Monday, September 17, 2012

May I Present the 2012 Fall and Winter Collection

The 2012 Fall and Winter Collection is Here!
It has been an exciting 13 days here at Wylde Ivy.  I've been revealing the new scents slowly while working behind the scenes getting everything ready.  This is a huge release!  I believe this is the biggest scent release that I have ever done.  I'm so excited about the upcoming fall season and I'm even more excited about my new collection. 

I've been talking your ear off for the last two weeks so I'm going to keep it short and get to the important stuff.  Here is what you need to know:

- There are 27 new and returning scents!
- The Monsters in Love Collection gained 3 new monsters this year and they are all available now in addition to the 27 other new scents!
- Visit the Scent Page to view a complete list of new scents and their descriptions.
- Congrats to Austin L., the winner of the Commission a Scent giveaway
- 15% off your order when you use coupon code RELEASEDAY.  This coupon will work in both my main shop as well as my Etsy shop and is valid for 3 days.  Coupon valid through September 20th.
- I am anticipating a slightly longer then average turnaround time following the news of the release.  Please give me up to 10 business days to complete your order. 


Retiring Scents
Just remember, in order to make some room for all the new scents, I have to put some away for the season.  The following scents will be going into retirement on September 30th.  I have to mention however, that some of the scents are limited in quantity.  If they sell out before the retirement date, I will not be able to restock them.  The scent denoted with a star are of limited availability.

Retiring Scents
Azure
Creamy Coconut
Crush*
Dragonfly Blue
Dreaming of Violets
Green Grass
Island Beauty
Pale Vanilla
Olive Leaf and Lemon*
Sandcastles
She Sells Sea Shells
Bronzed*
She's So Flirty

Where's the Soap and the Perfume Oil Samples?
September is all about scents.  October will be all about soap.  I just can't do it all at once.  I share more details about the Fall and Winter soap lineup as soon as I can.  The Perfume Oil sample vials will be back in stock sometime in October as well.

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback and participating in the Big Release Party!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Day 13 Reveal - A Bonus Monster!

 I had been referring to this scent as Scent Number 12 for the past 12 days.  I almost named it 12...seriously.  This scent was a little bit of a problem child for me.  I loved it but I simply had such a creative block when it came to naming and describing it.  You see, I created it with a specific theme in mind.  I created it, loved it, and added it to the line up.  Each day I spent time trying to name it and each day I drew a blank.  The scent evolved and bloomed to way past the theme I was initially creating it for so much so that it no longer seemed to fit.  I had to come up with something new.  This scent is so unique nothing seemed special enough.  So it was pushed from Day 3 to 4 to 5 and so on through all the days of the Big Reveal Party to buy some more time for myself.  Finally after a long Day 12 when I as so close to naming it 12  it came to me like a bolt of lighting.  I called all of my product testers who all adamantly agreed that it was a great fit.  A bonus monster was born.  In case you not familiar with my Monsters in Love Collection, you can check them out here.

The Shocking Moment  (Bride of Frankenstein)
     She sat gazing at her reflection in the mirror.  Her dress was a beautiful antique ivory lace, her jet black hair piled perfectly high, her makeup….flawless.  Everything seemed so right yet she could not help but wonder if she was ready for the commitment.  Sure he wasn’t perfect, but who was?   He was big and brooding, a little clumsy at times.  Though he seemed gruff on the outside, he really was quite a softie inside.  He liked daisies and kittens and watching the rain, though he’d never admit that to his friends.  Oh who was she kidding?  He didn’t really have friends unless you count that creepy little lab geek he hung around with.   She just couldn’t stand the way he wrung his hands and the devilish smile that crossed his lips every time he saw her.  It was as if he was planning something.
    What more could a girl ask for?  Yeah, she had caught him licking an outlet once.  She’d never quite figured that one out.  She just decided to put that out of her mind…that, and the slight green hue he had to his skin.  It must just be the lighting in her house.  Surely on their exotic island honeymoon he’d soak up some sun and look a little more…lively.  He had let her do all the planning.  He’s such a sweetheart like that.  She talked and talked a great long time about all the arrangements and he’d simply sat quietly and grunted his agreements.  Those were grunts of agreement, right?
    Well, this had to be it.  She wasn’t getting any younger right?  Marriage proposals just don’t grow on trees and she was looking forward to moving out and into a bigger place.  She took a deep breath, summoned every ounce of confidence, pinched her cheeks for that rosy glow of excitement and flung opened the door.
    She had no sooner stepped through the doorway when a heavy, musty bag was thrown over her  knocking her to the floor.  Their was some shuffling and mumblings on the other side of the bag and she was picked up and plopped down hard on a cold table.  She heard talking now and low chuckling.  The lab geek!  She could picture him with his obsessive hand wringing and creepy smile.  If this was his idea of a wedding joke…the little freak!  Well there was no way around it, as soon as they were married she’d make sure the little lab geek was history.   Her man didn’t need any friends now that he had her.  She began to feel very sleepy and despite her fury soon had fallen into a deep sleep.
    She could hear before she could open her eyes.  She heard voices….the lab geek and her man’s grunting.  He was here!  He wasn’t supposed to see her in her dress before the ceremony.  She’d give him a earful.  He knew how important this day was for her, he’d better not ruin it.  The little freak said something about the storm and it being almost time.  She began to come into her senses now, her vision still a little blurry.  She was standing…how was she standing and sleeping?  She tried to move but found herself stuck.  Anger shook the rest of the grogginess from her and she was fully aware now.  Bottles and beakers, and strange instruments that sparked and sputtered surrounded her.  From her left she could hear a zapping noise as something flashed.  Her head was firmly held to the board behind her, her arms and legs buckled tight.  The little lab geek shuffled by her, looking her straight in the eyes, something he’d never done before.  He placed his hand on an oversized leaver next to him, paused with a strange triumphant looking in his eyes, and pushed the leaver down with all of his might.  In one quick movement, the board behind her dropped down, pulling her with it as it became her bed.  She was being raised up, higher and higher until she was sure she’d hit the ceiling.  Just as she was bracing for impact, huge hinges on the roof groaned to life and two large shutters flipped open.  There was the black night sky, rain beating down on her, terrible white flashes of lighting.  The realization hit her as hard as the icy rain….images flooded her head.  His green cast skin, the mysterious scars, the weird metal bolts in the sides of his neck, his affinity for electrical outlets, he creepy lab geek friend.  She just wasn’t ready to commit to him. 
     There was a white flash and blackness again, total blackness.
     She could hear sounds again before she could see.
     “She’s alive!  She’s alive!”
     As her eyes began to focus she saw her man staring at her blankly.  The lab geek laughed maniacally in the background.  She felt strange, not quite like herself.  She guessed this was what it felt like to be married.  She didn’t remember the ceremony at all.  Oh well, she was sure it was nice.
She just hoped there was still some cake left. 

