• Repost: drflower

    Colorado's new bill = baby out with bathwater…

    I could write my version of this but instead, I’ll be brief.  On Monday, Colorado is about to pass  a bill that has all of the good intentions of providing safe cosmetic products to its citizens yet falls short on thought out reasoning of specifics.  Broad brush strokes only create a nightmare of litigation for small businesses everywhere that don’t have time, money or resources to redefine everytime, every law suit.  Our economy is a wreck gang. Let’s not punish the few sectors of American business that are still hiring!!  I’d love to see state and federal folks actually approach citizens and small business owners for their opinion before blazing a trail…

  • Repost: drflower

    Part II: Elderberry….what's not to love?

    Be sure to read Part 1 here. 😉    In my research I find that I’m not alone in my elderberry flower/fruit obsession. It seems that elderberries.com has created a ning network of folks that are as passionate about this botanical as I am!  Yayy!  There are several recipes on this site that could be of interest. I believe it is sponsored by a spice company.   Many of the recipes that I’ve tried have come from The Essential Herbal magazine.  The folks there are very helpful and accessible for any questions you might have. If you have questions about what an elderberry bush looks like, the elderberries.com forum has…

  • Repost: drflower

    Martini Art of Passion

        I admit it. I’m in love with Etsy! I’m in love with the idea of a community of handmade artists that thrive on making something of basic ingredients.  It’s what drew me to soapmaking and beyond. It’s a milestone on my own path’s journey and it’s all over this blog. Etsy is one of many such communities but for some reason, I tend to go back there.  Sometimes you meet up with an artist and you never hear or see them again say at artist markets, random stop on vacation, etc.  The neat thing about etsy is that you can easily get back to that artist you bought…

  • Repost: drflower

    Elderberry….what's not to love?

        Sambucus is the genus of this amazing plant.  From our love of blueberries and now a growing love for acai, we know that polyphenols are essential to good health.  This lovely berry also has them and oh so much more. It has scandal, medicine, and color! I can’t even recall where I read this little tidbit but it’s something posted on drflower’s facebook page a few weeks ago. It still resonates. “Did you know that the exact chemical components of all essential oils remain unknown? There is still a micro-frontier! Amazing!”  psst… Polyphenol  research is a part of this mystery.  We must back up and look at the…

  • Repost: drflower

    Week 1: Rock Star Farms – CSA Greens

    I am so excited! I just got the first week installment of  CSA Greens from Rock Star Farms!  The greens look absolutely beautiful. See for yourself!  The collards, kale and hearty greens went straight in this kitchen friend–> along with roast, onions, carrots and potatoes. It made a YUMMY dinner!   The lettuces we’ll enjoy for Valentine’s Day.  You can tell these lovely greens have not been sitting around in a crate waiting be stacked up in the produce section of the grocery store. There is no “stoopid” tape all around it saying it’s organic nor a sticker with barcode. No Packaging saying its organic to toss in the landfill, just good…

  • Repost: drflower

    Herbal Drops – Candy with a health kick

    As an avid reader of many things herbal, the magazine sporting the name of  The Essential Herbal is of course a favorite.  Several issues back, there was an article on making horehound cough drops.  Since then, I’ve gone from “very much like” to extreme obsession of Elderberry.  The idea of using this herb/fruit to ward off flu strains instead of vaccinations has been a lot of my motivation to learn more. (If you ask my friends, few conversations about health don’t contain the word elderberry. It’s why I say obsessed.)  Last week, we made lovely herbal drops without horehound or even peppermint anywhere in sight!  Elderberry and lemon balm were…