Gratitude Sale

I'm so very grateful you're here, reading this post, it really means quite a bit that we get to stay in touch. As part of expressing my love and gratitude, I've created a special sale just for YOU that begins at midnight (mountain time) November 29th until December 2nd.

For every purchase of a solid perfume round bee tin from the list below you can choose a second for 30% off.  The special applies to the fragrances listed below, keep in mind that supplies are limited, as every single fragrance is handmade by me. Coupon code is GRATITUDE.

AUMBRE: Warm, spicy amber.
AURORA: An ambery, floral spice.
CHAPARRAL®: Herbaceous wild wood fire. (SOLD OUT)
CHIAROSCURO: Dark Jasmine: floral, spice, vanilla and patchouli.
Figure 1: NOIR: Feral, dark, red wine. An ode to patchouli.
Figure 5: BOIS: Mystic forest incense
FLEURISH: The hypnotic scent of night blooming white flowers.
IMPROMPTU: Smokey, herb, leather + lemongrass
LYRA: Sweet amber with lilac floral notes.
MELLIFERA: Sun drenched wild flowers.
PAGE 47: Jasmine, amber and driftwood.
VERA: A Chumash inspired ode to lavender.
VESPERTINA: A triad of ancient flowers with resinous incense.
⁠
As you are likely already aware, a daily gratitude practice is connected with greater health & happiness. I like to use plant fragrance as a way to connect to the moment and feel that infinite love that surrounds us, despite the craziness within this Matrix that we live in.

Gratitude

As a gesture of gratitude for your support of handmade, authentic botanical perfume please take 10% discount on any order over $25.  Use the code THX until midnight PST on Monday on the website. Please note I am starting to run out of a few perfumes thus some are only available in specific sizes. If there is something you are looking for but can't find please send me a not and I will double check for you.

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Gratitude

It's the day of gratitude once more here in the United States, a tradition started back in 1691 at a meal with the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians.

Greg and I are headed off to Riverside to his sisters mansion for a gathering of the Spalenka tribe. On Saturday there is a 80 birthday celebration for David Spalenka, Gregs dad, thus everyone is in town, adding eclectic diversity to the collection of family members.

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, 

turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. 

~ William Arthur Ward

When I woke up this morning I felt immediately grateful for the warm flannel sheets and my husband laying next to me. Then I started making a list in my head of all the things I am grateful for, gee, that went on f o r e v e r. Thus, I will share a very simplified version of it here. Please let me know what you are feeling grateful for today. What is my perfume for this blessed day...well, not sure yet, it has started off with jasmine.

Friends, lovers and dear hearts.

Nature

The four elements: water, earth, air and fire

and the beings of those elemental forces.

Creativity

Many thanks  to all my patrons and admirers who make it possible for me 

to make beautiful perfumes from nature for you! 

What a glorious symbiotic relationship we have.

and

Chocolate!

The Scent of Gratitude

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wafting my deepest gratitude to each one of you as we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States. I'm so grateful for all of you who stop by here, who comment, those who appreciate and support my creative endeavors, new and old. From the deepest crevices of my heart I send you my love.

My SOTD, Scent of Thanksgiving Day, is Q solid layered over Chaparral liquid. I'm wafting in uni-sexy, woody instead of the standard floral for festive holiday gatherings and outings. The perfume devoted to Peace seemed like a good candidate as well, but, in the end I wanted something more Autumn-like.

Image: La Belle Dame sans Merci by Frank Cadogan Cowper British, 1877 - 1958 via ArtMagick

of Service

Sending tendrils of warm and aromatic gratitude to all those who devote themselves to service and a higher cause.

One of the most visionary actions I've witnessed a politician do is work towards creating a Department of Peace. It's brilliant, so much so that those in the dark can't even see it. I don't know about you but I am really tired and distressed at what I see happening in America. Mostly because the masses seem to get dumber and number by the day.

In either case, it's really rare to come across a politician that is of service to the people, I'm so happy to have met one live and in person.

The Scent of the Day is the botanical perfume Peace or in it's parallel format as a solid natural perfume. I'm wearing the solid.

Opening image courtesy of Cathe Holden from Just Something I Made.

Gratitude

At this past Saturn day and night events I was once again reminded about how much we have to be grateful for, especially those of us that have the opportunity to live in America. Yes, I know, things are rather challenging in the "land of the free" at the moment. However, there are still many things to be grateful for...like the gleeful chirping of the birds, the camphoraceous, earthy aroma of the white sage in the garden or out on the hillside. Even the ever present nemesis, for they keep us alert and on our toes.

Greg and I have been organizing all the papers for the hearing on Thursday evening in Van Nuys, California. We along with a fair amount of the neighbors will "speak for the trees" and for the earth. When one assesses how small the lot that this developer wants to build his monstrosity on and the beauty of the large oak trees the situation looks so clear. Yet, the developer and the City of LA will be seeing a different scenario. The silver strand here is meeting the neighbors and aligning for a cause.

The sweet little felt heart above was created for me by My, one of the winners of the Handmade Tag on this blog. A beautiful, simple gesture of the heart. Thank you so very much to each of you.

Happy Ending

As we hurl toward the end of 2008 and into the splendor of 2009 I marvel at the long list of beautiful individuals that have brightened our planet and *my* life.

