Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

Photo of soil microbe Rhizobium beneficially infecting the root of black eyed peas. The swollen nodules are the little "houses" the Rhizobium built by tunneling into the root. The Rhizobium supplies nitrogen to the plant, thus lessening the need for nitrogen fertilizer, cutting down on water pollution and costs . I love looking at the cycle of nature and how it relates to perfumery. Taste and scent are closely related, soil health and plants are a given equation, and how the world of insects and microbes interact with all of the above is fascinating. I have a background of study in agriculture, plant science and economic botany. I took courses in plant physiology, plant ecology, soil science and various other related subjects. It always is a wonder and a delight to read of yet another secret unlocked by plant scientists. The latest bit of information added to our knowledge database involves the symbiotic relationship between soil microbes and the roots of vetiver plants. Veti...

Lucy of Indie Perfumes has tagged me - it a way to open up the rolodex of perfume bloggers out there. Here's the scoop on how to participate. 1. Link to the person who tagged you. (Lucy, above, in a fantasy pic with me, festooned with birds - why not?) 2. Post the rules on your blog. (here they are) 3. Write six random things about yourself. (below) 4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. (below) 5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog. (makes sense) 6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up. (OK) Six random things about me: 1. I've always wanted to live in an "underground" earthship type house. A Bucky Fuller dome would be second. 2. For as much as I'm in the car, I've never had road rage, and that's saying something in Miami, voted the worst city in the USA for bad drivers. I just shine them on - they have guns! 3. My fingernails and hair grow like they're on steroids - long and lush a...

Photo of patchouli plant in Anya's Garden This is an genderless post, men and women can play patchouli panties/bras/undies/boxers/tighty whities! I've written here before I don't use scented laundry detergent. Think it's unnecessary, plus I try to keep my nose as "clean" as possible from extraneous scents. I keep large folded stacks of cotton washcloths in my bathroom for drying hands. Very sanitary, better than towels. About 10 days ago I had a patchouli spill in my perfumery studio. It was minor (thank goodness, with the price of patchouli, and this was gorgeous aged patchouli) and the spill tray caught it. After I poured the bulk of it back into the bottle, I grabbed one of the washcloths (had it nearby for a reason I forget now) splashed some alcohol on it, and wiped the tray clean. Even though only a teaspoon or so, the cloth reeked. Strong stuff. Tossed it into the hamper. Forgot about it. I wash my undies and washcloths together. Opened the garage door...

Vote Down H.R. 3997, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 If you own a small business - and I know this blog is read by a lot of small business owners in the cosmetics and beauty industries - please be aware that the "bailout" bill being proposed by our government can harm your businesses. Donna Maria Coles Johnson of the Indie Beauty Network has blogged about this situation here and I encourage you to go to her site, read the article, and send the letter to your senators and congressional representatives. I have had trouble reaching my representative via email because the site keeps crashing due to high volume, so I called his local and his D.C. office to register my vote against the bill. Act now - this is a very time-sensitive and business-sensitive matter! Fight the FDA Globalization Act of 2008!

I have been reviewing and updating the Online Perfumery Course website in anticipation of the new semester starting October 6th. You can read more in-depth about what is offered at my perfume website. The realization that what you'll find on the perfume site is probably one of the most professional, comprehensive offerings in studying perfumery is very evident when you click on the syllabus and/or visit the blog site for the course. The effort of the past 16 months of site-building for content is reflected in the extensive amount of learning materials on the website. I have to say it's full of amazing resources! Lectures: The new student body will find five lectures available for the first Module, just to get them oriented. There's also a pronunciation lecture to help folks know their ylang from their chypre ;-) Each Module is accompanied by at least one recorded lecture, some have more. Primer: The Primer for the course was edited by an aromatherapist who is also...

Sad Scene from Hurricane Katrina 2005 - God Bless the Animal Rescue Plans in Place in 2008! We all know the horrifying stories: When Katrina hit in 2005, many people drowned because they refused to leave their beloved family pets behind, and when the waters rose, many of the people and the pets alike drowned. Some animals, perhaps like the dog above, were left behind, or escaped and were left to fend for themselves. Most were never reunited with their people. The mass evacuation of almost two million people in the path of Hurricane Gustav was historic, calm, and for the first time ever, included pets. Pets were given collars with bar codes, loaded onto transport, and in most cases, were able to stay at special shelters with their owners. It was heartwarming and wonderful to see. I donated today to Noah's Wish , and I encourage you to also donate - perhaps to the Humane Society, Noah's Wish, or some other pet rescue operation.

Natural Perfumery Group on Yahoo is very active, with over 1600 members, 15 new ones in the past week alone, and over 1000 messages this month! Lucky Linda from Iowa introduced herself as a newbie member of the Yahoo group for Natural Perfumery that I've hosted for over six years. We always welcome newbies, and love to hear from them. Linda bemoaned the fact that she works in a florist shop where she is surrounded by scentless flowers! Breeding for looks and the ability to withstand shipping long distances has resulted in roses with no scent - how sad. The group is very active, with a LOT of dialogue between members on subject as far-ranging as fixatives, sourcing, tincturing plants from their garden, etc. We've had a surge in posts in the past month or two, and I was watching as we approached the 1000th post for the month of August - and it was Linda's intro. This week a sample of rare florals will be in the mail to her in Iowa for her good fortune in posting #1000. She...

