Naked For Summer

Summer Solstice has arrived! It has been so hot in our neck of the woods that our soap bars refuses to get wrapped and have decided to go naked for the season.
These sexy seasonal scents are going on special: Buy 3 bars get 1 free!

Inventory Time

**ALOF IS CLOSED FOR SUMMER INVENTORY & WEB MAINTENANCE JUNE 21 - JULY 4, 2011 . **
All pending and back orders will be shipped during that time, and all new orders will be shipped beginning July 5th. Also at that time new specials and freebie offers will be announced! Thank you! Summer Blessings to all!

Blueberry Lavender Honey Ice Cream

It is 100 degrees outside and blueberries are on sale. To me that sounds like an invitation to make homemade ice cream.

Blueberries make a lovely lavender color ice cream, which inspired me to add lavender as a flavoring. Then I chose to use honey in this recipe because flavor wise lavender and honey compliment each other very well; to the point where the hint of lavender in this recipe is more a slight amplification of the wildflower flavor of the honey itself rather than a particularly distinct or powerful flavor of its own. I certainly didn't want anything to overshadow the flavor of fresh blueberries present at the party!

1 & 1/2 Cup Blueberries, rinsed
3/4 Cup local raw Honey
1/4 Cup Water
1 Pinch of pesticide free Lavender Blossoms
1/4 Teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/8 Teaspoon ground dried Ginger
3-4 Drops of Lavender Essential Oil
3-4 Drops of cane alcohol based Vanilla Absolute
3 Cups half-and-half

In a medium size heavy bottom saucepan, bring blueberries, honey, and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes while stirring until the berries begin to pop. Remove from heat. Add dried lavender, cinnamon & ginger. Blend with a stick blender until pureed. Using a sieve, strain into a bowl, pressing the berry skins to release all the liquid. Refrigerate for several minutes until lightly chilled. Add the drops of Lavender Essential Oil and Vanilla Absolute, then stir in the half-and-half. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker (1 1/2-qt. or larger capacity). Freeze according to manufacturer's directions until firm enough to scoop. Enjoy!

Note - The mashed berry skins can be placed flat on waxed paper, flattened and dried to make fruit leather :)

Optional - Like a lot of flavor with an exotic flair? Add 1-2 drops of Cardamom Essential Oil to this recipe!

Uncorked!

I grew up in NYC. While many of my youthful memories involve smells that were not always natural or pleasant, there was an abundance of Gaia's aromatic influences around me to put this child on the right track at a young age.

Mrs. Huie grew cascading pale purple wisteria on her balcony. Mr. Schneider had mounds of sweet golden honeysuckles. Old overgrown lilac & mulberry bushes were prolific all throughout the back alley. These are the natural fragrances and fragrant flavors of my childhood; seasonal scents & sweet sensations, annually anticipated and experienced with jubilation. I was hooked way back then.

As I grew into a teenager I became heavily involved in studying a variety of "aromatic arts", including cooking, aromatherapy, handmade incense, ancient perfumes, etc. These ingredients included herbs, spices, resins, oils, and a variety of fragrances both natural and synthetic. Rather quickly I gravitated away from the synthetics. They simply didn't suit my personal needs for a variety of reasons and I tended to make most of my creations without them, eventually phasing them out completely. Employment opportunities in my late teens and early 20's introduced me to a far wider range of aromatic materials than I had ever used before. This increased interaction and greater experience with essential oils, absolutes, concretes and other nature made heavenly scents only piqued my interests more.

Then came the internet .. In the mid/late 90's I found myself meeting other aromatic artisans and aromatherapists online. One of the folks I met was a botanical maven & Natural Perfumer named Anya McCoy. Since the early 90's she had been making and selling all natural, modern style perfumes, with commercially available natural aromatic ingredients and even some self created concoctions made from flowers and fruits growing in her own tropical garden. Once we got talking, I knew the sky was the limit for this art form and for me!

The rest is HerStory! Happy 5th Birthday Natural Perfumers Guild!

This is part of Uncorked, an anniversary celebration of five years of the Natural Perfumers Guild, with the following other bloggers/companies blogging today:

Adam Gottschalk, Lord's Jester
Alec Lawless,Being Led by the Nose
Anu Prestonia, Anu Essentials
Anya McCoy, Anya’s Garden Perfumes
Charna Ethier, Providence Perfume
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, DSH Notebook
Denise Smith, gtt by gtt
Elise Pearlstine, Bellyflowers
Emily Pienaar, The Western Cape Perfumery
Ida Meister, Ca Fleure Bon
Isabelle Gelle, Les Parfums d’Isabelle
JoAnne Bassett, Natural Perfumes
Karen Williams, Aromatics International
Laura Natusch, Olive and Oud
Lisa Abdul-Quddus, Blossoming Tree Bodycare
Noelle Smith, Ellenoire
Robert Tisserand, I’m Just Saying
Ross Urrere, Olfactory Rescue Service
Susan Stype, Aromatherapy Contessa
Trygve Harris, Absolutely Trygve

Pool Time

Hey Folks,

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend. We are experiencing dry scorching hot weather. Thank heavens the local pool has opened and we can enjoy all of its benefits!

