I don’t share a lot of mushy stuff here, but I *just have* to share this- I am really proud of my daughter Bella.
She is 11, and even though just a kid, she is willing to work hard for what she wants out of life!
She has taken the entrepreneurial spirit to heart and makes her own products (Mermaid inspired headbands and barrettes) and sells them on her website and ETSY store. She also has a Facebook page- Please stop by and say hello, she would love your support! I love to see kids work hard for what they want and place value on their dreams.
Essential oils have been used globally for centuries and are considered to be some of the first medicines ever used. They have been used in religious rituals, with treatment for various illnesses, and to overcome many physical, spiritual, and emotional issues.
Research dates the use of essential oils back to 4500 BC. Ancient Egyptians were the first to discover the potential of fragrance, and records demonstrate that oils and aromatics were used for treating illness and performing rituals and religious ceremonies in temples and pyramids. In fact, three oils that are still commonly used today—cedarwood, myrrh, and frankincense—were used in the embalming process.[1]
According to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and Chinese manuscripts, priests and physicians used oils thousand of years before the time of Christ. There are more than 188 references to oils in the Bible, and some precious oils like frankincense, myrrh, rosemary, cassia, and cinnamon were used for…
You may not be familiar with this incredible oil, but helichrysum oil is known for its ability to relieve mental exhaustion, stress, and mild depression.
Plus, it stimulates the right hemisphere of the brain, which enhances artistic and creative expression. With a strong fruity/straw scent, light yellow to red color and thin texture, this aromatic herb makes a low-key but highly effective remedy for stomach spasms, allergies, and excess water retention.
This essential oil can help heal stretch marks, skin blemishes, and scars due to wounds, boils, and rashes. Muscle aches and pains as well as digestive issues are relieved when the oil is diluted in a bath or inhaled during aromatherapy.
A few drops of helichrysum oil and rose hip oil can banish acne and heal wounds with minimal scarring. Some loyal users claim it reduces signs of aging by keeping the skin smooth and wrinkle free.
A few drops of the oil on burns as soon after the incident as possible will speed up the healing process. When impact injuries occur, apply the oil as quickly as possible to reduce swelling and reduce the healing time. Helichrysum oil is the only essential oil that contains di-ketones, which play a major role in scar tissue reduction and skin healing.
Helichrysum essential oil therapeutic properties:
Anti-Spasmodic: Helps in relieving headaches, migraines, asthma, bronchitis and irritable bowels.
Anti-Haematoma: Helps in dissolving blood clots and aids healing of the surrounding tissues.
Anti-Inflammatory: Very effective in treating cuts, burns, infections and rheumatoid arthritis.
Cicatrisant: This property makes your wounds and cuts heal and scars disappear. It is equally effective on spots left on your skin by pox, boils, etc.
Cytophylactic: It encourages recycling of dead cell and production of new cells. This property can be particularly beneficial for skin care, especially when used in rejuvenating facial oils.
Relaxant and Anti-Depressant: Curbs negative emotions and stimulates positive thoughts and actions.
I love that historically Basil has been used to symbolize hatred, yet it is also used as a symbol for love. I wonder if this is where the term love hate relationship comes from? Did you know there are more than 30 distinct and intensely aromatic varieties of basil?
The first recorded mention of basil, in records dated to pre-206 B.C.E, states that it “exists only to drive men insane.” For the Greeks, and later the Romans, basil was associated with hatred.
To grow the most potent plants they believed the seeds needed to be sown with swearing and ranting. (sounds like they were watching me pull weeds in the summertime ha!) However, basil later became a symbol of love in Italy, to the point that Giovanni Boccaccio used it to symbolize the tragic love between Lisabetta and Lorenzo in The Decameron. Sicilian folklore associates it with both love and death, and in Moldavian folklore a young man who accepts basil from a young woman will fall in love with her.
Europe in general is rather conflicted on the subject of basil. Parkinson’s 17th century herbal says it can “procure a cheerful and merry heart” while Culpeper’s links it to poison through the observation of its effects in drawing venom out of wounds and the proclamation that “like draws to like.” He even goes so far as to say that basil can generate scorpions, possibly even inside someone’s skull. This scorpion connection is often linked to the Greek story of the basilisk, which in turn is linked to basil in the name basilicum. In some folklore, basil is said to have been used to ward off both the look and bite of this king of serpents.
Perhaps reflecting the plant’s conflicted history, the Victorian language of flowers has two meaning for basil: common basil signifies hatred and sweet basil conveys the sender’s best wishes.
To the ancient Romans, it was a symbol of hatred, yet basil eventually became a token of love in Italy. Young maidens would wear a sprig of basil in their hair to profess their availibility. In some regions of Italy, basil is known as “kiss-me-Nicholas.” One can only wonder if the conflicting symbolism of basil in Rome is the origin of a love-hate relationship?