The Shocking Moment starts off with electric notes of rain and ozone, there is undertones of leather and dry wood, on a base of spice and smoked vanilla mixed with bridal flowers.  This is a very unique scent which dries down to a beautiful sweet, exotic vanilla mixed with florals and a hint of citrus from the ozone.
Notes of: amber, ozone, ice water, aged leather, dry woods, smoked vanilla, cardamom, moss, lily of the valley, cyclamen


2012 Fall and Winter Scents Release Tomorrow!
Tomorrow is the big day!  All the scents I've been revealing for the past 13 days will be available on my website.  Now I still have to physically add everything to the site so I'm anticipating being finished by late afternoon early evening if all goes as planned.  There will be a newsletter released to review all the new scents and announce their official arrival.   Thank you so much for joing me these last 13 days and for all the feedback and participation.

Also, the winner of the Commission a Scent contest will be announced tomorrow!  If you haven't entered, there still is a few more hours.  The winner will get a chance to create their very own Wylde Ivy scent!  You can enter here.


Saturday, September 15, 2012

Day 12 Reveal Will Now be Known as the Day 13 Reveal

Day 12 Reveal is going to be delayed until Day 13. I've been back and forth with this last fragrance. It was becoming a problem child. It has evolved so far beyond the theme I had originally created it for. It is such an incrdible fragrance though, I just could not bare to hold it back from this release. So, after 12 days of trying to name it, lots of time staring at a blank computer screen, and smelling the own arm way too much....I finally have it! Well not completely...but I do know the direction I want to go in. I need to take a little more time to polish the idea because quite frankly I'm loosing my mind right now and need to quit for the day. I'm excited about the concept and I think you will be too! I'll see you guys tomorrow with the last reveal.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Day 11 Reveal - For Your Sweet Tooth

We are getting so close!  Can you believe it?  I have two last scents to reveal.  I'm showing you one today and you'll be hearing from me tomorrow.  I'll be offline on Sunday getting some other work finished and prepping for the release.

One quick little clarification about the Commission a Scent before we get to the reveal.  The winner will be chosen at random from all the entries received.  The winner will be able to create a scent from any notes they desire.  It does not have to be related in any way to the scent they left in the blog comment entry.  Sorry if there was any confusion.  There is still time to enter!  All the details can be found at the end of this blog post

Lil’ Pumpkin Cakes
Sweet, rich, and oh so divine.  Our Lil’ Pumpkin Cakes are made with vanilla cake batter filled with pumpkin cream cheese  and topped with a spiced caramel butter cream icing.   Sweet and creamy with a kiss of spice, Lil’ Pumpkin Cakes will be your new comfort scent.
Notes of: moist vanilla cake, cream, cinnamon, crushed graham crackers, roasted pumpkin, caramelized sugar, whipped cream, and butter.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Day 10 Reveal - Starcrossed Lovers and a Giveaway

We are on Day 10 of the Big Reveal Party!  Everything that is being featured will be available on September 17th!  Today's reveal is special.  Today I have two scents and they come to you as a pair. 



Romeo and Juliet's tragic love story is the most famous of all time and who could forget about the tales of King Aurthur, Lancelot and Guinevere?  Before Romeo died for his Juliet, before Lancelot decived his King, Tristan loved Isolde.  Tristan and Isolde's 12th century tale of love and tradagy has been told and retold in countless forms from poetry to operas and in many different verisons.  I am particularity fond of the version that has Tristan and Isolde mistakenly and unknowingly drinking a love potion and falling desperately in love while he is taking her to marry his uncle and adopted father.  It is a terrible love triangle.  They all care about each other, Tristan to his uncle who loves him as a son, Isolde to her husband (Tristan's uncle) because he is such a good man, and of coarse the unstoppable love between Tristan and Isolde that destroys them all.

