White Wedding

When we went to do the shoot at The Agoura Antique Mart we did some photos of our pretty model Savanah wearing a vintage nightgown that belonged to my mother, the diamond pattern solid perfume locket and some flower crowns from Emily of WhichGoose. I'm saving most of the photos for another project I'm working on but here's a little preview.

May Day!

Happy May Day! The Gaelic May Day festival known as Beltane (Beltaine) in the western world is here once more. The big seasonal wheel in the sky is at one of the eight spooks of the, the halfway point between the Spring Equinox and the upcoming Summer Solstice on June 21st.

As many of you know I have a special kinship with this ancient Celtic holy day. Today Greg and I will trim one of our oaks in the front slope to create a new pathway to the our blooming native garden. These leaves will be infused and tinctured as an addition to the Q (Quercus) natural perfume.
Each leaf will be meticulously cleaned, dried, mindfully cut with an intention to spread awareness of our california oaks and then placed into organic alcohol based and organic jojoba oil.



In the past I suggested Q for May Day, however, since this festival is about the abundance of nature and Spring flowers it feels like they all work to a greater or lesser degree. Even the new Figure 1: Noir with its deep, earthy, vital soil characteristics.

There are many plants associated with Beltane, including what is termed May Bushes, here's a few bits from Wikipedia.

Flowers and May Bushes

Yellow flowers such as primrose, rowan, hawthorn, gorse, hazel and marsh marigold were set at doorways and windows in 19th century Ireland, Scotland and Mann. Sometimes loose flowers were strewn at the doors and windows and sometimes they would be made into bouquets, garlands or crosses and fastened to them. They would also be fastened to cows and equipment for milking and butter making. It is likely that such flowers were used because they evoked fire.[2] Similar May Day customs are found across Europe.

The May Bush was popular in parts of Ireland until the late 19th century.[3] This was small tree, typically a thorn tree, that would be decorated with bright flowers, ribbons, painted shells, and so forth. There were household May Bushes (which would be set outside each house) and communal May Bushes (which would be set in a public spot or paraded around the neighbourhood). In Dublin and Belfast, May Bushes were brought into town from the countryside and decorated by the whole neighbourhood.[3] Each neighbourhood vied for the most handsome tree and, sometimes, residents of one would try to steal the May Bush of another. This led to the May Bush being outlawed in Victorian times.[3] In some places, it was customary to dance around the May Bush, and at the end of the festivities it was burnt in the bonfire.[15] Thorn trees were seen as special trees and were associated with the sí or fairies. The custom of decorating a May Bush or May Tree was found in many parts of Europe. Frazer believes that such customs are a relic of tree worship and writes: "The intention of these customs is to bring home to the village, and to each house, the blessings which the tree-spirit has in its power to bestow".[16] Sharon MacLeod writes that May Bushes were set outside farmhouses "to encourage and protect the abundance of milk during the summer".[17] Emyr Estyn Evans suggests that the May Bush custom may have come to Ireland from England, because it seemed to be found in areas with strong English influence and because the Irish saw it as unlucky to damage certain thorn trees.[18] However, "lucky" and "unlucky" trees varied by region,[17] and it has been suggested that Beltane was the only time when cutting thorn trees was allowed.[19] The practice of bedecking a May Bush with flowers, ribbons, garlands and coloured shells is found among the Gaelic diaspora, most notably in Newfoundland, and in some Easter traditions on the East Coast of the United States.[11]

May your day be bright and filled with the abundance of Spring Season where ever your dwell!

More May Day related posts at this journal can be found here.

Images: Divinus and the Q illumination by Greg Spalenka

[2] Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford University Press, 1996. pp.218-225
[3]Monaghan, Patricia. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase Publishing, 2004. pp.40-43[11] Danaher, Kevin (1972) The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs Dublin, Mercier. ISBN 1-85635-093-2 pp. 86–127[15] Frazer, James George (1922). The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. Chapter 62: The Fire-Festivals of Europe.[16] Frazer, James George (1922). The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. Chapter 10: Relics of Tree Worship in Modern Europe.[17] MacLeod, Sharon Paice. Celtic Myth and Religion. McFarland, 2011. pp.165-166[18] Evans, Emyr Estyn. Irish Folk Ways. Routledge, 1957. pp.272-274
[19]  Watts, D C. Dictionary of Plant Lore. Academic Press, 2007. p.246

A Fair Maiden

My daughter Eve and her friend My have been busy bees working on beautiful headbands as a project for their economics class. Their mission is to create a product which they then sell at the Highland Hall May Fair on Saturday, May 7th.

