I'm Making My Own Extracts & You Can Too!

I've had a big bottle of cheapo vodka burning a hole in my cabinets for quite some time now!  My plan was to (a) make my own extracts, (b) make my own essential oils, and (c) make my own perfume.  I've had perfume-related fails before, as you may know, so I'm still trying to figure out how I want to do that.

Months ago, I bought some dried juniper berries which I've been wanting to turn into extract and essential oil, so that's my plan at this point.  Rather than sit around waiting for shit to happen and THEN blog about it, I decided to start now and do this entry in realtime.

Looks like a lot more than it actually is.

I used about an ounce of dried food-grade juniper berries for this little experiment, and about 8 ounces of vodka.  (Yeah, I'm making a lot!  I guess it'll be kind of like fake gin.)  The research I've done suggests using a bottle or jar with dark-colored glass as light can interfere with the integrity of the extract, but I've decided to settle for a family-sized plastic Ragu jar which I'll be keeping away from light.

The juniper berries will be absorbing the alcohol, which will then absorb all of the delicious juniper essence from the berries.  Juniper berries have a somewhat oily consistency on the inside, so they should yield a very nice extract in a relatively short amount of time.  I'll probably keep these marinating for about a week or two.  I may give the berries a good squish after about a week, but when the extract is finished, I will drain it and bottle it.  And don't worry, I won't forget to take pictures! :)

Febreze For People

The downside to having an awesome Body & Soul party was that I seem to have contracted some form of plague from one of our party guests.  I guess that the fun of that wonderful cooking and being psychic came with a price!

Anyway, this morning I'm off to our local clinic to get myself tested.  I've got a VIP houseguest in a few days, and I don't want to pass along the plague!

Sometimes, when you get sick and you're taking antibiotics OR you're reluctant to hop into the shower first thing in the morning because you worry about going outside with a wet head, you may want to hold off showering until later in the day.  Or, maybe you have some emergency errands that needs to be done PFQ.  Perhaps you've just finished a yoga class, but forgot about that important meeting which starts in (uh oh!) just 15 minutes!  Mayhaps you've woken up to no power or hot water (holy crap-oly!!)... Whatever the situation, there may just come a day where you're in need of some alternative solutions.  Don't worry, I'm way ahead of you.  It is in this spirit that I bring you my recipe for "Febreze for People."


INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup of your favorite lotion, preferably clean-smelling! Think citrus and/or minty!
2 tablespoons of denatured alcohol (rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer works fine)
3/8 cup of water
OPTIONAL: 1-2 drops of citrusy, tea tree, or mint essential oil

Mix everything together, except for the water.  Pour into an 8-oz(ish) spray bottle, top off with the water, and shake well.  Whenever you don't have time for a shower or bath, use this solution as a quick refresher.  Just spray it onto your body, wipe with any soft cloth, and rub in the excess.

Depending on the lotion, you can use it on your face (don't get in eyes) as an emergency makeup remover.  Don't use in your hair or it'll get way greasy -- if your hair feels icky, just use a bit of baby powder to freshen it before your important event.

Easiest Candle Making Technique Ever!

I love, love, love making candles!  It's one of the funnest and easiest crafts that I know of.  I mean, how can you go wrong?  Just melt a bit of candle wax, position your wick, add whatever colors or scents you like (crayons and essential oils or even perfume will work just fine), pour the whole thing together, and wait 'til it's firm.  I've been making my own candles since the 1990s and just love the entire process.  It makes me feel so creative and clever to use up my leftover waxes this way!  I also get the added satisfaction of knowing that my candle is unique; no one has quite the same color or scent that I do!

That said, pouring candles can be a real pain in the ass if you don't get it right.  The wax can form ugly lumps and bumps, you can find bubbles inside that compromise the burning smoothness, and sometimes the best-laid shapes will go awry.  And long, skinny candles -- well, forget pouring those!  Dipping takes too long (though admittedly, I have not tried it very thoroughly: maybe I'll do it sometime).

If you're a first-timer or you're in the market for an easy candle project, you can buy yourself some rolls of beeswax at your local craft store.  They also come in candle-making kits that couldn't be simpler.  Place your wick on one side of the wax sheet, roll it up, and Bob's your uncle.  It's lovely and takes only a few minutes.

In the same spirit as the roll-your-own-beeswax candle, I have created a terribly easy candle recipe that would make any star of the most recent episode of "Hoarders" stand and applaud vigorously. ;)

INGREDIENTS:
* Something for a wick (natural fiber string, rope, kitchen string, or buy yourself some commercial wick from the craft store.)
* One bag of your favorite wax-covered Laughing Cow cheese. (Bonbel and Babybel Light use red wax, and their Cheddar variety is coated in yellow wax.)

