10/26/24
Felt inspired to create a facial bar for myself, made with my honey soap, activated charcoal, rose clay, rose absolute, lemon essential oil, and my homemade calendula glycerite. Absolutely love how it turned out and and it smells so good.
10/21/2024
I had so much fun creating the Pumpkin Face Cream and making it my own. Pumpkin seed oil can vary in color and my Siberian Pumpkin seed oil created a beautiful light green hue. The combination of it, Chamomile hydrosol, and Sweet Orange essential oil really set it off. It is so creamy and light weight, leaving the skin soft and supple. It's amazing what you can create with less than 10 ingredients and all natural.
10/6/2024
This week I attended my 2nd Masterclass with Formula Botanica to make a lightweight Pumpkin Face Cream. There are so many resources (free) around to help educate yourself on topics that speak to your heart. To prepare me for this class, I opted to try my hand at making a glycerite for the cool down phase. The original formula calls for Pomegranate, but you can play with others and make it your own.
So what is a glycerite, it is an alternative way to extract & preserve all the yummy, beneficial properties of your plants/botanicals. Typically you see tinctures, which is an alcohol base. For a glycerite, you would use vegetable glycerin as your base (be sure you use food-grade) and dried or fresh plant matter. If using dried plant matter, be sure to hydrate it with a small amount of water. To make my glycerite even more fun, I choose Calendula as my plant. I absolutely love the scent and health benefits of Calendula and I like to experiment, while doing my own thing lol. OMG, the scent paired so well with the Pumpkin seed oil. The glycerite turned out to be a beautiful color as well. The formula also calls for Lavender essential oil, but I am going to replace it with Sweet Orange essential oil. Can't wait to see the end results later this week!
9/11/2024
One of my favorite things about gardening is propagating plants from the seeds and roots from the fruits, vegetables, and herbs I purchase. Enjoy the newest addition to my garden, Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Flexuosus). After a couple of months in my fridge, 1 of the 3 stalks purchased from my local international market was starting to turn brown. When I peeled back the layers, I could still see some green and roots forming. This baby started off only 6 inches tall and has grown substantially. Lemongrass has so many useful benefits, from warding off insects to reducing aches & pains. And let’s not forget the flavorful taste it adds to Thai cooking. As a key ingredient in our Lemongrass & Coconut Milk scent, it is known to soothe and create balance within. Step outside the box and see what plants you can cultivate and use for your own use!
08/03/2024
Who else is ready for Autumn! As we wind down for the kiddos heading back to school and us gardeners celebrating & harvesting the fruits of our labor, I am reminded of how giving and forgiving Mother Nature truly is! This is the time of year that I restock the immune booster and infused honey for my family. One of my favorites is my immune boosting elderberry syrup, it can last up to 6 months in the refrigerator or for several years in the freezer (recipe below).
Elderberry Immune Booster
Makes approx. 3 cups of syrup
2 cups (or 4 cups fresh) dried Elderberries
4 cups of water (preferably spring water, distilled or purified will work as well)
1 thumb size knob of fresh ginger (peeling is a personal preference OR 2-3 tsp of dried ginger)
1-2 cinnamon stick
3 cardamom pods, crushed
1 cup raw, local honey (store bought will work too, just make sure it’s pure honey)
Directions:
Add your herbs, spices, and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer 30-40 minutes, remove from the heat and allow it to steep for approximately an hour. Strain and stir in your honey. Bottle what you will need right away in a sterile glass bottle, the remaining batch can be stored in a freezer safe glass jar or bottle. My 2-year-old takes 1 teaspoon daily and myself and my older kiddos take 1 tablespoon daily. Take care of yourself!
07/05/2024
My latest infused witch hazels are ready for our facial toners. I had so much fun creating and determining which blends would be gentle, yet effective. My Green Tea & Jasmine and Calendula & Tangerine toners combine earthy scents with citrusy or floral notes, not just for the smell but for their natural healing properties. This is one of the many pleasures I get when creating. I will say that the Rose toner is my go to when I want to be extra pampered and I love the beautiful color it creates in the finished product. Each unique in their own way, just like every one of us! 
6/24/2024
Happy Monday!
I hope everyone is have a good day and staying cool in this heat. Remember hydration can come in many forms. I like eating cucumbers, grapes, & tomatoes for example, as well as drinking my own personal blend of herbal teas. Usually we rely on water or other drinks to hydrate us not realizing that our body is truly calling for nourishment. I challenge you to try eating your hydration vs drinking it all the time.
