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ofcloudsandstars · 5 years ago

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This week was a wild Samhaintide ride. I’ll post more about it in the read more

Here's yet another selection of stories from my witchy life I am ready to dump on you all so get ready lol:

Wednesday night was the party at the occult shop Treadwells where we met a new witch friend who joined us for the Samhain festivities. I have already made a post about it here but her name is Letitia and she is a beautiful sapphic Taurean witch who loves gardening and cooking (duh she's a Taurus) and all the goddesses she worships and bought an incredible pumpkin pie to the ritual.

Halloween

So the day begun with me making candles for the ritual. I bought a skull candle, a candle the shape of a jackolantern and then I made several candles which were three mini pumpkins hollowed and filled with black wax that’s pumpkin and bourbon scented, then four tea light spell candles with black wax and four tea light spell candles with a special wax my sag witchy friend bought for me from Edinburgh from a witchy shop. The wax melt was made with herbs and was called 'thinning the veil'. I’ll elaborate later. I also had to walk to the post office to pick up the ouija board. I had a feeling I'd finally get my hands on it on Halloween. Its a very aesthetic round one and I was excited to use it.

We chose to gather in Queenswood in the north of London. It was already SUPER SPOOKY cause there was a murder nearby so all of the buses were being redirected lol. We gathered all in black with our witch hats and delved deep in the woods. It was so beautiful and the ground was completely coated in gold and red leaves so you couldn't even see the path. We found a clearing in the thick of the woods with an old tree that grew sideways so it made a semi circle. We made a HUGE circle that we drew in the earth with a dead stick and went over with dragonsblood incense and black salt.

We opened the space by lighting the pumpkin candles and begun with centering our energy. There were several parts to the ritual we planned, but first we begun with a 'putting it to rest' spell since autumn is the time to let things go and samhain is about death so it was like officially bringing things to an end. We wrote down what we wanted to end in our lives on a piece of paper (such as not seeing coworkers from a toxic job that someone was leaving or the retrograde made my friend run into her abusive father that she had binded from seeing her for YEARS so she wanted to put that situation to rest) and ignited it in my cauldron. When it burned down to ashes we chose a spot (under a goblin-like tree) outside of the circle to open the earth and bury it in. After we put it in it's grave we all said a few words of departure and said: rest in peace. lol.

In my case I wrote down names of these models that are obsessed with this Italian guy (who is the son of a huge fashion designer) who is in love with my sister. They are obsessed with him for his connections to the fashion world and that he is rich and are jealous of any 'hoes' he's currently into so they posted instagram stories on Halloween with them in witch hats taunting that they were going to curse him and all of his lovers or whatever in cutesy filters and my sister knows I practice witchcraft so she told me. So I binded and banished them and the next day they unfollowed her lol.

Anyway, afterwards we focused on what we should reflect on by pulling tarot cards for mercury retrograde in scorpio that was beginning on that day as it's going to be like two weeks of descending into our own underworlds. After we got a card we lit the black tealight candle as a road opening spell to manifest a helpful path with overcoming our retrograde's lessons.

Then I lit the skull candle and we had a moment to reflect on our ancestors and those that we loved that have been lost that year. We each shared stories then lit the white tea light candles with the wax that was for thinning the veil. When we lit it we thought about our loved ones or ancestors.

Finally we did a dance for thinning the veil. I had flying devil oil that was some fragrance oil I got from a hoodoo shop and we dressed ourselves with it and ran around the circle and chanted in the leaves. We then ate the pumpkin pie the lovely Taurean witch bought also some maple sugar fudge she bought (what a champ), and halloween candy. We used the Ouija board but it was really challenging. We thought maybe it was cause we needed to be less grounded so we put it away and cleaned up the ritual space and headed off.

The Taurean witch was going to head home to cook a feast, my French aries witch friend went to her friends she's staying at to have a party and my Sag witch friend went home to cook a dumb supper for her and her mom. I went back to my place to nap then get ready for the night. I met my Sag friend at a music venue to watch Honeyblood which is SUCH a witchy band. The performance really reminded me of some scooby doo hex girls shit. It was a lot of fun (until some grown ass men with no sense of self awareness took the mosh pit to mean something more of a Jailbreak riot and started throwing their whole 6ft man bodies everywhere despite not everyone being gladiator sized. It was really ridiculous but golden when Honeyblood sang "Glimmer" with lyrics like "she can put a hex on you" thats when this one guy in some sailor outfit shoved his body into us and we BOTH looked at him with such evil at the same time and he like.. stopped.. and like hastily moved to another part of the room..) If you don't know Honeyblood you should listen to them, they are such a babe witch band.

We then went to a bar nearby to get flaming shots of absinthe as its a personal tradition (also a way to 'cross the veil') and someone took candids of us at the bar! (I added the picture above), for some reason we really caught the attention of everyone though we just were in witch hats like EVERYONE was like: OOO WITCHES and like we even had some lady take pictures of us at the bar? Like ok it was cute I guess. My friend was drunk then so every time someone was like: oo a Witch! She'd holler back YASS BITCH 365 24/7!!!! Like o' dear.

Final part to the night was the house party my Aries witch friend (she's the one who's apartment I almost burned down once when I was making spell candles). It was a place around the corner from mine with a host who was HIGH OFF HER FACE on drugs. There was the counter of alcohol that kept us going all night, we had a lot of mingling with everyone there then when it started to get a little less wild we claimed an empty bedroom and tried the ouija board again since we were definitely less grounded than in the forest. Unfortunately the results were still a bit weak but we got a little bit of consistency with movement. There was some guy there that seemed interested but as time went on it turned out he was more interested in me than the board. I am a touched starved human being and he was playing with my hair and I was drunk so I did not care then after we ended up kissing while my other witchy friends and some new comers were chatting about the dead. My Aries witch friend lives on the other side of the city so she asked if they could stay at mine and I was like yea plus it was like 4AM at this point and this guy was getting very handsy like I just wanted my hair to be played with so I was like ok nice meeting you I gotta go. And He was like oh no please come say one last goodbye. I was too drunk to realize that he was in the bathroom and he closed to door to make out with me and I was like this is nice you do have nice flowy long hair that covers your big shiny forehead that I am now noticing in this bright fluorescent lighting but I gotta go. And he's like: No I wanna take you home I wanted to the moment I saw you. And he WHIPS OUT HIS DICK AND SAYS: this is for you. I am DYING like honestly I found it hilarious, I was so drunk I like forgot that there were other people on the other side of the door so I barge out of the bathroom like: WE ARE GOING HOME and my witchy friends saw his dick and were howling with laughter and that 10 minute walk home they would NOT LET ME BE IN PEACE about it.