Tristan's Desire
Tristan moved easily through the low branches and tangles of overgrown brush.  He'd picked his way along this path by nothing more then the starlight many times before.  He quickened pace. His feet seemed to move of their own accord now, perhaps driven by the the hope rising in his chest.  Would he find her there tonight? In his mind, he could see her there now bathed in the pale light of the moon.  Begrudgingly, he slowed.  So close, he used caution.  He moved now without a sound, carefully picking his steps.  He paused at the old oak. His hands upon the callous bark he steadied his breath.  A knot grew in is stomach.  Why did he feel that he could not live without her?  A thousand vile thoughts rushed into his head.  If Isolde had chosen not to meet him, did his uncle really know...he ended those thoughts as he felt his strength begin to leave him.  He had to be strong.  In a quick movement that required more courage then charging into battle, he sidestepped from behind the tree and entered the clearing.

In the distance, Isolde's small figure cloaked in blue, stood beside the water.  Even though the darkness enveloped her, could see the look in her eyes.  He knew.

Tristan's scent is the comfort of the forest woods, the warmth of exotic saffron and cinnamon, a touch of dried rose petals.  A treacherous tryst and undying romance, Tristan's Desire is wonderfully unisex. 
Notes of:  cedarwood, teak, sandalwood, faded rose petals, almond flowers, saffron, cinnamon bark, vanilla and musk.

Isolde's Wish
It was never easy for her.  She never had power over her love that grew for Tristan.  She belonged to the king.  She new her place, yet some strange force took a hold of her heart along the way and it was no longer hers to control.  She lived for her secret moments with Tristan.  It was as if her heart only beat for him, yet it broke every time they met. 

She watched the flowers sway slightly by the waters edge, their reflection danced in the water.  Tristan wanted to leave with her.  He was expecting an answer.  He should have been waiting here already.  A weight grew in her chest as she began to wonder if he would come.  Panic broke through the weight when she began to question if she'd ever see him again at all.   She felt her chest tighten at the thought, her eyes burned.  Could she even survive without her Tristan?  As she questioned this, a movement caught her eye and Tristan's form stepped into the clearing.  One look from him and she knew she would never survive without him, yet she still didn't have an answer. 

Isolde's scent is the lingering warmth of Tristan on her skin, his love which gives her hope and destroys, white flowers, moonlight, and love.
Notes of: dewy jasmine, cedar wood, sandalwood, faded rose petals, almond flowers, vanilla, saffron and musk.


Create Your Very Own Wylde Ivy Scent
It's here, the chance to be my muse and take charge of the creation of an all new Wylde Ivy scent!   The winner will dream up the scent and I make it happen. Would you choose Vanilla Rose Musk?  Done!  How about Jasmine Pineapple Honey Cake?  Done!  Done!  Possibly a scent with a little story about a raven calling to you from a snow covered tree in on December 31st...you know I love a challenge!  Done!

Not only do you have full creative control over the fragrance, you also get to choose the final label art and name if you wish. You will receive three products of your choice in your scent creation. I will then make your new scent creation available to purchase in my shop.
Other Commission a Scent winners have inspired awesome scents like this month's Scent of the Month Fall Mountain Festival, 50's Diner, Indigo Moon, and Alas, Sunflower.

Instructions, rules and fine print for the Commission a Scent Prize:
- Please give me up to 90 days to complete your scent.  Past winners will attest that I am very picky about my scents.  Often times I spend a great deal of time scouring sources for new aroma components and the exact piece of the fragrance puzzle.  I make many different versions before settling on one.  I will be in contact with you the entire time, getting feedback and giving you updates.
- Contest is opens now and ends Sunday September 16, 2012 at 11:59pm EST.
- Entering is easy.  Simply use the form below to submit your entries.  One of the entries will ask you to leave your answer as a comment to this blog post.  I would like to know what one scent triggers fall or winter memories for you.  This could be a food, spice, plant, or perfume.  Anything that inspires you to celebrate the seasons.  You get an additonal entry for "liking" Wylde Ivy on Facebook and for following Wylde Ivy on Twitter.
- Winner will be randomly chosen (by the handy new Rafflecopter program) from entries received.
- Winner will be announced on Monday September 17th.
- Good luck and have fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Day 9 Big Reveal Party - This One's for the Foodies

I start craving spices and pumpkins and warm goodies from the oven in August already.  That is pretty crazy since August is normally the hottest month of the year for us.  I spent the whole month of August slurping down Pumpkin Spice Milkshakes.  It seemed like a good compromise.

Working on mouth watering gourmand scents is another way I compromise.  When it's too hot to turn on the oven so I break open (not literally) my small amber glass bottles full of delectable scents.  Apple, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg.  It is therapy I tell ya!

Pumpkin Spiced Cider
The only way to end a day of picking your own apples and pumpkins is by sitting on a hay bale with mittened hands clutching a paper cup full of steaming hot Pumpkin Spice Cider.   Pumpkin Spiced Cider rolls all the quintessential fall scents into one glorious, stop you dead in your tracks scent.   Just try to resist crushed apples, broken cinnamon sticks, cardamom, ginger root, fresh pumpkin, moist brown sugar, and dried orange slices.  Oh yeah, and they are all mulled together with a touch of rum served hot surrounded by dry autumn leaves dancing in the cool October breeze.

Get Pumpkin Spiced Cider on September 17th when the 2012 Fall and Winter scents release!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Day 8 Reveal - How About a Little Magic?

Just six more days until the 2012 Fall and Winter scents are released. Here's another peek at one of the new scents.