This is also the pefect time to make sun tea. One of my ingredients to use in my tea are Hibiscus flowers. It creates a beautiful deep red color (almost purple after awhile) and is known for it's antioxidant benefits. It also supports liver and heart health. I also added Cardamom pods and seeds, not just because I like to be extra spicy sometimes! Cardamom actually has antioxidant benefits, as well as anti-inflammatory.
Recipe:
16 oz. Spring Water (or your favorite water, perferable natural)
1/2 cup Hibiscus Flowers
4-6 Cardamom pods w/the seeds
Feel free to add any additional florals, herbs, and/or spices; play with it and see what your creative side cultivates.
Let it steep in the sun for 4-6 hours (this is based on a strength you like). Strain, sweeten to your liking (or not), and enjoy. If you opt to steep for 6 hours, I do recommend diluting the full batch with additional water in a gallon size container. I do typically sweeten my tea, this go round I'll be adding my garlic and ginger infused Eucalyptus Honey (also made in-house). If you enjoy tart cherry juice, I believe you will enjoy Hibiscus tea!
6/8/2024
I hope you all are doing well on this beautiful Saturday. Do something nice for yourself today to take care of you. Doesn’t have to be big or even cost a lot of money. I enjoy getting pedicures for example, but there is something about creating my own foot soak that makes me feel more alive than any salon could; and I’ve had some pretty good pedicures. So today, I will share with you one of my personal recipes that not only makes your feet and toes happy; it’ll also lift your spirit. The best part is anyone can afford these items & you can do it sitting in your back yard!
Foot Soak
This will make 1 ½ cup of foot soak, enough for two soaks OR if you’re like me, you can use the whole batch for one soak!
¾ cup Dead Sea Salt
½ cup Epsom Salt
¼ cup Fine and/or medium course Pink Himalayan Salt
2 TB each of Pineapple sage, rosemary, lemon thyme, calendula (marigold), pink rose petals, red rose petals
Plastic Basin (I got mine from dollar tree) or simply use your tub
3 drops each Rosemary, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Lemon essential oils
Directions:
Add all the ingredients to your tub or basin, pour warm water over your mixture, add your feet, sit back and relax. I am actually soaking my feet as I write this post! If you’d like to take it a step further, you can set an intention when you add each ingredient. Below, I’ve included the intention behind each herb, flower, and essential oil added. You can soak from 15-30 minutes and I followed up with our Cardamom, Rose, & Sage body creme. The key is to have fun and enjoy!
Intentions:
Peppermint, a longtime favorite in foot soaks and with good reason, you can literally feel your feet softening and it also aids in spiritual growth.
Rose petals for relaxation; pink for compassion & self-acceptance and red for grounding in your root chakra, the foundation of your core.
Rosemary for stress reduction & rosemary essential oil for purification & growth.
Lemon Thyme to disinfect and boost your own body’s defenses, also for purification and strength.
Pineapple Sage for calming anxiety & for gratitude, joy & abundance.
Calendula is soothing to the skin, especially if you have irritations, and for inner peace and positivity.
Eucalyptus is disinfecting, healing, & aids in heightening your intuition.
Lemon helps with nail discoloration and cleansing.
5/30/2024
I am super excited for Bella B Treasures as we are so close to finalizing testing and launching more options for our amazing men just in time for Father's Day. I will also have one-on-one remote energy healing services launching soon as well! Stay tuned, it's possible we may have another treat for our patrons as well!
05/26/2024
Morning Harvest! As I glance at the abundance, I'm realize I really like herbs in the mint family. I have catnip, lemon balm, sweet mint, spearmint, & peppermint. I typically use these to make tea, tinctures, or infusions for our bath products. I also have lemon thyme, sage, & pineapple sage. These can be used in teas as well, however I would go light on the lemon thyme. I currently have this herb infusing in witch hazel as an ingredient in facial toner.
05/22/24
When the namesake of your company brings you flowers almost every day, each one just as unique as her!
This is a Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) and is a member of the dandelion (commonly known ragweed) family; just like the roots of a dandelion, the salsify roots are edible as well. If you didn’t know, dandelion root can aid in supporting liver, gut, and kidney health. I have found dandelion root in its natural form and roasted the roots for a full-bodied tea. Can’t wait to learn more about Salsify in my studies, but for now, I think I’ll just embrace one of Mother Nature’s many beauties.
05/17/24
I am so excited to to dedication this section to keeping you informed on new scents, tips and tricks, and much more.
Check out one of our new scents just in time for the summer, Peach Bellini. I had so much fun creating this blend and testing it out with our Sugar Scrub featured below. The fruity notes of Peach and bright notes of Grapefruit pair nicely with sparkling Champagne. Brunch Anyone?
