Nail Love

Ohmigosh. I think I may have an obsession. I real bad one...with nail polish. Holy smokes guys, I've been looking at nail blogs for days on end and having HUGE envy of these beautiful nails I've been seeing. There is a brand in particular that I've been yearning to buy, but I don't know how I feel about spending a larger amount of money on nail polish when I don't know how well it will last. Totally a good reason, right? I see this brand on a lot of nail bloggers (international bloggers mostly, seeing this brand is from Japan and not sold here in the US, boo) and it makes me so mad that I can't just run out and go buy it at the store. The brand is Nfu-Oh, and oh my word, it's b-e-a-utiful!!! Here are my favorite colors...

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This is Nfu-Oh 51 and my most desired. I'm in dire need of a polish with flakies. I searched and searched and found out that this site does ship this brand to the US. Yay! It's a bit expensive ($12.50) for me, but I at least need to get this bottle. But to hold me for awhile, I'll be making an emergency trip to Sally's tomorrow to seek a brand that has flakies! I'm also in dire need of a good nail polish remover. Mine is terrrrible and I'm tired of it taking so long for me to take my polish off. Anyway, here are some other colors I'm in need of...

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This color is Nfu-Oh 44. I love this color. I don't have any near this color and I can only imagine how beautiful it looks in person. Look at that color in the bottle, doesn't that make you melt??? Okay, maybe that's just me...

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And then this is Nfu-Oh 40. What I really love about this brand is that these flakies can go over any color. It can transform a polish and take it so much farther. I love that this nail blogger also matte-ify's her shimmery nails. I love the effect and never thought of applying a matte coat over a shimmer/glitter/flake. Certainly something I'm going to try in the near future!! 

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And not Nfu-Oh related, galaxy nails. This is something I've been dying to try for ages, but am too scared that I'll ruin them. But you won't know until you try, right? I love how much fun people can have with these and how gorgeous the result is! 

I bought some new polishes recently that I can't wait to share with you guys! Tomorrow I'm going to go to a new-to-me church. I'm really really excited and am glad I'm finally taking this step to find a church to join. It's something I've been meaning to do for years, and I'm glad I'm finally taking the initiative to go. 

xo.

Junk Yard Art

Yesterday morning, my brother and I took a ride down to Al's in Franklin. It's a junk yard full of smashed cars, blown up cars and lots of used car parts. Our mission was to find me a spare tire. My car failed to come with one (yeah, meant to get that 2 years ago...and now I have a flat) so that was what we were sent out to get. 

Before I left, I was going to bring my camera, but then I thought "There would be nothing cool to photograph, and it's not like I'm going to put it on my blog." WRONG. There were TONS of things to photograph, and then I wanted to put it on my blog. Bad Rachel, BAD! I seen so many awesome smashed up cars (yeah, that's my inner boy talking...blame growing up with only boys). There was one realllly old Cadillac that reminded me of a murder vehicle (I really regret not photographing that!!!). My mind is morbid. Anyway, I took only a couple Instagram shots and I wanted to share them with you...

This is of a huge stack of old rims. Many were crunched up. I thought it looked pretty awesome. 

Then this was the GM section of smashed cars. My brother and I walked through the entire place. You see that huge hill behind those cars? Yeah, that's the Waste Management Dump. Funny thing is is that I've been there before, with my dad...he was a garbage man. I used to go to work with him allll the time, and I totally forgot we went there together. Haha, boring memory is over. 

This pic was of a blown up car. It was very old, I'm not sure the year of it exactly. From the 30's maybe??? It was sooo awesome though. I love the steering wheels the most on old cars, why, I couldn't tell ya! 

Little secret, I love cars. New cars, old cars, muscle cars, smashed cars, shiny cars...you name it, I like it. I had so much fun with my brother. When we were little, we used to put his old Hot Wheel cars out in the street to have a car run them over. Then we'd lay them out in our back yard, like the junk yard. I have a boy side, clearly, and I'm totally not afraid to share it. I really wish I brought my big camera with me yesterday. Only more reason to go back! 

xo.

The Wonders of Herbal Healing.

One thing I love so much about Etsy is the wide range of shops on there. You never know what you may find! When I started my shop, I wanted to mainly focus on the all natural aspect, as well as utilizing the resources from the earth. I spent countless hours reading as many herbal books as I could find. You'd be surprised at what we have at our fingertips! 