For promotion My made this sweet little video, enjoy. If you live in the area please visit their booth at the May Faire.

In the Pink

"Earth laughs in flowers."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Hamatreya

May Flowers: A Rose Tribute

On this last day of May the heartfelt and warm Dennice Mankarious bids us adieu with a bouquet of roses in her Tribute to the Rose.

Thank you to all of the participants who contributed with words, images and creativity as well to all those who dropped in to visit, leave comments and smell the roses.

Image: The Soul of the Rose by William Waterhouse

May Flowers

Here in the Santa Monica Mountains where Topanga Days is in it's third day, we have a visitor from New York. Leah, from Asking Leah, reminisces and shares the bounty of NYC in the Spring.

Image: Lesbia and her Sparrow by Sir Edward John Poynter

The month is slowly winding it's way toward June as the weather inches toward more light and warmth. For today's contribution to May Flowers we have a post from Lynn at LillyBonBon in Minnesota who shares with us how to make a Vintage Lace Poppies Scarf.

Image: The Four Seasons (Summer) by Alejandro de Riquer

May Flowers: Pink Rhododendrons

It's the Flower Full Moon and Trish of Scent Hive has a reminder for us all with her May Flower contribution Pink Rhododendrons.

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina with an old botanical engraving.

May Flowers: Honey Bees

Gathered together under the light of a Full Flower Moon a circle of bloggers has come together to share their stories and impressions on May Flowers and the release of Vera solid natural perfume. At the bottom of this post please follow the links to each of the participating blogs, although some may be posting late due to a variety of conflicting events.

{Honey Bees}

Friday, May 14th, while I was working on the Nasturtiums post for Perfume Illuminated a gift from Aphrodite flew into our lives.


The gift was a swarm of winged alchemists, honey bees, which arrived at our compost bin looking for a home. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you may recall last August upon finding my bee guru, Kirk Anderson, I intended to eventually start a hive. To my hearts delight a group of very sweet, friendly honey bees came to us, thus adding a bee bonnet to my ever expanding hat rack.


Expert bee mentor John Lyons came to help us transfer the bees from the compost bin to a temporary nuc box. Read and see pictures of that event here. Regrettably that swarm choose to depart, but left me a bit of beeswax for my new solid perfumes. Meanwhile a fellow member of my Backwards Beekeeping group said I could have her "bird house" bees if I came to get them. The "bird house" bees are now cheerfully residing in a periwinkle bee hive while we quickly learn the art of beekeeping.

The book The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall states "The bee is sacred to the goddess Venus and, according to mystics, it is one of several life forms of life which came to earth from the planet Venus millions of years ago."1 The Greek Goddess of beauty Aphrodite is also associated with the planet Venus which governs Friday, the day the bees arrived.


Sometimes May flowers bring us more than just floral bouquets. Under the luminous light of this Flower Full Moon I have prepared three intoxicating golden elixirs from the sweet aroma of flowers. The new set of perfumes entices us into an “illuminated state of floral consciousness”, as Tom Robbins so eloquently states in Jitterbug Perfume.

Aligned with the arrival of the bees this new trio takes a step further into authenticity by incorporating beeswax from my own bees and Rivendell Aromatics in Ojai. I introduce to you Vera, Rosa and Page 47, each with it's own unique imprint of flowers.

Vera is rich with blooms of lavender and white sage while Rosa drips of sweet rose blossoms saturated in wood and oud. Page 47 returns with a heart of jasmine laced with underpinnings of amber evoking flowers on a hot sandy beach.