Samhain Day

Anyway my friends stay over and in the morning I make tea and a light breakfast since we are hung over and we watch The Worst Witch 1980s Halloween special where we fucking Howl at laughter at everything especially Tim Curry flying around in that Cape. The rest of the day is really quiet since most of it is me sleeping trying to recover from the day before.

At 4 PM I call my relatives to say I love them and stuff cause I felt like my closest relatives on the other side of the veil wanted that. I made a feast for myself which consisted of Mashed sweet potato, a salad of chopped royal gala apples, carrots and beetroots and duck sauteed in maple syrup and bourbon. It may sound sweet but the bourbon balanced it out and duck tastes a bit sweet so it blended well with the maple flavor. After I had sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I made a plate for my ancestors and then got ready for fireworks with my other witchy friend who is the sound healer at Alexandra Palace.

I nearly missed the MASSIVE fire effigy burning cause the commute there was a NIGHTMARE since everything was still being redirected. (Thanks mercury retrograde). The fireworks were incredible though. There were so many it was like being bombarded with fiery psychedelics. My friend still wanted to show off her sexy angel outfit for Halloween so I asked if she wanted to hang out with us tomorrow night to party.

Saturday Night

She came over like at 4 and we got ready. She looked a bit like the angel from the remake of Romeo and Juliette with Leonardo decaprio but in lingerie with a long white lace robe. I dressed as a poltergeist though I don't think it came off that way but I had a sheer black dress on with a skeleton body suit, a glow in the dark wig and pale tulle. I just wanted to be a spooky ghost. We had to sneak into a members club that I work at cause I am NOT allowed to be there and I was terrified of them finding out so it felt like Danger Partying. They had a day of the dead party so I blended in but I felt like some staff that recognized me were like staring at me all night. We still had fun and spoke about our Samhain experiences. My friend is also a medium so she gave me some ouija tips so hopefully that can help me in the future.

Sunday Morning

I went to a workshop in the food forest about fire starting!! It was beautiful and magical and the forest was in full autumn mode. I learned how to chop wood with different axes and carve wood and start fires with either two pieces of wood (which is extremely hard on your own like you better be in the dryest place possible and you better have a bow), and how to start fire with flint/magnesium which is 1000% easier would highly recommend. There's so much magic in nature and so much magic in those workshops. We learned which trees were best for firewood and which were toxic and how to use bark or forage for fire starter materials. I am getting more drawn to fire as an element to work with in magic so I loved learning the techniques and also that you can start fires with the back of a knife (the teacher had a specific wood carving knife that was thick) so its like if you get a specific Athame which is ruled by fire you could also use it to start fires too if you got a fire steel key. (It's a rod of magnesium and you'd strike it with the back of the knife hard and fast and sparks will shoot out like fireworks).

Anyway that was my week so far!! It was so much fun and adventurous I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I have today off so I had a moment to reflect and get myself together for work tomorrow but afterwork I am celebrating Bonfire night with my sag witch friend at Victoria park so I am excited to take part in that!

I hope you all had a great Samhain!

#halloween #personal #samhain #celebrations #I wish like every sabbat was this eventful #some parts could have been a movie #Some parts I wish I was more in the moment for but it was also a bit emotional with the retrograde

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marymccartneyphotos · 5 years ago

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"Food" and Family: The Photographer on Her Mum, Vegetarian Myths and Why She Will Never Be Martha Stewart

June 1, 2012-- Wallstreet Journal

Mary McCartney takes one look at me and begins dictating her favorite breakfast smoothie recipe: one banana, a tablespoon of milled flax seeds, one cup of rice milk, a small tablespoon of superfood powder and a scoop of whey protein. "That way, you will be set up for the day," she says, regarding me in a maternal, slightly concerned fashion. "I mean, when did you last eat?" I have known McCartney for 15 years. She shot her first fashion pictures for me when I was editor at Frank magazine in 1998, to accompany the diary her sister Stella wrote about putting together her first collection for the fashion brand Chloé. Over the years, as her fame as a photographer has grown, we have worked together on various projects. Now, as working mums on the same school run, we continue to bump into each other, occasionally stopping to chat and compare teenage-boy war stories. McCartney last year gave birth to her fourth child — her second son with film director Simon Aboud; she has two others with former husband Alistair Donald. This month, the 42-year-old launched her cookbook "Food," inspired by the memory, cooking methods and recipes of her beloved mother, the late Linda McCartney. Mary has been a consultant on her mother's brand Linda McCartney Foods for over a decade.

My mum was a rock 'n' roll cook.

She cooked more on instinct than by measuring. She appreciated food. She would never, for example, have eaten a Mars bar when she could eat really good chocolate.

For mum, the kitchen was the social hub.

She always liked people coming in and hanging out with her while she cooked. I'm the same. I like to cook for a reason—mainly for the kids, or if I have friends coming over.

My parents would challenge each other to cook great veggie meals.

My dad was always saying: Right, well, if I'm no longer eating meat, then what can we eat that is as delicious? He is a northern guy, and everything at that time revolved around the meat on the plate. It still does, I think, as opposed, for example, to Italy, where meat is just an ingredient, not the main constituent of a meal.

There's a preconception that veggie food is complicated and time-consuming.

I wanted to dispel that. I like to spend about 30 minutes or less on a recipe, and I use ingredients that are easily obtainable.

My mum never wore an apron when she cooked, and neither do I.

When I look back on her style, I think of it as easy and cool. The kitchen was no different to anywhere else in terms of how she dressed. I think if you are relaxed, it comes through in your cooking. I will admit, though, that having a mum who wore weird stuff and argyle socks was kind of embarrassing when I was at school.

My boys cook with me.

I learned so much from my mum about where food comes from and how to prepare it; I figure they will do the same. Plus, they are much more likely to eat it if they have had a hand in preparing it.

I always said no to writing a book because it's not my arena.

I'm a people person, which is why I'm a photographer—I like to tell a story with pictures not words. Writing is too much like homework. But then, because I support Meat Free Mondays and I wanted to illustrate to people that veggie food can be interesting and easy, I agreed. When the book first arrived, I looked at it and thought: Now, this is why I did it.

Actually, I finally said yes to the book because my husband pitched the idea to me.

He has an advertising background, so he's very persuasive. He pitched the idea of us having this recent baby, too.

Food carries with it so many memories of my family.

My sister does the same thing with clothes that I do with food. When I look at Stella's collections, I see a bit of my mum's boho and vintage influence and some of my American grandfather's seersucker, lawyer-suits vibe. When I go to watch Stella's runway shows, I feel very nostalgic.

I read a recent review of my book and it said, "nice pictures, but I bet she didn't come up with the recipes."