I used to be the type of girl who would buy whatever at the drugstore. I would read the label and instantly go, huh??!? Honestly, what is all that crap? Chemicals (in my opinion, anyway. Sadly, some beg to differ) do nothing for you. They are bad, they strip out your natural oils and dry out your skin (can we say, early aging)! So when I was thinking about starting my shop, I knew then and there any form of chemical, paraben or harsh anything would NOT make it into my products.

There are many shops out there very similar to mine that utilize the earth's resources. I downright LOVE these shops. I checked my Etsy account today and seen this shop add me to their circle. I love everything they have listed. It's like a massive healing garden of salves and teas. The shop is KsNatureProducts. Here are some of my favorite things in her shop (that I will have to get!!!):

Comfrey Salve

This stuff is healing in a jar! How fantastic! Comfrey is certainly one of the best herbs out there for rapid healing. If you see Comfrey as an ingredient in something you're interested in, it's certainly something you need to have on hand. You never know when it will come in handy!

Calendula Herbal Liquid

I seriously could go on and on about Calendula. Out of any herb, Calendula has to be at my top favorite. This is the ULTIMATE healing source around. It is an antiseptic, it's antibacterial as well as antiviral. It's basically a wonder flower. It is in the Marigold family (you have to be very careful if you have these in your garden, because you have to make sure it's the right genus and species (if you plan on using them), because some Marigolds are actually poisonous, ie, the French Marigold).

Natural Tick & Mosquito Repellent for Dogs

Ahhh!!! Lady seriously needs this! I find this to be quite fantastic actually! Essential oils are brilliant. You can find an essential oil for just about any, and I mean ANY, plant/herb around. An essential oil is a concentrated liquid extracted from a plant. You need very little of this in a diluted compound (olive oil is a big one) to be able to be used. You can read more about them here. You cannot use it directly on the skin, it can be quite dangerous. Mixing the right essential oils together can yield a special product, like this bug repellent for dogs! I have my own homemade bug spray in the summer that utilizes many different essential oils to rid away skeeters! 

She also has so many other great products ranging to helping your insomnia to taking good care of your cuticles! I know once I start getting a paycheck in again, I will certainly have to get some goodies from her! 

xo.

Life is so unexpected!

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I had the strangest experience at work today. I was facing shelves at work and one of my customers walks past me. She ends up kneeling down and shaking. She told me she was having a seizure. I remained calm until it subsided. I had asked her a few questions regarding it (had she had them before, does she need me to call 911, etc). She said she had them before and she should be okay. 

She said that she was surprised at how well I took the whole thing (I was calm and didn't freak out). I told her I've seen and dealt with this before with my dad. She asked if he was still around and I told her no. She told me she was so blessed that I was there right at that moment to help her. That comment touched my heart on so many levels. She continued to explain how grateful she was that I was able to watch over her and make sure she was okay. She liked the fact that I didn't freak out and get scared. 

She said that all my experiences with my father's loss had shaped me into a different person. She said that I can handle things differently and that I have a warm compassionate heart. I sat there thinking wow, this lady knows me good and I just met her! I was so blown away at the things she was telling me. It's like she was there throughout everything, even though I never seen her before. She said that my dad was probably up in heaven rooting me on and saying "Way to go, daughter." And the scariest thing is, my dad would always call me "daughter." How freaky is that?? 

It's really nice to know that there are people in this world who appreciate the simple things in life and that they recognize a helping hand when they see it. I was really touched and happy to help her, I don't like seeing people in pain, but I was so happy to assist her. She was so nice and thoughtful. My heart always gets a bit warmer when I am in situations such as these. I love my customers at work so much because most of them are so sweet and kind. I had to share this story today because I can't seem to get it off my mind. I'm just glad I could make someone's day :) I think the quote fits perfectly with today. It's like my dad is saying "hey kid, I'm here." I miss him so! 

xo.

Seriously? You guys are THEE best!!!

I can deep down honestly say...I have thee BEST customers around. I can't even begin to explain how humbled, honored, touched and all around HAPPY I am to have so many great people say so many sweet things about my shop (and my blog, too)! I worked so hard creating this tiny shop, and I love that people enjoy what I've created so much! It means the world to me. 

