nourishment for january
“When I lie down to dream, it is not merely a dust flower born like a rose out of the desert sands and destroyed by a gust of wind. When I lie down to dream it is to plant the seed for the miracle and the fulfillment.”
—Anaïs Nin
“Houseboat" (p. 6) Under the Glass Bell (1944) Swallow Press, 1995
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Just a quiet note to close out what has felt like a very long month. Lots of grief and frayed nerves out there in these times. Grateful to everyone staying with the trouble and caring for their neighbors and their communities right now. Grateful too, to be here to help care for you in the midst of it all. Small rituals, little moments of comfort and light, returning to the grounding presence of the plants, we need this nourishment more than ever to keep us going.
In the shop this week, there is a bit of fresh vintage and a newly decanted batch of our Grand Street botanical perfume. My mind turns to the scent of carnations at this moment of the year, as the neighborhood around us begins to prepare for Lunar New Year celebrations. It's a lush, spicy floral scent with notes of ginger, hinoki, carnation, honey, pink lotus, buddhawood, spikenard and a touch of patchouli. Somehow cozy and enlivening all at once. A midwinter treat.
Deep winter has arrived here in full force, as we await another snowstorm, and the skin begins to feel the effects of this arctic blast of cold, dry air. My absolute best tip if you are struggling right now with dry skin, is to include a hydrosol facial tonic in your routine! Skin needs both water and oil to stay soft and comfortable in these conditions, and the simplest, most effective way to meet the need is by first applying a generous mist of hydrosol and then locking in the hydration with a few drops of moisturizing facial serum, and maybe a little facial balm, too, in the evenings. Same with your body oil or butters after the bath, always apply to damp skin for best absorption and nourishment.
Lately I've been adding a tiny dab of this formula to my usual before-bed routine: cleanse + spritz on a facial tonic mist, then mix a little balm with a few drops of nourishing serum in your palm and massage into damp skin.
I've also collected far more native plant seeds right now than we could ever cultivate at 6&B. This is the perfect moment to winter-sow the varieties that need a cold period to germinate. Here is a wonderful reference guide from the Wild Seed Project, in case you’d like to try it yourself. I'd love to send you a mini packet in your order this month, if you are in the Northeast, where most of what I have will flourish best. Choose from anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), or wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). Leave me a note at checkout to tell me which plant you'd like to try. Delighted to share a little bit of our garden with you all!
And now a few favorites from this month…
reading:
these poems & adding this book about edible flowers to my library queue
Ghosts in the Herbarium via Plantcraft & this poem by June Jordan
ordering a copy of this and adding The Book of Difficult Fruit to my library queue. Plus, Winter Bees.
listening:
to some field recordings, I often find myself feeling drawn to these in the winter
to Analog Dakar Club, Sarah Parsaei playing the Arjan & more of the viol de gamba
toNeighborhoods by Ernest Hood & this album, and this one, discovered via one of my favorite radio shows
admiring:
an intriguing discussion on an attempt to recreate a 3,000-year-old perfume
Meg Webster's Wall of Beeswax at Dia Beacon
vintage city snow photos
above from top left:
a gem from our current vintage collection. this one has a little mirror inside the lid!
cozying up at the studio with our freshly poured beeswax candles
sending lots of perfume samplers out the door these days. a tiny garden of scents tucked away in little vials for the depths of winter.
pouring a batch of our simple cardamom lip balms, an absolute essential for these chilly days
above:
sending a restock of favorite treats up to Shop FOLK in Kittery, Maine
our beeswax kiss candle sets, back in stock!
currently reading, quite fascinating!
rose & bergamot bathing salts, our subscriber monthly exclusive. be sure to join our newsletter for a new discount code each month…
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below:
the first of the snowdrops
my indoor winter garden at the studio, with the amaryllis taking their sweet time in the cold
another snowdrop patch
catkins on the curly hazel
Sending coziest wishes your way,
more winter notes
A month for little creature comforts. I saw the planets all in a line on a clear night above the East Village. I looked after the doves of a neighbor, observed the beginning of ramadan with friends. The lunar new year arrived, the year of the snake.