! no more blogging with out photos! oh happy day. okay so this post doesn't have photos but form now on. camera comes everywhere.

i know it's 6 months early but has anyone else started working on handmade holidays gifts yet? i got castile soap done and a few other things in mind.

Cut & wrapped NEKKED soap last night. Very nice combination of oils with out any extra's for those who are sensitive to essential oils or additives.

sitting in the garden listening to kids play. mother nature sure gives us her gifts.

started to re-organize the soaping and apothecary room. working on new labels and two new wholesale acct.'s fingerscrossed. very happy.

the teenager and friends are off to the lake for an afternoon of swimming. i am putting together a grill. wish me luck. i may need it.

started spring dandelion tincture with organic vodka from a mn. company. local as it gets!

sent out several fabulous packages to various lovers of fine handmade products. thanks for you support everyone.

seward garage sale days, soaping and then hopefully dear child has friends over.

6 hours yesterday transplanting plants. moving little babies from one yard to another. very sore, but very happy. a ton more too due, still.

nettles infusion is easy source of minerals and vitamins, traditionally used for allergies, kidneys, acne, psoriasis, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ezLZzg2Vgw

nesting birds on the porch are doing well, they still fly away but less urgently. still 5 little eggs. i cannot wait until they hatch.

i so want this. http://ping.fm/g3wqB

haven't they heard of jamie olivers food revolution? alice waters? decent food for toddlers? anything? www.enfamil.com/app/iwp/enfamil/productDetail.dodm=enf&id=/Consumer_Home2/Enf_Products/ForToddlers/EnfagrowChocolate&iwpst=B2C&ls=0&csred=1&r=3449311851

hooo-hooo! i got picked for an etsy treasury!
come and look at all the incredible stuff.
http://ping.fm/ODgDH

where should it go in yer town? city park? riverbank? covering the freeway? downtown street www.dezeen.com/2010/02/01/medical-herbman-cafe-project-by-earthscape/

video of the decade. http://ping.fm/CRcko

"Herbalist I have an earache" 2000 B.C. "Here eat this root." 1000 B.C. "That root is heathen. Say this prayer." 1850 A.D. "That prayer is superstition. Drink this potion." 1940 A.D. "That potion is snake oil. Swallow this pill." 1985 A.D.."That pill is ineffective. Take this antibiotic." 2000 A.D. "That antibiotic is ineffective. Here, take this root!"

i waited a day too long to move the fake flower basket off the porch. now there are 5 eggs in it and two v. attentive birds fluttering about

my mom just got a card i sent her when i lived in oakland. 20 years ago. god bless the u.s. post office. better late then never, i guess.

what should i plant in the gardens this year? thinking of calendula, echinacea, rosemary, yarrow. along with the usual veggies. suggestions?

success! i made yogurt and keifer! super yummy goatsmilk goodness. the only issue is...i cannot tell the difference betwix them.

headed to highschool open house tonight. we think this is the one, cross your fingers for us.

only paula dean would have a fryer built into her home kitchen.

mayamade soap now available at hampton park coop http://tiny.cc/ftyjP on raymond ave. in st. paul starting monday! come on in and check it out

first showing on the house, open house tomorrow. :woo for selling it asap, please.