Stress Less Tips!

In a hurricane , tropical storm or just life now… we NEED comforting.

Here are some of my personal tips to help!

❤️ Take a warm comforting bath before the storm or you lose electricity. Or if the storm passes you or just any day chill out in a bath 🛀 even if you are a shower person. IT will make you feel better!

Add a few flowers 🌸 or rose 🌹 petals & it’s pure bliss!

I like to use Epsom salt and a few dashes of essential oil. Rose, lavender or lemon. I like to add shower gel to the tub for bubbles.

(Not crafters oil fragrance) The real thing!

❤️ This is NOT the time to go on a diet! Eat and drink things that comfort you. Bake some cookies from scratch. Make a pot of cozy hot chocolate or Chai tea.

Yum!

Rest up!

❤️ Try taking a nap or at least try and get a good nights sleep. It really helps with stress! It also is so good for your health!

❤️ Or give each other a massage. The scalp, shoulders, hands or feet. Even the family can get in on the fun.

Massage oil from your kitchen!

Practice a bit of meditation. Or start yoga. I have not been doing it for many years but I have added it to my life. It makes such a big difference.

❤️ Meditation 🧘‍♀️ calms the mind. If you don’t what to do. Just be still and quiet. Surround yourself with a salt lamp or a faux candle. Illuminate your space.

Soothe your spirits!

❤️ I’m not a doctor but my massage therapist and doctors over the years suggested I take one magnesium supplement at night. They say it relaxes the body and acts like a muscle relaxant. I practice that and it is quite effective. Sweet Dreams!

❤️ Spray your sheets or towels with lavender oil or peppermint oil. One calms and the peppermint lifts spirits.

❤️ Still feeling stress ? Chew gum or enjoy a hard candy. I love a candy brand called Jolly Ranchers!

❤️ Keep hydrated! Drinking Water 💦 is your body’s best friend. But a little Prosecco helps too. Or whatever floats your boat!

If you have a tip that you’d like to share with me. I’d love to hear from you.

I hope a few of these tips help and comfort you! Hurricane if not. We ALL need to take comfort.

Vacay or mini travel tips you need!

Who doesn’t love to travel?

I have always loved to travel. I got the “travel bug” when I lived in the tri-state area. I always heard the sound of airplanes. Manhattan has a lot of tourists arriving and landing and departing! JFK airport has many global flights too!

It is a beautiful sight and as I grew up I loved that sound of the airplanes more and more.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

So happy to be traveling again! It’s been a long time by one and a half years for me. How about you?

Here are a few of my personal tips I have cultivated through the years and now with the pandemic not over what to expect.

Choosing a window seat is lovely but can ruin your skin over time. SUN SHINE 🌞 at sunrise, afternoon or sunset is damaging to the skin over time. By the way, I love the window too. And if you pee a lot you need to make sure you choose an aisle seat to make it easy for you to get in and out!

Photo by Janiere Fernandez on Pexels.com

Don’t forget your sunscreen. Even under face masks the sun can get you! Apply sunscreen to your hands (especially the tops) and don’t forget your neck too!

Stay hydrated I can’t say it enough. BEFORE you leave your house, at airport and on your flight keep the water coming. Skip the caffeine especially if you’re anxious about flying it will only make you even more jittery.

Please note:

Airport and other places you go water 💧 fountains are covered and off limits due to Covid19 and refill water stations are closed off too. So if you’re used to bringing your own water or beverage container bottle with you. You will not be able to fill it with H2O.

Pack disinfecting wipes too! For each of you traveling. You will need to double check and clean your surroundings. The airplanes are very clean but you can ever be too careful or clean. On my Delta flights they hand you a disinfecting wipe packet when you get on board.

Photo by Charlotte May on Pexels.com

Mask 😷 up!

I like to sprinkle some essential oil on my disposable mask or cloth mask with lips 👄depending on my mood. Most times I use lavender oil and I love ❤️ the Aura Cacia brand. It’s great quality and simply the best!