He who with health would live at ease,
Should cultivate both fruit and bees;
Much labor though the first demands,
The second's for more feeble hands.
~ Quote from The Beekeepers Textbook, King, N. H. , King, Homer A.

Please visit the following blogs in the next few days for impressions of Vera solid perfume:

Tom at Perfume Posse VERA GIVEAWAY!

Portland Examiner

The Windsphere Witch

Indie Perfumes

References:
[1] Manly P. Hall (1988) The Secret Teachings of All Ages, The Philosophical Research Society.

Images: HoneyComb and Sage Photos ©Roxana Villa, Bees on Postcard, Beekeeper and Rose image are collages created by Roxana with old engravings.

May Flowers

On the twenty six day of May blogging Jen from Sewn Natural shares the story of discovering the glories of May with her new infant daughter three years ago.

May Flowers by Jen

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

May Flowers: Artisan Gallery Flair

On the twenty fifth day of this May Flowers blogging event we have a contribution from Jill of the Artisan Gallery team on Etsy. She handpicked flowers from team members all over the world, making this contribution a very international bouquet.

May Flowers: Artisan Gallery Flair

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

May Flowers: Bed of Roses

May Flowers: Bed of Roses
by Laurie Stern

I’ve always had a love affair with flowers, especially roses – they are my favorite May flowers, although I wouldn’t want the daisies to hear me…

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. "
~Emma Goldman

Drawing ©Laurie Stern, created when she envisioned her flower business

.

I love flowers so much that I started a flower business on a whim. One day I saw a flower stand and I thought to myself, “I want to do that!” And so I did. I got a permit and bought a vintage canopy bed at a garage sale and named my stand “Bed of Roses.” I went to the flower market and started buying flowers, surrounding myself each day with the most aromatic and glorious of nature’s gifts. I experimented endlessly and discovered for myself the wonders of flower arranging. Soon, my customers were asking me to arrange flowers for their daughter’s weddings, and my little Bed of Roses wasn’t big enough anymore. My business grew and my arrangements became bigger and more elaborate. One day I looked up from the roses and ribbons and 15 years had passed. I left the wedding flower business, though I loved it, and started creating perfume, a different, more ethereal bouquet. But even today, nearly 25 years after I pulled the canopy bed from my tiny truck and set up shop in Kensington, the thought of bridal bouquets and May flowers makes me delirious! I remember making bouquets with trailing jasmine, and adding roses, gardenias, freesias, and sweet peas to form a new flower scent…


It’s amazing how nothing really changes. I’m still arranging flowers, even though I’m not waking up at 2 a.m. and working on weekends. I still bring many ravishing scents together to create a new flower, a new arrangement – all of my perfumes are mixed bouquets. There’s Songbird, my first favorite perfume, a mouth-watering blend of citrus, spices, and sweet, narcotic flowers that unfurls towards a soft, powdery finish. Then there’s Honey, a blend of French orange blossom, Moroccan and Bulgarian roses, deep vetiver, Madagascar vanilla, honey, and beeswax crowned with antique clove, pomegranate, and pink grapefruit. There have been many more perfumes, hundreds in fact, and I put just as much care into creating these bouquets as I did when I filled Tussy Mussies with delicate blossoms and antique French ribbons for my brides. My love affair with flowers continues, always tempting me to try something new. Today, as I stand among the May flowers in my garden, I feel a shiver of excitement, and I can’t wait to see what enchants me next.

Thank you so much, Roxana, for inviting me to contribute to your wonderful May Flowers blog event! You are so gracious and a delight!

Images: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina, Bed of Roses drawing and Bouquet photo ©Laurie Stern.

May Flowers: The Rose

Gertrude Stein once said "A rose is rose is a rose is a rose." On this most beautious Sunday afternoon we get to experience some rosie delight by Saorise at the La Mome blog.

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

May Flowers: In Sonoma

Twenty two is considered a master number. It is no coincidence that fellow niche perfume artist Laurie of Sonoma Scent Studio joins our bouquet on such an auspicious day.

May Flowers in Sonoma

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

May Flowers: Crafting a Cork Board Garden

Thursday, associated with the lucky planet Jupiter brings us a fun project from friend, fellow blogger and jewelry maker extraordinaire Nicole of
Lillyella.

