Watery Friday News

Happy Venus Day! Here in the woodland we finally have rain!!! Not just a little, but quite a deluge that began last night and has come and gone since. The biggest part of the storm is due to hit today. The plants in my garden and very happy as are the bees, birds and butterflies.

On this auspicious day, dominated by water element, I am in the "Celebrity Spotlight" over at the Facebook Fragrance Friends group. Many thanks to an invite by Charlotte Scheuer one of the group moderators. If you are not a Facebooker you can read the piece on my new site here, if you are part of the group please share you favorite fragrance from my line in the comments.

Wishing you all the blessing of Venus and elemental water.

A perplexing case of scent

My sense of smell has been uber strong today for some reason, meanwhile I received a note from a customer who is having a challenging time perceiving the scent of the solid samples she ordered. The two samples she ordered were GreenWitch and Figure 1: Noir, which most people consider on the stronger end of my scents.

Needless to say, the customer and I are both perplexed. In her note she says she gets barely any scent and wonders if there is something wrong with her. In my note back I explained how our current terrain is bombarded with synthetic fragrance chemicals, created from petroleum, which can be very strong and sticky compared to true botanicals.

Then I gave her a few pointers to heighten the sense of smell:

"A: Begin removing as many synthetic aroma chems from your life as much as possible. This takes a bit of work, but, in the end highly worth it. I speak from experience!

B: At the same time start drinking more water, less coffee and including raw fruits and vegetables into the diet. This helps to alkalize the body, which in term enhances our ability to smell.

We are all individual beings with different ways of experiencing the world, some of us are more visual, some more auditory etc. Since authentic botanical perfume is not something readily available in our everyday experience adjustments to perceive scent on a deeper level may be required. For example, after going to art school I began to SEE the world in a whole new way.

So, even if you take baby steps you can get there. I suggest putting the samples in a cool dark (unscented) space for a week or so and then smelling them again, ideally after a unscented shower. It may take a little time and also may require being out in nature where there are less man made smells."

Here I am on the other end of the spectrum, with super hero smelling ability, wanting to run to the hills like Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in Patrick Süskind's novel Perfume

Images: Ben Whishaw as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in the film version of Perfume.

Movie Monday: Monuments Men

Greg and I decided to escape from the studio recently and go see a film. The only two options that we considered were the romantic A Winters Tale or The Monuments Men, we settled on the latter. Our decision was based on previews we'd seen and the cast, who can resist George Clooney, especially when its something he's part of besides the cast and paired with other greats like John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban and Matt Damon. There was also the fact that this was a film about art.

The Monuments Men is based on a true story about a group of 350 or so men and women– museum directors, curators, art scholars and educators, artists, architects, and archivists, from thirteen nations who volunteered for service to save the art culture of Europe during World War II. As Hitler was attempting to conquer the western world, his armies were methodically pillaging the finest art in Europe, from Michelangelo and Da Vinci to Van Eycks and Vermeers. Hitlers end goal as to put these masterpieces into his own museum in Linz, Austria called the Führermuseum.

Robert M. Edsel was inspired to write the book which this film is based on while in Florence, Italy. As he was crossing the Ponte Vecchio bridge he wondered why this bridge he was walking across was not destroyed by the Nazis. The curious thought led him to interview seventeen of the original Monuments Officers, including Rose Valland, a french spy played by Cate Blanchett in the film.

The movie focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon as they move throughout Europe attempting to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners. The script is not perfect and the film has not received the best reviews but go see it anyway! The production was well done and is simply a fascinating look at this part of WWII history.

Greg and I were so fascinated by the history that we delved deeper and watched the excellent documentary, The Rape of Europa. This film gets into the details of the systematic theft, deliberate destruction and miraculous survival of Europe’s art treasures during the Third Reich and the Second World War. Mind blowing and heart wrenching. It is viewable on Netflix.

Although I had heard that Hitler had been a frustrated artist I did not know that he was contemporary of Egon Schiele but was not accepted to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts because his paintings were judged unsatisfactory. Painting below is by Adolf Hitler.

After watching both films it occurred to me that the modern day Hitler is companies like Monsanto who are methodically pillaging our land in hopes of complete world domination of the food supply.

Drop by Drop

Occasionally new skill sets are required along the fragrant and adventurous path of authentic natural perfume. Recently I've been practicing lots of bending like a reed when important essences go off the radar. This took place when precious Rosa bourbonica absolute from India became unavailable, then again when aromatic treasures contained in Hedera helix and Gracing the Dawn disappeared.

