Pretty Charming Things

Lavender Sachet Charm

2012-02-08T17:19:00.003+02:00

Filled with dry lavender buds, those little lavender bags smell wonderfully! Lavender is known for its calming, soothing properties. Its fragrant and sensuous aroma is a great way to lift your mind and spirit. You can put the sachets under your pillow for a restful sleep, you can place them in your dresser or your linen closet to freshen garments, hang them with your clothes or in your car, or even carry one with you in your purse to keep that relaxing scent close to you.

Lavender is the natural repellent for moths and a charming way to keep your house filled with a fresh, delightful fragrance. When you notice that the scent has weakened, give the bag a squeeze and enjoy the Lavender essentials again! The sachets are made from upcycled, sweet cotton prints, sewn using cotton thread, and contain high quality lavender bought from a trusted producer of herbs for tea and well-being (the bags also contain cotton wool, to keep the shape). The lavender is all natural, no artificial scents added. These sweet lavender bags make charming little gifts for your dear ones or a nice treat for yourself.

And for a little bit of history (thanks, Wikipedia!):

The use of Sachets, or scented bags, goes back as early as the Han Dynasty (the second Imperial Dynasty of China), about 2000 years ago. Both boys and girls wore them in the beginning, then scented bags gradually became preferred only by women. In Ancient China a scented sachet was an ornament worn on the body and used to absorb sweat, repel insects and ward off evils, then later became a love token.

The Romans used it to scent their bathing water and their clothes. Hippocrates considered lavender a powerful tonic for the nerves, holding soothing and healing virtues. Queen Isabella of Spain used fragrant sachets consisting of dried rose and carnation petals, orris and calamus root, and other ingredients like powdered coriander seeds. In the nineteenth century a sachet filled with hops was called a “Pulvinar Humuli” and used by King George the Third and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg to help induce sleep.

In medieval times the little bag was worn around the neck or dangled from the waist. It was for protection against pestiferous and corrupt air. The sachets contained sweet powders, aromatic calamus, galingale, cloves and other fragrances from a herb or flower garden.

In our times scented sachets little cloth bags filled with sweet smelling fragrance herbs, dried flowers, citrus fruits. Sachets are laid among linens and garments in dressers, are hung in closets and cupboards, are put into briefcases and luggage, in automobiles, or on the backs of chairs and on doorknobs. Fragrant bags are put under pillows to help one sleep.

Sachets which contain herbs such as lavender or chamomile, or rosemary seeds, are called "dream pillows" because their ingredients bring on a feeling of well-being and relaxation, and help induce sleep. One type of "sleep pillow" sachet recipe by herb and flower author Penny Black calls for violets, rose petals, rosemary, tonka bean, vanilla bean and a drop of lemon oil. There are also sachets filled with spices like allspice, aniseed, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla beans – they are referred to as “spiced sachets”.

Other scented sachets are made from the winter savory, lavender, rosemary, tops of hyssop, chippings of cassia ligna, cedar and sassafras. Those sachets are not only used to make garments sweet smelling, but keep away destructive insects and worms. Sachets with dried moth-repellent herbs like wormwook, southernwood, costmary, lavender, pennyroyal, lemon verbena rosemary, rue, sage and tansy are called “moth bags”.

Below is an image of a Sachet Cusion of the 16th Century - a sweet-bag dating from 1563!

In 1606 Ram's booklet Little Dodoen gave a sachet formula to take to bed to help one sleep: "Take dry rose leaves keep them in a glass which will keep them sweet and then take powder of mints, powder of cloves in a grosse powder. Put the same to the Rose leaves then put all these together in a bag and take that to bed with you and it will cause you to sleep, and it is good to smell unto at other times."

Last but not least is the feeling of peace, calm, quietness that one experiences merely looking in lavender's blue-violet tones. The beautiful images of lavender fields speak for themselves!

Charming bookmarks

2011-09-28T13:38:00.000+03:00

Wishing for a special bookmark? Why not try Amethyst, Murano Rose, Crystal or Meandros metal beads? :)

Amethyst Bookmark

Meandros Bookmark

Round Murano Rose and Pink Quartz Bookmark

Oval Murano Rose and Pink Quartz Bookmark

Pink Quartz Bookmark

Orange Crystal Bookmark

Amethyst

2011-09-27T22:18:00.007+03:00

Leonardo da Vinci once wrote that the amethyst has the power to protect against evil thoughts and to sharpen the intelligence. Buddhists believe that the amethyst enhances the peace and tranquility of meditation. It is believed that the amethyst brings a state of inner peace to whoever wears it.

We find the legend of the origin of amethyst in a Greek myth: Dionysus was in anger one day and swore revenge to the next mortal that crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wish. Along came unsuspecting Amethyst, a beautiful young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. The terrified girl asked to be spared the pain of the tigers' claws, so Diana turned her into a statue of pure cristalline quartz. At the sight, Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse. The god's tears stained the quartz purple, creating the beautiful gem now wearing Amethyst's name.

Handmade earrings with amethyst stones

Handmade earrings with pink and violet Czech crystal

At the present moment the earrings can be ordered only on my Crafty shop.

Charming flowers, pretty necklace

2011-09-02T22:12:00.007+03:00

The delicate, sheer beauty of the organza flower matches the glimmer of the necklace! The flowers are set on clip brooches, so they can be worn in the hair, on the blouse or even on the bag.
Flowers and necklaces will be available for sale soon, on Etsy and Crafty. If you like them, please check the blog for news!

Pretty Charming Things

2011-08-31T21:56:00.006+03:00

Ever since I can remember I’ve loved the feeling of a charming object, the way it sends emotional vibrations which may attract one to it without even knowing why. Every object has a story, a life, it was treasured and loved in beautiful, happy days, or maybe brought a tear to one’s eye on a day with clouded skies… I like to give an object from the past a new life in the present. I love the romantic, vintage charm of linen and cotton, of lace and ruffles, the beauty of embroidered damask, the delicate rustle of taffeta and the exquisite feeling of silk… I collect items with a special feel, be they houseware/home decor or clothing (I have a weakness for the 18th century men's shirt - which explains why a white, lace-ruffled vintage blouse will instantly attract my attention, which in turn explains my personal collection of white vintage blouses, all ready to wear at any time) :) As much as I appreciate the benefits of the new, I remain nostalgic for the old and enjoy searching for it when I can. And thanks to Etsy, a delightful site with a wonderfully creative and inspiring community and lots of beautiful things to enjoy, I find the time to indulge in the pleasure of making pretty, charming things with my own hands! It's nice! :)