To be honest, I had no clue what I've wanted to be when I 'grew' up. Heck, I still don't know. But I knew that I wanted to help people, touch people in some way or just plain make their day. I think Autumn Balm Botanicals has helped me in the right direction. I've had so many sweet kind words from so many of you that I can't even begin to explain the gratitude I have for all of you! I love when someone randomly stops by to my blog just to say hi. I love the sweet comments I get and it just shocks me everyday that anyone cares to hear what I have to say or what I've made in my shop.

Arielle from Humble Pie Vintage just featured me on her blog today. I would love for all of you to check it out! Her sweetness has blown me away and I love that you can find really great sweet people online! Now I can truly say that I don't have many friends. Enough to count on one hand, but I feel that number will start to grow soon because of all the sweet people I've met on here so far! You are the best! I want you all to take 25% off from my shop for the holidays. Treat yourself, because you've all made me truly so happy and that's something I am very grateful for in this time in my life. Please use "AMAZING2011" Upon checkout! Have a great and happy holiday, everyone!! Thank you SO MUCH <3

xo,

Rachel :)

Truth.

One day, you sit there and realize how much you love someone. That love is so unconditional, intense and feels like it will continue on for a lifetime, nothing can break you guys apart...but as time progresses, that love slowly evaporates. Now, love isn't holding you together anymore. The things you think you know about the person you love, suddenly becomes untrue, a lie. You don't know who they are anymore. Your dream guy suddenly turns into "that" guy. That guy you've always despised. That guy who is vulgar, uncaring and completely opposite of all things true and real. That guy who you always swore you'd never allow yourself to be with. But how did you know? How did you know that your dream guy, the love of your life, is nothing like you had thought? What do you do now? You close that book and run far far away. That's the only thing you can do. Because he's out there, that guy, that guy you've been pining for your entire life. That guy isn't the one you were in love with just for a moment, but the one you will be in love with for the rest of your life. Because if he loves you the way you love him, he will never let you go.

Brainstorming

This is me, brainstorming. I remembered I had an unused journal my cousin made me a few Christmas' ago. I love finding uses for my unused journals! I have so many great ideas floating around in my head in regards to my shop...I just don't know where to begin! :) 

If you are on Instagram, follow me, and leave your name so I can follow you too! @autumnbalmbotanicals

 ♥xoxo

Customer Service...

What does customer service mean to you? 

It means a whole lot to me. Since I was 17 years old, I've been working nonstop, everyday all day. My first job (still work there here and there, too) was at a family owned grocery store. I got hired to work in the deli department....then ended up working every other position, including a management position. If you knew me in high school, I was very dorky and antisocial. I wore band tshirts, skater shoes, and didn't want anyone to look my way. I was happy being in my own bubble, and if someone tried talking to me, I froze. My style has changed, and so has my attitude thanks to that job.

That job showed me all walks of life....young, old, poor, rich, nice, mean...And no matter what type of person you encountered, you gave them top notch customer service. When I opened my shop on Etsy, the very first thing that came to mind, even before everything came together, was customer service. I wanted to stand out from everyone else. If I got an email, I wanted to reply back right away. If someone bought something, I wanted to make sure that they were getting something that was great quality and handmade and original. I wanted them to feel the love I put into my products. I wanted to ship it right away so they could hold it in their hands as soon as possible. 

Many hours I spent behind that deli counter, and I thank all my customers for speaking up when one of us wasn't pleasant enough...or when we did an exeptional job, they let us know! I feel that if you own a teeny tiny little shop, and barely sold a thing, or own a giant company, customer service should be your number one priority. Without your customers, where would you or your company be? Nowhere, that's where! I appriciate every sale, every convo, every comment on my blog. My shop will be lucky to hit a 100 sales, but if it does, that would sail me right to the moon!

I work a customer service position at another job, and some of the people I have to deal with are down right pistols, but you give them a smile and a resolution, they will be yours forever. Nothing warms my heart than pleasing someone and making their day, nothing beats that! So if you have a shop or work someplace that deals with customers, maybe try a little harder. Give them a thank you and a big smile and make their day. Customers are the reason why so many of us hold a job, create our own companies and are able to live everyday. And if you are a customer, be honest with whom you are dealing with or shopping at. Your feedback makes them want to strive to the top and make your experience that much better. Don't be afraid to add suggestions on how to make things better for you or compliment your experience if it was a good one. You have a right to shed your own opinion!