I was like, What!?, because I came up with all the recipes, which were really what I grew up with but healthier—my mum used a lot of cream. I try to enhance what I already know and love, and make it indulgent but good for you.

I tried to treat the food I was photographing like I would the portrait of a person.

There was no food varnishing on my shoots—I didn't even have a prop stylist. It was manic. I was making the food, then putting it onto or into vintage-y plates and bowls, then sticking it somewhere like a windowsill and framing the shot. As a family, we have bad memories of chargrilled vegetables and couscous, which was traditionally all that was on offer in restaurants in the '70s if you were vegetarian. Consequently, neither appears in my book or on my table—ever!

Everything that surrounds food is really complicated.

There's so much shame attached to what we eat and guilt about what we weigh. I think celebrating good, healthy food is part of the answer. Wouldn't it be interesting if every person in the country could have a therapy session about how they feel about food?

I have a very clear memory of the first time food changed my mood.

I was having a bad day and my aunt took me out, and I had a grilled cheese sandwich, chips and a milkshake. I remember realizing afterward that the meal had actually made me feel better.

My step-grandmother on my mum's side taught me to bake.

She was French and a little scary—always saying things like: Children do not run in the apartment. But when I got older, we became friends through cooking. She taught me the value of measuring things and of having an oven thermometer. Those two things are fundamental to my cooking today.

My dad loves home baking, and I think there's a link between my interest in food and making people happy.

I love it if everyone eats everything on their plate.

You can tell a good restaurant by the excellence of their vegetarian dishes or menu.

I like Raymond Blanc's Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, E&O in Notting Hill, Le Caprice and Scott's — places with a nice ambience.

I'm a huge fan of straightforward, chuck-it-all-in cooks like Nigel Slater and Jamie Oliver, who celebrate food, and I detest anything complicated.

What's the deal with all that foamy, fiddly stuff?

I remember my childhood as very normal.

We went to a comprehensive, where we kept our heads down because we didn't want to be seen as different. We ate at a certain time, did our homework and, every so often, we'd go on an amazing trip somewhere that would remind us that our circumstances weren't quite like everyone else's.

I think part of the reason my dad looks so good is that he eats properly.

He would never skip a meal. Often, if he's on his own, he will eat something from my mum's range and make himself vegetables or a salad.

I'm not going to become a Martha Stewart.

There are no books planned on how my kitchen or home looks. I can't even remember the name of the cooker I use, except to say that it's a double oven and it's good. I have been approached a number of times about doing a cooking show for TV. My husband is pitching me on that now, so we'll see what happens.

I'm obsessed by Amelia Rope—a chocolate range available at Liberty.

It's really expensive, so I eat a tiny bit at a time. I love the Pale Lime with Sea Salt. [Also] Cire Trudon candles—again very expensive, so I don't buy too many, but I love all of the fragrances.

I like to be comfortable and practical, but stylish....

I want to be able to walk wherever I go. I wear my sister Stella's clothes a lot, but never the whole look. I mix everything up, which is what my mum did, so I'd wear Stella's trousers with a vintage blouse, a nice knit cardi and flip flops. I wear Stella's L.I.L.Y. [standing for Linda I Love You], Penhaligon's Bluebell and Agent Provocateur's Maitresse Gold, which my husband bought me.

I'm very inspired by my mum.

She liked vintage—pretty tea dresses and nice knits. I can't see a piece of neon clothing without thinking of her.

Stocking a Kitchen, Mary McCartney-Style

•Heavy-bottomed frying pans: small, medium and large

•Nonstick frying pans: large (around 28 centimeters) and small or medium (around 20 centimeters)

•Magimix food processor—but I prefer hand-chopping

•Chopping boards in various sizes—I'm a Virgo, so I need to control the size of everything that's chopped. Two large, wooden boards for veg and one dedicated to fruit, so you don't get garlic or onion flavor on fruit.

•Kitchen Aid mixer for baking

•Roasting and cake tins

•Sharp knives: a selection of approximately six in a wooden block; my favorite is the 13-centimeter, serrated vegetable chopping knife.

•Wooden spoons

•Spatulas

•Veg and zest peelers

•Weighing scales

•Oven thermometer

#family #mary mccartney #interview #paul mccartney #linda mccartney #stella mccartney #vegetarian #arthur donald #elliot donald #sam aboud #sid aboud #simon aboud #food

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foundcarcosa · 7 years ago

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ccxxv.

What kind of makeup do you think is appropriate for church? >> The kind that makes one the most comfortable to wear.

What would you wear to church? >> I wear anything I want to church. None of my clothes are blatantly inappropriate church attire except for a couple of band shirts.

Would/Do you like having brown eyes? >> Having brown eyes is fine with me.

Do you spend a lot of time on the internet? >> I sure do.

Could you live without the internet? >> I’d survive, I’m sure, but internet access enriches my life in ways that I find indispensable. I would be loath to give that up.

Have you bought anyone a Christmas gift? >> I bought three people Christmas gifts, and about ten people got cards.

Do you have a Christmas tree in your house now? >> Yes.

How do you feel when someone hates on Apple? >> Understanding.

Do you have an Iphone? If so, which one? >> I don’t.

Favorite flavor of jello? >> I like cherry.

I see. Do you have long toes? >> Not any longer than anyone else’s, I don’t think.

What’s something someone said to you that bothered you? >> I can’t remember anything off the top of my head.

What is one of your favorite compliments to receive? >> Anything regarding my fiction.

Do you compliment other random people? >> Occasionally.

Could you see yourself buying a truck as your go to vehicle? >> I could see that, yes.

What kind of car do you want? Something less than $100,000. >> A Tesla Model 3.

What kind of gift would you appreciate for your birthday? >> I’d appreciate being given a gift, period. Books are nice, if we must be specific.

Can you type fast? >> Sure.

Can you type without looking at the letters? >> Yes.

Did you take typing classes? >> I was self-taught. I think I might have had a few half-hearted attempts at typing classes in my school career, but I didn’t pay them much attention since I already knew how.

What do you use Facebook for? >> Lately, as a meme repository (and a login device, since a lot of websites have that “login through facebook” feature and I’ve used it enough times that keeping an account is necessary). I find a lot of things about facebook -- format wise and content wise -- to be more trouble than it’s worth.

What do you look like in your profile picture? >> On facebook? I look like me sitting by the river.

Do you love cartoons? >> Sure.

Name a band that you like. >> Vanden Plas.

Name a band you don’t like. >> Mumford & Sons.

Name a genre of music you don’t like? >> Bluegrass.

What genre of music do you listen to around the house? >> No specific genre.

You think it’s wrong to tell a person ____. >> That they should off themselves because of some perceived moral failing.

