Making Perfumes Out Of Your Potted Flowers

For me, smelling good is one of the requirements to feel confident inside and out. I never leave the house without a spritz of my favorite perfume because I feel like I left something in the house if I forget to spray. Everyone uses perfume to smell good and only a few people know that some perfumes contain chemicals that could harm the environment and worst, cause allergies to humans. Expensive and cheap perfumes are available in the market and we don't know the effects it can cause to our bodies. To help our mother nature, we can create our own perfume that is safe to use even on our children. Making a homemade perfume from your garden is easy and you don't have to pay a lot of money just to smell good. Here is how: 

First, look for a fresh flower that is pesticide-free and then collect the buds and petals. You can use any flowers you like as long as it is scented. Gather 1 cup of flower petals, wash and remove dirt and possible contaminates. Place 2 cups of distilled water and the flowers in an aluminum pan and let the water simmer in a very low flame. Do not boil the flower so as not to ruin the scent. Let the water simmer for about 2 hours and check from time to time if the water haven't run out. Put off the fire and let it cool for a few hours so the petals will seep into the water. After that, strain everything into a bowl using a cheesecloth. Lastly transfer your perfume in a bottle and enjoy your finished product. 

The steps are fast and it's more easier if you gather those flowers from your own garden. If you don't have a garden or if you have a small place, you can buy potted plants on the net since it can occupy smaller places. The online shop "Emily's Plants" have scented potted flower collections like the Aromatic Lavender Plant in Purple Ceramic Container and their Mini pink rose which is one of my favorite collection.

Azalea Bonsai Perfect Addition To Your Miniature Garden

I received my first miniature garden when I was 9 and for me, it was better than my lego boxes. I have a lot of memories exploring how mighty I am to rule my own little house with a nice garden. When I get bored, I asked Dad to buy me new pieces of furniture and he helped me remodel it.  I love to put trellis and benches in my miniature garden since it looks real and I'm a big fan of the Victorian era so creating a Victorian garden was my first project after getting engaged. A miniature garden is a nice gift for kids since they can play and at the same time enjoy gardening. Since their dealing with live plants  children can learn how to be responsible in taking care of their mini garden and also you encourage them to learn basic architecture and horticulture.

You can create your own miniature garden gifts to share with friends and love-ones.  To make one,  you need to choose any container that will hold soil and also allow excess water to drain away. To accommodate many garden features, use the container with a large open surface like terra-cotta and ceramic pots, wooden boxes, wicker baskets and hypertufa troughs. For choosing the potting mix, stay away from soil that will not drain enough to provide a good drainage. If your container has holes on the bottom, try to cover it with dry coffee filters to prevent soils from falling through.

The most fun part is laying out the garden. This is where you show your talent and experiment with different arrangements. Large plant comes first so it will be easy to arrange the furniture and other ornaments. In buying plants, it would look real if you use Bonsai trees since it resembles large trees. The Azalea Bonsai from Emilysplants.com is an example of a flowering bonsai tree that can add extra color to your miniature garden. You can also add fences, houses, crystals as lake, mosses, mini fountains, lights and stones. It's a big accomplishment finishing a wonderful creation in just 5 minutes.

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Giving Plants Away This April 22nd of 2013 - Earth Day!

This morning I tried looking on my monthly schedule and  I found out that I have nothing important activities or any engagement to do this month other than working during weekdays :). Looking at the calendar, I saw a big event this 22nd of April 2013. I know most of us will not remember this day, in fact it is a world wide celebration- the Earth Day. Earth Day is an annual celebration on which events are held worldwide by more than 192 countries to show support for environmental protection. It is mainly observed on April 22 each year. They designated it as International Mother Earth Day by a consensus resolution adopted by the United Nations last 2009.

By blogging this event maybe is the least I can do to support and commemorate the said event. We all know that plants can really help us make our place green and lively. It is also good for our health and can comfort us in every way for they carry life and emotion. I bet you agree on what I wrote because we can use plants as gifts and we can give it away to our friends and loved ones. It becomes a special gift that grows through care and love. It can be used as a perfect gift in any occasion, parties and social gatherings. It is also best to use as ornaments in office and inside our homes. I share this beautiful video that you can do, a simple way to start giving live plants away to your friends and office mates.



I find that plants are better gifts than cut flowers. Yes you may use cut flowers but after few days it will wither and die. Unlike live plants you can place them in a beautiful container and you can watch them grow as time goes by. The love and care of the giver thrives in that plants and any moment you will also see how it blooms and flatters you with its beautiful color.

So start giving live plants away to your friends and spread the love and promote Earth Day, where ever you are and what ever you do. Always think that everyone needs good air to breath and LOVE in order to live.





- Jose Emmanuel Almirante

Author