Home Bath and Beauty Products

One of the things I like about going to the gift show is that you sometimes get to meet some very sharp and savvy manufacturers.  Like this vendor who was selling sponges and bath salts.  With just a little prodding I soon got the short course on the ethical harvesting of ocean sponges.  His are from the Caribbean and come from a multi generational family business.

I liked him and I liked that he knew the origins of his product.  And since we are rapidly approaching bath season and I am of the tribe who could not live without the bath, I could not resist the simple lure of his product. So happy to be offering three kinds of bath salts for your cold, rainy, winter day bath rituals. 

Dreaming a Little of Summer

Sometimes photos really can take you back - like right now I'm dreaming about this warm summer day at Chanticleer Garden just outside Philadelphia, close to where I grew up.

I pretty much like anyplace that has koi. 

And who knew pond scum could be so beautiful?

 It's a well endowed, small, public garden with twelve groundskeepers.  Each of them gets their area to nurture and do as they will (well not exactly like that but there are distinct personalities).  It's  a little quirky with bathrooms fashioned after Japanese teahouses,

 

 

 

 fields of nerine lilies,

 little fairy boxes with plant lists inside, fieldstone staircases, and cottage gardens. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Plus, as I recall, nothing is labeled (hence the plant list boxes)....which I like in a garden.  I find all those tags and names and reading just highly distracting in the garden. 

 

 

 

There's a little something whacky about it and yet  it's really classic too (hello lead mullioned windows on balcony).  I'd go back again.  Maybe at a different time of year.  Come to think of it, would be fun to do a whole tour of gardens of Philadelphia.

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