Last week, after much digging, I was able to obtain the essences needed for both Hedera helix and Gracing the Dawn. Hedera helix as a solid is now back, the fluid, liquid perfume will be back this week.

As I sat down to complete many of the perfumes that have run out, analyzing formulas, I noticed that essences required for other fragrances were running low. As a precaution to running out I decided to restock many of the essential oils, absolutes and C02 extracts I use most often. To my great dismay a few of them, ambrette seed C02 for example, have become difficult to obtain. When I saw that one supplier was out I started checking other suppliers one by one. I finally found ambrette on one site but was dismayed to hear that they could only offer me a small amount because they too were out of stock.

Mercy! When these challenges arise I often contemplate why oh why did I choose to work in botanical perfume.

For now, I have enough ambrette seed C02 and ideas on how to recreate the scent as an accord if necessary.

Other fragrances about to make another return this week are Rosa liquid with Gracing the Dawn in both formats following. Drop by drop we're getting there.

Vespertina Liquid is Back

The 2nd edition of Vespertina as a liquid perfume extract is now back! Orchestrated like her solid, creamy counterpart, the synergy contains the same precious essences but in a base of 190 proof organic grape alcohol with two tinctures one from frankincense resin and one from Indian ambrette seeds.

The aromatic is very similar to the solid but varies from the first edition of the liquid. I tested the first edition on one hand and the second edition on the other and noted that the newly constructed fragrance has more complexity and depth, as well as robust longevity when compared side by side.

A rich floral triad at the heart is spun of luxurious rose, jasmine and lotus which gently recline on ancient resinous wood. The affect is an intricate seduction. Images of a golden Bysantine crown come to mind with the rubies, emeralds and opals replaced by precious essences from Arabian deserts and lush ancient forests.

I invite you to sample to new edition and send me your testimonials to include on the new website.

Vespertina Flacon
Vespertina 1 gram in glass vial
Sample set of three

Coming soon: Solid and liquid sample set and 4 grams in a classic bottle.

Bee Guardians

Yesterday morning, in downtown Los Angeles, the City Council approved a study to be done to approve urban beekeeping. This monumental event was in most part done by the efforts of Rob and Chelsea MacFarland of Honey Love. This comes on the heels of seventeen councils within the city of LA voting in favor of urban beekeeping.

The bees found Rob one afternoon working and his garden and clearly choose to swarm there knowing they had found their hero. Three years later, after becoming part of the Backwards Beekeepers and creating Honey Love, Rob and Chelsea have managed to get the somewhat uptight and conventional members of the LA City Council to approve a measure to study the affects of urban beekeeping by the Planning Department.

Our first hive arrived here in May of 2010. Since then it's been a continual, magnificent learning curve as we become educated on how to support these tiny beings.

The anthroposophic movement seems to be the furtherest ahead in holistic beekeeping work out in the world right now. Here's a video of the Sun Hive (“Weissenseifener Haengekorb”) designed by the German sculptor Guenther Mancke. How I would love to attend that workshop and replace our Langstrom hives with a handmade, rye straw.

Movie Monday: Gregory Crewdson Brief Encounters

Glorious light, exquisite compositions and a heavy scoop of mood are some of the elemental building blocks that go into the narrative photos of Gregory Crewdson. When I was first introduced to theses elaborately, composed photo images Edward hooper came to mind instantly.

After watching the documentary, titled Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters, where I had the opportunity to experience the photographers work more intimately, a few other artists have come to mind. The focused and deliberate lighting of the imagery visionary and influential Matt Mahurin from the 1980's came to mind, although Gregory's work is much more saturated in color. I also feel like the photographs are akin to the shadow side of Norman Rockwell illustrations.

These meticulously constructed photos stand on their own and express so vividly the loneliness and solitude of existence in the modern computer tech world of the 21st century.

He works both on location, usually in Pittsfield at twilight and a sound stage building imagined realities which he may conjure while swimming.

Gregory appears very focused with a quiet, introspective melancholy about him in the documentary which is so clearly embodied in the characters he creates within his narratives. One of the fun, synchronistic parts of his background is that he was a musician early on before he became interested in photography. Here is a video of his band, The Speedies with their hit song "Let Me Take Your Photo", which aired on MTV in the late 70's / early 80's. Very glam rock.