Customer service is something that I feel is mighty important when you own your own shop. Personally, I hate waiting for orders that I purchased a week prior. I hate not getting my emails returned after 24 hours, and I hate when shops don't fix an error of theirs...but I do understand things may get in the way, and when they express that to me, I really do appreciate it! But don't be a slacker owner, be someone who strives on customer service and makes their customers feel like family! That's especially one thing I learned working at my first job...these people are like your family. And they certainly are the one's putting money in your pocket. Treat them how you want to be treated, heck, even better than that! At the end of the day, these people are the one's who make your business what it is today. They're the one's that help you be able to improve and create. So treat them well. :) 

Room Revamp Pt 2

Well! My room changes are finally complete. There are some things I still would like to update, but I happy with the current results. Now onto the pics :)

I used to keep all my jewelry in an antique bowl. Eventually it got all tangled up and hard to pick out what I wanted to wear that day. So I decided to hang up some of my necklaces on my walls as a decoration, as well as keeping them readily available for when I want to wear them :)

I've gotten into hats recently. And seeing my room is so small, I didn't just want them to pile up in a corner somewhere. So I had some Glad hooks laying around that I drew hearts and dots on for a fun look. 

I pretty much kept my TV stand the same. I love what's all on it! 

I had reorganized my piano bench. I had threw some skeins of yarn in one of my Longarberger Baskets (thank you Goodwill) for a fun touch. I put my grandfather's old bird book in the other. 

Instead of having a ton of clothes on my chair, I put some herb books on there for storage, as well as to give it a charming look.

This is an old field desk from WWII. I had it on my floor where my chair currently resides. This is one of my favorite pieces in my room. I've had this item since I was about 15 or 16. It's so special to me, I will never let this baby out of my sight!

These are the items to the left of my trunk. All thrifted - minus the girl...I got her on my 16th Birthday.

This is to the right of my trunk. All thrifted except the earring holder. I just got the bunny the other day at Goodwill. I was so excited to find it! It's adorable!!

The top of the trunk. All thrifted again.

This is the inside of my trunk. It has a lot of great storage space on the inside...where now I store all my yarn & supplies. 

These are the polaroids I took last weekend. Some of them didn't turn out. So as I was reading I got this neat idea from Little Chief Honeybee's Blog about writing inspirational quotes on the undeveloped polaroids. Sorry I can't find the original post. I thought I had bookmarked it but I suppose not. Nonetheless, it's a wonderful idea!

My cork board was a complete mess. So I had to find a good way to make it cute and fun. I had made the banner from old scrapbook paper I had laying around. I just LOVE it! I also rearranged my photos as well. 

I had recently purchased these cute owls at Goodwill. They are for your stove, but I decided they would look way better on my walls! I just strung some yarn threw them and hung them up!

These I won from a giveaway on Talk2thetree's blog (she has a giveaway every Monday, too)!! They are made from A Vintage Poster. I love love love all their products and the quality is mind blowing. I highly recommend checking them out!! :)

My dresser, which is now an organized mess, hehe. 

And my newest item in my room that I just adore. These cute owls!!! I just love them! 

So there you have it! My room has been revamped and now I don't want to leave it! I feel more inspired now and now I hope to get some new goodies in my shop real soon! I'm thinkin about one more week or so before we open back up! Feel free to send us a convo on Etsy if you need anything :)

<3 Rachel

Inspiration...

I've been thinking a whole lot about inspiration lately. I've been thinking about all the things that make my creative mind go wild and where I got my inspiration from. What inspires me? Let's see......first and formost, nature. Yeup, that's a given to pretty much anyone who does what I do. How could you not be inspired by no one other than mother nature herself? When I was a little kid, I was alllllllways outdoors with my best friends...riding our bikes, playing in the sand, swimming, playing Barbies, digging for worms, playing antartica, playing famine (we created some crazy stories). You name it, it was done OUTSIDE. I loved just laying in the grass and staring at the clouds trying to figure out what shape that particular cloud resembled. I just loved feeling the warm summer air kiss my youthful skin. Not much has changed.