The royal herb is regarded in a similar manner in Romania where if a boy accepts a sprig of basil from a girl, it means they are engaged to be married.
In Greece today, basil is readily grown as an ornamental and is used in certain religious rituals as a symbol of fertility..
It’s one of my favorite herbs! I love the flavor and the fragrance so much so that we offer a candle and perfume in our Blackberry Basil fragrance. What does it smell like? I’m so glad you asked…
It is a delicious mix of rich sweetness! Sun kissed Blackberries entwined with green leaves, white musk and the unexpected herbal zing of basil. The rich, winey Blackberry takes predominance over the edible leaves and lightly anise-scented basil. It is a fresh, fruity, wild and sensual scent, blending fresh sweetness with a dry herbal accord.
We would love to share with you something we have been working on. Here is a picture of our Memorial Candles that were commissioned by a Blue Moon Candles customer to send to the families of the Sandy Hook tragedy.
Custom Memorial Candles
Each Candle features their name, Angel Wings (boys with a blue wash, girls with pink and teachers silver), and one of two poems. These candles are made with all natural wax and an essential oil blend of Lavender & Vanilla for peacefulness.
Emotionally it was difficult for me making these candles, as I thought of each name, each person-I can only begin to imagine the loss each family endures. As a mother my heart is broken for them.
As I made these, I took the time to pray for the families and send all the love and positive energy I could their way. I hope these candles bring them light, and a peaceful mood for them to remember each loved one.
The angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hand of God. ~Quoted in The Angels’ Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran
Wishing you all peace tonight…kiss your loved ones, hold them tight and tell them how very dear to you they truly are.
I found this edible magic on The Girl Who Ate Everything blog! Lot’s of good stuff to check out on her blog-it is one of my new favorites, I bet you will like it too!
Ingredients:
42 Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds (32 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 275°. Line standard muffin pans with liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner.
Beat cream cheese at medium speed using an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla.
Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving. Best served really cold! You can garnish with fresh whipped cream and crumbled Oreos if desired.
Makes 30 cheesecakes.
yep…making these!
Hope you and yours have a Very HAPPY Thanksgiving!
What a fantastic idea! The very thought stirs my scent loving soul… I wish I was closer so I could attend. Although if I were making real wishes I would wish to share a bottle of red wine with Chandler Burr and talk scent for an afternoon.
I personally disagree with his idea that “a thing must be artificial; it is impossible to create art entirely with nature”—but I understand the point he is making.
Art by Katerina Silva Follow her talented work here: https://www.facebook.com/KatarinaSilvaArt
I love all kinds of fragrance; traditional as well as all natural.
There is room in my world and my shop for both! What fragrances move your soul?
Leave us a comment to join the discussion.
For me this fall I am continuing my love affair with Cinnamon.
Just made this easy delicious Crab Nacho recipe for my Mermaid so I thought I’d share… hope you like it as much as we did!
ingredients:
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces whipped cream cheese
1 Lb. cups lump crab meat (fresh is best, but imitation as well as canned can work)
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers – or – 2 tbsp. canned mild green chilies
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
tortilla or pita chips
a dollop of sour cream, diced table onion, and black olive to garnish (optional)
In a medium microwave safe bowl combine crab, cream cheese and seasonings. Stir gently and microwave at 30 second intervals till warm. Line an oven proof plate with chips, spoon on the crab mix and top with cheese…pop into the oven to melt cheese and sever warm and gooey. Share and feast!
*As a side note you can add anything YOU like to make great variations…limes, shrimp, veggies, cabbage…get creative!
I don’t know about you, but I am SO over this heat and ready for fall! One of my favorite things about Autumn is fragrance.
But are there any alternatives available if you don’t like or can’t use synthetic scents?
I originally searched out nature based scents for my Candles because I know many people (like my daughter Bella) are allergic to some synthetic fragrances. (We offer naturally fragranced candle choices if you have the same sensitivities).
But did you know you can simmer things to make your house smell divine and all the ingredients you need may be in your kitchen right now? It’s fun, and the list is as only limited by your imagination!
Here is our current favorite: a pot of water simmering, 2-3 lemons, a handful of rosemary from the garden and 2 capfuls (sometimes more if Bella has anything to say about it) of vanilla extract.
There are many ways to release the fragrance. You can simmer it in a saucepan like I did (just be sure to keep an eye on the water level so it does not run dry and burn…that does NOT smell good). You can also pour all the ingredients into a crock pot to slowly simmer all day adding water as needed.
This coming fall season I hope we can help you fall in love with the transformational and earthy scent of Essential Oils.