Gregory Crewdson and Timothy Walker are part of tribe of photographers that focus on narratives set in theatrical, somewhat surreal imagery. Walker, famous for his work in fashion, has begun making films. The image above is from "The Lost Explorer" made in 2010 but does not seem to have been released. There is a Peter Greenaway quality to it.

Getting it right "down under"

Here in Los Angeles where we have a major drought occurring consciousness about the importance of native plants and honey bees continues to be extremely small, concurrently down under in Australia, they are light years ahead of us. This morning, Lisa Novich of the Theodore Payne Foundation sent out  this link to an article in the Huffington Post titled "They're Getting It Right "Down Under" and the U.S. Should Follow Their Lead."

Meanwhile, last week I attended a meeting in Van Nuys that was specific to building along the Mulholland corridor. I was there with several of my other neighbors speaking in opposition to a project that a developer is attempting to build on a extremely sloped site down the street from our home. We've been opposing the large McMansions that developers have proposed for the site for years.

One of the many developers was given the A-ok by the board and thus cut down four large oaks and other natives. It was a devastating defeat. Then the developer choose not to build, which felt like salt had been rubbed into a wound since the oaks had been removed for no reason.

Another turn in the story occurred when a new developer came on the scene in July and hired some hacks to remove the stumps of the oaks which had started to grow back. The neighbors were ignited, we called the police, the fire department and the city. Kelly Lewis of the Urban Forestry department for the City of LA deemed "Those are old stumps not trees and they are not oak trees."

This is just one small example of the ignorance that exists within the City of LA, particularly the Urban Forestry department where an individual can't even recognize a native tree!

At the meeting this week the developer presented his "French style, country mansion", that resembles a big white box to the board. He went on and on about how much he wants to work with the neighbors and create a beautiful home on the lot that fits with the rural quality of the area. After he presented the project there was a period of "comments" by those who had filled out cards. I was one of those along with about five others within the neighborhood including a local community council member. We each spoke on different points of the impact the project would have on the site and within the community. It was pointed out that since the oaks and their root system had been removed the slope was now extremely unstable and a new soils report would need to be done, particularly since the project required several retaining walls.

Gordon Murley, the President of our neighborhood homeowners association, pointed out how the project violated several of our local ordinances. I was there, like the Lorax, to speak for the trees. I mentioned that the plan shows only three oaks being replanted although that under the ordinance sixteen were to be replanted to make amends for the trees that had been removed. I also stated that our city is called "Woodland Hills" because of the trees and that continued devastation to our local oak forest was a travesty to our community where too many oaks had already been removed. I also brought up the importance of the oaks to the rural aesthetics of the area and the inherent value oaks add to biodiversity. Regrettably my words of wisdom fell on deaf ears.

Even more salt was rubbed in my wound when the developers "mock arborist" stated that oaks are a fire hazard. This is one more ignorant phrase I've heard repeated often. The truth is that oaks and other native flora contain a much higher ignition rate than non-natives because they have evolved within a dry arid climate and know how to store water.

Ultimately the board shot down the proposal due to the fact that a "French country manor" type box fit into a slot doesn't work within the very eclectic, rural area within the hillside. So now the developer will need to go back to the drawing board and, if he chooses, present his project once more in conformity with the boards suggestions.

It was an incredibly depressing night for me, clearly quite a lot of work needs to be done to ignite some of that the consciousness we are seeing down under.

Figure 1: Noir and Hedera helix

Singing over the Bones is the title of a new review of Figure 1: Noir by Beth Schreibman Gehring, so beautifully written I can see the words form into images. No surprise, since Beth is a bit of a witch and definitely knows a few charms. If Hogwarts existed, she'd be the potions teacher, no doubt.

In the post she mentions Hedera helix, how synchronistic because I have great news! After searching and searching and searching I have found and ordered the missing essences for Hedera helix and Gracing the Dawn. I was so happy that jumping up and down resulted. Not only did I find them but they are extremely high quality essences. Thus, expect Hedera helix and Gracing the Dawn to be back in both formats soon.

In the meantime, take a deep breath, get out Figure 1: Noir and Hedera helix (if you have any) and go check out the wonderful review. If inspired leave a comment, Beth tends to like to chat and respond to comments.