What kind of compliments have you given? >> No specific kind.

Would you rather give or receive? >> ---

Do you paint your own nails? >> Yes.

Do you like acrylic nails? >> No.

What is your favorite red lipstick? >> I don’t have one.

What are your favorite colors to wear? >> Black, gold, green.

What colors do you NOT wear? >> I don’t wear white, but that’s mostly because wearing white makes me paranoid about getting it dirty. I think black people in white is a compelling aesthetic. Maybe I’ll get over the paranoia one day.

Where do you shop for most of clothes? >> Amazon, Hot Topic, Rue 21-type stores, Plato’s Closet, thrift shops.

What are your favorite clothing stores/shops? >> I don’t know if I have any. All clothing stores manage to disappoint me in some way eventually.

What kind of shoes do you like? >> Boots.

Describe your style in one word. >> Eclectic.

Describe your current personality in one or two words. >> I’m not sure I can do that.

What is your opinion on weed? >> I enjoy it and I think other people should be able to enjoy it (or abstain from it) at their leisure.

Are you afraid of child birth/pregnancy? >> Yes, which is why I refuse to experience it.

What are your favorite bottoms to wear? >> Pajama bottoms, rave pants, Gap jeans, long layered skirts.

Do you like dresses? >> I do, but I’m particular about the kinds I’ll wear.

Would you rather be called a geek, a nerd or a dork? >> It doesn’t matter to me.

Do you eat cake with a spoon or a fork? >> Some with a fork, some with a spoon. Depends on the consistency of the cake.

What age will you be next? >> 31.

Did you graduate high school? >> I did.

Do you make youtube videos? If so, leave your URL >> I used to take video surveys. That was wild.

Do you flat iron your hair? >> No.

What physical features do you wish you had? ( name 2 ). >> Ram horns and a big dick.

Would you ever get plastic cosmetic surgery? >> Probably not. (Also, I’m being facetious about the big dick. It just sounded funny. Dead ass serious about the ram horns, though.)

Ever broken a bone? >> No.

What are your favorite youtube videos to watch? >> Music videos, Honest Trailers, and stuff like School of Life.

What is your favorite sex position? ;) >> Definitely missionary.

Do you like red lipstick? >> Sure.

What color will you paint your nails next? >> I don’t know yet. I need some new colours. I desperately need a good vibrant shimmery gold.

What is one of your favorite Disney movies? >> Hunchback of Notre Dame.

If you could meet a real life Disney character who would it be? >> Tia Dalma, hands down.

Are you afraid of ghosts/hauntings? >> No.

Do you like to play computer games a lot? >> Yes.

Are you a sore loser? >> Not usually.

What is your favorite game to play with family/friends? >> ---

What is your beer of choice? >> I’ll always go for something by Founder’s, Abita, or Leinenkugel.

What do you plan to buy next? >> Probably groceries, and maybe a couple of things for my room.

Do you like shopping? >> Not especially, but I try to find ways to make it less boring/aggravating.

What is one of your favorite things to do on the weekend? >> Hm.

Here, I’m giving you $500 dollars to one store, where would you spend it? >> Let’s just go for Amazon and call it a day.

Would you look good in a Beatle car? >> I’d look good in any kind of car, I’m sure.

Do you play slug bug? >> Sometimes.

What kind of computer are on? >> Normandy is a Lenovo IdeaPad.

You are attracted to ___. >> Where do I even begin.

Do you like glitter? >> I like looking at it sometimes, but I don’t like having it all over me (which is what inevitably happens any time you even think about glitter).

Have you ever owned a Quija board? >> No.

Do you like to text? >> Meh. I prefer instant messaging, especially since that means I can use my computer keyboard.

If you had to be an animal for Halloween, what would it be? >> Let’s stay on-brand and go with spider.

Do you have more dry skin or oily skin? >> Dry.

What kind of shampoo do you use? Be specific. >> I use OGX’s teatree and mint conditioner.

Do you have acne? >> No.

You’re glad that you don’t ___. >> have to do anything specific tomorrow.

You’re glad that you do ___. >> have a new library book to read.

Your favorite cuss word? >> I guess “fuck”.

Are you obsessed with any superheros? >> I’m really into Doc Strange.

Do you read comic books? >> Sure.

Do you like the Sunday paper and why or why not? >> I have no opinion on the Sunday papers.

Do you have cable? >> No.

What’s a show you wish that was still on air? >> I wish Carnivale had gotten to run its full course.

Do you listen to the radio at all? >> Not unless it’s playing in the car.

Do you like hip hop? >> Sure do.

Do you like pretzels? >> The big soft ones. But I’ll eat a few of the small crunchy ones too, if they’re there.

Do you like snow? >> Yeah.

What’s your favorite thing about your favorite season? Name the season. >> I am currently in the market for a new favourite season.

Name something that starts with the first letter of your first name. >> Ley lines.

Name something that starts with the first letter of your middle name? >> Frogs.

And your lastname. >> Dryads.

Do you have pets? If so, what and what are their names? >> I personally don’t, no.

You want your next pet to be what? >> I’m not even sure I personally like the idea of pets anymore. (Human ones aside, I suppose--)

Are you a religious person? >> Yes.

Do you like pina coladas? >> I’ve never had one.

Do you like coconut scents? >> BPAL’s Elegba fragrance has coconut in it, and at first I was like “hrm...” but it works. Anyway, I like coconut circumstantially. Sometimes it’s just too much, but sometimes it just works.

What is your favorite Bath and Body Works candles? >> ---

Would you spend 20 dollars on a candle? >> Eh, I can get candles I like for cheaper than that, so probably not.

What is the goriest thing you’ve seen in real life? >> I’m not sure.

Do you look in the mirror a lot? >> Nah.

Do you brush your teeth twice a day everyday? >> No, once.

What brand of toothpaste do you use? >> Tom’s of Maine.

What is a dessert that you DON’T like? >> Chocolate cake.

And one that you love? >> Tiramisu. --Dammit, I accidentally left the rest of my tiramisu and Chinese food at Sparrow’s parents’ house! >:|

Twilight or Harry Potter? >> I prefer HP to Twilight.

Would you rather be a vampire or a mermaid? >> I don’t think either of those would suit me very well.

About how many times do you fart in a day? >> I mean, I don’t count or anything.

I see… well… what is your favorite angry music? >> I don’t know.

Do you have a favorite number? >> Nine...? You know, I think I’m just going to settle on nine for a number. It’s eight plus one (and eight is my dad’s number, so that makes a kind of sense), and it’s in nineteen, and there are some mythological connotations to consider. Eight’s a really good number too, though. But maybe I’ll go with nine. Nine will be mine.