Sun Magic 
The days grow short and we make our turn away from the sun. The cold is coming. The sun, she kisses the earth with golden hued haze where the tiny things fly. Their wings catch the light, they spin and twirl in the warm glow. Capture the glow and capture the magic. Sun Magic is warm, sophisticated, and complex. Notes of: sweet orange, neroli, blonde woods, raw honey comb, cyclamen, meadow flowers, orchid and vanilla

Monday, September 10, 2012

Big Reveal Party Day 7 - Three Scents are Back!

It's finally here!  Today I get to announce what previously discontinued Wylde Ivy scents will be making their comeback on the 17th!  These scents were hugely popular.  The only reason that they were even dropped was because key aroma components that I used to make them were discontinued by the manufacturers.  They were such a long time in the making, or I should say the remaking.  I fussed over these scents for so long, rebuilding them and in the end, creating even better scents. 

So, without further ado, may I present:

Black Cat No. 13
This has to be one of my most requested fragrances, and for good reason. I'm thrilled to offer it again.  Yes, this actually is the 13th version that I created.  Dark and secretive, seductive and elusive, the Black Cat mesmerizes all in it's path. A rich, fall inspired fragrance of black vanilla, exotic spices, white patchouli, and musk topped off with a hint of sugar dust and jasmine petals.  This new kitty is even richer and has more secrets then its predecessor.











I Heart Patchouli
I love patchouli, I really do.  Did you know that  patchouli can range from intensely earthy to mellow and smooth, with an almost creamy quality?  It all depends on the origin, age, and process of extraction.  Patchouli mellows and gets more well rounded with again.  I prefer the more mild, creamy side of Patchouli.   It is such an exquisite blender and base in fragrances.  I use it in many of my scents, but for this one, I wanted more.  I Heart Patchouli isn't a straight patchouli scent but rather a scent designed around patchouli. First I found a mellow but rich and smooth patchouli.  To that I added a light top note of jasmine and just the barest note of citrus to give to give the scent some lift.  Finally, I gave the scent a modern and sophisticated edge with an amber and musk base.  Now this is how I like my patchouli!

In the past, many customers and patchouli lovers requested this scent to have even more patchouli.  For now, I am offering this in two versions!  Mostly I couldn't decide between the two scents I created, so I will let you decide!  I Heart Patchouli will come in Lite and Amped versions.

I Heart Pachouli Lite
This scent is just as the name suggests this scent is lighter on the pachouli and has a more musk and amber prounced base.  This scent is mysterious and totally sexy.  This is a good scent if you are intregued, but a little afraid of patchouli or if you are just looking for a gorgeous, deep scent.

I Heart Patchouli Amped
As requested, now with even more patchouli!  A robust but sophisticated patchouli blend.  In this version, the patchouli is the star with the other notes acting as support. 




He Loves Me Not
Beautiful, haunting, sweet, and just a little dark.  My new version of He Loves Me Not is more sophisticated and well rounded than before.
The hazy summer day turns dark, clouds fill the once bright sky.  She takes shelter in the dark hollow beneath the old cluster of trees.  She loosens the grip on the flower in her hand as the last petal falls to the mossy forest floor...He Loves Me Not.
Notes of: Vanilla, Jasmine, Orchid, Dry Wood, and Black Musk.









Contest Winners
My girls had fun drawing the names from a jar.  After all the bouncing and excitement they clutched the little scraps of paper in their hands and wanted to know what they had won.  We discussed (again) that it was a contest for my customers to win some of the perfume that Mommy makes.  The easily relinquished their scraps of paper and bounced into the playroom to enthusiastically finish coloring their pictures.  Ah, to be four again.



Winner out of the Black Cat guesses: Beth M.
Winner out of the He Loves Me Not guesses: Sea Gypsy
Winner out of the I Heart Patchouli guesses: Kristina E.
Because I introduced a version of Aerial yesterday and because I wanted to have an even number for my girls to draw, I also did a drawing for the Aerial guesses!
Winner out of the Aerial guesses: Yuanting

Winners please contact me using the contact form on my website.  Give me your mailing address and let me know which scent you would like to try.  You can choose from any of my current scents or anything that I have announced!  Thanks for playing everyone.  I have another contest in the works so stay tuned!

Sunday, September 09, 2012

Big Reveal Party Days 5 and 6

So I accidentally took a day off yesterday.  I just couldn't get focused enough to get any work done.  So now you have two reveals in one tidy blog post!

Rustic Pumpkin
Sweet pumpkin custard topped with ginger, nutmeg, fresh grated cinnamon, and coarse sugar mingle with hints of dry woods, fall breezes, and just a touch of warm rum.


You loved this scent in a soap last year, now you can have it in your perfume and bath and body products as well!  I especially love this scent in the sugar scrub!  It is delicious. 







Blue Aerial
She always looked to the sky.  Dreams of floating, weightless. 
Something delicate, beautiful, and light as snow floating in clear December skies. 
Notes of: sheer white musk, gardenia, frosted violets, vanilla sugar, baby’s breath, soft amber, and whipped honey.

While I wasn’t intending to reformulate Aerial or even create a companion fragrance to it, Blue Aerial took on a life of its own and was born anyway.  Built upon Aerial’s ethereal, dreamy base of white floral and musk, Blue Aerial is subdued and sweetened just a touch with the addition of soft vanilla and frosted violets. 

Rustic Pumpkin and Blue Aerial will be available to order starting September 17th.  Tomorrow is a big day!  Tomorrow I announce what three long lost Wylde Ivy scents have been reformulated and are making a comeback.  I will also announce the winners to contest.  There is still time to enter!