Natural oils are something we wish to promote and offer as a valuable option to the chemical laden scents on the market today. Nature’s Essential oils smell wonderful AND they can aid healing, help balance emotions and transform mood with just a few sniffs!
Everyone loves to get a massage, but sometimes we forget how healing simple touch can be.
Ancient people knew of the skin balancing and healing use of Essential Oils, it seems to me we should re-learn some of these natural tricks instead of our chemical and process laden drugstore offerings.
Here is a quick easy recipe for a Foot Soak we love that you can do at home yourself. It feels blissful during these hot merciless end of summer days!
You will need: Neroli, Lavender & Chamomile essential oils. (Can be purchased online or at your local health food store).
Add 4-8 drops of each oil to a large bowl filled with water. Stir the water to mix the oils. Soak your feet for 15 minutes to give your skin time to absorb some of these wonderful oils and relax!
Only once in a BLUE MOON will you find Candles and Perfume like this on SALE for prices like this!Check our website for details.
We want to celebrate this rare occurrence with limited time Blue Moon Fragrances!
OK…Are YOU ready for the BLUE MOON tonight? We are *SO* excited we are featuring these fragrances and having a great sale starting NOW!
Limited time fragrances: Blue Moon: Only once in a Blue Moon will you find a fragrance this good! Custom Blended here-you will not find this exclusive candle ANYWHERE else! Strong, sweet, dark and smoky, perfect for fall nights. Rich sweet caramel, infused with a dash of cardamom and a hints of honeyed tobacco pipe smoke. Bellissimo!
Aqua Di Luna:Top notes of lavender, rosemary and menthe are freshened by bergamot. Middle notes of jasmine, geranium, sandalwood, iris and oakmoss lead to bottom notes of musk and ambergris.High Tide: Let the Moon’s pull lure you into this fantastic fragrance… Newly fallen coconuts halved to reveal creamy, sweet perfection!
Blue Mousse: The perfect decadent dark chocolate! Blended intense raw cocoa, a splash of sweet cream and just a hint of torched sugar… drool worthy!
The Blue Hour: The blue hour comes from the French expression l’heure bleue, which refers to the period of twilight each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. The time is considered special because of the quality of the light at this time of day. Soft Sweet Pea, Blackcurrant for contrast and Bilberries for charm, the deep warmth of Rosewood, gentle Almondwood, richest Sandalwood and French cedar. Transformational.
Full Moon: Almost impossible to describe, this strong and complex fragrance oil has notes of resins, patchouli, vetiver, myrrh, herbs, woods grasses and anise. It has a smoky depth accented with a fresh and herbal top-note, and has unisex appeal. Perfect for dancing in the light of a full moon.
Celtic MoonSpice: A wonderfully fragrant blend of warm spices, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. This reminds me of being snuggled inside a cabin in front of a cozy fireplace on a cold crisp fall night.
“O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb…” -Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, 2:2:115
The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand. ~Frederick L. Knowles
There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls. ~George Carlin, Brain Droppings, 1997
Moonlight is sculpture. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery. ~Joseph Conrad
Look how the pale queen of the silent night
Doth cause the ocean to attend upon her….
~Charles Best, “A Sonnet of the Moon”
How like a queen comes forth the lonely Moon
From the slow opening curtains of the clouds
Walking in beauty to her midnight throne!
~George Croly, Diana
Give me my Romeo; and, when I shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
~William Shakespeare
Full Moon Candle Sale! FREE Shipping on any order totaling $50 or more, 20% Off on both of our Black Container Candles and both sizes of our Luxury Container Candles *AND* a FREE perfume sample with Every order! Sale starts NOW and lasts until Sunday 8-5 at Midnight! EMAIL your order/shipping address to lisa@bluemooncandles.com to have the discount applied.
How do you celebrate? We are creating a new Candle, Perfume and cupcakes too! Pictures for the products will air between now and Monday on our Website as well as here and our Facebook page.
Did you know that the Megalodon was the biggest prehistoric shark that ever lived?! It was the biggest predatory marine creature in the history of the planet.
Megalodon Jaws Museum of Natural History
The Megalodon shark earned its name “giant tooth” for their monstrously large choppers! Over half a foot long, serrated, and heart-shaped (by comparison, the biggest teeth of a Great White Shark are only about three inches long).
Sharks are constantly shedding their teeth over the course of a lifetime–Megalodon teeth have been found all over the world, from antiquity to modern times.
In 2008, a joint research team from Australia and the U.S. used computer simulations to calculate Megalodon’s biting power. The results can only be described as terrifying: whereas a modern Great White Shark chomps with about 1.8 tons of force, Megalodon chomped down on its prey with a force of between 10.8 and 18.2 tons–enough to crush the skull of a prehistoric whale as easily as a grape.
