Initially, I was surprised by the fragrant intensity of essential oils.  Some essential oils smelled so different from the kinds of fragrance aromas I’d become accustomed to.  In fact, I was initially turned off by some of the new scents I was experiencing.  But as I continued to study and experiment with a variety of essential oils (EO), I realized my nose had simply grown up on - and become accustomed to - synthetic scents.

Continue reading this post »

I came across Jonathan Adler’s book called My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, full of fabulous bright pictures and vintage, yet contemporary, decor.  While much of the decor may not be for everyone, the book is fun, upbeat and happy, which seems to be Adler’s objective.  I can relate to Adler’s message because I share a similar philosophy.  Design is a form of personal expression.  And creative souls often find it necessary to customize their environment, surrounding themselves with things that make them feel good.  Color, decor, architectural style and scent are extremely important elements in my home.

Bright colors are vibrant and upbeat.  Pastels are typically more serene.  And there are g’zillions of shades of “whites” because of the seemingly unlimited number of undertones available.  Depending on the type of material walls are made of, they may be painted, wall-papered, tiled, textured or acid-treated - just to name a few.

Continue reading this post »

Despite being spoiled rotten, my two dogs bring me endless joy.  My dynamic due consists of a 17-1/2 year old beagle, Holly, and a 7 year old welsh terrier, Jonah.  While I am not excessively over-the-top with dressing them in daily outfits, they do each have a couple of cute t-shirts from SimplyFido.

Continue reading this post »

The first sentence of today’s Ideal Bite daily tip makes an important point that anyone who is trying to incorporate more organic items into his / her life should be aware of: water is not organic.  It makes no difference whether water is spring, distilled, artesian, detoxified, purified, filtered, ionic, bionic or anything else!  You can suck every last micro particle from Mother Nature’s clear drink of choice, but organic certification is USDA regulated; and as a result, water is not certifiable (me…well…that’s a different story!)

As always, education is key, because there are products in many categories that have extensive certified organic ingredients.  If organic is important to you, then be sure to read the product ingredient list.  In general, if you see water at the top of the ingredient list, then you know it cannot be labelled as organic (although it can still list which ingredients are certified as organic).  Learn to read the labels on everything to become more familiar with “organic approximations”.

Continue reading this post »

Although St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, I still have green on the mind.  My mom used to keep a clear crystal decanter full of green de menthe liquor in the family room when I was a kid, and the color and sweet smell were so intense.

And although peppermint essential oil is clear, green still comes to mind when I smell it.  Peppermint spray feels awesome during Florida’s hot, humid summers.  Spritz all over, right out of the fridge, and you’ll have that whole “York Peppermint Patty” thing going on (minus the calories, thank you very much!)  If you happen to have very sensitive skin, then you may not want to spray it on yourself, but you can still enjoy it by spraying it into your environment.  It will uplift and de-fog the mind!

Continue reading this post »

Has anyone noticed lately how prevalent a trend the “stylized” laundry room has become?  At first glance, it may seem a little absurd.  After all, lots of us have our washer and dryer sitting outside in our cluttered mess of a garage!  But I have to admit, I’m intrigued by the concept.  And with spring just around the corner, I’m catching the “re-org” bug.  So this may be the year I’m gonna go for the official laundry room makeover! It’s a fact of life that we gotta do the laundry, so why not make our environment look, feel and smell great?

With a few stackable crates, blank artist canvases and some spray paint, you can transform any area from “blah” to “ahhh” in no time flat.  My color picks would be greens and blues. And since I have no artistic ability, I’d just spray each canvas one single color (one in light blue, one in cobalt blue, one in sage, etc.)  Art stores sell canvases in a multitude of sizes, and you can also find plain wooden crates to use as clothing baskets or shelving units for your cleaning products. Vintage crates add instant artistic flair and can be found on ebay or at garage sales, flea markets, antique stores, etc.

Continue reading this post »