Friday, September 07, 2012

Big Reveal Party Day 4

A brand new scent reveal for today.  Scorched and all my other new scents will be available on September 17th.

Scorched:
There was nothing.  Nothing remained.  She looked out onto the vast blackness.  Her eyes burned cold yet deep within her something kindled.  The harder she stared, the hotter the burn grew within her.  This was not finished.  She would not let it be. 
Notes of: Roasted vanilla pods, dried moss, dewy lilies, cinnamon leaves, tonka beans, woods, clove, myrrh, sweet dry earth.  Scorched seems unassuming in the bottle.  On your skin, the cinnamon blooms, intensifies, and finally mellows to a spicy sweet wood base.

Don't forget to enter my little "Guess the Reformulated Scents contest.  You can find it here. Contest ends Sunday.

Thursday, September 06, 2012

Big Reveal Party - Day 3

Today I have a several surprises.  One of them is a new scent reveal.  Shall we get to that one first?

Wanderer
An old soul and a young heart, familiar yet distant.  She keeps the sun at her back, always moving.  Keep your feet light and your heart open, they once told her.  It has taken her all these years to know what they meant. 
Airy top notes of fresh bergamot and orchids, a warm base of dusty amber, cedar wood, smoked vanilla pods, and aged musk.
Wanderer goes on as aged amber vanilla and and it mingles on the skin, more of the top notes of bergamot and orchid peek out.  Wanderer is a mellow, warm sweet musk.

Wanderer will be available (with many more new scents) on September 17th in perfume, lotion, cream, scrub, and body oil.

More Returning Scents
Now onto the next bit.  I've barely been able to contain myself over this news.  Do you know how long I've been keeping this project a secret?  Forever it seems.  It has taken a long time to get them just right.

I have reformulated three previously discontinued Wylde Ivy scents.  These three were all discontinued after I lost the suppliers for specific components used in the scents.  All three were much beloved scents and I'm sure the loss of these scents has affected your daily well being.  Ok, ok...too far, too dramatic I know but that is sure how it felt to me when I had to put them away!

I've tinkered and toyed with these.  I made up version after version.  I scoured suppliers all over the internet for just the right pieces of the scent puzzle.  I am finished!  These scents are back and dare I say.....they are even better then before.  Truely.

So here it comes....I'm not telling which three scents these are today.  Sorry!  I'm going to make you play a little game to guess.  You get three guesses.  Submit your guesses as comments below (one guess per comment please).  In three days I will take all the correct answers and enter them into a drawing.  I'll draw three names.  See a three pattern?  It wasn't intentional really!  Each of those three winners will receive a perfume, lotion, and body oil trio in a scent of their choice.

Obviously, if you've been with Wylde Ivy for awhile you're probably harboring some suppressed angst over a discontinued scent so you'll have some to choose from.  No?  Oh yeah, I'm the one that has issues with discontinued scents. If you haven't been with Wylde Ivy for very long but would like to play, you can still make some educated guesses by perhaps, searching old blog posts...cough, cough...just saying.

Contest ends Sunday,  September 9th at midnight EST.  I will announce the winners and the scents on Monday.  Limit three entries per person.  Contest open to those within and outside of the United States.  Winners will have three days to contact me or the prize will be forfeited and offered to another winner.

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Big Reveal Party - Day 2

It seems you can't step into a store anywhere without coming across some Halloween decorations.  Because of this and because I have two four year olds, we've been decorated for Halloween for about two weeks now.  Wiggling, smiling, metal spiders peek out from my massive hosta plants in front of our house.  We have styrofoam skulls and tiny resin skeletons all over our living room.  A beautiful, but creepy Victorian clad skeleton watches, slightly arrogantly, from a high shelf by our front door. I feel that she does not approve of my housekeeping skills as of late.  Sorry ma'am, I have perfumes to create, the dust can wait.  The girls are completely obsessed with bones and xrays right now so naturally they are loving the Halloween skeletons.  These are just the decorations that we've picked up this year.  They've been pestering to get the rest of our Halloween paraphernalia out.  Soon girls, soon.  All the early Halloween merchandise certainly fueled the completion of my next two projects.

This year TWO new monsters will be joining the Monsters In Love Collection!  I'm really excited about these!  For those of you who were not with me last year, my Monsters In Love Collection is a fun Halloween project I do every year.  I create scents based on famous monster figures.  Not just any monsters though, monsters in love.  The idea struck me when I was reading a silly short story about zombies called This Year’s Class Picture by Dan Simmons.  Basically it is about a school teacher who survived the zombie apocalypse and now teaches (or tries to teach) a fourth grade class of zombie children which she's found out wondering around.  Of coarse teaching a class full of forth grade zombies is about as hard as....well, teaching a fourth grade class.  This teacher is allowed to chain the kids to their desks, however, something that I think is frowned upon in today's education system.   Antics ensue and the story ends with a profound revelation about society and social acceptance.  No, not really...but it is a fun little story which can be found in The Living Dead Anthology.  I amused myself  by thinking about zombies in situations other than the usual pack wondering, brain craving way.  Thus the thought of a zombie getting ready to go on a date popped into my head and of coarse, being me, I had to envision it in scent.  I think we tend to forget that monsters have normal every day lives.  They brush their teeth (well some of them anyway), get dressed, and go to work like everyone else.  Lets face it, monsters are people too.