Last year was the first time I ever went to Crandon, WI and I SWEAR, my life had changed from the time my foot touched the ground after getting out of the car. I really can't explain it, or how it happened, or WHY it happened...it just did. I had recently lost my father to cancer, so a lot of my happiness that I once knew was stripped from me leaving nothing behind. It was hard, I lost a lot of friendships and even a love because of it, but somehow, nature got me through, as crazy and nutso as that sounds. I seen color that day in Crandon. I seen butterflies and dragonflies and Bald Eagles and fish and beavers and deer, just EVERYTHING wildlife has to offer. It was facinating. I was in awe the whole time. It's not like I've never seen any of these animals before, cause hello, I live in WI...But it was the first time I *opened* my eyes when I seen them and it just shed a whole new perspective. It was wonderful. My love for nature continued on from there...

I decided to create Autumn Balm Botanicals after my life slowly began to change. I always wanted to make what I'm making now since I was a kid, but I always deemed it as impossible. Why, I'm not sure. But I always had a crazy imagination, but most times, my imagination never played out to reality. I decided to look up how to make my own at home goodies, and thought, "wow, this is easy". Okay, it's not that easy, but easy enough. I reasearched and researched until my eyelids practically fell off. And then it just snowballed from there...

When I was little, I tried making my own potions. I was *slightly* into witchcraft and wizardry (before Harry Potter, just fyi ;). I had this special green vase that I would brew/infuse my potion into. I had this mysterious box filled with all my goodies. My potion would turn into a blood red/magenta color once it was fully brewed. Haha, I didn't really do anything with it, but it was fun to mess around with. I'm not sure what inspired me to do that at that time, but I think doing that certainly held some inspirational meaning to what I'm doing now.

Another weird thing I did as a child was try to hatch a chicken egg from the eggs you get at the supermarket. Bah, no matter how many times someone told me I couldn't do that with those eggs, I still tried and tried. I had this kids encyclopedia that I would always reference regarding this. I would look up how to incubate an egg to get it to hatch if you didn't have the mother hen. Oh boy, I was a far off child...I took this to school during a talent thing and all the kids where facinated. Haha, I remember them thinking how cool it was (I bet the teacher thought I was nuts). I actually had a kid come up to me after that and said he hatched an egg, haha. I was bummed that mine never hatched. That's still something I'd love to do though...just on a farm this time. ;) 

I loved anything related to ghosts and hauntings (still do!!!). My house was haunted as a child, plus we lived directly across the street from a cemetery, so that aided my obsession...

There is just so much stuff that inspires me, I literally could go on for days talking about it. It's just neat to sit back and remember stuff about your childhood and see it sewn in to your life that you have today. It's pretty cool if you really think about it! Take a moment and sit back and think of what inspires you. What makes you, YOU.

I think the best part about starting Autumn Balm Botanicals is that I can reach my inspirations to other people. Masses of people even. I think that's great. I can help someone in someway (thanks to the Earth of course) with what I create. Yeah, I'm not the first person to create something for your body, and I'm sure as hell not the last. But it's a great thing to even be doing it in the first place. It's heart warming and fun and very much exciting to be able to help people on a different level. I hope you all look further into what I make and don't just see it as a lip balm or a salve, but a healing treatment for your body & soul. It's there to connect you with the things surrounding you. It's much much more than what you think. It's handmade with love and care. That my friends, is an awesome thing <3

The picture above is a photo of the farm my father grew up on as a child. Him and his 8 siblings...

Wakey Wakey!

Who really blogs at 3:37 in the am? This girl! Here I am WIDE awake pondering things and letting my creative juices flow for my shop. I just don't know where to begin or what to start creating. Sunday's are usually my big "time to make something new, so hop to it" day. I try to make a new scent or a new product of something to sell in my shop. I think we have done pretty darn nifty since our official opening on Etsy. I'm glad to make over 20 sales in about a month's time.

I've been thinking a lot about plants lately and their purpose. I find it incredibly fascinating that one plant, grown from a seed & then bloom to a beautiful plant, could hold such powerful properties. How it could heal something as simple as a cut or a scrap or something so large as depression. I find that mind boggling really. How is that possible, and how was it proven to actually cure those things? How did someone think to say "Hey, look at this plant, lets try it and see what it does"! Call me weird, but I just think it's awesome and just so...crazy (in a good way). I'm one of those people who tends to over think things (can't ya tell, hehe) and look much farther to find a deeper meaning (tends to get me in trouble a lot of the time actually...). I just am blown away at each purpose and each plant. Most people are so closed minded to the wonderful world that's surrounding them. That all things on the planet (natural things of course) have a specific purpose and are there to help us. That you could step outside your door and find a dandillion which can cure a wide range of things...and yet, most people kill them, instead of harvesting them for their awesomely amazing healing properties. I'm sad to say that I was one of those close minded people...until something sparked in my brain that told me that these plants, these natural ingredients and all the things around me are here for a reason. To help us, to cure. It seriously makes me feel so much better inside to utilize these gifts. Man, I sound like a crazy person here, but it's true. If you don't  know much about herbs, I HIGHLY suggest you research them. Just look into it, you will be simply amazed. I promise you that much. You may not believe it, but all this stuff has been used for centuries. It's on our planet for a reason. It's so much better than the chemicals you're stuffing in your body or applying to your skin or hair. Natural is the way to go. It's not a fad, it's a way of life.