You MUST wear your face mask and keep your nose 👃 covered at the airport and on the plane ride and while switching planes. They are very strict to keep everyone safe.

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

Pack a chamomile tea bag in your tote or your handbag.

Bigelow Tea Co makes an awesome one with stress relieving chamomile and calming lavender.sometimes when you order tea there isn’t any chamomile tea available. So order a cup of hot water and take the tea bag (for another time) they are serving and just use the water 💦 and make a cup of chamomile tea.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com

Travel with your favorite snacks. YOUR comfort food. Mine are bananas, apples, tangerines and anything crunchy, M&M chocolate candies or Hershey’s chocolate 🍫 or and HARD candies or gum.

These will not only comfort you they hydrate your throat which can get dry while flying with a mask on especially.

Photo by Vanessa Loring on Pexels.com

Another calming treat is to pack a CBD tincture or CBD gummies to balance your mood if you’d like. They really come in handy. I love Martha Stewart’s collection of edibles.

I hope these tips bring comfort to you and help you on your next flight too.

Happy summer!

Sweet Dreams Darling

 

Are you Sleepless in Seattle like me? I find a lot of us are. This pandemic isn’t very pretty and a bit stressful too.

So here are a few tips I use or have started to use to get better sleep that I find are working and make me look better when I wake up too.

Drinking tea like Chamomile or Holy Basil are calming to the nervous system and great to enjoy a cup an hour or so before you go to bed.

Photo by Mareefe on Pexels.com

Buy fresh lavender online and get some muslin or organza bags you can find at the craft or Dollar store. Make yourself some fresh lavender bud sachets. Place in pillowcase or hang from the bed post. The soothing and calming scent will make you feel relaxed. You can even make an eye mask with them if you like to sew.

Photo by Mareefe on Pexels.com

Take a bath…Especially if you are a shower guy or gal. Baths are miracle workers and can really settle you down after a long day. Even more so now. Use Epsom salts and add a few drops of jojoba and lavender oil. I like the brand called Aura Cacia. Did you know they even make lavender tea? So delightful to the tongue and to your spirits.

If you want to refresh tired feet soak them in a water basin and give them a bath with a few drops of peppermint oil.

Discover Spongelle... it is a hand wash buffer sponge that gives you  at least 40 hand washings and sanitizes too. More effective at removing germs and dirt than soap alone. The best part it has aromatherapy like Thyme &  Tea Tree Oil. You can use it in a bath,in the shower or hand washing. You can even travel with it. Since we need to wash our hands often and haven’t been able to get manicures. I love to use this to keep clean especially for behind the finger nails. I’ve cut my nails back and love how clean and soft yet not dry my hands are.

A good nights sleep I think also requires clean pretty sheets and a lush BETTER  pillow. I found a pillow that is great to not only sleep with but helps with sleep wrinkles,Morning puffiness and marks. Bye Bye puffy face when you wake up in the morning!

Sleep and Glow  is designed with your face in mind! And is the brand and I can’t wait for you to check it out too.

http://www.sleepandglow.com

Make a nightly SLEEP ritual… and I wish you Sweet Dreams!

This week I featured these tips on River City Live on TV here in Jacksonville Florida. The video is available below and or on YouTube too.

http://www.rivercitylive.com                       http://www.news4jax.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Delicious Way to Keep Calm

Tea! 🍵 What a beauty!

I love ❤️ taking time for tea. While I am still a coffee ☕️ gal. I have grown to love and enjoy tea too.

Blooming Flowering 💐 Teas come in round hand sewn tea ball like delights. Once brewed they are delicious to the tongue and look so pretty in a clear tea pot.

These exotic and unique beauties keep you calm and feeling relaxed. I created a ritual years ago sipping these green teas. I discovered them when given to me as gifts and on my visits to the Orient. My fave are jasmine flowers, green tea with lavender and green tea with roses.

