All Is Calm All Is Bright

All Is Calm All Is Bright

Its the most wonderful time of the year!

Ahh! The Holidays...

It has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I have wonderful childhood memories of gathering at my grand parents house on Christmas. And when we opened our presents, it was a few special gifts and that was all we needed.

The silver tinsel tree was decorated beautifully and we waited for Santa to arrive.

We always went to Christmas Day Mass, which back then was in latin.

I remember all of us each getting a Slinky on Christmas,(if anyone remembers what they are) and that`s dating myself.  One Christmas my sister wanted a real cash register, she got a play one, but that was enough (Retail Was Always In Her Blood) I remember one Christmas I asked for a Chrissy doll and Santa came through for me, (Red Hair That You Could Make Grow.) I was beside myself. (I Really Did Believe Then.)

Christmas morning we had stockings full of oranges, nuts, and a few special treats.

My grandmother would spend all day in the kitchen before Christmas baking jelly cookies by the dozen, and cakes and pies, watching us children while my Mom was at work. Her patience grew thin at times, but their was always love.

My mother is and will always be my biggest role model as an angel on earth,(She Has Earned Her Angel Wings Many Times)the biggest heart in the world,strong,hard working and raising her children for many years alone. Back in the days it was a terrible thing to be in her position. Times were hard, but people worked harder, they held their heads high, no matter what. She made our Christmas,and every day, just by being Mom...

This is where I get my values from. Its really all you need, good values and lots of love...

Christmas has become too commercialized, lets bring it back to what it was meant to be about.

FAMILY

Now I will share a few vignettes in my home, because 

I LOVE CHRISTMAS

 My Mirrored Antique Window

 My Australian Shepherd  Cocoa Decked Out As Santa Dog

 Dining Room Table

 Ironstone Candleholders

Dining Room Christmas Tree 

 Entry Way Side Table Vignette

 Fireplace Mantel

 Shelf Above My Desk

 The Sign I Found In An Antique Store Years Ago That Makes Me Smile Even On My Worst Day

My Grandmother`s Goebel figurines

 And 

Last

But

Not

Least

 The 

Word

For

   The Holidays...

JOY

Think of how many ways you can use the word   

JOY   

through out the holiday season...

The Christmas Story
To
Be
    Continued.....

As Always Keep It Clean!

JoAnn

Au Naturelle

When you buy from a small business, you are likely supporting a hard working mom, or an entrepreneurial mom, or perhaps a wife and husband team who are literally clawing and fighting their way through a Walmart and/or Target obsessed world, trying to provide for their families. Don`t get me wrong, we all love the big stores and we are dependent on them for most things. But don`t forget about those independent, free spirited creative souls out there that are just trying to show their talents and support their families.Your support allows that determined individual to continue persuing their dreams. Do you have dreams? I’m sure you do. Small business owners fought the fear of failure and are working everyday to live that dream.

Many small business owners also work second jobs, part time or full time, they have families, children and work many hours in and outside of their homes. They are just promoting their creative talents hoping to sell a product that they love to create and hope that a buyer will appreciate as much as they love creating it. Simple as it may sound, it is a constant job. 

Please support all small businesses this holiday season. Take a moment to check websites such as Etsy for original talented artists of all spectrums of the artisan field. Just to name a few, woodworkers, ceramic artisans, knitting, crochet, candle making and last but not least, all natural skincare. This is not even scratching the surface, there are so many talented individuals out there just trying to make a difference.

They are brave, ever so talented and forever proving that individualism is so very important.

in·di·vid·u·al·ism

ˌindəˈvij(o͞o)əˌlizəm/

noun

1. 1.

   the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant.

   • 
     
2. 2.

   a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.

Please support independent artisans this holiday season!

 And As Always 

Keep It Clean

JoAnn

Au Naturelle

The Holidays Are Upon Us!

Its hard to believe we are already in November with the holidays upon us!

With Thanksgiving looming right around the corner, and Christmas to swiftly follow.

I am starting to prepare the shop for gift giving ideas!

As always I have plenty of soap and candles!

I have been adding some holiday themed scented sachets.

New this holiday season is the silver dove lavender sachets.

 Always a big hit for office party gifts, stocking stuffers and the such!

Check out the shop for more gift ideas for the holidays!

Just click on the link

Au Naturelle

That`s all for today 

as always

Keep It Clean!

JoAnn

What A Beautiful Time Of Year !!!

What a fantastic time of year Fall is !!!

As the years go by it seems I appreciate the beauty around me more and more everyday. Not that I always didn`t before, but I think as you get older and your children leave the nest, you have more time to spend on different things. Its like opening up a door to a new phase of my life, but never closing the last one behind you. so you pretty much have two doors open all the time if you think about it.One welcoming the children and their families and special people in their lives, and the other door open to explore who you are and what you have become and how much more you have to offer to the world.

As you know I love creating and I love offering it to the people around me and then some.

This is my favorite time of year, I love decorating around the house for Fall. 

I am forever working in my shop on orders and new and exciting ideas for products. This week I`ve been concentrating on wonderful balsam fir and lavender sachets of different sizes and also materials.

I have a new set of sachets of fine quality linen with jute drawstring ties. These make great stocking stuffers, small gifts and even a great addition to a gift basket.

