“Buttercups and daisies, / Oh, the pretty flowers; / Coming ere the Springtime, / To tell of sunny hours.” – Mary Howitt (1799-1888), Buttercups and Daisies
“May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day.” – Native American Proverb
Happy first day of spring, y’all! We celebrated the changing of the seasons at Crystal Cove Beach and Historic District. They are currently featuring en plein air paintings by local artists. This charming beachside village has an eclectic and fun past. People used to camp every summer on the beaches when Pacific Coast Highway was completed in 1926, connecting Corona del Mar to Laguna Beach. These days, you can rent a historic cottage. You can enjoy local dining options such as The Beachcomber and Ruby’s Shake Shack. Don’t forget to shop small at The Store at Crystal Cove. Their proceeds benefit the local alliance that preserves the land and educates the public.
In honor of Groundhog Day, we’d like to share our prediction for an early spring or late winter. Here in California, we’ve had unusually warm weather. We hope that sunshine will spread quickly nationwide for a full spring blossom. These flowers were grown and dried in our garden. We hope that you, too, are eager to share the sweet aroma of freshly grown flowers. As Valentine’s Day approaches, consider purchasing flowers that you can grow all year long to enjoy and share.
Chisme Chick is now offering gift wrap options for our array of products. These handmade tags were dipped in coffee to provide a rustic look and soft aroma. You can customize a handwritten script message that is tied with twine. We can also add a touch from our garden with freshly cut leaves or a sprig of lavender.
California is known for its eternal sunshine. This close-up perspective of the Kalanchoe flower buds shows new growth. When you have a home-grown garden, you notice all the changes that the soil produces. From lush spring florals to dormant winters, nature shows a variety of transitions.
As we begin 2015, I like to remember that our lives, too, will be marked by the seasons. I recently spent some time in the garden reflecting on the paths of life. It is important to consider the roads we have taken and the ones we want to follow. When we succeed or fail, it is wise to remember that these are temporal experiences. We can’t control these events, but we can manage our outlook. Abraham Lincoln said, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” In a season of new beginnings, we can remember that these lessons can help us blossom into renewed individuals.
“No creature is fully itself till it is, like the dandelion, opened in the bloom of pure relationship to the sun, the entire living cosmos.” -D.H. Lawrence
Our little trinket necklace contains dandelion seeds to capture your wishes. It is part of our “Things We Love” Collection. This glass bottle is hand wrapped with wire. The golden chain measures 25in.
After a long day, nothing soothes the senses like a splash of lavender. Egyptians also used oils as a base to create perfumes.[1] The pleasant aroma saturated rooms. Oil was placed in a pomade which was shaped into a cone.[2] They put it on top of an Egyptian’s head mainly at banquets. Throughout the event, the cone would melt and release fragrance. By the end of the night, scented oil would have been dripping down the sides of one’s face and was absorbed in the clothing. Perfume was an integral part of Egyptian society and was used by all classes.[3]
Inspired by this history, we created a simple homemade body mist. Mix 4oz. of water and 24 drops of lavender essential oil. You can purchase the oil at specialty grocery stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods Market. We spruced up this fragrance by adding a sprig of real lavender and created a hand-drawn label.
[1] A. Lucas, “Cosmetics, Perfumes and Incense in Ancient Egypt,” The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, May 1930, 41-53.
[2] Miriam Stead, Egyptian Life (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1986), 47.
[3] Ibid., 51.
These home-grown pink hydrangeas are the perfect burst of color for a centerpiece. The popular flower grows in a bush with an array of pink to blue hues. This picture features an antique double-handle sugar bowl which has been repurposed as a vase. It has been a great conversation piece during afternoon teas.
