Cupboard Essentials

Sorry for the silence on this line! I've been incredibly busy with work for my English degree. My Etsy shop is currently on vacation because in July I'm going away to do a study abroad at Oxford University. I've been increasing my study of herbalism. I've expanded my herb garden and my library of herb books and have begun blending teas and making salves for what ails my family. When I harvest my herbs at the end of the summer, I'll be making some tinctures as well. Natural living and wholefood eating have definitely improved my health.
Here are a few of the things I've come to swear by in my cupboard (if I swore):
 -Honey: It's perfect for naturally and healthfully sweetening herbal teas, but it's also great for putting on cleaned cuts and breakouts to sanitize and heal.
 -Baking Soda: Perfect for making pastes for drawing stings and bites. Also a great cleansing agent for when you're making your own natural shampoos.
 -Apple Cider Vinegar: Great for cleaning anything, also a key ingredient to make natural toners and aftershave. Tasty for salad dressings too.
 - Tea tree Essential Oil: One of the best anti-fungal and cleansing oils. You don't have to dilute it to apply it to your skin on cuts and rashes.
 -Lavender Essential oil: Great to splash on your pillow in times of stress, rub on your temples to help headaches, or add to bathwater to help your whole body to release stress.
 -Licorice Root: A perfect balancing agent for nearly any herbal concoction. Once you research it, it amazes you even more. Super sweet and flavorful, helps cure what ails you.

New Tonics

I've been working on making some new recipes lately. I have a new shaving soap in my shop, a new batch of my classic Sandalwood Vanilla Beer Shave and also a new Birch and Bergamot Beer Shave soap. I haven't listed them yet, but I've made up some travel shave soap in the same scent. The soaps are poured into lidded tins, so that you can carry them in a travel case and use a shave brush to lather up.
Curing in my work room now are two tonics I'm very excited about. The first is a blend called "The Queen of Hungary's Water." It's a collection of herbs that are soaked in vinegar for 2-3 weeks. Then, you strain out the herbs and mix the infused vinegar with rose water and witch hazel. I got the recipe out of Rosemary Gladstar's lovely book, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. I had to make some little variations to the herb blend to accommodate what I had in store, but I have a feeling it will turn out very well. Gladstar says in her book:

"This is one of the world's finest cosmetic formulas..... The Gypsies used it as a hair rinse, mouth wash, headache remedy, aftershave, foot bath, and who
knows what else!"

I think that if I substituted 100 proof vodka or perfumer's alcohol instead of vinegar, it would make a really lovely perfume and body spray as well.

The other tonic I have curing is a variation on The Queen of Hungary's Water called "Four Thieves Vinegar." It's a mix of medicinal herbs and spices cured in vinegar that supposedly was used by thieves robbing plague homes to keep from getting the plague themselves. It can be diffused in the air or splashed on or soaked in. This takes 4-6 weeks to cure.
If it turns out well, I will make them in bigger batches and ready them for my shop and for the market in the spring. Now that I have my rookie year out of the way, I feel ready to go back to the market and really make the best use of my time there.

Happy Anniversary Morning Valley Soaps

This week I'm celebrating my shop's 1 year anniversary! It's a few days premature, but tomorrow is my turn as the Shop of the Day on the Fun and Friends promotion team, so it seemed fitting to start the festivities early. I've prepared by listing a few new items as well as bringing back some of my classic items from last year when I was starting out.
Use coupon code ANNIVERSARY for 10% off anything in my shop this week.
My herb drying has also inspired me to start experimenting with blending teas for personal use, but who knows if it could expand?

Herb Drying for Winter

I know it it early, but the herbs have been abundant and yield better when they're trimmed, so I've started drying for winter. All summer long I've been updating my herb book, investigating natural remedies, aromatherapy, compiling all the wonderful uses for herbs and oils.
I am so interested in natural medicine and herbal remedies. The earth's abundance always amazes me. I took care of my own sinus infection a few weeks ago with teas and chest rubs. The many uses for things like lavender and geranium are incredible.
Currently I am drying peppermint, spearmint, lemon mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, thyme, sage, tansy, and rosemary. When the days aren't too humid I hang them off of the porch to let the sun help dry them, the verbena is currently in my closet, which is warmer than the rest of my room. It perfumes all of my clothing with its loveliness. I have discovered that tending my garden and being around my herbs makes me happy. It gives me a sense of fulfillment to work with the earth and help her to grow wonderful things. I've enjoyed it ever since I was a little girl.

New Additions to my Soap

Two new herbal milks soaps have arrived in my shop. First, a Lavender Lemon soap:And second, a Rosemary Mint soap:

I wanted something soothing an herbal for spring. They both smell wonderful in spite of, or perhaps because of, their simplicity and purity.

I've also listed a customizable perfume in my shop . Choose one of 14 essential oils to create your own Single Note All Natural Solid Perfume. Sales are finally starting to pick up, so I've been working on fresh batches of my best sellers as well as new fragrances and botanical blends. I've accumulated a notebook full of my recipes and research. This weekend I'll be listing a new Beer Shave Soap with vanilla and sandalwood fragrance. I've also been experimenting with all natural deodorant recipes. What would you like to see in my shop?

Dead Plants

All of my indoor herbs have perished within the last two months. My mint, my rosemary, my sage, my lavender, my lemon balm- all dead. My aloe is still thriving fortunately, I'll have to split it into another pot again soon.
Perhaps it is because they just weren't getting enough sunlight, perhaps I didn't trim them as much as I should. I have also found that the live herbs they sell in the produce section at the local grocery store always die within two weeks no matter what I do. I have no idea why this is. Oh well.
Currently I'm watching the snow and trying to get some readings done for my Tuesday class. I really miss summer. The building I live in is old and drafty and I've had the worst time digging out my car and getting to classes this past week. I'm ready for spring, I don't think I've ever missed it so much. On the local weather the meteorologist said that we have twice the average amount of snow for this time of year.
I'm already planning my 'Welcome Back Spring' party. It will have to be quite exuberance to make up for this winter.

Bath Teas

I'm working on a new line of bath products called "Bath Teas." They are comprised of dried herbs and spices along with dried tea leaves. I saw a vendor at a recent festival I visited selling something similar and it inspired me. The idea is to pour a few spoonfuls under hot bath water and let it turn your tub into a soothing, fragrant place where you can steep yourself.
I think it's fairly unique- not a soap or a salt, but will be equally healthful for skin and pleasing to the senses.
I'm making a few small batches so that I can debut the teas at the crafts fair I'm organizing in mid-October, we're still not 100% sure about the date yet, we have it narrowed down to two days. I'm working on advertising and finding vendors.
Tomorrow I have to go into town to the home and garden shop to buy some more terracotta pots for my indoor winter herb garden.

Soap Glamour Photos

I've been toying with the idea of starting an Etsy shop just for my soaps, I'm not sure if I will just yet, but I took some glamour shots (as glamorous as possible with my camera) of some of my soaps. Here they are:

Above: Some of the botanicals that are used in my soaps such as lavender, aloe, mint, cinnamon, oatmeal displayed in and around my mortar from my pestle and mortar set.

Above: Sweet Mint soap with a cutting of mint from the garden.

Above: Espresso Soap nested in the same fresh ground coffee used in making it.

Above: Cinnamon Spice soap with some cinnamon sticks, there are some pieces of stick in the soap as well.