I never know what I am going to see on my daily workout walks. Tonight this stunning Magnolia flower was on my path. The petals are so perfectly white.
Once again MN amazes me with her beauty.
Get out there and find something to stop you in your tracks.
On my continued quest for essential oils to be used for an upcoming line of natural candles I am talking to anyone and everyone who knows anything about essential oils and natural ingredients for said candles. Recently I spoke with one of the founders and a regional representative of doTerra a brand built on essential oils and their various benefits. They provided me with lots of tips as well as small samples of 4 varieties to test. There are numerous developers, suppliers and brands of essential oils with most claiming they are the best and my goal is to look into the majority of them before making my finally decisions of ingredients.
I started by looking for locally produced as well as organically grown. This has been a challenge. Mainly due to the very high cost associated with getting even one little drop from the plants. It requires large quantities of the plant it self, large quantities of time, large quantities of funds to buy the equipment and not to mention the perfect growing conditions to produce the best variety of plants you are wishing to get the oils from. You get the picture. Therefore there are very few small producers of the oils. I have promised myself {and future clients} to use local when I am able.
In speaking to various people about my project I have found that there is very little know by the general public on what essential oils are, their benefits, value to our bodies and environments, and reason for their high cost per ounce. As I educate myself and develop the best line of products I can, with the best ingredients I can use within my price point, I feel it worth while to pass along this research to those who will listen.
Below is a brief recap from the doTERRA website explaining what the oils are and where they actually come from. This will be a series of posts on various fragrances and brands {various brands & companies will be featured}. I would love to hear your responses and any feedback you have to share.
“Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, and flowers of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant, eliciting profound emotional responses. Yet the use of essential oils goes well beyond their fragrant appeal. Used throughout history for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits, essential oils can be used as natural alternatives in holistic self-care practices. Their unique chemistry allows them to be used aromatically and applied topically to the skin, while other essential oils can be used as dietary aids to promote vitality and well being.”
Come along for the “Essential” journey with me! ~kf.
Tags: An Appealing Plan, business, candles, doTERRA, eco, essential oils, green gifts, home, Inspiration, lifestyle, natural candles
Education Conferences are meant to grow your brain, but this week I worked with WWOTB Event Sponsor Grow Financial to bring life to their employee table and their vendor table.
Working with my newest passion Succulents I created small pots for each table guest. I ordered the succulents from Simply Succulents but they are also available at many local shops. Using succulent soil as a base and then filing with the small/medium-sized plants. I then place crushed oyster shells to cover the dark soil and to add visual interest and a clean look. The final touch was a wooden “popsicle” stick with GROW written in green sharpie. The hope is that they will place them on their desks as a reminder of all the useful tools they learned during the work shop. And to also remind them to continue to grow everyday.
The ladies from Grow Financial love their jobs and it shows! I was happy and honored to be able to help them spread the word and bring life to their tables. ~ kf.
Tags: An Appealing Plan, business, container gardens, design, Grow Financial, krayl funch, oyster shells, plants, succulents, working women of tampa bay
It’s been a long two weeks of work, taxes, conferences and thinking in general. All good but long and full of thought.
Today with the clink of the Mimosa glass I vow to take a break from thinking and refresh my brain.
Be kind to your “other mother” today and celebrate this wonderful world we live in, in your own special way.
Happy Earth Day. ~kf.
My FIrst Blogger Conference!! Although pretty exhausted from the previous tax week, I am feeling excited about tomorrow’s TECHmuch lifestyle blogger conference in Tampa.
TECHmunch helps food bloggers in cities across the U.S. learn the skills they need to succeed and take their blogs to the next level. The intensive, hands-on format is designed to get attendees up-to-speed on all the latest tools and tactics for building buzz, improving SEO, growing their audience and profiting from their hard work.
While other food blogger conferences tend to focus on promoting food-related brands to attendees, TECHmunch has a grassroots style and fast-paced format that’s focused entirely on providing useful information… and having fun in the process.
TECHmunch was founded in 2010 by BakeSpace.com Founder Babette Pepaj. As the entrepreneur behind the Web’s first food-themed social network and recipe swap, Babette had attended more than her share of online industry conferences that simply failed to deliver practical, real-world information. TECHmunch was born out of her desire to create something inherently more valuable to both established and aspiring food bloggers.