Here is the link for this set of three balsam fir sachets

https://www.etsy.com/listing/252812945/linen-drawstring-sachets-natural-balsam?ref=shop_home_active_7

I have also added some larger lavender sachets to the shop for sale, these hold over two ounces of freshly dried organic lavender buds scented with lavender essential oil. Tuck one of these under your pillow for sweet dreams, give one to someone special, great for gift basket fillers, stocking stuffers or a small special gift for that special teacher. I tuck these all around the house, the relaxing, calming scent is great,tuck behind pillows on the sofa too. Anywhere you want a delicate scent of lavender.

These are even useful in preventing moths from destroying wool in clothing and home goods.

Here is the link for these sachets

https://www.etsy.com/listing/253007477/lavender-sachet-4-x-6-linen-drawstring?ref=shop_home_active_2

Here are a few pictures of my Fall decorations around the house.

 My try at decorating a Fall basket with some of my favorite flowers! Not too shabby!

 A scarecrow on a bench my brother-in-law made with his pumpkin.

 A gorgeous Fall wreath and garland along my stone fireplace in the living room.

And last but not least, a vintage dough bowl in my kitchen filled with dried orange mini pumpkins, pinecones and acorns from the yard scented with pumpkin pie scented oil. And the wooden rooster was a Salvation Army find just waiting for me (in mint condition too).

Finally I`d like to take a moment to remember a very special woman in my life. My mother-in-law passed away at the age of 94 last weekend after a terrible bout with pneumonia. She will be dearly missed. She reinforced my love of flowers, butterflies and all things of beauty. She loved her gardens and spent most of her time tending to them. Her gardens took up most of her yard at her home and were more then worthy of a magazine presentation. she loved many things such as quilting and sewing also, just to name a few. I will always cherish the wonderful memories I have of her, spending time with her and also all the photographs I have of my many visits to her outstanding gardens. You will be missed, but loved forever...

That is all for now,

JoAnn
Au Naturelle

Spice Market Beard Balm

For anyone you know who has a beard!

Is your beard in need of some love? Do your bristles cry out for condition? Show your beard some TLC. My Beard Balm helps nourish and condition your beard while providing a light hold. 

The ingredients in my balm promotes hair growth and strength to avoid breakage. My balm will not leave you feeling greasy, it provides just enough moisture to control unruly hairs while conditioning your skin under your beard. The conditioners penetrate the hair follicle to moisturize your hair from the inside out leaving your beard feeling and looking more tame. The spicy blend of essential oils gives your beard a light wonderful manly scent.

All Natural Ingredients 
Shea Butter
Beeswax
Sweet Almond Oil
Vanilla Crush Absolute
Vitamin E
Special Blend of Spicy Essential Oils

Beeswax has fantastic emollient properties keeping those bristles hydrated and also has anti-microbial properties.
Shea Butter is full of vitamin e that softens your beard and protects your skin from free radical damage with its antioxidant properties.
Sweet Almond Oil is another fantastic antioxidant and has been shown to lower sebum levels keeping acne away.


Directions: Beard Balm is best used after a shower, apply on towel dried beard for conditioning and light-medium styling. Apply a pea size amount onto fingers, rub through your beard and then style as usual. A small amount will go a long way, if your beard is feeling greasy, you have used too much.

Thank you for looking!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/238970147/spice-market-beard-balm-all-natural-one

Welcome To Au Naturelle

Check out my new line of all natural skincare made using baobab oil.

Virgin Baobab Seed Oil is especially rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin A and sterols. It is highly emollient, helps maintain radiant, supple skin, supports skin elasticity and minimizes the appearance of wrinkle and fine lines. The significant level of fatty acids contributes to the oils effectiveness when used to soothe and nourish dry and problem skin. Its high tocopherol content makes it a strong anti-oxidant and adds to its stable shelf life.

Properties:

• Rapid Absorption
• Highly Emollient
• Medium Viscosity
• Golden Yellow Hue (Resembles Jojoba in Appearance)
• Non-Comogenic (Does not clog pores)
• Nutty, Characteristic Aroma
• Rich in Vitamins A, E and F
• Sterols: 4000-5000 mg/kg
• Excellent Source of Fatty and Essential Fatty Acids

 One of my new products in this skincare line is the Baobab Eye Cream.

Baobab Eye Cream

https://www.etsy.com/listing/230512344/baobab-eye-cream-natural-eye-cream-all?ref=shop_home_active_3

Check out the listing at Au Naturelle for all the ingredients and wonderful benefits!


That`s All For Now! As Always, Keep It Clean!
JoAnn
Au Naturelle

Au Naturelle

Great news! My ESSENTIAL U candles scented with only all natural essential oils are now available at www.BestBox.com. 
My ESSENTIAL U Lemon Orange Blossom candle is available in
The Best Box Starter and my ESSENTIAL U Lavender candle is available in the My Best Sleep Box. Glad to be a part of this great concept.

http://www.mybestbox.com/
http://www.mybestbox.com/products/mybestskin-box
http://www.mybestbox.com/products/mybestsleep-box

As Always! 
Keep It Clean!
JoAnn
Au Naturelle