• Take one of the tea bulbs
• Place in a heat resistant glass tea pot or in a large coffee cup.
• Boil water and allow it to relax for one minute.
• Pour the boiled water into the teapot or cup and fill it completely.

After 3-5 minutes the actual flowers and tea leaves will unravel themselves and tea steeped. I prefer not to add cream or sugar but you can if you wish. Sometimes I use honey to enhance a cup or the entire tea pot.

Now, enjoy the tea flower view before you!

Just sit,sip and relax drink to your good health. Now more than ever we need to take time for ourselves. Men love it too. Try and taste new things.

Enjoy every minute of life just a little bit more!

Photo by Valeria Boltneva on Pexels.com

Creating A Healing Garden —

I love this blog post by another fellow blogger on WordPress. I have a healing garden but this blog tells you what I would post and tell you and so much more. Surround yourself with ALL things healthy in the new year! Take care of yourself! Be good to yourself.

Enjoy!

From Marigold to Aloe Vera, these are some of our favourite plants and herbs to create a healing garden at home. Being surrounded by nature is a peaceful, restorative experience and having your own home garden gives you the opportunity to be with nature every day. Going one step further, creating a garden that is…

via Creating A Healing Garden —

The Beauty in TEA Time!

There’s so much beauty in sipping a cup of TEA. The process alone is so relaxing and calming…especially when I have time for it. Not just a quick cup of it in the morning.

How about you do you like coffee or tea or both?

A few weeks ago I had a flight delayed in Atlanta and instead of going to the Delta Sky Club we chose to go to P.F.Chang’s. Stressed from running from one Terminal to another. Tired because the day had been very long and just wanted a cozy spot to compose and chill. Their tea is delightful iced or hot. But my fave is hot served in this pot. This is the way they serve it. By the time we had a few potstickers and two pots of tea we were so chilled out for our next hour flight home with a midnight arrival. Look for them on your next trip via Atlanta.

If you’re not traveling and at home. Save the tea bag or tea leaves from your tea and enjoy a facial steam with the leftovers. I like chamomile flowers found at your local fancy market. Lavender buds are also another great choice and both are calming. All you do is add the flowers or buds to a bowl of hot or very warm water you boiled from your tea pot. Place a lightweight towel over your head and go near the bowl for the steam to hit your face. Be careful. Do this for at least 10 minutes.Double-duty beauty! Inside and out.

So next time you’re stressed,rushed or just plain need a few minutes to yourself.

Skip the wine and have some tea time!

 

Can you smell the lovely scent ?

On a long holiday weekend I love to make things and they are usually with a beauty or baking twist.

Cause I am on the road for work alot I am happy to stay in and chill. I made sugar cookies with lavender. And I made this scalp treat for my hair. I LOVE LAVEVDER! Do you? The scent is so relaxing, soothing,RELIEVES tension and great for migraines or a basic headache.

5 drops of essential oil. (I prefer Aura Cacia)

1/4 cup of olive oil (organic)

I Warm the oil and shut burner off. Sprinkle in the drops on the stove top and stir. The oil will make conditioning hair love~

I like to apply on wet hair. Massage into the scalp and the ends a bit too.I take a shower cap I have from my hotel stays and place my hair up in it. Leave on at least 15 minutes.

Shampoo when done. Rinse well.

If you are up to your lips in work or that TO DO list enjoy making and using this aromatic softer hair and happy hydrated scalp too!

ENJOY the beauty of lavender!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Have you got a dirty little secret?

When was the last time you washed your… pillow ?

Every night you smoosh your face around and in the pillow. Picture this for months or a year or years! Not so pretty is it?

Photo by Donald Tong on Pexels.com

Did you know that is recommended for us to wash our bed PILLOWS on a regular basis?

Who knew I never did this as often either too. However, washing them on a regular basis will get rid of sweat,makeup,skincare and those nasty dead skin cells and God knows what else that got on the pillow itself.

