First Day of Spring

I absolutely love Spring. In Northern CA, the hills are green, the birds are singing, and the trees and flowers are blooming. I love Spring.....I planted herbs and zucchini this week in honor of Spring. I planted Thyme, Marjoram, Sage, Italian Parsley, Rosemary, Oregano, Chocolate Mint, and Zucchini. I plan on planting tomatoes next month, and if there is room, I want to plant cilantro and mint. I hope to avoid costly expenditures later this spring and summer by growing my own herbs. I love to cook, and find buying herbs very expensive in our grocery stores or farmers market. Saving money is always a good thing.....

Spring brings an excitement and freshness to the air. I want to work with scents that are uplifting and refreshing too. This week I made grapefruit, lime, and chocolate bath bombs for a local spa. I hope to get some up on my website this weekend if I don't pre-sell all of them. Currently, we have lime bath bombs available. They smell so yummy, you practically want to eat them!

I am going to leave you with a quote that I thought fitting to our present day:

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet


Have a spa-licious weekend,

Anne

Candle Making

 

The last couple of Sundays have been candle making day. I have always loved making things. When I was a child my parents bought me a candle making kit. I remember my dad and I sitting at the kitchen table making candles. I specifically remember the glass cutter that came with the kit that we used on a old wine bottle. We cut the wine bottle basically in half used it as our candle container.

I'm pretty certain the wax used in the 70's was paraffin which is not healthy for you or the environment. Thankfully, we can all enjoy healthier candles these days that also support the soy farmers. EclipseSpa candles are free of toxins and scented with pure essential oils. Check out our new line of aromatherapy candles that are relaxing and stimulating.

In Feng Shui, candles will illuminate and enlighten a space, alter a dark corner and enlighten your inner spirit.

Candles also provide us with eco-friendly light and comfort. I love lighting a candle in my office while I am working. I suppose it makes sense that I would do this, but is does enhance my work experience. Will it enhance yours? That is the question.

Have a great day and week,

Anne Keefe

Relax at Home...Sleep Better

I am always preaching about relaxing and rejuvenating at home. With the economic road so bumpy, it is more important than ever to take time to create a spa experience at home. Whether that is lighting soy candles for eco-friendly light and comfort, or taking a hot soak before bed for a better nights sleep.

We are not immune to stress at home ourselves. With basically two new businesses still finding its legs, there are still some stressful days and evenings.

A couple of weeks ago my husband was very stressed and feeling down in the dumps. It was a Friday night and he was tired from a long week and stressed. I got out my soy candles and put them around the family room, lit them, and turned out the lights. You could almost feel the stress leave my husband in a Whoosh. Within 15 minutes, the aromatherapy scent was filling the room and my husband was much more relaxed and feeling happier.

Last night I wanted to test a new natural fragrance in our bath salts I am contemplating and thought I would treat myself to a hot soak. While the tub was filling, I got my book and a fluffy bath towel, washed my face, and then got into the tub. I've written in previous posts about how water temperature heals and how water therapy has been used for centuries. Ever hear of the saying "taking the waters". I felt so wonderful after my soak. My skin was super soft and my muscles were much more relaxed. I lathered on some lotion I made and got into my bath robe.

The most important area I want to emphasize is that I slept like a baby. For the 20 minutes I spent in the tub, it translated to 8 hours of blissful sleep. Today I heard on the news that more prescriptions for sleep were written in 2008 than ever before. Take a hot soak..its almost free....I would rather see people addicted to hot soaks than to pills.

The moral of all this....you need to find ways to create an environment of peace and tranquility at home, and treat your body to the healing waters in your tub or shower in these extreme times of uncertainty and stress.


Anne Keefe