One problem though, is chlorine, and sun exposure.


My favorite way to treat

Rose Petal Jam ~ Gül Reçel

More than once when I've first introduced folks to Rose Petal Jam they were quite skeptical about trying it. Then, many of them (including my ex-husband) decided they can't live without a jar of it in the house at all times.

This is a favorite item on the typical Mediterranean breakfast table, as well as ours! My young sons insist we always have a jar available. It has become a staple in our household, and we are sure that once you try it, you'll probably feel the same way.

This delicious jam tastes and smells like Rose Otto (Rose Essential Oil), as it is made from petals hand gathered in the same fields of damascena roses that give us that lovely and precious Essential Oil of Rose and the perfumery oil called Rose Absolute.

It's normally eaten with Feta Cheese, Olives and fresh baked bread. We also love it on pancakes, waffles, french toast, in cookie recipes, in cake recipes, candies, etc ... It can also be used in making savory marinades and sauces. You are limited only by your own epicurean imagination!

Click here to order this delectable treat.

Sangre de Cristo Soap

A Symphony of Community Spirit

This past weekend the ALOF family spent an afternoon at The Symphony. "Night at the Movies" was the theme. We had an absolutely fantastic time!

Never a disappointment, we were happy, like many others, to be part of The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra's wonderful silent auction by donating items with the goal of raising funds to help keep this wonderful 20 year local institution going strong.

Quickly and generously both gift sets were snatched up. One contained Certified Organic 100% Olive Oil Kazanlik Rose Castile Soap & Certified Organic Bulgarian Rosa Damascena Hydrosol and the other was the Orange Luxe Gift Set Trio from our CZ Luxe division.

These days when adults and children alike can be captivated for 90 minutes or more with pure acoustic entertainment, you know you're doing something right! :) Thank you FBSO! And in recognition of that, as well as the many other wonderful benefits of our local Orchestra, we also provided some additional "hat drawing" items as a way to thank the cast of musicians and behind the scenes volunteers that make all of this possible. We hope you all enjoyed the goodies.

ALOF and CZ Luxe believe it is just as important for small business to come out and support its community and their local cultural events; as much as it is important for the community to come out and support its local businesses and their local presence!

We are our communities. We are the people in your neighborhood! :)

Essence of Emerald

Patchouli, Corriander, Cardamom & Cananga - combine to

Red Raspberry For Summer Sun Protection

Raves for Red Raspberry!

In March we received an ultra fresh pressed batch of Red Raspberry Seed Oil and not surprisingly it quickly sold out. I'm happy to say that we once again we have in stock now an ultra fresh batch of cold pressed Red Raspberry Seed Oil!

This bright golden oil is one amazing item. Not only is it rich in omega fatty acids and tocopherols, making it a fabulous anti-oxidant, it also is low in saturated fats and has been shown to have an a broad spectrum UVA/UVB SPF factor of somewhere between 25 and 50!

Mix that with your Zinc Oxide before you go forth and swim; and then use it in vinaigrette for anti-inflammatory properties in a delicious nourishing dinner salad too!

My personal odoriferous observation, in the bottle it does not appear to have any particularly discernible fragrance, but when rubbed on the skin a delightfully light, nutty, fruity quality appears.

All around Red Raspberry Seed Oil is good stuff indeed! And since we have it custom made for us in the USA directly from our Red Raspberry Seed grower, we blow the competition out of the water in quality, price and freshness!

GLORIOUS! The only way to describe this day!

With that being said I must discuss BOYS! Elementary school aged ones to be specific! I find nothing more fantastic than sending boys out on a beautiful day

Aphrodite's Rosy Inspiration

Born in a bubble bath. Aphrodite's name is derived from the Greek word “aphros” meaning foam from the sea.

It is no secret that rose is her blossom! The story of her naming the rose. The tale of how her love, blood and tears created the first red rose bloom itself. This is the stuff that legends are made of.

Being a Greek gal in the Pantheon with Athena, she's gotta know well that Olive Oil is great food for all divine bodies, inside and out.

Aphrodite is a Goddess known for her hot, passionate style. I love to muse about her beauty routines, and on Friday, in honor of this saucy, sea spawned seductress, my muse and I created Pure Rose & Olive Castile Soap. Gorgeous enough for the Goddess of Beauty in all of us!

Click Here To Order!

Certified Organic Frankincense Hydrosol

ULTRA FRESH! Frankincense Carterii Hydrosol - Certified Organic and Artisan Distilled in the USA.

Makes a beautiful linen spray and room perfume. Helps promote a calming and spiritual energy in any space.

For personal use, author, Suzanne Catty sites Frankincense Hydrosol as quite beneficial for those ailing from infections of the mouth and/or gums; gargle or rinse after brushing.

It also functions as a gentle skin toner, particularly suited to those in humid climates and with mature skin; has anti-aging properties.

Limited Quantities Available!
Click Here To Order