January is the perfect time to luxuriate here on our beaches and to catch up on rest.

Rain offers a solitude of silence along with the beauty of fog and deserted landscapes greening up.

Long Walks, Hot Baths, Chicken Soup, Sleep. Repeat.
Enjoying some long needed rest in the new year.

Thank you!!

Just a quick note.
Lately I have been mulling over the RARE BOOK Libraries that house original herbal books. I was lucky enough to be able to see, touch and leaf through some of the oldest original herbals in the world when I was in college, on field trips.

Thanks to my Botany professors who made that happen. IT all seems kind of like a dream now, and yet continues to inspire me. Like walking on water, these books are hallowed ground for the gardening buff, the illustrator of botanicals.

We have our own modern botanical illustrators here along the #SLOWCOAST who keep inspiring us in real time. I find myself drawn to the creative expression of these artists, and feel deep down some creative juice for a new project.

LOVE being inspired.

XO

Sip Sip.
Steep some Beauty Tea. I like to steep mine for 10 minutes, as it continues to steep. I recently bought a 12 cup Bodum French Press. When it arrived I thought I had been overly ambitious until I realized that making iced teas for the day can be done in the morning and enjoyed through the day.

I add lemon, some fresh African Blue Basil Flowers and other citrus flowers that may be in bloom.

Then I transfer easily to a glass pitcher with lid to my refrigerator door.

I am able to transfer to a thermos also if I want to bring some along to my Perfume Studio. Sipping Herb Teas throughout the day is a great daily practice (ritual) to keep ourselves healthy.

I like short daily rituals that can be integrated in to our lives rhythmically.

You can order my Beauty Tea in our LibbyPatterson.com online store and visit our Slowcoast stores.

Beauty Tea is known as a strengthener for Hair, Skin and Nails.

Rainy Day Soup Recipe

One Large Shallot, Diced
One Large Celery Bunch, Diced
Large Stew Pot:
Olive Oil on Super Low Heat, Carmelize Your Shallots and Celery.
(About 30 Min) Covered. Stir occasionally.

Add Sliced 2 Small Zucchini's
Add Tiny Sliced Green beans (About 16)

Clean and Trim 2 Large Bunch of Fresh Spinach, Add to Pot.
Covered. Stir Occasionally.

Add Small Handful of Diced Roasted Chicken with no skin

Add a Thai Cashew Curry Sauce by TastyBite.com and stir into the soup pot. Cover for 1 Minute.

Serve in Soup Bowls and Enjoy.

May my soul bloom in love for all existence.
Rudolf Steiner

All of nature begins to whisper its secrets to us through its sounds. Sounds that were previously incomprehensible to our soul now become the meaningful language of nature.
Rudolf Steiner

Love starts when we push aside our ego and make room for someone else.
Rudolf Steiner

In order to find our bearings in the spiritual worlds and see truly what is there for us to see, we need a further inner trait in our character, a quality I should like to term 'presence of mind.' In ordinary life, this is the trait we need when faced with a situation that requires us to make an immediate decision without hesitation.
Rudolf Steiner

As we move into the season of LOVE ETERNAL I would just like to invite each of us to determine a harmony of life ritual through the sun, the garden, and gratitude.

SIMPLIFYING~

I love the fresh new start in the new year. I work actively with citrus based serums to uplift, bring joy, freshness. Uplifting Serum and Slimming Serum are in my bathtub on a rotation now, and in my bedroom on my dresser.

Parfums I love now: Lemon Verbena Soliflore Parfum is a favourite to clear and invite joy. Big Sur Parfum is chock full of citrus along with fresh herbal scents and that is also good now.

Taking Down the Holiday Decor~

I put my trees up late in the season, and lingered with the beauty of  them and some of my new ornaments to really keep the sparkle going. Early this morning I awoke at 4am, got up, and carefully took down my trees and put away the ornaments, lights, ribbons and trees. The house feels clean.

The past day I shopped for keto groceries, signed up for a keto food delivery service, got back on track with clean eating, and after I put away all my holiday decor I installed spring bulbs in my home, and spritzed with my favourite Gardenia Tiare in a huge spray bottle.

STUDIO HAPPENINGS~

Replenishing all of the bestselling Soliflore Parfums in both of our Slowcoast Stores for the Season of Winter Solstice to Imbolc (Feb 1/2).

Making a ripe pear and cypress tincture process today as a base for a parfum that will be ready for Holiday 2018 Season.

Filtering this year's Lavendar Soliflore Parfum and adding more flowers.

New packaging for LPO Herbal Teas: Windowed Herb Bags allow for you to see the beauty of our teas as you are shopping. The old packaging will remain on sale at 20% at our Slowcoast Stores until sold through. Now is a good time to invest in some good detoxifying, cleansing herb teas, for the new year.

Violet Soliflore Parfum is subtle and will be available by summer. Working on tincturing the flowers now.

Taking It Slow this week?

Hopefully we all are working on the Rejuvenation and Beauty Rituals as we move towards the New Year's Eve moment. Crossing the portal into 2018 with rest is important.

Here's what's in my Beauty Ritual Bag:

Beeswax Candle Tapers for my evenings
Anti Stress Serum Roll On 10ml in my purse
Gardenia 100ml Spray Soliflore for my Boudoir & Bath morning and evening.

This is my basic kit, that I work with daily. The candlelight is sweet and I work with dried white sage from the garden to sage the house.

XO

More soon,

Libby

A Note here before sunrise on Christmas Eve Morning.

Musings on the meaning of this beautiful cozy season. Thankful to all of our friends and family near and far. Sending a message to you all of love.

As we connect with people we love these days over the next weeks let us bring joy and laughter to shared moments.

Much Love,

Libby