May Day Violets

When I was a child my mother smelled of violets.  She wore Yardley April Violets and when Yardley stopped making it my father went on a mission to hunt down any remaining bottles.  As a compensation I always buy my mother violet scented things for her birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.  A few years ago Yardley made a limited edition and I was able to buy some for her for Christmas.  My mom is not an overly emotional woman but I think I saw her tear up.

Violets are a funny little plant.  The violets native to this area are lovely but have no discernable fragrance.  If you're lucky enough to find a patch of viola odorata, the sweetly scented violet, you can have one good whiff before the ionones in the plant will knock out your sense of smell for a while.  Another funny thing about the violet is that the pretty purple "flower" they send up in the spring is really not the plant's true flower at all.  The true flower with all the sexual parts comes up late in the summer.  They're white and form at the base of the plant and are loaded with seeds.  The purple flower in the spring is just for show!

Violet leaves, with their heart shape, are nice to nibble on in the spring in a salad, as well as the non-sexual flowers.  A salad dotted with violets is a lovely thing indeed.  Violet leaves are mucilaginous meaning that they coat and soothe tissues when taken internally.  They are also known to break up cysts and masses, particular to the breast.  I usually harvest leaves late in the summer just before the true flower comes out and leave them to dry for tisane.

My mom and her best friend, Pat Harvey, used to pick them when they were neighbors on the same street when they were young mothers back in the '50's.  I got to sit next to Pat at a wedding this past weekend and reminded her of this.  So this post is for my mom and her best friend, Happy May Day!

New Perfume Workshop Announced at New York Botanical Garden

I'm so pleased that I'll be participating in the New York Botanical Garden's Adult Education program this Spring and Summer.  I'll be teaching two classes, Natural Perfume Blending on Saturday, May 19th and Aromatherapy 101 on Thursday, June 7th.

New Flavors for Vodka

Every so often I get inspired to make some new cocktail fixings.  I thought that before the winter's bounty of citrus fruits were over and done I should try infusing some zest and see what I could come up with.  Meyer lemon was the first venture.  It's a lighter and fresher version of a regular old lemon, much more perfumed.  It probably won't hold up to stronger mixers but I think it would be lovely with tonic or club soda.  From there I made pink grapefruit and minneola tangerine.  I'm imagining paring some of these with vanilla for some interesting creamsicle variations.

horseradish root

Also had the good fortune of being present when the horseradish roots were being dug up in my community garden.  I've always thought horseradish vodka was a natural, being halfway to a Bloody Mary already.  My specimen was long and thin and fairly easy to clean so I opted out of peeling and just chopped it up.  I used about two and a half tablespoons of chopped fresh horseradish to one cup of vodka and let it sit for just a day before straining.  I also made a batch with a teaspoon of crushed black peppercorns.  I'm so intrigued by the possibilities that I ended up buying another horseradish root and making more.  I have fresh tomato season in mind, so this second batch is being put away for safe keeping.

More Workshops Announced

Two new Natural Perfume Blending Workshops have been scheduled for this spring.  There is still room available for the May 5th class at 3rd Ward.  I'm so pleased to be offering a workshop at my new favorite boutique, By Brooklyn, in Carroll Gardens on June 2nd.  The classes have been a lot of fun and I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing everyone's reactions to discovering oils they've never experienced before, and it's great to see the different fragrances students come up with from the same collection.

Capsule Show

I was recently offered the opportunity to show off my wares at The Capsule Show, a designer showcase in New York City.  It was a great opportunity to meet lots of designers and store owners from around the world, get feedback and share ideas.

By Brooklyn

I'm pleased that six of my perfumes are now being sold locally in By Brooklyn, a Carroll Gardens shop dedicated to selling exclusively Brooklyn made items.  By Brooklyn heralds the wealth of creative talent, artistry, determination to growing Brooklyn by enterprising Brooklynites. By Brooklyn is a unique space that exists beyond its brick-and-mortar walls, creating a community for artisans to share their experiences, hone their craft and create further opportunities for the  expansion of their artistic endeavors

By Brooklyn
261 Smith Street
Between Degraw & Douglass
Brooklyn, NY 11231

Monday - Friday: 11:30 am - 7:30 pm
Saturday: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday: 11:00 am-7:00 pm

Moonrise

I gazed upon the cloudless moon,
And loved her all the night,
Till morning came and radiant noon,
And I forgot her light-


No, not forget-eternally
Remains its memory dear;
But could the day seem dark to me
Because the night was fair?


Emily Bronte





I'm so pleased to announce the latest perfume offering from Alchemologie, Moonrise.

When Pam Grossman of Observatory Room approached me to create a perfume for a group show based on the moon I agreed on the condition that she collaborate with me on it.  I walked away wondering, "Ok, now, what does the moon smell like".  When Pam and I sat down to begin she brought with her a list of plants that were historically said to be connected to the moon.  The most obvious place to start on that list was with an artemesia, inspired by the Greek goddess, Artemis, who represents the new moon.  Artemis is portrayed in the fragrance by a few spare drops of wormood in the top note, supported by bergamot and petitgrain.  The heart of the perfume is made of luminous jasmine, honey absolute and balanced with rose.  Sandalwood, frankincense and oak moss form the base chord.  The finished perfume, Moonrise, made it's debut at the opening of Lunation:  Art on the Moon on January 7th.  Two lunar inspired cocktails I created were served at the event, The Honeymoon (oat and honey soaked vodka with milk and sandalwood oil) and Dark Side of the Moon (tangerine spiked vodka with homemade creme de cacao and jasmine).