The New Monsters
Wrapped Up in You (Mummy)
Older man seeking a fresh young woman for long term relationship...
He is warm and sensuous and loves comfortable nights at home.  His last relationship went a bit stale, so he is getting out in the dating scene again and looking for a new love.  This is one guy who doesn’t mind waiting for Ms. Right.  His courtship ritual is quite that, a ritual.  He’ll draw you a nice bath of warm milk swirled with golden honey.   After a good long soak he’ll provide you with only the finest cuddly cotton to dry you.  The mummy loves lavish scents (anything to cover up that pesky scent of  packing dust).  He will adorn you with myrrh and frankincense and perhaps the faintest touch of spice.  The Mummy is one guy who is not afraid of commitment.  Once he’s found the right girl, he’s in it for the long haul (and so is she).
Notes of: Myrrh, warm milk, golden honey, frankincense, rosewood, old world spice, dried tobacco leaves, and incense smoke.  Wrapped Up in You goes on sweet and comforting and dries down to a more complex dry honey scent.

Stuck on You (The Blob)
You may not like The Blob at first.  In fact, he can be downright annoying.  But there is just something about his guy.  He sort of grows on you after awhile.  The Blob loves to cuddle, he’s a bit “touchy feely”.  In fact this guy doesn’t know the meaning of the words “personal space”.  While at first you may find the clinging a bit off putting, after a while you will start to relax into the arrangement.    You will see that The Blob can be quite sweet once you give him a chance.    He is one guy who will never stray far from you…or at least you will never stray far from him…ever.
Notes of: sticky, melted fruit candy, dried cotton candy, a touch of strawberries and sweet musk.  Stuck on You goes on candy sweet and melts beautifully into a smooth, mellow sugar musk  




The Rest of the Monsters

A Little Lighter the Usual (Ghost)
She was happy once, very happy. Newly married to the love of her life, happiness and a world of possibilities lay ahead of them. They say that you never know what you have until it is gone but this was never the case with her and her love. They cherished each other, lived for each other. The lay in the dark just talking for hours about nothing and everything.

They had given their entire selves to each other…but life has a funny way of rushing on without when you are so absorbed in love. So it seemed that they lost their happiness quickly as well. They now passed each other, two ships in the night, seeming to never speak a word. In his eyes where she once found warmth and passion now only lay emptiness and regret. Even the air around them seemed heavier. At times it was hard for her to catch her breath. It was as if she was moving against an invisible tide, like being caught in a waking dream. She’d see him sitting quietly in deep contemplation and she would so desperately want to speak to him, to say anything, but the words just never seemed to come. She’d want to reach for him but something always made her keep her distance. He never even looked at her anymore. His eyes would drift in her direction at times, but it was as if he just didn’t see her.

She so desperately needed to know what came between them, how things changed so drastically. She struggled to remember anything, any tiny detail but it was just so hard to think. The only images her mind could conjure were of the driving rain on the windshield that black night, a blur of light and sound, and finally the image of her bare feet dripping water onto cold cement of the porch as she sat alone on the creaking swing waiting for him to open the door. Perhaps it was only her who had changed. She did feel strange these days, not quite herself…almost a little lighter then usual. If she could just somehow find her way back to him she knew they could be happy again.

A haunting and sheer fragrance, both beautiful and a little sad.
Soft notes of white musk, vanilla orchid, raw vanilla beans, tonka bean, bergamot, vanilla infused sugar, lily of the valley, and wet blackberries


Zombie went a Courtin' (Zombie)
Ah, the zombie. They are neither witty nor smart, and about as charming as a cinderblock. However, what the zombie lacks in charisma, he makes up for in devotion. When a zombie falls in love, there quite literally is nothing in the world that will keep him away from her. Slow and steady, he will make his way over walls, around burning cars, through muddy trenches until he is finally at his love’s side. Sure, he may loose an arm or the flesh from his torso, but what is that really in the grand scheme of things?
The scent of undying devotion. Notes of earth, heavy frankincense, black pepper, and crushed chocolates (that he so thoughtfully brought with him).

Eye of the Wolf (Werewolf)
Werewolves are quite creatures in their human form, for they have many secrets to keep. They are forever hunted, forever on the run. Though they have immeasurable strength, there is a tender loyalty about them that makes them gentle when they are truly happy. If you catch a werewolf’s eye, you just may find yourself whisked away, deep into the forest. This is where he feels the safest. Here you will be kept, where he hopes one day you will see what lies behind his wolf eyes.
The scent of brooding strength. Notes of cedar wood, vanilla, warm musk, and small woodland flowers.

Lovesick & Undead (Vampire)
Vampires are old things. They've walked the earth for centuries but in trade, lost everyone they've ever loved. They tend to build up walls, and no one can really blame them. Their greatest gift of immortality can also be their greatest pain. It happens however, at least once, to even the hardest of vampires...they slip, they fall in love. It may be the sun flecked highlights glistening in her hair, or her summer sky blue eyes. She reminds him of his lost life, his lost humanity, his lost sun. Once it happens, he falls in love fast and hard. He loves her warmth, her delicate body, the passion and fear of life that all mortals possess. He loves her mortality too much to turn her and as happens with all fragile humans the light of her life vanishes one day. So he sits, locked away in the damp and dark pining for his lost love. He obsesses over her memory, etching the details deep into his mind. The days roll into years, years to centuries, and he walks on, alone and grieving for his lost love and lost sun.
The scent of long lost love and mortality. Notes of earth, decaying wood, and leather with just a hint of orange blossoms and wildflower honey.

