Ecouture: Full Spiral Designs

I was recently contacted by the lovely Jess of Full Spiral Designs. She wanted to do a guest post here. When I clicked onto her store link, I was totally blown away by her rustic, creative designs.

This post is a little teaser. She and I thought an Ecouture post would be appropriate, as she makes her jewelry from recycled metals. Here is an excerpt from her environmental policy (and you know I LOVE businesses that HAVE an environmental policy!):

I strive to use eco friendly materials in all of my jewelry pieces whenever possible.

All of my silver, copper and gold is 100% recycled and milled in Australia.  My supplier buys scrap metal from jewellery and industry, and mills their wire and sheet metals using moden, environmentally friendly machinery.

Without further ado, here are some pieces that are particular favorites of mine. The first three are from FSD’s newest collection called Chunky Tribal Jewelry.

Be sure to check back next month for a wonderful post by Jess!

Photos used with permission.

If you have a green-minded fashion, beauty or jewelry business (or the like) please contact me to be featured in an Ecouture post: five5seed@gmail.com.

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Gillian

The Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume collection would not be complete without two particular blends named after my favorite fictional herbal witches – Sally and Gillian Owens, the protagonists of Alice Hoffman’s beautiful novel, Practical Magic (and from the movie of the same name).

Both blends are strikingly unique and really stand out in the Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume collection. Gillian is a mixture of dangerously sweet floral tones and mysterious, deep woodsy notes. Davana oil lends a feeling of the exotic to this blend and has the “magical” property of altering its scent based on the chemistry of the person wearing it.

Like Gillian, though, there’s an edge of adventure and a touch of danger beneath all that fragrant, floral sweetness. The Australian sandalwood (more eco-friendly than the over-harvested, at-risk Indian sandalwood) and cedar oils lend a deep, rich, musky scent perfect for sensuous Gillian. These are exactly the scents that would have surrounded Gillian on that dark June night when she showed up at her sister Sally’s door, fresh from Tucson with a bit of a problem in the backseat of her car. Appropriately, the label of the Gillian blend features a rustic rendering of deadly nightshade. (If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, you’ll understand why.)

Gillian was also developed for those of you needing to let loose and enjoy yourselves. This blend fuels passion and will help you get in touch with your wild side. Just beware…you may find yourself attracting sinisterly handsome, ever-so-slightly dangerous men when you wear Gillian. Enjoy the attention, but keep your wits about you.

“During the summer when Gillian was sixteen, the entire varsity football team spent every single Saturday in the aunts’ garden. There they could be found, all in a row, hulking and silent and madly in love, pulling weeds between the rows of nightshade and verbena, careful to avoid the scallions, which were so scorchingly potent they burned the skin right off any boy’s fingers if he wasn’t paying attention.”
–Alice Hoffman

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Sally

The Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume collection would not be complete without two particular blends named after my favorite fictional herbal witches – Sally and Gillian Owens, the protagonists of Alice Hoffman’s beautiful novel, Practical Magic (and from the movie of the same name).

Both blends are strikingly unique and really stand out in the Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume collection. Sally is an enticing, soothing, magnetic blend of herbal and floral essential oils. It smells the way I imagine Sally to smell – as if she just finished working in her magical herb garden, with her little cat, Magpie, by her side, creeping through the rosemary, mint and geraniums. You’ll likely find that children, sweet-natured men and stray cats won’t be able to stay away from you when you wear this blend.

The Sally blend was also created for those of you who want to draw more energy, love, attention and focus into your home life. Sally represents Hearth & Stability. If you need a little assistance in this area (finding a new place of residence, making your home more cozy, building a nest for your new baby, transitioning into marriage, etc.), Sally is the perfect blend for you.

“There are some things…that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
–Alice Hoffman