These candles are romantic and decadent,
not at all cheesy! Available in classic Babybel, or Cheddar.

Step 1.  Eat the cheese as you normally would, storing up all of the awesome wax!  Resist the urge to play with the wax... it's hard, but you need to restrain yourself.  Pick the wax apart so that it's in half-circles or anything flat.

Step 2.  [If you're very anal about germs: wash the wax in cold, slightly soapy water. Soak for a bit, rinse, then allow to air dry undisturbed over the course of a few days.  If you don't care about getting cheese particles in your candle -- and trust me, it's not all that much anyway -- read on...]

Step 3.  Cut your wax into strips and wind it around your wick.  After you've made a nice long, tall strip, wind more wax strips around your first coat.  (It is this step where you can rub a bit of scented oil over your wax strips if you like -- I did roses on mine, and now they smell like roses dipped in cheese.)

Step 4.  Repeat until all of your wax is gone, or your candle is sized and shaped the way you want it.

Step 5.  Put in a candleholder (or a glass filled with pretty stones, as shown) and light, enjoying the dark romantic ambience of your super-easy craft!

Things We Love: Febreze ScentStories!

I have to admit that I'm completely obsessed with Febreze Scentstories. For those of you who don't know, or have never tried it, this machine is a brilliant way to dispense lovely scents in your home without using candles, sprays, or other items.

I've always been into aromatherapy -- candles and incense are huge addictions of mine. When I first started seeing commercials for the Scentstories machine in 2004, I thought it seemed interesting at best. The concept seems simple enough: Just insert the scent discs into the machine and press Play; every 20 minutes, the disc will change to a new fragrance. I've tried all of the Scentstories discs, and have bought all of them at least twice -- with the exception of the limited-edition "Breezes on a Clothesline" variety; this rare disc only comes with a special-edition Christmas Scentstories machine. But yes, I bought a new machine JUST to try it. It wasn't bad, just a little bit fabric softener-y. (Would I buy another machine to try it again? Sheepishly I admit, that yes, I would... if I happened to need a new machine!)

My first Scentstories machine, which was the very first incarnation of the product, lasted about a year before I needed to replace it. The mechanism worked just fine, but over time the motor began to struggle, and it was a VERY loud, annoying sound. I'd sit on the phone with a friend, and no sooner would I press "PLAY" than my conversation partner would ask, "Exactly WHAT are you doing right now?" (Yeah, it was that loud!) Newer machines are much more lightweight than the older versions. The color scheme, which was dusty blues over dark greys (much more my taste), are now a lighter blue and pearly white. The cord is less unwieldy, the plug seems lighter, and the machines run much more quietly. My second one also lasted longer. (In fact, it's still quite functional; I thought it didn't play the discs as well, but I'm now wondering if perhaps I was overusing the discs.)

Since I had to buy a machine just to play the "limited edition" disc, I decided to replace my second Scentstories machine recently. My problem is, now I'm having trouble finding the discs! I used to find them at places like CVS and Target (... a certain privately-owned drugstore in NYC even yielded 5 "Celebrate the Holidays" discs), but over the past year or so... nothing. Absolutely no discs are anywhere to be found! If you love the vanilla discs or "Wandering Barefoot on the Shore," you can probably find them on eBay for somewhere around $10-$15 a pop (including shipping). If you're really lucking, you may run into my favorite discs: "Relaxing in a Hammock," "Strolling Through the Garden," or the original and completelyt wonderful "Exploring a Mountain Trail." And on a super-duper good day, you may even find the rares: a disc of tropical scents (not bad), a Shania Twain "springtime" disc (can't remember how that was), the holiday disc (my least favorite), or... maybe even that limited-edition yet highly-coveted "Breezes on a Clothesline." But you'll be probably be paying through the nose and up the ass for them. I've been worried for the fate of this awesome concept... I use my Scentstories machine every night, enjoying the comforting whir and light scent of whatever's playing. Even though my discs have worn thin, I've got a small stash of new ones that I'm saving for a rainy day. So the idea that Scentstories is on the way out, well, that's been worrying me.

A search for Scentstories products on Google was most helpful, though: It appears as though the Yankee Candle Company has leased the Scentstories technology and is producing discs for the machines again -- with Yankee Candle scents -- and now there's more to choose from than ever!! I am unfamiliar with Yankee Candle scents, but with disc themes like "Autumn Celebration," Fresh Breeze," "Merry Christmas," and "Farmer's Market," I'm sure that even the most die-hard Scentstories fans will find something good to enjoy. The prices are a little higher -- Yankee charges $7.50 per disc, as opposed to ScentStories $5-$6 a pop. But since the original discs are going sky-high on eBay now, and that's pretty much the only place you can find 'em, the Yankee discs are looking better and better.