The first TECHmunch was held in March 2010 in Austin, Texas — concurrent with the annual SXSWi (South by Southwest Interactive) Conference. The second TECHmunch was held the following June in New York City, and was an official partner at Internet Week 2010.
Babette Pepaj, TECHmunch Founder (on right) at NYC Event
“Our goal is to give local food bloggers a fun, affordable conference where they get the ingredients they need to succeed. We focus on practical information that attendees can use immediately to take their blogs to the next level.” – Babette Pepaj, TECHmunch Founder
TECHmunch Tampa is produced with local assistance by Jeff Houck (@JeffHouck), Food Editor Tampa Tribune.
Connect with TECHmunch at: Facebook.com/TECHmunch
Get TECHmunch updates on Twitter (via @BakeSpace): Twitter.com/BakeSpace
Look forward to many a post tomorrow from the conference ~ kf.
Tags: business, food, home, Inspiration, kitchen gardens, krayl funch, lifestyle, marketing, Tampa, TECHmunch
I am a few weeks behind on this post from my recent visit to Epcot’s 2012 Flower and Garden Festival.
Not usually a “Disney” girl Epcot has won me over. It is my grown-up fantasy world where life is good. The plants and grounds are perfectly manicured. The food and wine are perfectly placed and always tasty {ok the escargot in France were not my favorite. But no one is perfect right?}
This visit I timed my trip to be able to see HGTV’s Sabrina Soto give her presentation. She was very real and refreshing. She gave tips on how to get involved with the station and programing as well as answered all types of questions about design and her shows. The audience was interesting to say the least. Two separate ladies made some what negative comments and Sabrina handled it very well. At one point joking saying she was not going to answer her question. She was also questioned on her fondness for Benjamin Moore paints when HGTV has a new partnership with Sherwin-Williams. Her response was frank and not based on monetary commitments…perhaps not wise but endearing her to me even more. As you can see she is a tiny girl with a big personality.
After the workshop I moved on to another favorite “country” England where Twings Tea has sponsored the English Garden. The herbs and boxwood have me dreaming of being whisked away and then “Alice in Wonderland” and the line of children waiting for their photo-op snap me back to reality. Brief but worth the trip as usual.
The show runs now through May 20th. If you have the chance, make the trip and have a sip of champagne in France for me. ~ kf.
Tags: An Appealing Plan, container gardens, design, Epcot, Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, garden, HGTV, home, Inspiration, krayl funch, lifestyle, Natural Decorating, outdoors, plants, Sabrina Soto, Twinings Tea, vacation
This past Sunday I was luck enough to be invited to the set of the Tampa Bay ABC Action News to discuss container gardening. Check out the video by clicking on the picture to the left.
Of course I was worried about getting soil all over the clean red carpet, but I managed to keep it under control and didn’t make too much of a mess after all.
WHY CONTAINER GARDENING?
There are many reasons to start gardening in containers:
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR PLANT SELECTION?
Where will this container be placed, will be the biggest factor determining what plants you will select. Will it be inside or outside; full Sun, full shade or somewhere in between. Consider how much time you would like to spend caring for the containers? Once you consider these factors head to your local nursery and you will find a vast array of plant in very color that will work for your requirements.
DON’T LIMIT YOURSELF TO JUST FLOWERS
Containers with the most visual appeal and interest combine flowers, with edible plants such as herbs and vegetables. As long as you select varieties that will need similar conditions they will all live happily in one container. For a medium size container choose one or two herbs, one vegetable that will do well in a container and one flower plant. For larger container choose bring in another flowering plant or slow growing herb. By growing herbs at home you will be able to get creative and try new recipes and always be ready to dress up a table when entertaining.
DON’T BE INTIMIDATED
YOU CAN NOT GO WRONG. Just give it a try. If a combination doesn’t work try a new one. Gardening is a process and always changing.
Enjoy it.
Happy Planting. ~kf.
Tags: ABC Action News, An Appealing Plan, container gardens, garden, green, herbs, home, Inspiration, kitchen gardens, krayl funch, lifestyle, outdoor room, Peggy Green, peppers, plants, seasonal decorating, tomatoes, vegetable gardening