Crafting a Cork Board Garden

Images: Antique postcard and stamp are from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

May Flowers: Grape Hyacinth

​May Flowers- The Grape Hyacinth: An Ode to Salomeja
by Ida Meister

If you are following this line of thought, then clearly you are a lover of simple delights, whether you have access to a garden, or not…Much like myself.

Grape hyacinths grace gardens with very little effort. More related to the lily- though much resembling the hyacinth itself, in miniature- they require little tending. Once those bulbs are in the ground, they sweetly and obstinately bloom, no matter what ! Undemanding, fey, winsome – they add a light-heartedness to the landscape.



Grape hyacinths remind me, always- of my husband’s mother, Salomeja. It is no coincidence that they bloom at the very time she passed away, 13 years ago. They were blooming in her neglected garden then; I hope that the new owners have them still.

Tender, slender stalks support a profusion of blooms, resembling a cluster of brilliantly-hued purple grapes. [Much like my petite mother-in-law, whose relatively long, graceful legs supported a fiercely protuberant bosom ! I referred to her lovingly as our “puff-bosomed Lithuanian robin”, LOL ]

Interestingly, the have very little scent [ excepting the musk variety, which I’ve never seen] ; their main appeal is their intense color, their stubborn resistance to disease, their persistently cheerful mien. They refuse to languish; highly decorative, but never showy- they bestow their abundance with love and an abundance of good faith.

Thus it is, many years since, that I await the blooming of the grape hyacinth with gratitude and a sense of peace. I welcome its arrival - as I do, now - the memory of Salomeja- And all that was simple, noble, beautiful, and resilient in her.

[ Thanks be to dear Roxana , for including me in her exploration of the floral joys of May ! ]

Images: Grape Hyacinth photo supplied by Ida, antique postcard and stamps are from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

May Flowers: Aromatic Feast

A fellow mother, friend and mentor brings us an Aromatic Feast on this 18th day of May. Olfactory delights filled with blooming flowers along the East coast of the United States arrive via Aromatherapy educator Jade Shutes.


Images: Painting by Waterhouse, antique postcard stamps are from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

May Flowers: Tulips

Our bouquet on this fine Sun day arrives all the way from the Land of Nether in Het Groene Hart (the Green Heart) via artisan Thongbai Tatong. Delight in the beauty she shares with the iconic flower from her homeland and the inspiration of her Dutchie skirt.

May Flowers

Images: Opening painting Musicienne du silence by Arthur Hacker 1900, postage stamp is from one of the antique postcards which I have cleaned up and modified.

May Flowers: Queen Anne's Lace

A heart felt memory laced in dainty flowers to adorn the art muse. Perfect for a beautiful Spring day as we merrily, merrily, merrily journey down the stream with Jennifer of Sacred Cake.

Queen Anne's Lace

Images: Opening painting Young Girl by Jules Bastien-LePage, postage stamp is from one of the antique postcards which I have cleaned up.

Perfume Illuminated: Nasturtiums

The nasturtiums along the south side slope of our yard are finally returning with vigor. A few years back when the other neighbors lived there they decided to replace the fence and in the process the brutes pushed loads of dirt and stomped the nasturtiums and Santa Barbara daisies to death. Steadily, despite the gophers, both sweet flowers are once again gracing the slope with their magnificence.


The first nasturtiums I planted were when Eve was a tiny infant at the Encino house. I decided to create a medicinal and culinary garden in the back yard. A book suggested planting nasturtiums for children because they have nice big seed pods for tiny hands and the child is able to quickly see the results. In the garden I had planted flowers amongst the herbs and vegetables. Later I learned that Nasturtiums make good companion plants because they attract beneficial insects while repeling unwanted visitors.

Nasturtiums, or as my friend Rebecca once referred to them "Nasty Urtiums", are easy to grow adding beauty to the garden and a peppery quality to meals. The genus tropaeolum is native to South America, like me. First cultivated in the Andes of Peru the plant was referred to as Indian cress by the Europeans and later deemed Tropaeolum majus. The original flowers were yellow in color, although now they exist in a splendid variety.

