Aromatherapy Tip For the Week

Hello:

As I mentioned before, I owned a gift store. Some of my best selling products were aromatherapy products. So, I became educated about essential oils and their use.

My three favorite oils are Lavender essential oil, Tea Tree essential oil, and Patchouli essential oil. Here are my reasons why. 1. Lavender: It is a natural antibiotic, an antiseptic, an anti-depressant, a sedative, a detoxifier to promote healing and prevent scarring ( especially with burns)and an immune system booster. I also find that bugs don't like it, and when I wear it as a perfume, they don't bite me! It is one of the essential oils that can be applied "neat"(which means directly to the skin without the need to be mixed with a carrier oil). 2. Tea Tree: It is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.I find Tea Tree essential oil to be an excellent immune booster in that everyone around me can be sick with a cold or flu, but it usually doesn't affect me. Tea Tree is an essential oil that is hard on the skin, so it needs to be mixed with a carrier oil ( such as sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil). I love the way Tea Tree oil smells,so it's another of my "perfume" oils. 3. Patchouli: I'm hooked on the smell, which is an aquired taste thing. It is an aphrodisiac oil,and also a very good oil to treat poor skin conditions:(blemishes, acne).Just a dab of the oil on the skin irritation, and it will usually disappear within a day or so.It is also known for it's calming properties in small amounts(too much and it will stimulate). It is also an anti-fungal oil. I apply Patchouli oil neat out of the bottle,and my skin is fine with that. I have to say though to do a patch test (maybe on the inside of your wrist) to make sure your skin can handle the "neat" application. Otherwise, mix it with a carrier oil. Patchouli is another of my "perfume" oils, so I have an interesting mix going. That's the fun thing about aromatherapy, you can personalize your essential oil collection to reflect your personality , moods and or ailments. To mix your oils with the carrier oil, pour your carrier oil into the palm of your hand, and drop a few drops of the oil into it. Your palm will be the perfect measuring cup for the amount you will need. Mix the oils together with your finger and apply where needed.

I'll write more on this subject when time allows. I strongly suggest you go to the local library or bookstore and get a few aromatherapy books. You will be amazed at what the oils can do for you!!!

Craft Tip For Today

Hello!

Today I want to share an easy, fun way to organize all your small household stuff.I love to save tin cans, jars, the oatmeal container, (you get the picture) and repurpose them. First, I wash and dry the container. I have aquired quite a bit of scrapbooking paper so I love to use it to cover the can or jar. I pick patterns that will fit in with the room's decor. Some of the papers I have make these containers look like an item I bought at a trendy store. I then lay the can or jar on it's side on the paper, and measure by putting the paper around the can.On alot of cans, there is a metal lip on the top and bottom which gives you a good guideline of how wide to cut your paper. Mark your paper for your width and height with a pencil or pen on the wrong side of the paper. You can either glue your paper to the can or use scotch tape to adhere it.Then, if you want, you can embellish your container with anything that might go with your room, such as ribbon, buttons, bottle caps, or stamped words. The same instructions apply if your container is a jar.But the difference is with a jar you usually have a lid. If the lid doesn't match your color scheme, you can spray paint it a matching color.I have made many different colors and sizes of cans, jars, and oatmeal containers for my home. I especially like them in my craft room, because I have so many small items that need to be organized.I also love the idea of taking something bound for the trash heap, and using it to create something beautiful and functional.This idea can also be used to create your "basket" for any gift you give to someone.It certainly would add a custom look to your gift giving. Have fun with this idea. I know I have!

My 25 Year Craft Journey Continued

In the six years of owning and operating my gift store I sold a variety of items. My core product lines were candles, bath & body care, giftware, aromatherapy, and gift baskets. the business was prosperous for three years, but then sales dropped off. I can attribute this to many factors.My last location, which was the most expensive lease I signed, should have generated the most profit, in that it was the most visible of all my locations. It did not generate the income I needed it to, so I limped along for approximately one year before talking with the Landlord and settling a way out of my lease.I started my store with personal savings,and at the end of the six years I had incurred a large amount of debt. I had signed leases on the retail space, my credit card processing,the business sign, a bank note, and business credit card. As a sole proprietiership these debts all had to be addressed.Needless to say, at this point in my life, my self esteem wasn't exactly at an all time high. But, I knew I needed to go immediately to work somewhere to pay off the bills. And that's exactly what I did. I closed my store in March, 2005. I went home and painted my spare bedroom,(which is my craft room to this day).The next week I went and bought a cell phone and plan and placed an ad in our local newspaper to clean private houses or paint their homes. All I can say about that is God hooked me up with so many wonderful people, some of whom I consider friends to this day. And it felt so good to be earning money again,that was not incurring any extra debt. I aquired a steady clientel of about sixteen homes, and some painting on the side. I did this kind of work for about twenty months.I finally decided to go to work for a retailer so I would not be self employed any longer.I am still employed with that retailer, but I feel a yearning to create again. I began this blog to encourage anyone with a creative spirit to never give up on what your heart is set on doing. I've seen some adversity on my journey, but I knew with God's help, I could overcome the huge mountain of debt I lugged home with me after my store closure.I still am paying on my store credit card, but all the other bills have been paid in full,( and the total for those amounts to several thousand dollars).Also, this whole experience has been rewarding for me personally because I've grown in ways I would not have had I not opened my store.If I could go back the ten years and start my store again, I would do it again, probably all the same way.Now I'm to a point where I have no regrets about any of it. I've gained a huge amount of satisfaction from the paying off of each store bill.The word that fits best is VICTORY! On my next post, I am going to talk about the crafts I love to make now. Talk to you soon!

My 25 Year Craft Journey

Hi to all you fellow crafters! I'm creating this blog simply to connect and journal my amazing journey through the craft industry. I began by taking a ceramics class in the fall of 1985 from my next door neighbor, (who just happened to have a ceramic shop in her basement). From this class, I realized I loved the whole process of kiln fired ceramics. I also learned that I was quite adept at the painting and finishing process of each piece. So, I started to finish ceramics for resale. Opportunities arose for me that enabled me to own my own ceramic shop, which I did for approximately ten years. I bought the molds, slip, pouring machine, etc. to have a fully stocked ceramic shop.( If you were wondering, my next door neighbor sold out her shop and moved away).To sell my finished inventory, I consigned my items in craft shops and gift stores. I also sold my items at craft sales at various times of each year. During one of those craft fairs, in the fall of 1988, I was approached by a lady who at the time was the ceramic instructor at our local senior center, to see if I would be interested in becoming the new ceramics instructor. That sounded like fun to me, so I applied and received the job.That was a part time job that I held approximately ten years. I loved the instructing others with their whole project. By the time that I left that position, I was the ceramic instructor, craft instructor and the stained glass instructor.One of the most rewarding aspects of being an instructor was when an elderly student would tell me she (or he) couldn't paint, and with my direction, they found they could.Well, after 10 years of that I needed a new direction, so I opened a gift store in July of 1999.What a life experience that was. I learned all about retail, from inventory control to profit margin, to marketing success and failure.I owned and operated my gift store for six years. I changed my location three times in those six years.