She Deviled (Devil)
She had a very good job once. She was a shoulder angel. You know those tiny voices that whisper to you when you are stuck between choosing right and wrong? There is always a good voice cheering you on telling you what you need to hear and there is always the sinister little bad voice planting those dark little seeds telling you want you want to hear. Don’t laugh, it is a real job…and a highly respectable position at that. She was a good shoulder angel and she loved it. She was great at it. She prided herself on having over an 85% success rate in all of her centuries of employment. She’d whispered to literally 1000s of men and women, even children. She was given some of the most difficult cases. She was always professional always polite and never, ever did she let herself get attached to her clients. Never, until that last one.

She fell hard for him. To this day she doesn’t know quite what it was. Perhaps his deep slightly raspy voice, or the way he smelled after a shower, or the way her ran his fingers through his hair when he was in deep thought. She found herself completely defenseless with him and completely obsessed. She could not leave him even after she had been given her reassignments and ultimately her unceremonious discharge from duties.

She stayed with him, desperately trying to win his love. If only she could make him see her. Her obsession turned into resentment. She began to see that she’d never had him the way that she wanted him. Now, she works pro bono whispering into the ears of women giving them the tiny little pushes they need to get themselves noticed. So if you ever feel just slightly devilish, it just may be you own personal she devil on your shoulder.

She Deviled is fiery and rich. This is the color of red, invoking visions of red leather boots, smoldering black lined eyes, and a confidant smirk.
Notes of cinnamon leaf, dried black currants, wood smoke, dying embers, aged vanilla, blackened cedar, and amber resin

These scents and more hit the shop September 17th.  Tomorrow continues with Day 3 of my Big Reveal Party.   I have more exciting news to share tomorrow...as if anything could be more exciting then a fun Halloween collection!  Just follow me here on my Blog, Facebook, and Twitter and you won't miss any of the excitement. 

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

The Big Reveal Party and Flash Sale!

So I've been missing in action here for many months.  I'll have more on my latest adventures soon.  I just want to get some important shop new out here first.  This is an exciting month at Wylde Ivy!

The HUGE New Collection
It's that time of year again.  Time to put away the Spring and Summer scents and break out the Fall and Winter Scents.  This year I'm bringing back many of your favorites from last year as well as releasing an all new seasonal lineup.  This is an amazing collection! There is a beautiful range of scents....truly something for everyone.  I must be feeling particularity festive this year because this release is huge.  Between the past scents that I'm bringing back and the all new ones, I think it is my biggest release ever!  I didn't even mention the Monsters in Love Halloween collection which I'll be releasing this month as well.


Release Date
My projected release date for the new scents is September 17th.   This release is so big, I want to allow for a chance that there will be a delay do to unforeseen circumstances.  I'm still putting the finishing touches on the collection, like tweaking the names, polishing the descriptions, and putting together the label art.


Collection Reveal Party
I'm going to tease you a little and draw out the excitement, while giving myself time to finish everything.  The scents will be revealed little by little over the next 12 days.  Along the way I'm going to surprise you with giveaways and flash sales.  It will be like a Collection Reveal party!

Don't worry, I won't fill your inbox with daily emails.  I will send out one more newsletter at the end to recap all the information so you can be sure you didn't miss anything. 


I'll be holding the Reveal Party here on my Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.  Just follow me on at least one of those and you won't miss any of the excitement. 



Retiring Scents
For now, lets get the not so fun business out of the way.  With all the new scents I'm bringing in, I have to put some away.  These scents will be going into retirement on September 30th.  I have to mention however, that some of the scents are limited in quantity.  If they sell out before the retirement date, I will not be restocking them.  The scent denoted with a star are of limited availability.


Retiring Scents
Azure
Creamy Coconut
Crush*
Dragonfly Blue
Dreaming of Violets
Green Grass
Island Beauty
Pale Vanilla
Olive Leaf and Lemon*
Sandcastles
She Sells Sea Shells
Bronzed*
She's So Flirty

Where's the Soap?

September is all about scents.  October will be all about soap.  I just can't do it all at once.  I share more details about the Fall and Winter soap lineup as soon as I can.

Today's Reveal

Today I'm revealing which previous Wylde Ivy scents are coming back this year.  Are you ready? 

Amber Chai
Alas, Sunflower
Ember
Ginger & Brulee
Gingered Vanille
Kiss Me in the Park
Mystic Amber
Neroli Creme
Not Falling
Pumpkin Creme
Pumpkin Masquerade
Starling
Sweet Earth
Vintage Honey
Winter Cranberry
Woodland Cider


The Party Continues
Remember the party continues for the next 12 days with more new scent reveals and some fun surprises!  Be sure to stop back here, Facebook, or Twitter for all the details.  I won't be sending out daily newsletters.  You will receive one more newsletter on the 17th, officially announcing the Fall and Winter release and recapping all the new scents.

Scent of the Month
Spa Soap As if the news above wasn't big enough!  September brings you not one, but two scents of the month!  The first Scent of the Month is an old favorite, one of the very first scents that Wylde Ivy carried...Spa Blend!  I'm excited for this one as it is one of my personal favorites. You can find these two scents on their own Scent of the Month page.