Had a crush on somebody that every1 around u thought was ugly? >> Sure.

Are you happy with your physical features? >> Most of the time.

P.E or Math? >> Math.

Math or Science? >> Hm.

Creative Writing or Art? >> Creative Writing.

When you doodle, what are you usually doodling? >> Spirals, shapes. Little dancing stick figures.

What is something that you like that is really cheap in price? >> Incense from Sleeping Bear or whatever the name of that mall store is.

What is something that you like that is kind of expensive? >> Travel.

What do you do when someone is really rude to you in public? >> Depends on where my head is at. I’ve done everything from laugh to ignore to fly off the handle.

Do you argue with your significant other a lot? >> No.

Have you ever had a really painful breakup? >> Yes.

Which is better smoking or vaping? >> I assume vaping is less risky.

Do you write in print or cursive? >> Mostly print, for legibility, but I enjoy writing in script.

Do you have neat handwriting? >> It’s gotten less neat over the years, since I’m always on the computer. But it’s still quite legible most of the time, I think. I just have to get the fluidity back into it.

What do you like to write with? >> Pentel Flair type pens.

Do you keep a journal/diary? >> I keep a dreamwidth, and sometimes I even update it.

You should. Do you eat salads? >> Yes.

What do you like in your salad? If you do. If not, what is 1+1? >> Multiple types of greens, a bit of vinaigrette, a little feta, something crunchy like onion or celery or chip shards or small crackers. Pieces of apple is nice too.

If you HAD to change your eyecolor, what would you change it to? >> Hazel.

What would you not change it to? >> Blue. Although it’d be funny from a Deschain point of view.

What is one of your favorite colors? >> Dusky purple.

Do you prefer to be pale or tan? Don’t say in between. >> I definitely prefer being dark.

Favorite thing to do on your phone? >> Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, Bejeweled, reading ebooks.

What magazines do you like? >> New Scientist and Revolver.

What is your favorite book? >> I can’t possibly choose anymore.

What is your favorite thing about Christmas? >> The music.

I’m giving a ticket to wherever you want, where would you go? >> New Orleans.

Here’s $5, what do you do with it? >> Right now, nothing. I’d probably use it for a snack at the gas station during one of my walks.

Cool. Cool. Favorite flavor of Ice Cream? >> Butter pecan, I guess.

Least favorite flavor of ice cream? >> Anything chocolate.

Do you prefer white or black electronics? >> Black.

What is your favorite deodorant? >> I like the smell of my lavender one.

Are you a good kisser ( make out )? >> I like to think so.

A stranger comes up to you and gives you a big hug, what do you do? >> Recoil and fight my way out of it.

Do your eyes tear up when you’re nervous? >> No.

Have you ever gotten the shakes in public? >> Sure.

What do you like to order from Starbucks? >> Eh.

Vanilla or Chocolate? >> Vanilla.

Apples or Bananas? >> Apples.

Fruit or Veggies? >> Veggies.

Water or Milk? >> Water.

Regular Milk or Chocolate Milk? >> Regular, if I must.

Would you milk a cow given the chance? >> I’d have to at least try it.

What kind of underwear do you like? >> The kind that doesn’t give me a wedgie or some other kind of discomfort. (That’s... harder to do than it seems. A lot of underwear styles don’t sit right on me for some reason. Sparrow says it’s because my butt’s big. Probably.)

Where do you shop for your underwear? >> I don’t have a specific place.

Chicken or Fish? >> Fish.

Firm pillow or soft pillow? >> I prefer it to be a little firm.

What are you wearing when you go to sleep? >> Usually a t-shirt and pj pants, in this season.

Do you take any meds? If so which and why? >> No.

Do you like this survey? >> Sure, it was fine.

#surveysofsamedi

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sneks-n-bickles · 7 years ago

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skin, nose, mouth, chest? :3

Ty Ruby!

Skin: Do you tan easily?

Pf nope. I burn and peel, thats it. a few weeks ago I sat in the shade and the sun was slowly moving over my arm for like, maybe a half hour tops, and I was lobster red on my arm from it. Plus I really like being pale, I think it suits me more than being tan. I usually go out in sleeves or with an umbrella if I think I will be in the sun for more than a half hour, and always sun screen haha

Nose: What is your favorite perfume/candle fragrance?

I genuinely don’t care about perfume. If I use it its always generic Girl Smell. I prefer men’s cologne tbh and I’ve been using this Polo stuff thats very good. I got it as a gift for my birthday last year and it smells like a nice suit and expensive brandy and sex. So. I also like Old spice a lot. I used to steal it from my dad (he never wore it, just had it. I don’t think I EVER saw him use it tbh) and I’d spray down my room cuz it smelt so nice. I got older and I was buying my own stuff and one day I was picking out deodorant and I was like “I can buy whatever I want” so I bought a crap ton of Old Spice. I used to use Axe body wash when I was younger too. I just prefer the men’s scents.

For candles I love sweet smells! Cake and vanilla and pumpkin and apple and cinnamon are all I get (I’m not a fan of most flowery or fruity candles or those ones that promise to smell like a place like “midnight ocean” or whatever. Midnight ocean smells like salt, ass, and dog poo on the side walk it does not smell like mens cologne and wood, stop lying to me).

Mouth: Do you want to kiss anyone right now?

Yes I very much do!

Chest: Are your maternal/parental instincts strong?

Not really. Like, at all. The idea of having children scares me so much because I honestly don’t think I can do it. If I were to ever have kids it would be through adoption but I don’t think I can be a mom. I’d be the kind of mom that was more like a room mate that like, gives them food and tells them they look nice like?? Nothing against kids I just, don’t see myself ever being able to fulfill that role in a healthy way so I don’t plan on doing it.

I take care of pets really well though! I love pets ahhh. But they are never like, my children, they are always best friends in my mind. Like, how some people get pets and they are their babies, for me its just a long term slumber party with soft and cute friends and my job is to entertain them and keep them happy and fed. Or maybe everyone feels that way? I have no idea.

Anyways no. No mama instincts here haha.

#asks #deathmeowtal #:)

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ladystylestores · 5 years ago

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Mother’s Day Gift Guide | Cookies and Cups

A little break from recipes today with a short list of some things that I think would be a great gift for the mom in your life!!

If you missed my Quarantine Favorites post from last week, make sure to check it out for more gift ideas!

Hi friends!! Hope you are all doing well! We are currently going into our 7th week of being quarantined. It’s gone by both slowly and quickly.

If you would have told me 7 weeks ago that I would have only left the house a handful of times in 7 weeks I wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are. We’re staying the course and doing what we need to do, so hopefully sooner rather than later it will be safe for us to resume a semi-normal life!