I guess enough ranting about that stuff. There are a few things that will be coming up in the near near future. I have a Bug Spray (I think I mentioned something in a post or two back), cuticle oil (hoping to make this today actually), a beauty salve, and some other goodies as well. I'm actually in the works of doing a Wisconsin Balm line for my shop. It's pretty cool (if you're a Wisconsinite). It should be out sometime this week I'm sure. So yeah, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Man, sometimes it kills to have a full time job (I'm not complaining though), just so pressed for time.

Before I conclude, the pic above is my all purpose Cocoa Salve in a 1 oz tin. This baby is AH MAZ ING. I can't tell you that enough! It's gorgeous and works on soooo many things, I simply lost count on all the neat things it works on. My favorite is my nails. I apply this every time I wash my hands (my hands dry out really quickly), and then apply lotion afterwards. My nails have never been this good or healthy. It's something worth checking out. I have a .25 oz sample up for purchase as well, incase you are skeptical or don't want that much. Well, I think I'm gonna head off to bed, long day and I think if I don't stop now, this blog post will be as long as my house :p

~ Rachel

Tincture's Galore!

Good Sunday all! So the photo you see above is my Catmint and Chickweed tincture getting their drink on! :p Well, not really, but they are submersed in 80 proof vodka. They will be in this state for about 4 weeks or so. I will be using the Catmint for a bug repellent (No More Skeet Skeet - Love it!!!) and the Chickweed is for my personal use. I can't wait for the bug repellent to be done. But sadly, I have to wait (and sadly, so do all of you). But I'll update more about the Catmint tincture in the coming weeks...

Above are a few of my plants for my garden. I have yet to transfer them into the ground (pft, thanks to my busy schedule). You see Rosemary, Mint (that looks like it's dying), Calendula and Chamomile. And for some reason, some random plant decided to grow along with my Calendula and Chamomile...

Organic Zinnia's I grew from seedlings...

Lavender <3

And my Catmint plant! Which is a wee bit lopsided today. It had too much fun in the thunderstorm we had this morning I suspect... Spiders love this thing (which doesn't make me too happy cause I'm not a fan...Not to mention it's below my bedroom window, ack!). My garden is a slight mess at the moment, seeing it's not quite done yet, so pardon the mess. I'll post some new pics once everything is planted and all the grass is cleaned away. :)

Today I will be making my Cocoa Salve to be sold in my shop (yay finally, right?). Also Blue Raspberry and Mango'd for Strawberry's Lip Balm. That'll be up in a few hours. And BIG congrats to Kathleen who won our Salve and Lip Balm giveaway. Make sure to like our Facebook page to get coupon codes and to enter our giveaways in the future!! www.facebook.com/autumnbalmbotanicals

Have a good Sunday all <3

New!

What a crazy hectic week this has been! I still don't feel that I am fully adjusted to being home from Crandon. My mind is still checked out and up north! I sold out on a lot of my balms (so awesome), but that means I need to work double time to get those made up, in addition to making new balms to put in my shop...not to mention my all purpose salve! The calendula flowers and olive oil is done infusing, so tomorrow morning I'm going to strain it out and hopefully have some salves ready for sale sometime this weekend or early next week! I'm going to make "Funny Honey" balm tomorrow morning, and it should be up in my shop this weekend...I'll also be making Pina Colada, new batch of Monkey Business & Cherry Bomb, as well as Peppermint & Green Peppermint shimmer balm. I'm excited to get this all out, but man, I'm already exhausted thinking about it :p I hope you all have a great weekend <3

Where my mind currently is...

