Making Lip Balm with Vegetable Shortening Christmas Project by Deborah Dolen -  Author of The Bathroom Chemist

 Beyond an oil based flavor, a touch of beeswax, and cute destination pots-a container of vegetable shortening is all you need to make a very good supple balm for your lips… Read full post »

  Lemonade is extremely alkalizing to the body.  I drink it every day.  Lemonade is useful even in the autumn, it can translate into Wassail which is a favorite drink of many. 

I was at a World's Fair when I saw a vendor making fresh squeezed lemonade with the en… Read full post »

As an author of 28 books on Amazon, 50% them on Amazon Kindle as of this year, I am well acclimated to Amazon’s Kindle generations.  The new Kindle Fire is so awesome, I am buying Kindle Fires for all of my close friends as gifts for the holidays.  I am/… Read full post »

by Deborah Dolen, local author, Bradenton, FL 

The Bradenton Farmer's Market is back for the season 2011-2012.  The Bradenton Farmer's Market is open every Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.   The Bradenton Farmer's Market runs until well into May of each year, being closed… Read full post »

photo by Deborah Dolen

I can feel it in the "air" and so ready to embrace autumn.  Pumpkins are one thing I really look forward to.  I love pumpkin anything, fudge, pie, ice cream, muffins, the list never ends in my head. 

There are endless things we can do… Read full post »

Using Natural Liquid Soap Paste 

Many people are just embracing the multitude of benefits natural liquid soap has to offer as well as the impact of using any soap or detergents have on our water supplies.  Many are just learning the same soap/detergents we use end up going into our wat… Read full post »

Balm of Gilead by Deborah Dolen

I just love it when my readers ask me about a great natural raw material that I have never heard of.  Until 2007 Balm of Gilead was one of them.  This balm was mentioned in the Bible and apparently it was a panacea for many… Read full post »

AROMATHERAPY - Chapter I 
Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011

Intro to Aromatherapy– 

The term 'aromatherapy' was first used in the 1920's by the French chemist René Maurice Gattefossé who accidentally discovered in/… Read full post »

Effleurage is a method of making perfume by extracting notes from your selected material (such as fresh orange blossoms, lilacs, rose petals from highly scented roses) and placing them in an odorless fat or oil solution which will “pick up” the scents from your blossoms or materials. … Read full post »

DIY author Deborah Dolen discusses her new book on Amazon and the main 100 notes any aspiring perfume maker should have located at Petal Science dot com. 

If you are just getting started at making perfume, I created a chart, below, as a "basis."  I took a list I created… Read full post »

Deborah Dolen's Kentucky Derby Predictions 2011

      Growing up in Saratoga, NY, I have a great fondness for horse racing. I plan to attend the traverse this year in August, 2011.  Where the Traverse begins the Churchhill Downs' end with the Race for the Roses.&n… Read full post »

Making Lip Scrubs with Sugar - Sugar Lips © by Deborah Dolen, Editor in Chief Mabel DIY 

Making your own lip scrub is easy, you are basically making a paste using super fine sugar and oil or vegetable glycerin. Superfine sugar can be purchased in the bar tending section of… Read full post »