Organic Gardening

My, How the Garden has Grown!!
Here's some pics of the vegetable garden.
Don't ya just Love Summer :)



Here's a shot of one of the Watermelons sitting on the stone wall~


The Pumpkin vines are making their way thru all the flowers~


We're thrilled with all the Cantelopes this year!



The Herbs are thriving as well~ I've been cutting this Scented Geranium for bouquets in the House~ It smells Wonderful :)

Bath & Body Splashes

My Latest Body/Bath SPLASH is Ready!!
Amber & Vanilla Body/Bath Splash is a beautiful combination of Orange Blossom water and Pure Essential Oils of Amber & Vanilla.
NO CHEMICALS!

I've always used Essential Oils of Rosewood & Amber in the bathtub and as a Perfume. That's how I came up with the idea of a SPLASH!
Plus I like the look of an old bottle displayed on the counter in the Powder Room~~ Not only should it smell Good but it should always LOOK good too :)




The Body Butters go Perfectly with the Splashes. Rosewood & Patchouli Body Butter w/ Rosewood & Patchouli Splash
Amber & Vanilla Splash w/ Amber Body Butter
You know I'll be packaging these items together for Easy Gift Giving~~

Turkey Family

After a stormy morning, this mother turkey & her babies decided to dry themselves off on our woodpile. We've been watching these wild turkeys for weeks now and the 10 babies have really grown!



er

Veggie Garden

Happy Summer Everyone!
Here's some shots of the Vegetable Garden so far~














I've been harvesting the Basil and adding it to every Pasta dish I can think of :)





The Hollyhocks are about to Burst open~






The Delphiniums are at their Peak!




And the Lavender is Looking Gorgeous~ As Always :)

Gardener's Salve & Soap

NEW Gardener's SOAP & SALVE is Ready!

I'm so excited about my new Soaps & Salves. The Gardener's Salve is made with Organic Comfrey leaves & Calendula Petals. Well known for their medicinal properties. The Gardener's Soap is also made with Comfrey & Calendula, plus I put a bit of Corn meal in there as a scrub. Essential oil of Rosemary is also added to both products. Besides smelling "Herbal", Rosemary E.O. also has Antiseptic, Antibacterial & other medicinal properties.
Okay...and the packaging is just Adorable (to me anything w/ a Bee Skep on it is adorable) and PERFECT for Gift Giving!!

Garden Inspiration

Today's Garden Inspirations

New Organic Rose Geranium Soap

Phew! Things have been Sooo busy at the Crow's Nest, shipping out massive amounts of Bee Skeps & working on wholesale orders that it's been hard to find the time to get some of my NEW soaps made.
FINALLY my Organic "Rose Geranium Soap" is ready :)

I've always loved to grow Scented Geraniums and winter them over in the house. The Essential oil of Rose Geranium has also been a favorite of mine mixed in with bath salts and when I decided to try my hand at making soap a few years ago Geranium was what I had in mind. Well, it took longer than I had thought but I'm so pleased with the outcome :)






I just picked up a bag of Organic Corn Meal and am planning on making my new "Gardner's Soap" this weekend. It should be FUN!

Sample size Lavender Salve & Body Butters

After many requests I've come up with a SAMPLE size of my Organic, Amber Body Butter!
I should have made them sooner~ they're the perfect size for your purse, gift bags & baskets, traveling etc. Just $2.99each
Available under "soap & skincare" category



Organic Lavender Salve also available SAMPLE SIZE!!
Just $2.50each

Spooky Hide & Seek

I thought I'd take advantage of this Gorgeous day and finish stirring my batch of herbal soap outside. Spooky decided to join me. Here she is playing "hide & seek" (her favorite game in the garden) We have to pretend we don't see her~ LOL
If you ignore her long enough she'll jump out at you :)

Country Home Invitation

THANK-YOU!

I was surprised when the editor of Country Home magazine asked me to be in their magazine and even MORE surprised by the wonderful response I've received because of it!
I can't believe it's only been one week ~ I've had the pleasure of talking to so many people from all around the country and we All have one thing in common ~ The Love of Bee Skeps!

To top it off here's what I was given when I got home today :)

Organic Sudzy Bath Bags

Here's some NEW Items at the Crow's Nest~

My new Sudzy Bath Bags are made w/ Crushed Organic Soap, Organic Lavender buds & Calendula Flowers. Not only do the Herbs smell WONDERFUL, but the Muslin bag acts like a washcloth and the pieces of Organic Soap mixed in "does the job" I LOVE these!!
Just let the bag hang to dry in the shower/tub after each use.



Once all the soap is gone, discard the remaining herbs, wash and dry the bag and then re-use the empty muslin bag. I like to fill the clean bags w/ more dried herbs and stuff them between the cushions of my furniture. Great Air-Fresheners!! Another good idea for the clean/empty muslin bag is to fill it w/ our Herbal "Moth Chaser" mixture and hang in the closet or tuck away in your dresser. (I'll be posing the Herbal Moth Chaser soon)


I just received a shipment of new Linen Hand towels. 2 designs available~ stitched Crow & stitched BumbleBee
Check them out in the "Curtains & Things" section.

