F is for.....

Hi everyone. That was a great E week wasn't it? Now for F. I had to choose Frankincense, one of my favourite essential oils. It has a sweet balsamic aroma that is stimulating and elevating to the mind and because of this was used throughout history by all the major faiths as a ceremonial incense in places of worship. It was of course, one of the three gifts offered to the baby Jesus by the Magi at his birth. It was at one time as valuable as gold but now is affordable as an essential oil. So we know that it is a valuable aid to meditation and prayer but it also eases aches and pains and is wonderful for clearing the lungs of mucous and I often mix it with Eucalyptus and Tea Tree oil when I have a cold and use it in a vapouriser. It is also very good for mature skin if mixed with a base cream or lotion and will help wounds and ulcers heal. It is a very good antiseptic oil which is another good reason for using it when you have a cold or chest infection.

I was unsure at first at what to do for my tag, but in the end decided to try and capture a church window to celebrate its meditational qualities.



I first embossed a manilla tag with a brick folder and stamped a church window in the centre. Then I coloured the brickwork with various distress staines and started to colour in the 'stained glass' finishing the lower part of the window with strips of acetate that I had coloured in to give the translucent quality. I die cut a wreath of ivy and then chopped it up and layered it sticky fixers to give depth and finished it off with a F and the name. I think we all need to find our own places of quiet contemplation in this busy world don't you? If you have never tried it I really recommend trying this oil and sitting quietly somewhere, it is better than a power nap!

Hope you all have a peaceful and joyous week. X