Tools of the Trade

Which Leaves to Pick?

Ready for Picking

Oolong in the Making

Hand Firing

Hand Rolling

Inspecting The Goods: Oolong Getting Rolled & Withered

Tasting Time

{source: SAMOVAR TEA LOUNGE}

Hope this gives you even more of an appreciation for your next cup of tea! Enjoy the weekend. ~Annie

(Unfortunately, the words get caught off a bit so here is the link also:    Never, Ever Give Up. Arthur’s Inspirational Transformation!)

• Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, directly against the back of your upper teeth

• Proceed to breathe in and out

Why is this more relaxing? The positioning of your tongue stimulates cross-lobe integration and relaxation in the brain.

Source: unknown

Give this a try and let me know if you notice the difference!

Description: A luxurious body oil leaving the skin silky-smooth and glowing. Enriched with precious jasmine, neroli and rose flower oils, this deeply nourishing body treatment helps smooth the skin, restores the skin’s elasticity and locks in moisture.

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This body oil is vegan-certified and totally free of all the body care bad guys like parabens, sulfates, artificial fragrance, PEG (Polyethylene glycol), TEA (Triethanolamine), DEA (Diethanolamine), glycol, phthalates, mineral oils and silicone.

To give you a better idea of how special this oil really is — it takes 8,000 handpicked blossoms to produce just 1 ml of jasmine, neroli or rose oil. Kō’s jasmine absolute is from India, the neroli essential oil is from Tunisia and the rose absolute is from Bulgaria.

HOW TO WIN:

1. Visit Kō and leave a comment below saying what product you would most like to try

for extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

2.  “Like” Kō  Denmark  on Facebook

3.  Follow Kō  Denmark on Twitter

4.  Subscribe to Kō  Denmark’s email newsletter

5.  “Like”  All Natural Annie on Facebook

Good luck. You have until 10:00am ET this Friday, March 4th to enter. Visit on Friday to see if you’ve won!

Mother’s Day is May 13th this year – just a little over 2 weeks away!

Pacifica’s Gold Collection Soy Candle Gift Set – Bestsellers $45.00 (a $54.00 value)

9 clean-burning 3-oz Soy Candles in Pacifica’s most popular blends including Mediterranean Fig, Tuscan Blood Orange, Hawaiian Ruby Guava, Mexican Cocoa, Lotus Garden, Malibu Lemon Blossom, Tahitian Gardenia, California Star Jasmine and French Lilac.

House of Steep’s Large Indulgence Gift Basket $75

The basket includes:

• House of Steep Signature Tea Blend – 4oz
• Tea Infuser
• “Balanced” Aromatherapy Soy Candle
• “Balanced” Take(me)Away tea bath bags (3)
• “Balanced” Smoothing Foot Balm
• “Balanced & Carefree” Bath Salts
• Cleansing Calm Foot Spray  (I make this one for the line!)
• 16″ galvanized tub to soak the feet at home

Gaiam’s Massage Stick $14.98

Targets pressure points, increases circulation and alleviates sore muscles. Includes a downloadable massage guide to ease away stress and restore the health of tired and sore muscles throughout the body.

Bonsai Forest from Uncommon Goods (a really great source for unique gifts) $50

This kit includes everything she needs to grow tiny trees that are actually ancestors of the giant California redwood! Kit includes: tree and moss seed, recycled steel seedling training pots, seed starting wafers, growing medium, bonsai scissors, rake with spade, river stone, and directions

Here are some additional gift ideas from Uncommon Goods: top gifts for gardeners, cool gardening gifts, unique office accessories)

Sibu Beauty Mom’s Must Haves Kit $55 (a $82.50 value)

Trio includes:

• Sibu Beauty Balancing Facial Cleanser
• Sibu Beauty Hydrating Serum
• Sibu Beauty Clarifying Toner
• plus a FREE box of Sibu Omega-7 Chocolate Truffles in each kit

Happy shopping! ~Annie

Yep, if you expect that recent bump into the corner of your desk is going to leave an unsightly mark aka a bruise then try putting a little butter on it. Apparently the phosphates in butter help prevent bruising (similar to putting a raw steak on a black eye.. does anyone really do that?).

I haven’t tried this one out yet so let me know if you do first!

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I realized how good this deodorant truly is when I went camping for a few days. With only a lake as a shower and a strict scent-free to be bear-free policy, this natural deodorant really showed its true quality. When I’m not in the woods, I do miss having a deodorant with a scent, but this one works well enough that I still continue to use it (as well as my other, more pricey favorite by Lavanila).

Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal is 100% natural, contains no harmful parabens or aluminum*, and is made with pharmaceutical grade mineral salts. This is a smart natural choice for people with sensitive skin. This deodorant kills odor-causing bacteria while still allowing your pours to naturally detoxify.

*Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystals contains the naturally occurring compound Alum, not to be confused with harmful, processed aluminum (Aluminum Zirconium or Aluminum Chlorohydrate). Technically speaking, aluminum is a metal while Alum is a compound.  Many of these processed aluminum molecules can be absorbed into the skin and bloodstream. Alum molecules create a barrier against odor causing bacteria and contain a large molecule which does not penetrate the surface of the skin. {via}

Keep in mind: when switching from an anti-antiperspirant deodorant to a natural deodorant, your body might take some time to adjust to this healthier, natural choice…Give it time because it’s well worth the health benefits!

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