Thus, with tremendous gratitude, here are a few of the gentle folk that have made 2008 just great:

My family, including, Maestro Gregorio, Martha Villa and Eve
Terese
All our generous and loving patrons
The perfume bloggers, specifically:
Heather Ettlinger at Memory & Desire
Raphaella of Sniffapalooza Magazine
Divina at Fragrance Bouquet
Tom Pease at Perfume Smellin' Things
Perfumer Andy Tauer
Helg at Perfume Shrine
Sands & Marlen at the Perfume Critic
Tonie Silver
Victoria Austin
Wendy Holden at Notes on Shoes Cake & Perfume
Simone at +Q Perfume
Robin at Now Smell This
Ideal Bite
Kimberly Ayers / Bath & Body News

&

Team Karen of Sniffapalooza
Michelyn Camen
Lisa Camasi
Valerie at Greenfeet

and all the Angels, the ones who appear as the Nemisis,
as well as those I may have forgotten to list and who will grace us
with their presence in the upcoming year!

Namaste'
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Roxana

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™

Solid Gold

The living room has been converted into a temporary photography studio as we continue to photograph all our botanical perfumes. That will change on Thursday, of course, when invitees will come to celebrate the day of gratitude.

In the shot above is the Sierra Solid Gold perfume within the antique finished compact along with its entourage: hand made crochet pouch, lined purple box and accordion folded booklet.

The day is overcast and providing some nice diffused lighting for each of the different scenes. According to the weather forecast we are due to get some rain. Rain, wow, how splendid that would be. One more thing to be grateful for.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™

Prosperity Accord

Continuing on from yesterdays post on weaving magic into botanical perfume formulation I will share some of the methodology utilized in the magical accord within the Sierra solid perfume. To read the initial post on the Sierra solid perfume from November 8th click here.

I began by looking at the planetary associations and influences with prosperity. I choose:

SUN = PROSPERITY
EARTH = MANIFESTATION

Then I looked at numerical associations. In researching numbers I decided on 4 since it is associated with the Earth. I choose to infuse four materials in oil that I would leave in the SUN for four days and bury in the EARTH for four nights. Alternating between the SUN and EARTH to impregnate the energetic’s of both into the raw material with a blueprint of SUN and EARTH. I began the infusions on SUNday.

Next I looked at plant materials associated with the SUN and EARTH. I made a list of what I discovered:

SUN

• Amber
• Benzoin
• Broom
• Calendula
• Everlasting
• Frankincense
• Labdanum
• Saffron
• The Red Tincture: Ceonathus Root, also called Red Root

EARTH

• Mushrooms
• Patchouli
• Sage
• Spruce
• Vetiver

Somewhere I had read that Tonka Bean is associated with prosperity, so I included Tonka Bean on my list. At another source I read that Vervain is used to make dreams come true, so I added it. I also included Myrrh because of the association with the gifts of Frankincense and Myrrh to the Christ. I added Champa for its warm SUN-like quality. Oakmoss was on the list, however, I did not have it diluted in oil, so I did not use it. Black Musk smells extremely EARTHY to me so I added it as well.

My four tinctures, begun on SUNday, over a period of four days in the SUN and four nights in the EARTH, I used the following materials:

• Benzoin: SUN
• Tonka Bean: Jupiter is the planet of fortune
• Onycha: Elemental water for flow
• Red Root: This was my substitution for the “Red Tincture” listed for the SUN. I liked that it was from a native plant and a root, roots are associated with EARTH.

During the formulation I found the synergy got a little overly EARTH smelling, which I choose to correct so that there would be an equinox of Earth and Sun.

I add a drop of this accord when creating the Sierra Solid Perfume. My suggestion is to anoint yourself with the perfume while envisioning what prosperity means for you. Consider beginning with gratitude, I have been told that one of the paths to prosperity is gratitude.

Special thank you to Harry of Alchemy Works for his input on the formula and very useful website.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™
E-Shop where you can find Sierra Solid Gold in a few sizes.




Opening image: Expand Your Vision ©Greg Spalenka

Smell is a potent wizard

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.”
- Helen Keller


The Perfume Inside a Poem two week project comes to a close today. Can you hear me sighing? It has been such a pleasure to participate in and witness. I will miss checking in to read the different artistic interpretations.


For me the project was extremely inspirational from which many seeds were birthed. I will be presenting here.

Many thanks to Heather, all the talent that courageously exhaled their interpretations, those who inhaled our stories and all the commentators who ground our ideas. Enormous gratitude to Greg who contributed his visual interpretation of my perfume brief.

Roxana Villa: Perfume Inside a Poem
Perfume Inside a Poem
Roxana Illuminated Perfume™

With Gratitude

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
~ Albert Schweitzer

I am in a deep state of gratitude today for all the luminous beings in my life. Thank You so much for your presence and illuminations!

The image above was created using multiple engravings. Sphere©RoxanaVilla

Gratitude

In the United States today we celebrate Thanksgiving, another holy day that started with a great premise but has turned rather surreal, in my opinion. The masses seem to view this day more about food and football than gratitude. Sigh. However, I have learned that instead of focusing on what I dislike in others, I focus on what I would like to create. Thus...

I intend that on this blessed day of Thanks giving we all tune into deep gratitude for all the bountiful beauty and love in our lives. The tradition of Thanksgiving began with the early settlers and the first native people in America. In the US we call them Indians or Native People, in Canada they are referred to as First Nations People, which makes more sense. After all, the word Indian isn't really appropriate since Columbus thought he was in India when he used that term. The word Native doesn't apply either, there are a lot of natives to the US that are not from the lineage of those that dwelled here when the Europeans arrived on their ships. Thus, what is the appropriate/politically correct word? Until I discover it I will use the term Native Indians. I have a tremendous respect for the Native Indians and would like to send out a blessing to them and that we may hear the wisdom that they have been sharing with us since the Europeans first arrived on this continent.

I am grateful for so much in my life and feel truly blessed.

Image above: "Blessings" ©Greg Spalenka, oil paint and mixed media on board. www.spalenka.com