Lyra Solid Perfume - 2014 edition

There is a new edition of Lyra in her solid format now in the shops, the new version has a subtle difference that some of you may or may not pick up on. The shift was not intentional but rather has mainly due to some botanicals coming from different sources and variations that occur from year to year with crops and distillations. For example I have an organic Jasmine sambac from a new source and my Jasmin grandiflorum is slightly thinner in consistency than the essence I purchased last year. All my essences are purchased from very high end sellers, I avoid the cheaper essences that are sold to soap and candle makers that also make perfume. I suppose this is due to my background in aromatherapy and the desire to support small farmers.

In looking over Lyras formula to ascertain where exactly the transformation took place I noticed there were also a few subtleties in the gram weights of a few of the ingredients which may have also played a role in the deviation. I've been doubling my formulas lately to keep up with the demand, sometimes when the amounts get increased that will also add a new layer to the fragrance, although for the most part I haven't seen that happen, probably because I work with weight instead of volume.

I am putting the notation 2014 edition on all of the Lyra solid variations from this new batch. There is one round solid compact that is wrapped and ready to be shipped that is from the previous formula here.

To my nose the 2014 edition has a little less of the anise note and more of a floral macaroon quality. I had Greg experience both of them and he perceived the new version as having more of a camphor note. Keep in mind, everyone will perceive a scent differently depending on where they stand with all their personal history and emotions coming into play. I look forward to hearing if you all since a difference and what those differences are. If you place an order and would like a sample of the Lyra 2014 solid sample, let me know in the notes to seller and I will include one for you.

Movie Monday: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Instead of writing about a film I thought I'd devote this page to the brilliant and luminous Philip Seymour Hoffman who tragically left this earthly plane this weekend.

The virtuoso portrayed numerous characters, many misfits, in magnificent performances, some of the ones I remember most vividly are:

- Capote, for which he won an oscar, and would have probably acquired many more if he had lasted here among us earthlings.



- The Master



- Doubt



- The Talented Mr. Ripley

He makes an appearance in the second The Hunger Games film, Catching Fire, which I look forward to seeing and his performance as a German spy in the adaptation of the John Le Carré novel A Most Wanted Man is rumored to be masterful and perhaps somewhat autobiographical.

It is so very sad when such a bright talent departs, particularly when we can so easily visualize his future. The grand thing about actors is that we can re-experience their brilliance in the work that they've left behind. I so wish I had had the chance to see him on stage.

Activism: Oaks & Bees

The season of advocacy has sprung here locally in the Woodland and within the City of Angels. First off, as mentioned previously, I've been working with my neighbors regarding a lot where four oaks were cut down prior to a building project being approved. On Thursday four of us met with the developer and his son at the field office of our local councilman Bob Blumenfield. Cesar Diaz, the planning director for Blumenfield was present at the meeting.

The gathering proved very interesting and gave us lots of information for the upcoming hearing scheduled in Van Nuys where the developer will present his project before the review board. At that time, those opposed to the project will have a chance to speak.

Meanwhile, Chelsea and Rob of HoneyLove have made tremendous headway with legalizing efforts for urban beekeeping within Los Angeles. They begun the task by getting local city councils within LA to approve it, now up to seventeen. On February 12th the City Council in downtown LA will be voting on three bee measures:

1: Legalize urban beekeeping in Los Angeles
2: Saving America’s pollinators act
3: Humane policy for live bee removal

This is THE VOTE, which will finally have Los Angeles join other major metropolitan cities all over the US and the world that have been visionary in legalizing urban beekeeping.

While I had the ear of Cesar I mentioned several sites within the Los Angeles area that have been planted with California native plants to see if Blumenfields office seemed sympathetic to the cause. It appears they are, more on that shortly.

Scent of the week: To Bee and Q of course!

There and Back Again

It was a few years into my love affair with essential oils that I became aware of "aromatherapy" as a community and the various professionals within it. As an attendee of the first National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) conference in San Francisco I was in complete awe. The gala event took place in the Autumn of 1996 at the Palace Hotel. At the time I was a single mom working as a freelance illustrator with a strong interest aromatherapy. Essential oils had already become part of the holistic tool box while taking classes and teaching about the wonders of aromatics.

There are a few memories from the event that stand out like sign posts, etched into my psyche. One of them is Dr. Christoph Streicher telling his captive audience that when one decides to create a business using essential oils, you don't pick them, they pick you. The other memory is the awareness of a longing to be part of this community and one day a speaker.

With a great amount of gratitude I am happy to share that next fall, eighteen years from the first conference, I will be a presenter at the The World of Aromatherapy VII Conference in Seattle, Washington.