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      News — Flower Power

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      Plant a Magical Tea Garden

      Plant a Magical Tea Garden

      Wanting to invite a bit of plant magic into your life?  Consider planting a tea garden.   I love to drink herbal teas and for the past few years I've been making my own.  This is especially lovely in the summer growing months as you can wander in your garden picking flowers and leaves to steep.  Each day you pick you get a slightly different blend.  That’s the start of the magic.  Once your batch of petals have steeped you have a delicious and refreshing drink.  Perfect hot, lukewarm or with ice.  One pot is good for the day.

      Learn how to create your own magical tea brew with herbs and flowers.

       

      You don’t need to invest a lot of money for this delightful activity.  Plants for sure and also a teapot with a stainless steel strainer.  You could use a smaller tea strainer but a teapot with a larger strainer means you can use bigger pieces and not worry about stems.  A well crafted teapot is an excellent investment.

      Herbal tea magic starts with a teapot and stainless steel strainer.

       

      Beyond the sheer pleasure of drinking your homemade brew making your own tea is an act of sustainability.  “Believe it or not, the humble teabag often contains a non-biodegradable plastic called polypropylene, which releases billions of microplastic particles every time you brew a cuppa.”  We are learning more each day about how invasive plastic is in our daily life and any chance we get to eliminate plastic is an opportunity we should take.  In the long run, you will also save money while  adding a bit of pleasure and ritual to your day.   Tea making will become an act you look forward to.   

      Magical tea brewing is good for the environment.

       

      Here’s a list of my favorite plants.  No worries if you don’t have a lot of space, these plants will do fine in a container.

      Peppermint- this is the backbone of my herb blend.  Super fresh taste and very, very easy to grow- that means it can be invasive so choose your spot carefully.  What I love about the mints besides being easy to grow is they add bulk as well as flavor.

       Fancy mint- this can be a flavored mint, my favorite is Pineapple but there are many varieties.  Wander the herb aisle at your favorite garden shop to find the variety for you.  In my garden zone these tend to be a bit tender and often will not over winter.

      Chamomile-  has a mellow, gentle flavor slightly “appley” flavor and known to help you relax, even get sleepy.  You can scatter seeds and lightly cover with soil or transplant.  Chamomile often selfs sows so keep your eye out the following spring.

      Calendula- this bright orang/yellow flower is pure sunshine and happiness.  Their favor is a bit spicy and peppery adding a nice tang to your brew.  It’s a very sturdy, forgiving plant and can adapt to a lot of different soil types and selfs sows.

      Lavender- has a bright floral flavor, too much is considered “soapy” but it’s one of my favorite additions to my brew.  It’s important to pick the right variety for your area as it’s a perennial.  Be sure to ask at your garden center for the variety that’s right for your area.

      The magic of growing flowers and herbs for tea

      Brewing your own tea is an easy way to add a peaceful ritual to your day, add a bit of flavor to your life and to enjoy a plastic free, very sustainable drink. ENJOY!

      No No November

      No No November
      During No No November do what nourishes you. For each person that will be different. For me- it's yoga and walking my dog.  I also need to "slow down my yes".  I say "yes" to things that should make me feel good but end up making me feel stressed because there are only so many hours in a day. 

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      Self Care in the Age of Anxiety

      Self Care in the Age of Anxiety

      "We all have a Super Hero inside us" but sometimes that hero needs a bit of self care.

      What exactly is self care?  It's taking care of yourself.  I find when I'm juggling home, family, job and now the fate of our country that "me" is the daily loser.  When I get busy my yoga class and my daily recharge by the ocean dog walk are the first things to go.  Next is eating good and good for me food.

      I also have a low but constant level of anxiety that's hard to shake.  Sh*t just keeps happening and it's hard to unplug.  So much has happened in the past months that I forget about events, comments and laws that outraged me.  Some new crisis overtakes the news, freaks me out and makes it hard for me to balance myself.

      Here are some easy tips to help you take care of yourself so you can care for others and our country.

      Sleep- routines can help, unplug electronics, try a few yoga stretches, brew a pot of herbal tea, read a bit of a book.  One routine I love at night is massaging our Bring on the Z balm to the bottom of my feet once I'm in bed for good.  It helps the essential oils get into your bloodstream and everyone's feet need a bit of love.

      Unplug from the news- it's hard I know but try your best.  Find a series on Netflix for some bing watching to help get some news relief.

      Cook and tidy the house- making good healthy food and clearing away the clutter can help calm your mind and use up some of that nervous energy.

      Get outside- this is so important, we need sunshine and nature to stay grounded.

      Exercise- getting your body moving helps clear out the mental cobwebs.

      Talk to folks and smile and strangers.  We all need to feel connected.

      We put together a "Self Care in the Age of Anxiety" kit filled with good for you products to help you de-stress and recharge.  We have a special price for purchasing two, one for you and one for a fellow sister.

        The kit contains-

      "Girl Hold My Earrings" sticker

      Sample Pack of Shower Shots- aromatherapy right in the shower and a scent for every mood.

      #resist creme- #racism, #resist sexism, #resist wrinkles.

      Be Kind Lip Treatment- because our words matter.

      Too Much Botanical Oils- a bit of calm in our hectic world.

      Hot and Healing Balm- after hitting the streets give your feet a treat.

       

      Body Oils for Summer Skin

      Body Oils for Summer Skin

      We are skincare chefs at Dulse & Rugosa.  We enjoy food- eating and cooking so making handcrafted skincare is a natural transition.  For nourishing and hydrating your skin we make both butters and oils.  What's the difference?

      Butters are whipped and similar to a lovely butter creme frosting on top of a luscious  cake.

      Body oils are blended and compare to a well crafted salad dressing.  Especially if your summers are hot and muggy or while traveling botanical oils are perfect. Why?  They don't melt.  You can leave them in the car, pop them in a suitcase and keep you summer skin hydrated, moisturized while looking and feeling great.

      Body oils are super easy to use.  As with most natural skincare products they work best on slightly damp skin.  Apply after your shower or bath and give about 5 minutes for the oil to be absorbed.  Our Hydrating Body Oil is a careful blend of oils designed to be quickly absorbed into your skin with the added benefits of botanicals indigenous to the coast of Maine.

      Our newest product our Face Serum is a fresh bouquet of flowers for your face. Designed for faces that need extra love by way of moisture it's very beneficial when used before bed.  If water is one of the first ingredients listed on your current face creme you'll be pleasantly surprised by how little of our Face Serum you need to feel wonderful.  

      Adding botanical oils to your skincare routine won't just benefit your skin but also your overall well being.  Our Hydrating Body Oil is a walk in Acadia National Park, with hand picked botanicals added to each bottle.   Rose petals, chamomile and Irish Moss are simply lovely.  Take a few extra moments to gently massage oils into your skin and enjoy a few moments of aromatherapy bliss.  Sometimes in our busy, stressful lives we forget how beneficial it can be to our overall mental well being to do a small but significant act for ourselves.  Make body oils a part of your summer skin care routine and enjoy some happy.