L O V E

Just think...24 hours from now I will be in the very place that I have been wanting to be for the last 8 months now. I feel so much love for this place, almost more than any love I have ever experienced in my life. This place is so special to me. Last summer, the first time going to Crandon, WI, I experienced an out of body moment. I can't even begin to describe what happened or how it happened. But my perception of life had at that moment forever changed. I seen everything from a different perspective, my heart got lighter, I began to fear nothing and I loved everything around me. I loved feeling the wind brush up against my face, gently moving my hair from side to side. To see the blue dragonfly land on my shoulder and to welcome my new buddy with a simple smile. To catch my first fish, and not be scared to hold him and let him go back to his home in the water. To see an endangered animal swoop down from the sky into the lake to catch a fish and fly away. I could go on and on. I wish everyone could experience this, and to think that tomorrow, I will be back there again, to see wildlife at it's finest. To be at the place that made me stronger and want to wake up after two people I loved dearly left my life. Crandon helped me survive, and tomorrow, I'm going to say thank you <3

I know I will get loads of inspiration for my shop and if I can, I will update. If not, I will take loads of pictures and share them with you all on Monday! <3 Happy Memorial Day and thank you all that have served and lost your lives defending my freedom. I am forever in your debt...

Powerful Infusion.

Well along with growing my cute little herbal garden, I've been letting this little concoction infuse in the daily sunlight outside everyday. This is olive oil packed with Calendula flowers. Two weeks in the sun, strain, pack a new set of petals, and another two weeks in the sun & wala! An awesome herbal remedy. I will be using this special oil for my salves, as well as my medicated balm. Will be a few more weeks before you see those items in my shop, but I assure you, they will be AWESOME! I'm so excited about it! Now time to go back to drinking this awesome hot cup of apple cinnamon tea <3

Spring Fever

I just love spring. It's so exciting to see the flowers you've planted by hand start to grow. To first see them as seeds, then to watch those seeds open up to find a tiny green leaf peering out of the soil. It's a huge feeling of accomplishment to see that something you decided to birth is growing right before your eyes. I've never really planted anything before, at least not from scratch. So this is all new to me and man, does it feel awesome. Everyday when I look outside at my babies, they grow each more everyday. I can't wait to see them in full bloom! I will be taking some pics of them, either today or tomorrow, in their infant state. I was driving down the road yesterday and I finally noticed that all the trees have bloomed and are now fully green. I love how one day they are bare, and the next they are full of life. Our planet is something to definitely take pride in. It's something we should not take for granted and I hope that mankind can really change how they are negatively effecting our Earth. I would hate to see us destroy our home by our own selfishness. The Earth is far too beautiful to let die because of useless material things. I've really started to appreciate the planet more and more each day and I feel so much better because of it. The photo above I took a few days ago on my porch. The sky was beautiful that evening, with storms on their way. I just love spring weather. <3

Sales!!

Well, thanks to my best friend, I had sold quite a few balms to a couple ladies at Walgreens! I'm very excited that I'm getting wonderful feedback on my formula. It's such an amazing feeling to know that someone appreciates your hard work and isn't afraid to let you know that you've done a great job. I already have to order more tubes because I'm almost out! Which I honestly have to say is kind of scaring me because I want to make sure I have enough on hand incase I need to make more of something (ahem....green apple). I have this wonderful formula for a medicated balm that's been floating around in my head for weeks that I can't wait to bring to reality! I hope it's just as good as I think it's going to be!!

I just got off the phone with my cousin not too long ago. She just informed me that our trip to Crandon, WI is indeed next weekend (HOORAY!!!!). I am sooooooo incredibly excited to go up there. It's like a place you've only imagined... There is just something about breathing in fresh air and being away from the city... I know my mind will truly run wild up there and I hope to come back home with some wonderful new ideas (and maybe some plants to use, too). I will take lots of pictures and will hopefully share some of my inspiration with you all! I can't even begin to portray the excitement I am feeling right now about going up there. It's like nothing else. We don't have running water or a bathroom, we stay in a cabin full of people, catch lots of fish and soak up the sun! How fun is that?? We are in a cabin secluded in the woods up north filled with wonderful wildlife, fresh air! & most importantly...FAMILY. I'm so excited. I wish everyone could experience Wisconsin at it's finest...

Ps. the photo attached is from Crandon last summer during the sunset. I thought I'd share this with you all...