A relative of the nasturtium flower is watercress which goes by the botanical name Nasturtium officinalis, sometimes causing confusion. The Latin root of the word nasturtium may have come from nsus/nasus meaning nose and tortre/tortus referring to torture or twist. This term "twist of the nose" refers to the expression on the face of the individual tasting the spicy edible.

This gleeful climber or bush with it's bright trumpet flowers is the topic of Perfume Illuminated today.

FRAGRANCE

The peppery taste of Nasturtiums is partly due to the amount of sun and heat the plant is exposed to. In varying shades of yellow to red, the little trumpet flowers and the disc like leaves act as solar panels absorbing the suns thermal energy. The result of this intake is the chemical component glucosinolates, which are also present in mustard oil.

When one stands amidst nasturtiums the aroma is a blend of green, fresh floral notes with a a bit of pepper. If you poke your nose into the flower the primary note is floral followed by a bit of musk, green and spice. The aroma of the leaves and stems has the same pungent quality with the floral component removed.

The little sample of Nasturtium absolute I was gifted by a distiller has none of the fresh green floral notes. The essence is a yellow mustard color and slightly viscous. The fragrance when first inhaled is slightly irritating to the eyes and nose with an extremely strong burnt, spicy vegetal musk. To my nose it reminds me of the smell of a Japanese restaurant when you first walk in the door. Where I perceived fresh green patchouli, galbanum and pepper notes in the musk of the green leaves, the musk component of the essence is as if it is weighted down by garlic. None of the luminescence of the plant appears in this absolute. Perhaps diluting the material would render a less pungent aroma.


Years ago when I first attempted a nasturtium perfume I tinctured the flowers. Regrettably the fresh, green floral notes were not harnessed. Perhaps it requires the daily swapping and replacement of flowers like a violet tincture, definitely worth a go.

***

Nasturtium Tincture

1/2 cup of leaves and or flowers, if you are using flowers remove the reproductive portion.
1 cup of perfumers alcohol or a high alcohol content brandy or vodka
Clean glass container with a tight fitting lid.

Begin by placing clean, dry, plant matter, the prima materia, inside the jar then proceed to cover with your alcohol. Make sure that all the plant matter is completely covered by the liquid to avoid challenges with mold. Steep your prima materia shaking daily if possible. After four to six weeks strain the material and use this as the base for a Nasturtium liquid perfume.

***

Nasturtium Vinegar from Herbal Gardens

1 cup nasturtium leaves, flowers, and buds
1 pint champagne or white wine vinegar

Place the ingredients in a clean clear glass jar or bottle. Tightly seal. Let sit for at least 3 weeks before using. Place a new nasturtium in the finished bottle for decoration, but you should make sure the vinegar always covers the flowers or they will mold. Makes 1 pint vinegar to use in salads, sauces and flavoring in other dishes.

***

Another route is to recreate the aroma with single notes and accords. Begin as I have suggested in previous posts, by experiencing the aroma and energetics of the plant first hand. Have faith in your scent perceptions even if they differ from others, including authorities in the industry. Pay attention to what the impressions of others are keeping your own in mind.


As mentioned above the main notes I perceived were floral, spicy, green and musk. When I create the nasturtium perfume I will begin by making a tincture as mentioned above and then creating four accords for each of the main notes: floral, green, musk and spice. The floral aspect is more like Mimosa than Ylang Ylang, Jasmine or Rose, thus consider using a Mimosa accord. For the Green accord I suggest essences like Violet leaf and Galbanum among others. The Dandelion accord is a definite candidate. The main spice note is in the realm of Pepper with Ginger and a heavily diluted Garlic essential oil. Be mindful if you are going to use garlic, the essential oil is one of the strongest on the planet, no kidding! Patchouli the ideal place to begin for the musk component.

FLAVOR: Beth Schreibman Gehring
Please continue reading about Nasturtiums at the Windesphere Witch blog

IMAGES: Opening Nasturtium and Nasturtium photo postcard ©RoxanaVilla, Nose and Mouth are old engravings that I have cleaned up and modified.