New Melting Tarts

I'm offering two NEW Melting Tarts! Chai Latte & Apple Cider. YUMMY Scents! Now all I need to come up with is Chocolate Cake melting tarts....hmmmm....there's a thought!

Springtime in the Hilltowns

The First Signs of Spring are showing up here in the Hilltowns! The Daffodils and Crocus's are pushing their way up through the soil and the Robins have invaded our property!! Yippee! Spring has kept its promise once Again :)



I just received some bunches of Celosia and displayed them w/ the "Spring" pottery setting at the shop. I LOVE how the deep burgundy color of the Celosia compliments the Amber colors of the Sweet Annie and the Sky Blue color of the "Egg & Nest" displays~~ Beautiful!

I'll post the Celosia on the website for Sale if anyones interested. I also received some Yarrow, Tansy, Oregano & Strawflowers.







A New Batch of Lavender Bundles are In!!
Now Available Wholesale as well!





It wouldn't be SPRING without the addition of Birdhouses and Bird Nests!
I've received some great Birdhouses at the Crow's Nest and More are on their way!!

Primitive Herbal Creations

Whew! It's been a VERY busy past few months! As you can see I've created a New Website. It's been A LOT of hard work, but I'm please with the outcome so far. The shopping cart is much "smoother" and the entire website navigation makes it a pleasant shopping experience :) I'm really happy about the Wholesale access section~ Much easier than the old "paper catalog" updating, mailing etc...

I've also been Inspired to create some new "Prim Herbal" items~ as I call them. To me "Primitive" not only means Old and Grubby it also means Natural. Using Organic Herbs, Spices, Beeswax, Pure Essential Oils to create my primitive products bring out the Simple Beauty that inspired me in the first place :)

Herbal Pantry Cakes, Ginger-Spice Cakes, Sweet Annie Cakes are some of the New creations I've been busy with.





"Everything Has Its Place" is my motto at Home. That translates to "I can't stand Clutter!" That's why I've created these Prim Beeswax Jars. Great Storage~ Prim Herbal look. Keep them on your desk, or in the Laundry room for all that pocket change. Possibilities are endless :)





Another New item is the Locally made Lavender Heating Pad. For years we've sold these Heating pads in our Herb Shop and I thought it would be a good idea to offer them thru the Crow's Nest as well. I had the removable/washable covers made w/ "primitive" fabric. These Heating Pads are GREAT! Just pop the Heating Pad in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes and it will stay warm for over 30 minutes.
I've used these Heating Pads on my family for years. For the kids earaches, tummy aches or just to keep them warm if they weren't feeling well. (that's why the removable/washable cover is so important)

Icicle on Lantern

Just Another New England Storm! Check out the size of that Icicle on the front lantern~ Whew!

Primitive SNOWBALLS

All this Beautiful Fluffy snow has inspired me to create "Prim Snowballs"



The other day I was searching for something with a "winter" theme to put into an old bowl in our Kitchen~ Snowballs made out of Soy Wax was the end result. Now I've got requests at the shop for them. I scent the Snowballs with Wintergreen Essential Oil (clean & fresh) and I also roll the Snowballs in wax flakes to give them a 3 dimensional look. They are SO CUTE! I've been packaging them three to a Cello-Bag with Rosehips layered on the bottom and Red Homespun as a Tie. They have become very popular. I've seen "Dirty Prim Snowballs" for sale before but I think some things shouldn't be "dirty" especially Snow! :)

Primitive Holiday OPEN HOUSE

We want to thank everyone that came to visit us at OPEN HOUSE this past Saturday. It was VERY busy, but VERY pleasant!! We'll plan for a big turnout again next year~



The weather has inspired me to toss the Pumpkins in the compost, clean the house from top to bottom and DECORATE!!



Keeping it simple with Twigs, Berries & Cones from outdoors. Just a touch here and there does the trick. This is also the time for Filling the House w/ Yummy Smells! Besides candles, I like to Melt tarts on the woodstove and spray my rooms with Holiday Scents.



I've finished making Apple Pomanders to display in my old bowls and started stringing Cinnamon sticks for the Christmas tree garland. (popcorn garland doesn't last very long w/ our lab Scooby)





HAPPY HOLIDAY'S EVERYONE!

Primitive Candle Lights

I am sooo excited about my new Candle Lights and Holders!! Finally the perfect "No Flame, No Cord" candle stick light. I've grunged up these battery operated candle lights w/ beeswax & spices. I then got inspired to have my potter create aPrimitive "inexpensive" candle holder to match. Especially made to fit windowsills!! Whooohooo! I love having lights in my windows but HATE cords. When you have a house that was built in 1783 it's not easy finding outlets that are even close to the windows nevermind keeping the light from falling off the windowsill. These Candle Lights take two AA batteries, are Spiced up to look Primitive and have a glowing orange flicker light attached. No bulb. We had the candle holders made in my plain primitive glaze and sized to fit on a windowsill. Although they look really cute just about anywhere. I am so thrilled with the results and am taking orders for dozens of them already.