Check the label and see if they are washable and come clean!

What you will need to clean them is:

1/2 cup of laundry detergent

4-5 drops of lavender,rose or lemon oil (IFyou have another fave you like use that oil instead)

This is enough and great for washing 2 pillows!

• Use enough detergent as for a full load of laundry.
• Add the laundry detergent as the water fills. Then add your fave essential oil to the water in the machine.
• Balance the pillows evenly and place them in the washing machine.
• Run on gentle cycle.
• I like to air dry them in the sun!

If you are tired of waking up to a never washed or smelly pillow… And perhaps you have acne or prone to blemishes too.

Come clean and you’ll see what I mean! I’ve been doing this for a few years and my complexion and face shows it and skin loves me!

Makes my pillows fluffier and fresh as a daisy too!

 

 

Relaxing Gifts…

Sometimes giving a gift means giving one to yourself!

I think self-care is so important especially this crazy but beautiful time of year. I love to support the makers. You know sweet and small companies who make things with their hands. Like me. I love to whip up many beautiful things.

Rosie’s Handmade Jax makes an Aromatherapy Hot Pack that may be used hot or cold for when you need to relax and chill out and say “Goodbye to the bad days.”

Natural pain relief made by a MOMMY  (FYI Rosie is her little daughter) in Jacksonville Florida!  Made with 100% premium cotton and well made at that!

Lovely lavender takes the cares and stress away.

Do you or anyone on your list get migraine headaches or simply exhausted from working at the computer all day? Rosie’s HandmadeJax has a pack for your eyes too.

Find them on Instagram and Facebook at:

rosies.handmadejax

I’ve so loved these two handmade relaxing & calming beauties the past few weeks and simply had to share! You just might fall in love with them too! Or to give as a gift this holiday season.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on gifts! It truly is the thought you put into  that gift counts.

Come back to my blog for more gifts to make the people in your life smile!

 

 

 

 

 

LOVE you Lavender!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Lavender is an aromatic delight that relaxes and soothes us just right!

To some people it may be an acquired taste OR scent. I so love sipping lavender tea. Lathering up with lavender scented body lotion and enjoy it’s relaxing properties in a lavender bubble bath.

One of my fave’s I featured on TV in Las Vegas this week was a steamy water facial bath.

• First wash your face.
• Next boil some water.
• Then pour the water into a glass bowl or you may leave it on the stove with the burner off and get ready to clean your pores with this steamy aromatic treat. I like to add a couple of drops of lavender essential and sprinkle in a few lavender buds.I favor the brand  Aura Cacia for my essential oil treat.
• Next, place a lightweight tea towel over your head and bend over allowing the steam to reach your face and the towel will help the steam not to escape. Do this for at least 5 to 10 minutes for it to help open your pores and release the dead skin build up and clogged pores. It’s like a workout for your pores!
• After you’ve sweat it out and enjoyed the steamy facial…rinse your face with a gentle complexion bar soap or cleanser.
• Pat dry and place a smidge of moisturizer on your face. And a dash of eye gel.
• Go to bed with a refreshed face and skin. Wake up with happier skin.

 

• 

Another all time treat I like to D.I.Y. is to make bedtime sachets to tuck inside my pillow cases. The one above is for Sweet Dreams and a good nights sleep. Add a drop of essential oil i lavender will make it even more aromatic.

If relaxing dried lavender isn’t your thing, try this D.I.Y. by preparing a mix of dried mini rose buds or fresh rose petals. Add a drop of rose essential oil to the sachet. The rose scent is soothing to the spirit and have you resting in no time.

I adore playing in my beauty kitchen and my bathroom which I affectionately call my beauty lab/apothecary. My husband LOVES being my tester and my clients in my beauty cottage love when I share my beauty secrets and potions with them too.

I hope you’ll take time to smell and maybe take a bite of the edible flowers and whip up something with lavender too!