With all that said, looks like I will be spending my Mother’s Day this year at home! Which is ok…we’re usually at a soccer game on Mother’s Day, and I do love that, but there’s always next year!

Mother’s Day Gift Guide!

I thought I would pop in with a few ideas of things that I am loving for Mother’s Day Gift Ideas! It might be a tough year to think of things, since life is a little different right now, but here are a few things that I love!

I talked about THIS CANDLE in my Quarantine Favorites, but it’s SO good I wanted to repeat it here on this list too. It’s a little spendy, which makes it a perfect gift for Mother’s Day. It’s something your mom might not buy for herself, but sure would be happy to receive!

And with that candle can I just talk about how OBSESSED I am with my little USB flameless lighter?? It’s life changing, I promise you. You charge it and then you just press the button and a little current runs through that lights your candles. I bought mine about a year ago and love it so much! I’m telling you, it’s the craziest little gadget that is so useful!

Ok, I know you’re not supposed to get a lady a cleaning tool for her birthday or Mother’s Day…or any gift giving situation. BUT I LOVE my steam mop so much. Maybe it’s all the time I’ve been spending at home recently, but I have been using mine like crazy! I got it a year and a half ago-ish and it’s one of the most satisfying cleaning tools I own!

If you have a larger budget, get the mom in your life the Dyson Air Wrap. I am telling you it is EVERYTHING. I mainly use the curling wands, so it’s annoying you have to buy the whole kit, but it is BY FAR my favorite hair tool!!

THIS sweatshirt. It will be the hit of Mother’s Day. There is a t-shirt version as well, but last time I checked it was sold out, which is a bummer!

I ALWAYS recommend this tote bag. ALWAYS.

If your mom has a green thumb, THIS is the move. I want one so bad, but I am quite certain I would kill it. OR just buy her some flowers, and have them shipped! THESE ARE GORGEOUS!

If you are a reality TV junkie, you MIGHT have seen the show Vanderpump Rules? No judgement. Just so happens that this week I was watching an episode and Lisa had THESE wine glasses and I.AM.OBSESSED. I googled it and figured it out thanks to THIS blog, which shows Lisa holding it. Now tell me that isn’t the prettiest wine glass you ever saw.

If you’re into home fragrance, but aren’t a candle person, but aren’t a oil diffuser person either, I got you. The Aera diffuser is absolutely amazing. I bought one last fall and it’s been one of my most favorite things since. You can set the intensity, and a schedule through the app, and they have some pretty great scents! Their website has tons of scents, and right now I am loving Moondance and Curiosity!

With everyone home right now, mom will definitely appreciate the AirPods Pro. I have never been an AirPod gal, but I go the Pros for travel and am converted. They are SO convenient and the noise cancelling is AMAZING! 10/10 recommend. Plus, the charge lasts forever!

Hate leaving this list at 11, because it’s such a weird number for list, but I wanted to include jewelry and thought this necklace was just too sweet.

