 Our events this month include the First Friday Art walk, Wednesday Night Market at Alliance for the Arts, and a "how to watercolor" event at Sanibel Public Library! Learn more on our local event page.
On Patreon this month, we will be releasing our next digital zine! This one will be themed Seashells & Sunshine. This will be the month of dolphins on Patreon and in the shop - multiple new dolphin-themed products and artwork will be created and shared. Matt will also be releasing a new incense blend named the Birth of Aphrodite. This was delayed from last month since the artwork is taking Matt a bit longer than expected. Make sure you sign up for our newsletter for details. Photo above: A preview of the Birth of Aphrodite incense artwork
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 The Spring Equinox (Vernal Equinox) marks the first day of spring and is one (of two) moments in the year when day and night are of nearly equal length. In the northern hemisphere the Spring Equinox usually falls on March 20. Continue reading for some fun ways to celebrate this time of year! Check out our Pinterest board for other related recipes and tutorials. Crafts & activities:
Decorations and accents:
Food to make and enjoy:
Scents:
 Spring Equinox incense recipe:
Ingredients:
Directions: Grind ingredients together with a mortar and pestle. Roll into small balls if desired. Smolder on top of a hot hookah charcoal. Best used during vernal rains and dewy mornings! Feel free to experiment and use different ingredients as necessary.  Near the beginning of this summer, I was approached by a friend about collaborating on an incense blend. A retreat in Utah was to host an event focusing on various aspects of wellness. I wanted to give the incense a traditional yoga theme, inspired by the sandalwood heavy blends of India, but also incorporating elements of the flora of the American West, especially its forested and mountainous regions. Copal and their relatives are often the building blocks of my incense blends at the moment. Especially the members of Bursera, one of the most important sources of incense in the Americas. Copal blanco from Mexico was blended with numerous coniferous tree resins including two species of pine from Utah, spruce, and possibly a Pinus originating Copal from Tulum. Small amounts of other ingredients where finally added to sweeten the background of the base. While I do have other ingredients which would have been local to the setting, I decided against them as they have such heavy, smokey and wintery characteristics.  Halmaddi is an essential ingredient when working with Indian inspired blends, which was further mixed with other exotic exudates. Various herbs and roots bring their green, earthy, herbal qualities without leaving the "burnt leaf" aroma, as their whole forms would. Finished with top-shelf quality propolis...  Next, various dried woods and fragrant herbs needed to be blended as close to a powder as achievable. Sandalwood, birch, lavender, homegrown sweetgrass and others made up this base. Then the final floral and classic incense notes were mixed into the powder, absorbing the essential oils into the mix. Finally, it was time to combine all of the ingredients. Using so many conifer resins, the mix was difficult to work with. Thus needing to be frozen and then blended numerous times to finally create the proper consistency.  After weeks of experimenting, planning, testing, blending, and creating the illustration for the label, the incense is now complete. A small space was left for the names of those attending the class focusing on natural aromatics.  The blend itself was a pleasure to work with. Maybe what I liked most about creating this blend specifically is that it allowed me to work with different scenery, one which was far removed from my current seaside themes. There is a high probability that I will take what I have learned here and transform this into a "coastal meditation" blend for our shop.
Now, off to my next incense project for the 15th Annual SWFL Peace Day Festival! Matt August 26, 2022  The Summer Solstice is the day with the longest period of sunlight. In the northern hemisphere the Summer Solstice usually falls on June 20, 21, or 22. In 2022, it is on June 21. Continue reading for some fun ways to celebrate this time of year! Check out our Pinterest board for other related recipes and tutorials. Crafts & activities:
Decorations and accents:
Food to make and enjoy:
Scents:
 Summer Solstice incense recipe:
Ingredients:
Directions: Grind all dry ingredients with zested lemon peel in a mortar and pestle. Add a small amount of honey and mix. Dammar and other citrus or spices may be used as replacements if desired. Smolder on top of a hot hookah charcoal. Feel free to experiment and use different ingredients as necessary. Any white or golden copal or dammar will do. Benzoin is for the sweet notes, which you can also get from vanilla. Cinnamon or clove can be used in place of allspice. And your favorite citrus peel can be used in place of lemon. The sandalwood is not necessary, but having some powdered wood helps with the consistency of the mix.  Find them in our shop here : The Island Octopus Incensarium Mermaid’s Dawn was originally created under the banner of Ethereal Aroma’s Incense Company in 2018. While there was only one edition of this particular blend, it became one of the most popular and well received. When Melissa and I decided to create a new LLC and house our artistic endeavors under one roof, there were a handful of blends I wished to carry over and brand as standard house blends. Mermaid’s Dawn was one of these, and the upcoming Island Nag Champa (which is a combining of Nag Champa Mediations and Hawaiian Nag Champa) is another. More names will be announced when the time is right.
 The Autumn Equinox is one (of two) moments in the year when day and night are of equal length. It marks the beginning of autumn. In the northern hemisphere the Autumn Equinox usually falls on September 22 or 23, and in 2021, it is September 22. Continue reading for some fun ways to celebrate this time of year! Check out our Pinterest board for other related recipes and tutorials. Crafts & Activities:
Decorations and accents:
Food to make and enjoy:
Scents:
 Autumn Equinox incense recipe: Ingredients:
Directions: Grind dried leaves, cinnamon and rosemary with a mortar and pestle. Press in pine resin. Add small amount of storax and knead until thoroughly mixed. Roll into small balls if desired. Smolder on top of a hot hookah charcoal.  |
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