Spa Blend

Spa Blend is a delightfully complex.  Sliced grapefruits sweetened with fresh peach nectar, crushed blood orange, and wildflower honey on a bed of rose and neroli blossoms sprinkled with crystallized ginger.  Spa blend is fresh, sweet, invigorating, and upscale.  You just have to try this one.

Of coarse I couldn't say goodbye to summer without releasing a scrumptious fall scent.  Fall Mountain Festival is a delightful fragrance commissioned by one of Wylde Ivy's very own customers. 

Want to win a chance to create your own Wylde Ivy scent?  Stay tuned for news on that later on during the Reveal Party!

Fall Mountain Festival

If you travel deep into the heart of the mountains on a beautiful autumn weekend you are sure to find at least on fall festival celebration.  Kettle corn and woodsmoke mingle in the air along with the scent of dried oak leaves and hay bales sweeten with crushed Granny Smith apples, a touch of vanilla, and caramelized sugar.  Autumn at its very best.

Flash 15 Sale
 if you stuck with me through all that reading, here's a little surprise for you!  Use coupon code FLASH15 to take 15% off your order.  Stock up on any retiring Spring and Summer scents you can't live without and try a new Scent of the Month! 

Coupon valid for 24 hours only!  Offer expires September 5th at 4PM EST.    Coupon is valid in my main shop at www.wyldeivy.com as well as my Etsy shop at www.wyldeivy.etsy.com.  Code must be entered during checkout to be eligible.  Offer cannot be combined with previously completed order that have already shipped (orders still in house will have the discount applied to them).

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Apple Blossoms

We have an enormous apple tree in our backyard. I do not know how the tree has grown as big as it is, but it is the largest apple tree I've ever seen.  Our little ladies collect apples all summer long. Each spring I wait for the explosion of white and pink petals to pop new life into the stark branches. Their sweet, demur scent lingers in the air. There is not many scents more lovely then apple blossoms. 



Wednesday, March 07, 2012

5 Reasons I May Loose My Mind Today and 5 Reasons I Probably Won't

 Five Reasons I May Loose My Mind Today
1. I feel way behind since my surgery...both in work life and home life. Now that I'm back up and around, I see how much I let go while I wasn't feeling well before my surgery (which was for quite awhile). I'm trying to get back in the routine and back on track with so may projects, it's ridiculous. I need to slow down and take it a few projects at a time.

2. Taxes. Math and I do not play well together. True, I have my taxes done by an accountant but I still prepare and log all of my purchase, expenses, sales, etc for her. Because I leave way to much of it go until the last minute, the past few days have been been filled with too many numbers and spreadsheets. I'd rather be making something then working in excel.

3. The girls are on a Peter Pan kick. All of their tv time (which is a bit more then usual right now because of the weather) is Peter Pan. If it isn't the original Peter Pan movie, it is Peter Pan Returns. If it isn't Peter Pan returns, it is Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Yay, something different. Oh wait, no, it is the Jake and the Neverland Pirates Peter Pan Special. Darn.

                   
An Instagramed photo courtesy of my four year old daughter.  She took it with my iphone while watching Peter Pan Returns, processed it, and uploaded it herself.  What was I doing at four years old?  Oh yeah, probably eating paper or listening to my mom's cool 8-track stereo.
          
4. After the three floods we had last year, I'm really nervous about this spring and summer. I want to get my shop prepared in csae we have a bad fluke year this year like 2011. Ideally, I would like to be able to be uber-orangzied so that if we do have to move the contents of my shop again it isn't such a big chore. That means a lot of dead weight has to be purged. That goes along with the decluttering I've been trying to do in all aspects of my life. I've really been drawn to the minimalist way of life and have been slowly working towards it...or at least towards a semi minimalistic life. I'm a realist. With two four year olds and a husband who still can't part with most of his boyhood treasures, I know the best I can do is hope for a semi-minimal life.

5. The girls will be going to preschool this fall. School. It is starting. I'm loosing my babies. We attended an education fair last weekend to get some information on different preschools and the various private and charter grade schools in the area. It made it real. I think we've chosen our preschool. That feels good. I'm just going round in circles as to what the best option is for the girls when it comes to kindergarten and grade school.

 Five Reasons I Probably Won't Loose My Mind Today
1. The sun is coming. I've been looking forward to turning the clocks ahead ever since we turned them back. This makes me so happy, I think I'll bake a cake for the occasion.

2. I've been making our summer vacation travel and trip plans. It is exciting to have something to look forward to. We will be going to our usual vacation beach spot this summer again. I do a lot of fancy talking about trying new places but it does feel good to have a usual vacation spot. It is like a second home.  We know the best places to eat, where to get the best ice cream, the best grocery store to shop at, the best bakery for overpriced cupcakes.....wait, why do all my fond vacation memories revolve around food?  I think the girls are old enough now for a mountain/hiking/lake vacation this year so I'm looking into some various cabins and state parks that are close enough for some short getaways.

3. I'm just about fully back to my self since the surgery. That means I don't need to watch how I move anymore. I'm free! I still can't lift the girls all the way up to hold them at my hip, butI can lift them enough to move them if I need to...like if I need to physically remove them from each other.

 4. I should be able to finish my taxes today! Then, all I have to do is get my husband motivated to prepare his and no more numbers for a whole year!  Well, not quite, but a girl can dream.

5. There are buds on the Bradford Pear in front of my living room window. This makes me think of shaggy green grass, falling white petals, chirping birds, puffy white cloud filled skies, and the scent of spring flowers on the breeze. I love spring with an absolute passion.