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topicprinter · 5 years ago

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Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with DShawn Russell of Southern Elegance Candle Company, a brand that makes southern inspired candlesSome stats:Product: Southern Inspired CandlesRevenue/mo: $20,000Started: January 2016Location: RAEFORDFounders: 1Employees: 3Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?Hello! My name is D’Shawn Russell and I am the founder and CEO of Southern Elegance Candle Company. I started the company 4 years ago as a side hustle to make some extra money on the weekends and to get me out of the house. But it quickly grew to much more than I expected.Southern Elegance Candle Company is all about loving and living in the South. We created home fragrance products that all have a southern theme to them and all of our fragrances are based on Southern agriculture. Apple? Check! Pine? Check! Cotton (or course) Check! Missing the Southern Sunshine? We got a fragrance for you. Our core group of customers are women that live in the South or people that appreciate Southern culture.Our flagship products at the moment are our candles. We offer three different sizes; travel tin, mason jar and large tumbler. We also have wax melts and room spray. But, we will be slowly rolling out new products over the next year to include an apparel line.I started the company at our local Farmers Market making about $200 per weekend. We now average about $20,000 a month in sales through our retail site, wholesale site and Faire. Most of our income comes from our wholesale accounts. We were able to branch out from our core Southern states and are currently in stores all over the US.You can check out our brand story video here: Southern Elegance: Candles Crafted In The SouthimageWhat's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?I started Southern Elegance right after my son was born as a hobby. Initially, I made a bunch of random bath and body products in addition to the candles. When I decided to get serious, I looked at everything and decided to just focus on one product and chose candles because they had the potential to be the most profitable. I chose a niche that I could speak authentically about. My ideal customer was easy to identify because it was basically me. (But, don't use that a marketing strategy. It just happened to work in this case) I was born and raised in the South. I LOVE living here and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I created a company around all the things that I love to do.I was working in education at the time and I absolutely hated it. One day walked into work and quit my job to make candle making a full-time career. I had absolutely no background in sales, manufacturing, marketing or anything business-related. I basically had no clue as to how it was going to work or if this was even a viable plan. Everything was a learning curve, and I spent hours learning a new skill then implementing it.With very limited resources, (basically no money) I went to the school of Google and Youtube. I took some online classes on Branding and Wholesaling. I hired a business coach and I literally hit the streets selling. For the first year, I would sell my candles at any Church function, fair, festival, school bazaar… I did not care. I sold candles outside in the middle of the summer and the dead of winter. I also sold on any and every online platform that would accept me. Etsy, Amazon, Faire, Modalyst, Houzz, etc. All the money I made went back into building the brand, I was lucky to have a husband to pay the bills but it was tight financially. When I finally felt comfortable I approached stores to carry my products. And we slowly built a base of stores to sustain the company.Eventually, I moved my retail site to Shopify and settled with Faire for wholesale.Interview with Candle Science about the beginning of Southern Elegance Candle Company!Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.Making candles isn't that difficult, melt some wax, add fragrance and color, pour in a jar and let harden. But, my first candles were terrible! I had to use local items. So I had wax and fragrance from Hobby Lobby and jars from Walmart. I quickly realized this wouldn’t work because (1) the quality was horrible and (2) you can’t scale a company buying supplies from local retail stores. So, I researched local candle supply companies. CandleScience became my main supplier. They were local and carried professional-grade products. I was also able to buy very small quantities in the beginning and now I order pallets. I am not able to buy direct from glass and wax suppliers so CandleScience serves as the middle man as my company grows.When I first started in my home, all I had was two pots and my stove. After a few months, I bought my first large wax melter and moved into the garage. Two months after that I bought another melter and started looking for my first space outside of my garage.imageMy GarageI live in a small town (approximately 5000 people) so the manufacturing space wasn't available. My first space was a small restaurant. We stored fragrance in the former freezers and wax in the former deep fryers. At the end of that lease, we moved into a slightly larger retail space. But, we covered the windows with paper and a coming soon sign because the area wasn’t zoned for manufacturing and we didn't want anyone to know what we were doing. We had supplies delivered to the back door and prayed no one would check to see what we were doing. After about a year of stress, a real warehouse space became available and we moved into it.Unfortunately, I had no idea how to set up a real candle business because everything up until this point had been ad-hoc. So I went back to the school of Youtube and watched every video I could find on manufacturing candles. I would stop the video and study them frame by frame. I used this information to set up my current space. We have 4 zones; An office area, a production area for each product, shipping and receiving area and finally an area for storage of supplies.imageYou can watch the process of how we make the candles here: Behind the scenesDescribe the process of launching the business.I didn't have a traditional launch. It was more of a slow-rolling out of the business. I quit my job and had to hurry up and figure out if I could make money doing this. So, I started selling at any event that would accept me. I really didn't have a cohesive plan and had no clue about E-commerce or how it works. I basically was shooting in the dark.After wasting a lot of time, energy and money going to events that didn't include my ideal customer, I narrowed down the types of events that I would attend. That allowed me to at least make some money on the weekends at Farmer’s Markets and local festivals. Hauling candles is hard and heavy and I soon got tired of that. The setup and breakdown is hard on the body and I was tired all the time.I decided to build a website and set it up using Big Cartel. Back then, they had a free plan if you had under 10 items. I created a basic site that I could send people to buy stuff when I wasn't on the road. It had ZERO personality but it worked.After about a year I moved to Woo-Commerce to have a more serious presence on the web. I chose Bluehost with Woo, again because it was cheap and I wasn't making that much money from online sales. I was doing my own photography (which sucked), printing my own labels and designing my own website (which was very basic). The website was hard to manage with all the Apps that I needed and security was a constant issue. It was constantly crashing so I eventually moved to Shopify.I still didn't understand how to drive people to the site and really made sales through the website. I was bootstrapping everything and was still broke. I had to make some changes. I chose the fanciest FREE theme from Shopify. I started having boxes and labels printed professionally. I found a Facebook group that had photographers that would exchange products for photos. I went to Upwork and hired a copywriter to review what I had written. And finally, I took an online class for FB ads.Then I began to see the turnaround. Then another class on Email marketing and google ads really rounded out what I need to start seeing sales. It was trial and error and I wasted money learning but eventually saw results.As online sales grew, I stopped doing the festivals and now totally depend on my online sales.As far as my wholesale side, I did several trade shows and have worked with Reps and really feel like they are pretty old school. It costs a ton of money (around $10,000 per show) and requires a lot of time and energy. (plus commissions) For the same price, I could run some paid ads and take my chances with my retail site for about the same return. (And never leave my couch) It’s just easier to go straight to the consumer now with social media. In addition, we do almost $100,000 in sales with Faire, so it doesn't make financial sense for us to continue to do trade shows. So, moving forward we are going to focus on growing our followers by creating engaging content. If new accounts approach us, we have the margins and systems in place to accommodate but it will not be our primary focus.imageBefore and afterSince launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?Below are all the things I WISH I had done when I first started. I am only recently able to see how all this fits together.Social Media Use your social media platforms to drive traffic to your website. Make your posts engaging and relevant to your community. BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY through social media. Facebook groups, Facebook business pages, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Make sure people know what you do and what you SELL. Don't be afraid to sell… don't beat people over the head with constantly trying to sell them stuff, that gets old… but provide information and entertainment and then ask for the sale. Always eventually ask for a sale. Remind people of what you are selling and give them a reason to buy it. If you don't have time to post every day, use a scheduler like Buffer.Capture emails: Once you engage your customers, capture an email so that you have a direct link to them. My one regret is that I didn't get emails at the festivals. Literally, thousands of people slipped through my fingers. Have some type of pop-up. I used to spin the wheel for almost a year and now we recently changed back to a regular pop-up. Run contests and giveaways… always engage in some type of activity that is capturing emails. We are currently using Privy, but used Justuno also.Email Marketing; Once you get those emails… send out emails. My first emails were terrible. I eventually got better. And now I have someone that designs and sends them weekly. Stay in contact with your people and continue to provide relevant content. We used Mailchimp but recently switched to Klaviyo.Paid ads (google, FB, Instagram): This is the hardest part. I took classes and I know I will never be as good as a professional. I know the basics and can run a decent campaign. Yes, I lost money in the beginning. But, I learned what worked and who to target based off the losses. I've hired firms that lost just as much of my money as I did, so I don't feel bad. Ads are hit or miss. But, I know enough now to know if a campaign is being profitable and I know the right questions to ask any firm that may be running my ads.Retarget: You know how those ads follow you after going to a site? It works. Do it a lot.imageHow are you doing today and what does the future look like?In the big scheme of things, we are doing pretty good. The doors are open, taxes and people are paid. We are still in business and not in danger of going out of business. We have a strong wholesale business and a growing retail business. But, I think we are just scratching the surface.Southern Elegance will develop into a lifestyle brand. Now, before you roll your eyes (which I would have totally done at that statement last year), let me explain. If you create a community of like-minded people and create products they like, they will begin to trust you. And in turn, you can sell anything. Although we sell candles, what we really sell is a community. We sell culture and a sense of belonging, candles just happen to be the product. We are really going to focus on serving our community/customers in the coming years by leveraging social media.In 2020, we plan on introducing Southern-themed apparel. If that goes well, then bath and body products. Once we build the community, we can sell them anything that supports our mission of celebrating Southern Culture.The future looks like world domination.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?Choose your partners carefully and trust your gut. I made very bad decisions by going against what I thought I should do and listening to “experts”. I lost a ton of money by hiring a fancy firm to run my Facebook Ads. Their results were on par with my own except I didn’t lose thousands of dollars per month paying them.I also lost money by paying a fancy firm out of NYC to do my social media. I do it myself now using Buffer to schedule, my free pics, and recipes & memes from Pinterest. A custom collab with a celebrity cost me almost $10,000 in time, inventory and design fees. I still get pissed when I look at those containers… but it is a reminder to trust my gut. If a mistake has to be made, do it early and cheaply. I’m glad I made those mistakes while small and it wasn’t too disastrous.What platform/tools do you use for your business?Shopify Easily the best place to have an eCommerce site.Privy Capture emailsJustUno Capture EmailKlaviyo Run email campaignsBold (Discount, Loyalty Points, Upsell) A better User experience on the websiteOrder Printer Makes the orders look pretty and less genericTax Jar Sale tax is a pain!!! This makes it so much easier.Yotpo Collect Reviews and use them on social media and marketing campaignsAffiliatly If you decide to use affiliates. It’s simple to set up and use.The Social Sales Girls Teaches you how to get reliable, predictable income when you build it the right way on eCommerce platforms. (FB ads, contests & give-aways for email, email marketing, etc)Lucky Break Consulting Assists with Smart Business Strategy for makers and designersimageWhat have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?All my books are on Audible. I listen in the car and whenever I have downtime.The Purple Cow by Seth Godin Explains why you need to stand out in a crowded market place.Clockwork Mike Michalowicz Helps to teach you how to automate the business processes.Crushing It: Inspirational stories from the experiences of dozens of entrepreneursTribes by Seth Godin: It’s our nature. Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. Find your tribe and make some money.The Blue Ocean Strategy: Blue ocean strategy is the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand.You are a Badass: Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW, Make some damn money already.Start with Why: it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.The E-Myth (Highly Recommend) Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business.Profit First (Highly Recommend) Offers a simple, counterintuitive cash management solution that will help small businesses break out of the doom spiral and achieve instant profitability.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?Do it. Start something. Screw it up. Fix it and then make more mistakes. Rinse and repeat. There have been some spectacular mistakes made by myself… and I learned a tremendous amount from them. And I just kept on trucking. Mistakes happen and usually don’t doom a business. Learn as much as you can and do as much as you can for free...BUT don’t be afraid to pay for knowledge. Google and Youtube can only get you so far, then hire a coach. Take a class. Find people that know how to do what you want to do… and PAY them to do it.Eventually, you have to pass off roles and responsibilities, hurry up and do it as soon as you can afford to. Don't be like me, at the cardiologist wondering what’s going on with your heart. The Doc was like “Stress, it’s gonna kill you.”imageWhere can we go to learn more?WebsiteFacebook Business PageFacebook GroupInstagramPinterestTwitterEmailIf you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.For more interviews, check out r/starter_story - I post new stories there daily.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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eventlawyer77-blog · 6 years ago

