Sunday, May 15, 2016

New Fragrances...

Greetings to you,

     It's a cool, cloudy, Sunday morning. As I sit here enjoying a cup of English Breakfast tea, I'd like to tell you about our new fragrance creations...

     Two years ago we introduced our first men's fragrance:Chivalry. The scent is a blend of crisp, exotic notes, softened with tones of warm woods. The inspiration harkens back to a time when men won their ladies favor with displays of bravery and courtly manners.

     Our next new fragrance made its debut last year. Sweetly scented green grasses and delicate wildflowers blended with fresh notes of mist moistened rolling hills come together as Walking upon the Moor. Images of worn, pathways, sweet heather and thistle meandering over windswept rocky crags was the inspiration here. 

     Both fragrances have been very popular since their introduction and so our creativity continues...

     The thought process for creating a new fragrance can be a very long one. Sometimes, the process begins with the name and the scent then created around it. Other times, the process can start with ideas for combining certain scents. Truthfully though, ideas and inspiration can come from anywhere: reading, watching t.v. or a movie, being in my garden, talking with friends, or anything that crosses my path.

     I've been working on the concept for several new fragrances since the introduction of Walking upon the Moor and have just brought two of them to fruition. It is always so exciting when concept becomes reality.

     One of the new fragrances is another one for men. My desire is to have product offerings for men that smell nice, are easy to use but are also just as  pampering as our other products. 

     A long time fan of Sherlock Holmes, 221B Baker Street is the newest men's fragrance taking its inspiration from the idea of Sherlock sitting in his favorite chair as he contemplates his most recent case. Notes of sweet pipe tobacco, rich leather and pages of well researched books blend together to honor this classic of British literature. 

     The second of our newest fragrances brings forth images of walking beside a cool stream through a dark green forest that leads to a lake of sparkling ripples. Bursting forth from the lake is the Lady, Keeper of the Sword, Excalibur in hand. Here lies the inspiration of moss covered stones, cool water, and ancient trees to create our fragrance, Lady of the Lake. 

     Currently, the four new fragrances are only available in our soap line but will be expanded into our other products shortly. For the men, we are researching a entirely new product to introduce into our line (more on that as we go forward). For now, that brings us up to date on our new fragrances. We hope you enjoy them.

Warm wishes for a lovely day,
Debbie




Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Welcome to our new blog...

     Today I return to blogging. It has been a few years since Feminine Charms has been actively blogging but I hope to change that beginning today. The first order of business was to delete posts that are no longer relevant, no one needs to read those, but I left our original welcome message and a delicious cookie recipe.With that done, lets take a few minutes to catch up...

     Over the last few years the vision for Feminine Charms Body Products and Accessories has become clear and the vision is happily being put into place.The dream of creating delightful products for bath and body, and original artistic accessories and jewelry pieces has remained the primary goal. But what you will now see is a reflection of a long time passion with the beauty and history of the British Isles. A trip to England, more on that later, rekindled the affection I have held for the British Isles and her people. With some introspection, I was able to see that I was struggling with the creative process because I needed to combine my two passions: Feminine Charms and the British Isles. Once I began down that road, the picture became clear and the creative process began to flow with ease.

So, join me on this journey as Feminine Charms becomes all it was meant to be...

Warm wishes for a lovely day,
Debbie



     

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Lavender Limoncello Cookies...

Greetings...
     
     As you know, each year we look forward to participating in the Ojai Valley Lavender Festival in June. An outdoor festival under the trees in Libbey Park in downtown Ojai. Since the hoilday's are upon us, we are approaching the end of 2012 and the weather has turned towards winter I thought I'd do something different and share a recipe out of the 2011 Lavender Cookbook. I hope you enjoy it...

                                                                                 Lavender Limoncello Cookies
                                                                                         Makes 30-36 cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 large egg
2 tablespoons Limoncello liqueur OR 2 tablespoons honey
2 cups, or more, white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, blend butter, sugar, and lavender. Add lemon juice and zest and then egg and Limoncello or honey. In another bowl, combine 2 cups of flour with baking powder and add to butter-sugar mixture. Stir until well combined. Dough should be soft but not oily. Add more flour by tablespoons if needed. 

Divide dough in half and roll into 2 logs in wax paper. Chill for at least an hour. Coat your hands with flour and roll walnut sized nuggets of dough into balls. Place on cookie sheet and press down into a circle approximately 1/2 inch thick.

Bake 10-15 minutes, until bottoms are pale gold. Transfer to rack to cool.

Cook's Note: Simply dust the tops with confectioner's sugar if so desired.

Happy holiday baking!

Debbie


                                                                                           




Friday, October 23, 2009

Welcome...

Welcome to the Feminine Charms blog. This blog will keep you informed on all the happenings of Feminine Charms...product information, boutiques and shows, and the creative process of developing a new product. I hope you enjoy reading the posts.