Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Fighting Colds ~ The Natural and Relaxing Way!

Its officially cold season.
Anyone in your family have a sore throat and stuffy nose duo? Here's my favorite trick for quick relief.

Bathe.  I love nothing more than a hot bath when I am sick.  There’s nothing like getting toasty in the bath and breathing in some essential oils to make you feel like you’re conquering that pesky cold.  So, draw a hot bath, sprinkle in a scoop of our Aromatherapy Bath Salts and let them work their cold season magic.  It’s best to start with a small amount, you can always add more.

Relax.  Take deep breaths and feel your stuffy head start to lighten up.  You are taking advantage of the steam in your bath to help carry the therapeutic essential oils of eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint and tea tree to your stuffy nose and lungs.   I've spent years perfecting my Cold & Sinus - Breathe Ease bath salts.  The essential oil blend, powdered herbs of rosemary and chamomile, along with sea salt, oatmeal and baking soda, all work together to improve respiration, fight bacteria, and ease aches and pains from a cold or flu.  Other products that may help you breathe easier and feel better naturally, can be found online in our Cold Care ColllectionHere's to feeling better faster!

 Christine Kennedy
simple ingredients, extraordinary benefits
http://www.allthingsherbal.com/

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Winter Weddings

In the chilly month of January, what's nicer than looking forward to a wedding?  January is a time many of us envision ourselves snuggled in a warm cocoon of fuzziness with hot chocolate and a good book.  Preferably next to a crackling fire.

Anticipating an event so joyous as a wedding was a little like comfort food for the soul for me, this past weekend.  With hope for the first real snowfall of the season, it was still a quintessential Minnesota winter wedding.  Here's a peek at what we gave, a gift basket filled with Minnesota handmade goodies.  The wine and glasses are from Northern Vineyards located in Stillwater, MN.  I was so happy when I found these because I knew they would be perfect to nestle alongside our Minnesota Ladyslipper Soap.



On the other end of the spectrum is a January wedding on a tropical beach.  Imagine a wedding on Waimanalo Beach in Hawaii!  Shown below are a few photos of the lip balms, soaps, and lotions we created especially for Hannah & John and their Hawaiian Wedding.

Although Hannah has been living in Phoenix for a while, she's originally from Minnesota.  Her favorite soap from All Things Herbal is our Lakeshore Waves bar.  With a wave logo sent from Hannah, we were able to create a custom label to go with her favorite scent.  To help Hannah & John welcome and pamper their wedding guests, we made sets of soaps, lotions, and lip balms for them to put in hospitality baskets in each of the cabins along Waimanalo Beach.

 





Imagine sand under your feet instead of snow!  Winter weddings ~ magical either way.  If you'd like to see more custom wedding and shower soaps I've designed in the past, check them out here.

Christine Kennedy

simple ingredients, extraordinary benefits

Thursday, January 5, 2012

A New Year ~ A New Herbal Journey

Welcome to the All Things Herbal Blog!  This year, my New Year's resolution was to start a blog as a companion to our website, AllThingsHerbal.com.

The start of a new year does have a way of giving us a kick in the pants, doesn't it?  It can give us a fresh start to begin a new project, drop an unwanted habit or the motivation to restart a tradition that fell by the wayside.  I'm no exception to this yearly desire.  I've been thinking about doing this for quite a while now.  The motivation for me came from our daughter, Colleen.  She's this wondrous blend of encouraging and demanding.  Home from school on Christmas break, she took the time to set up the backbone of this blog.  This morning, on her way out the door with friends, she told me that there better be a posting when she gets back!

Too, this year marks our fourteen year milestone in business for my husband David and I.  So, to honor the years of toil, sweat and tears (no blood, that I can remember!) as well as the many rewards and deep satisfaction of creating a meaningful business, let's begin this blogging journey together.

I'll share new ideas and products as I work on them and offer a glimpse into my life as a soapmaker.   This will also be the perfect place to share skin care recipes, post insider information about new products, specials, contests and let you know about the festivals we'll be attending.

Christine Kennedy

simple ingredients, extraordinary benefits
http://www.allthingsherbal.com/