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Essential Oils: How to Get Started

I love essential oils, but I TOTALLY get how a lot of people are initially turned off by them. There is a lot of confusing information surrounding oils and when you first get started it’s hard to know what to do with all these little brown bottles. So today I wanted to share about how I got into using essential oils and how I typically use them in our day-to-day life.

I took the scenic route in slowly getting interested in oils for the past five years. My initial introduction to oils was during a bout of insomnia I had while living in our previous home. In hindsight, I can see a lot of external factors for my poor sleep, but at the time I was desperate for a quick fix. So I bought a few oils and a diffuser from my friend who sold oils through one of the MLM companies. While I can’t credit oils exclusively for curing my insomnia (in the end, it was a combination of drinking less, keeping a more tidy bedroom, not using devices in our bedroom, PLUS my oils diffusing), it definitely helped to have a nightly ritual that signaled to my brain that it was time for sleep. I have been diffusing at night ever since.

My next big step into oils came when we moved to Tennessee. We were in a new home and planning to start a family soon. It was one of my goals to swap over to natural cleaning supplies (and also beauty, personal care … all of it really) and so I slowly started to learn more about ingredients in the products we were using and make my own (super simple) cleaning products and room sprays. This quickly became a hobby for me—I LOVE mixing up a little spray to spritz our rooms with while I am cleaning. I loved the feeling of knowing what was in my products and making them myself.

For sleep, I have a few favorite blends. I always use Lavender mixed with something else. If I am stressed or anxious, I mix it with Frankincense (I love this scent!). If I just want my favorite comforting scent to fall asleep to, I mix Lavender with Fir Needle. I also mix in Ylang Ylang quite often. I keep it pretty simple with our bedroom routine because I believe that a very simple night routine is best for good sleep.

In our home, I have now replaced candles with diffusers almost 100%. I still have a few (naturally scented) candles that I will use occasionally, but to be honest, none of them smell as good (or fill a room) like my diffusers do.

Getting rid of candles is one of those things, kind of like dryer sheets, that freaks people out—maybe even makes them feel defensive at first. It’s obviously a personal choice (no judgment from me if you don’t want to give up candles—I get it!). That said, I will tell you the reason I gave them up. It was after learning that artificial fragrance (which is found in almost all candles) can be linked to asthma and trigger allergies*. After giving them up more than a year ago, I honestly don’t miss them at all anymore. I love diffusing different oil blends to go with the seasons and my moods in place of candles.

*Note: Feel free to do your own research! This is my opinion based on the research I have done. I try to be extremely conservative about statements like these, but I do believe that scented candles burning constantly in a home can be harmful to our health over time.

My number one favorite blend for home is Fir Needle with Rosemary and Lavender. I enjoy switching it up for the seasons and trying random blends that people post online and making up new blends.

In my office space, I tend to have two go-to blends. Either an immunity blend with Lemon, Eucalyptus, Clove and Cinnamon. Or a cozy blend like Fir Needle and Spruce with Grapefruit. If I need a fresh blend, my go-to is a few drops of Lemongrass with one drop of Spearmint or Peppermint.

Beyond diffusing, here are a few ways I use oils in my everyday life.

1. I mix one drop of Frankincense oil in with my face oil as a booster. Frankincense is amazing for skincare. I won’t go on my long rant about how I don’t believe in “anti-aging” products in this post, but let me say that I’d rather have a bottle of Frankincense oil than any fancy serum or night cream you can buy at a counter at the mall.

2. I make my own room sprays and cleaning sprays using essential oils, distilled water and some soap if it’s a cleaning spray. They are so simple to make, smell amazing and work just as well as stuff I used to buy at the store!

3. I use wool dryer balls with Lavender and Fir Needle oil instead of dryer sheets for my laundry every day.

4. I mix a few drops of essential oils in with bubble bath or liquid soap in a small dish and add them to my bath water. Do this after the bath is done running, after you are already in it.

That’s it! Super simple! There are a hundred more uses for oils, but this is just what I do in my day-to-day life!

One more thing I want to say—I realize that since we sell oils in our Oui Fresh shop and they are linked throughout this post it could come off like I am just trying to sell something. I really am not. The oils we sell were born out of our growing passion and appreciation for oils and a desire to bring something we saw as “needed” to the marketplace. But I would never tell you that our oils are the ONLY good oils—they’re not. As long as you are buying 100% pure essential oils, you are good! I just wanted to say that so you know that this post is coming from a place of genuinely wanting to share something that I love and use every day. 🙂

If you have any questions about essential oils, I’d love to chat with you in the comments. xx – Elsie

Credits/Author: Elsie Larson, Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

Source: https://abeautifulmess.com/2018/09/essential-oils-how-to-get-started.html

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canadajoke5-blog · 6 years ago