1915: Hotel Alexandria, Los Angeles, California Sitting comfortably in green velvet chairs in Hotel Alexandria’s plush hotel lobby, an industrious group of American farmers gathered to discuss the prospect of marketing a newly discovered fruit. The pebbly skinned, pear shaped fruit, called ahuacate. Beneath the high gold leaf ceiling and exquisite chandeliers, a waiter graciously serves the men tasty bits of the topic of their discussion.  A fly on the wall was listening in “$12.00 a dozen*? A pretty profit impending, gentlemen. This fruit is delicious, seductive. The people will love it. We…

Thank god for eyebrows. This little ridge of hair above the eye socket does a great job in saving our eyes. Excess sweat, moisture, rain are diverted sideways, away from our precious orbs. Eyebrows are a much appreciated and useful appendage.   Cosmetically, eyebrows have been altered over the centuries. Hair added or removed. The shape changed. Lots of options to attain the desired goal. Some people do mega eyebrow maintenance, others do nil. Whether or not you are into your eyebrows, we can’t help but observe them in others. From bushy to plain we gain clues to one’s mood. Anger? Surprise?…

If you are thinking about getting a fake tan this winter because your southern Vay Cay was put on hold, you might want to do a rethink. Let’s not get into whether or not you plan to sneak away on the ‘cheapest vacation ever’. Let us assume that for the remainder of the winter months, we are all in a northern lockdown. There is something about a tan, hopefully achieved with caution, that makes most of us light skinned people feel glowing, healthy and spry. Sun baking is ill advised, but natural sunlight is life sustaining. The sun’s therapy comforts us, mentally and physically. When the sun is…

In 2016, Toronto’s CTV news posted a story about a local boutique and customer Tara Lawless. The following scenario is a fictitious recall of the event, based on the facts.  “Hi, Marcie” Tara piped into the phone. “Have you ever heard of Prop 65?”  “No. Should I have?” Marcie queried. “Maybe. The other day, I went to Zee Zee boutique and I bought a cute toque … one with the faux fur pom poms on top. A pre-wash meant cutting off the tags. That’s when I noticed a Prop 65 alert. I was curious…an alert on a toque? It turns out Prop 65 is a warning about chemicals in a product that could cause…

A newborn baby delicately bathed in oil is a ritual in many countries: a welcome to enlightenment, protection, peace, light. Emu oil in Australia, Shea Butter in Africa, Kukui in Hawaii. It is kukui we wish to honour here. Now the state tree of Hawaii, Kukui is known as the candlenut tree, the flammable oil to be used as a candle. It is the nut and the oil that are cherished, as the raw fruit itself is best not consumed.  The soot from the burned nuts can be used as black ink for tattoos. Fishermen spit the oil from a chewed nut onto the water to create a lens to remove reflections, seeing…

Many of you have heard of Manuka honey. That delectable darkish honey that you paid a fortune for because it’s worth every nickel.  You made sure you did not buy the cheap one, the paler colored, runny, fruity smelling, overly sweet one. You chose the better quality: of thicker consistency, nutty smelling, light brown. THE superfood loaded with nutritious minerals and vitamins. And because you know how good the honey is for you, you deduce correctly that is also amazing on the skin. Imagine it soothing a burn or an ulcer or that wound that just would not heal. It has been used in hospitals in…

Covid Staycay. We are adapting and doing our best to deal with these challenging times. For Earth to Body, it means mega show cancellations across Canada. Craft shows, trade shows, exhibitions. We are not flying, nor driving to the events. No car rentals, taxi fares. Hotels, Airbnb’s. No work for the trucking companies who shipped our goods. No work for the hotel or the venue who hosted our craft show.  The snack bars, the cleaning crews. How are they all faring?  The dominos that fall are mind boggling.   But some are picking themselves up. Discovering new approaches to a problem, new…

While donning our cool weather wear and warming up in wools, we may also be thinking about the coming holiday season. And gift giving. Perhaps a felted soap, homemade in a coat of Merino or Alpaca wool. Merino comes from the Merino sheep and Alpaca from the Alpaca. Alpaca may be slightly softer, while Merino may perhaps be slightly sturdier, but their properties are very similar. Both are renowned for their exquisite features and are considered among the best wools in the world. Consider a felted soap gift for yourself, family, friend, partner. Felt is unconditional love. It gives back.…