Megalodon’s size has been a matter of debate. Over the past century, paleontologists have come up with estimates ranging from 40 to 100 feet, but the consensus today is that adults were 55 to 60 feet long and weighed as much as 100 tons!
Shark fossils are extremely rare because sharks have no bones, only cartilage, which does not fossilize well. Their teeth, however, are very hard. Their teeth are made of a bone-like material coated with hard enamel and they fossilize very well. Megalodon teeth are similar to those of the Great White Shark, but are much bigger, thicker, and with finer serrations.
Scott & Bella were sent this Megalodon tooth from their friend Teresa Shaw at Aquatic Pleasures Dive Center in North Carolina. It was discovered during their dive at Meg Ledge off the coast in Wilmington North Carolina about 24-40 miles off shore in 100-110 foot deep water. The day of the dive Aquatic Pleasures Dive Center recovered hundreds. You can contact them direct at their website www.DiveNowWorkLater.com to purchase one, or better yet-Dive with them to find one yourself! They have another dive scheduled June 16th and 17th-book your spot TODAY and create your own adventure!
For every inch of tooth (tip at gum line point to tip of end of tooth) is approximately 10-12 ft of shark. This tooth is about 5 inches so this came from a massive shark.
It is awe inspiring to me that you can hold a bit of pre historic history in your hand. Part of a savage beast that lurked in the deep and terrorized the seas all those years ago, the perfect gift for any Sea lover.
The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
Although this post has nothing to do with Candles, it touched my soul and reminds me of the extremes some people will go to, to do the Right thing. I thought I would share it in the hopes that it would stir your soul as well.
Let us never forget! The world hasn’t just become wicked…it’s always been wicked.. The prize doesn’t always go to the most deserving.
During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist.. She had an ‘ulterior motive’.
She KNEW what the Nazi’s plans were for the Jews (being German). Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger
kids)…She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.
During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.
She was caught, and the Nazi’s broke both her legs, arms and beat her
severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.
In 2007 Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected.
Al Gore won — for a slide show on Global Warming.
Later another politician, Barack Hussein Obama, won for his work as a community organizer for ACORN.
Now, more than ever, with Iran , and others, claiming the HOLOCAUST to be ‘a myth’. It’s imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again. Remember….
Would you take a stand at your own risk if the need arose? Words for thought…
Candlemas is a celebration of light, the day of candles!
In many cultures today February 2nd is celebrated as Candlemas, this day represents when Mary presented Jesus to God in the temple, 40 days after Christmas. Candlemas occurs at a period between the December solstice and the March equinox, so many people traditionally marked that time of the year as winter’s “halfway point” while waiting for the spring.
Many Christians believe that Jesus’ mother Mary presented him to God at the Temple in Jerusalem after observing the traditional 40-day period of purification (of mothers) following his birth. According to a New Testament gospel, a Jewish man named Simeon held the baby in his arms and said that he would be a light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32). It is for this reason that this event is called Candlemas.
Candles for the coming year are taken to churches to be blessed and burned in homes to celebrate the return of Light.
Snowdrops (galanthas nivalis) are known as Candlemas Bells because they often bloom early in the year, even before Candlemas. Some varieties bloom all winter (in the northern hemisphere). The superstitious used to believe that these flowers should not be brought into the house prior to Candlemas. However, it is also believed in more recent times that these flowers purify a home.
According to folklore, an angel helped these Candlemas bells to bloom and pointed them as a sign of hope to Eve, who wept in repentance and in despair over the cold and death that entered the world. Many Christians see the flower as a symbol of Jesus Christ being this hope for the world. Candles that are lit during Candlemas also symbolize Jesus as the “light of the world”.
Imbolic- making way for the beginning of spring. Imbolc is associated with divination, being perceived as a time when the veils between worlds are thinner. One of the more common winter/spring divination rituals is Ground Hog Day. On February 2nd, it is said that a ground hog that comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow foretells six more weeks of winter weather. No shadow on this day and spring is right around the corner. Most Americans are only familiar with the media glare cast on “Punxsutawney Phil” and a small Pennsylvania town each year, not realizing the more complex European roots of this rite. This practice came with German settlers, the Pennsylvania Dutch, who adapted their own hedgehog observations to a close American native.
Candlemas can remind us that we too have that light within us…
She has taken the entrepreneurial spirit to heart and makes her own products (Mermaid inspired headbands and barrettes) and sells them on her website and ETSY store. She also has a Facebook page- Please stop by and say hello, she would love your support! I love to see kids work hard for what they want and place value on their dreams.
Here is a link to our last year’s style Candle.
Wax Poetic~Blue Moon Candle's Blog~ 