My Primer for my online natural perfumery course is copyrighted. Ruth Ruane aka White Witch is a former student and former member of the huge NP group I host who has been posting, without permission, and in violation of a copyright notice, excerpts of the original rough draft version of my Natural Perfumery Primer on her various blogs. I don't believe she will cease and desist this action, but perhaps what follows will give a clearer picture of the background on this issue. I have no publisher to back me on this, since I publish the Primer. Not she, or anyone else, has the legal or ethical right to post excerpts, except for small bits, with permission. She has stated her intent to post the entire Primer, over time. Ruth Ruane is, for the record, the only student who had a complaint. My online class for natural perfumery has dozens of great students enrolled, and I have testimonials to prove they find the coursework challenging, educational and that it is helping advance their car...

I submitted this photo to the famous LOLCats site, I can has cheezburger , and it's in the queue, but I just wanted to share it with y'all in a rare non-perfumed post. Lulu is the apple of my eye, the most amazing sweet crazy kitty ever. She'll be four on Sept. 1st, and she still does the mountain goat act of leaping to the top of the door/bookcase/armoire.

Gardenia flower When I was in school studying Economic Botany, (scroll down) I reveled in tales of the Plant Hunters. These were adventurous botanists who traveled to remote regions looking for plants that would be useful to us. Many focused on medicinal plants, but I was obsessed with fragrant plants - of course! I never did become a Plant Hunter, and was a bit disheartened to learn that for the past decade or so, the Plant Hunters tend to be governed by the headspace machine, which although it captures the scent of the flower, results ultimately in a recreation of the scent with synthetic chemicals. Headspace proponents argue that by doing so, they are ultimately protecting the plant because there is no need to harvest it. Well, I like my essences natural and I like them renewable, and I especially like the idea that there are still Plant Hunters like Trygve Harris of Enfleurage in New York and other entrepreneural souls who strive to establish new plantations and grassroots indust...

Anya's Garden Packages with Handmade Boxes Created from Sustainable Nepalese "Daphne" Plant and Recycled USA Fibers mixed with USA Wildflower Seeds *plant and grow a wildflower garden with the box!* ~~~ 15% off everything in Anya's Garden to Celebrate - click here for the sale ~~~ enter the word garden for the discount ~~~ photo of Fairchild box taken in Anya's Garden Aug. 14, 2008, nestled in the branches of a flowering Aglaia odorata tree As a natural perfumer, I searched for years for an ecological, sustainable way to package my fragrances. I wanted to source boxes here in the US to keep the carbon footprint as small as possible, and I wanted the fiber for the boxes to be from a sustainable, renewable source. The fiber source is not from the USA, but I am very happy that the harvest supports wildcrafters in Nepal. The Lokta plant is a relative of the Daphne bush, and it's bark must be harvested to insure the plant survives. No fertilizers or sprays are us...

A perfumer can sometimes dream - or daydream - of little dots/drops - and the dance of the aromatic molecules. Sometimes, if you're lucky, those drops coalesce into a perfume - a cornucopia of rewards of scent, time and place. They can be imagined as people moving together like the fractal cornucopia, all a different color with a unique beauty, all synchronized to help form a beautiful image. First off - to catch up: I haven't blogged for a few weeks because I've been so busy and caught up in great things. First, I got the perfect boxes and packaging for my perfumes. Finally. It's only been two years, lol. The company will make custom boxes for me in the future, but the regular ones are wonderful in the time being. I'll launch them in the next day or two. One of my webmasters (I have two!) turned out to be a graphic artist of sorts and got my labels fixed. Yay! Then the new Guild site launched last Friday 8.8.08 , and the feedback is fantastic! The Guild members are...

What Madison Avenue Touts to the Detriment of Health - from Cigarettes to Plug-In Air "Fresheners" et al Just a quick follow up to the previous blog on chemical sensitivities causing problems for perfumistas. This appeared a few days ago in the Washington Post. A brief quote from the article: "Collectively, the six products gave off nearly 100 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including acetone, the eye-stinging ingredient in nail-polish remover and paint thinner. (VOCs are compounds that vaporize easily, like fumes from paint and gasoline. Many VOCs are known to be harmful.)" It's very clear to me, and has been very clear for a long time that we are in a state of sensory overload due to savvy Madison Avenue brainwashing. My prediction? In a few years the fragrance fumes of the grocery aisles, the plug-in "air fresheners", the scented candles will all be as rare as cigarette smokers, smoke-filled restaurants and offices and will be viewed as harmful.

Synchronicity has struck. In one day I stumbled upon three perfume bloggers who have written how they have either had to stop using perfume altogether, or at least drastically cut back on their use of perfume. I was idly searching back through the Urban Farmer blog and found this post , dramatically titled The End of Scent. When I read the comments, I noticed that Heather of Memory and Desire discussed her problems with scent and having to stop using fragrance entirely. I was wondering why she hadn't blogged since May - now I know. With Heather, it's headaches, for Lou, well, she had a litany of problems. Savvy, they cut back on scent usage. It's tearing their souls up, but their bodies are healing. It's been barely three years since the birth of perfume blogs. I'm wondering if we're now seeing the "canary in the coal mine" syndrome starting to surface. Often I have read on forums snarky comments from perfumistas about those who complain about st...