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Cowboy's Corner
Howdy y'all and welcome back to Cowboy's Corner!
In this special Holiday and Pre Buy edition, I'll show ya how to blend up some
great holiday fragrances, turnin' many GREAT fragrances into new and “custom”
holiday fragrances that will knock their boots off!
Also in this edition, I'm changing things up again and expanding the section on
blending tips! In the Blendin' Kettle, I'll give you some great and EASY tips on
how to blend holiday fragrances with what you already have (or may need to get <eg>)
for year round fragrances to create a holiday blend. And in the Blendin'
Parlor,I will give you two (yes two) EASY additions to just about any FO you can
imagine and you get instant holiday blends!
Also, Miss Sally is celebratin' 3 wonderful years, bringing the best of the
best, at Apples Woods and Berries, so I cooked up a special blend usin' her one
of her newest (and INCREDIBLE) fragrance as a tribute to her fabulous
fragrances. (Yes! I blended the untouchable! Read on)
As always, you're always welcome at Cowboy's Corner! If anything I say here
raises a question, join the Yahoo Groups on the "Home" page. There are tons of
creative people just hankerin’ to share what they know, and I help with blendin'
tips and such. In fact, you can find past editions of Cowboy’s Corner on The
Magic Apple group!
Happy Trails! Cowboy
Cowboy's Blendin' Kettle
Winter Harvest
1 part Tuberose
2 parts Cinnamon Apple
Now, for a long time, fruity floral fragrances have been a hit in the fragrance
industry. Now you can create a GREAT holiday fragrance by spicin' it up a little
and utilizing the fabulous florals that can make a GREAT Holiday fragrance! The
cinnamon warms this fruit and floral fusion to create the perfect fall and
winter fragrance. The crisp apple fuses with the lush floral of the Tuberose;
the dash of cinnamon warms up the blend, all I can say is WOW! It'll knock your
socks off in CP soap and talk about a candle that will have them comin' back for
more!
Christmas Rose
2 parts White Roses
1 part Holiday Memories
The magic of a rose bloomin' at the holidays! Walkin' in the snow laden woods
and coming on the surprise of a white rose, blooming in the frost. Throughout
history, the Christmas Rose has been a flower of spiritual symbolism, mystery
and magic, the magic of the holiday season. This blend plays the beautiful White
Roses fragrance off the evergreen and spice notes of Holiday Memories. Though
not recommended for CP soap, I DID soap this blend with success usin' cool temps
and extra water (NO water discount is the rule if you're goin' to CP soap this
one). In melt and pour, lotions and shower gel/shampoo, this fragrance is AMAZIN'!
Feminine with an upscale feel yet simplicity that is simply stunning. And can we
say candles? Knocked this cowboy's boots off! Don't think strong as in the “hit
you in the face” strong; think softly strong. A winter dream of a fragrance!
Star of the East
1 part December Morning
1 part Cherokee Creek Signature
The Complexity of this blend is somethin' to behold! December Morning is a
fragrance I was not goin' to mess with. It's just too good on its own! But, in
one of my “favorite mistakes”, I picked up the bottle instead of another one I
was goin' to blend with Cherokee Creek Signature and YEEE HAW! The woody
floral/herb fragrance of the Cherokee Creek Signature gives a warm depth to the
crisp cool fragrance of December Morning for a holiday fragrance that will be
sure to be a hit. Honestly, this fragrance could be used year round. Stunning in
CP soap, and you just have to try a candle made with this fragrance to believe
it! This blend will be a staple for your holiday fragrances and you can call it
a “signature fragrance”, because that's exactly what it is!
Autumn Jasmine
1 part Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 parts Jasmine
What a way to spice up a wonderfully classic spring and summer fragrance! And
yuppers! Pumpkin Pie Spice continues to be an all time favorite. So if you have
some around, think about blending! Jasmine and Pumpkin Pie Spice; you heard me
right. The timeless fragrance of Jasmine is warmed by the clove, allspice
cardamom, and cinnamon of the Pumpkin Pie Spice for an unusual but classy fall
and winter fragrance. Don't think “unusual” as in “odd”, think unusual as in
“incredible”! This blend is wonderful in CP soap and just sings in candles! And
want to give shower gel and shampoo a warm, lush blast? This is the blend for
you.
Pearl of the East
2 parts Sandalwood
1 part White Cherry Blossom
Don't let the simplicity of this blend fool you; it will knock your hat slap
off! Though not necessarily a holiday fragrance, this blend is great for fall
and winter because of the warm, sensual fragrance of Sandalwood. A wonderful
addition to your fall and winter line that will carry throughout the rest of the
year. A whole lot easier to soap (CP) than just White Cherry Blossom because the
Sandalwood does not move fast at ALL! I didn't have to use full water and I was
able to swirl! So a wonderful way to soap the beautiful White Cherry Blossom
without having to add more water or watch your recipe!! This fragrance would be
incredible as a complete line of fragrances for women: lotions, bath salts,
shampoo and shower gel, and don't forget the candles! Oriental Bliss!
Christmas Cranberry
2 parts Christmas Eve
1 part Cranberry Frosting
Oh that wonderful fragrance of that holiday treat, cranberry, with all the
wonderful memories and fragrances of Christmas Eve! The already lush fragrance
of Christmas Eve is kicked up to incredible new notches with the addition of
Cranberry Frosting. Fantastic in CP soap, and WOW what a candle and melting
tarts! And what a room spray for the holidays. For a more tart addition to
Christmas Eve, try Pomegranate! Either way, this blend is a song of a fragrance
that is sure to sing those holiday carols with a modern twist on a classic
holiday scent.
Tropical Holiday
1 part Spicy Potpourri
1 part Pineapple Mango
Take a trip to the tropics for the holidays! Instead of sleigh rides and snow,
how about a trip to the Bahamas, palm trees and all, for the holidays? This
spicy rendition of a unique, tropical fruit holiday fragrance will take you away
to an island paradise that you will never want to leave! The spicy citrus of
Spicy Potpourri melds with the lush tropical fruits of Pineapple Mango, and all
I can say is I gotta tip my own hat at this blendin' inspiration! Candles? YES,
heck, you can also CP soap this one but you have keep to the rules of soapin'
those fast movin' FOs! Cool temps, don't discount any water or use more olive
oil. (thanks Aunt Zo!) But put this in room fragrances, bath salts and shampoo?
And candles? It'll fly off the shelves!
Autumn Afternoon
2 parts Hazelnut Coffee
1 part Red Clover Tea
OK, you're probably raisin' an eyebrow at the cowboy now! And I wouldn't blame
you. But give this blend a shot and see how your eyebrows raise in another way!
This is one of those blends where 1+1=4, no joke. Two great fragrances blend
together to make somethin' totally new and unlike the qualities of either
fragrance on its own. Think a sweet rich nutty candy made specially for the
holiday season and you will have the feel of this fragrance. Unisex and
incredible in CP soap, but absolutely yummy in candles! Shampoo and shower gel?
Yuppers! It'll be a hit!
And now for a special blend, in tribute to Miss Sally, celebratin' 3 wonderful
years of incredible fragrances.
And a Happy Birthday to Apples Woods and Berries from The Cowboy
Miss Sally's Cowboy
4 parts Cowboy Campfire
1 part Hardwood Musk
1 part Sandalwood
I was leary of blendin' such a magnificent fragrance as Cowboy Campfire! I mean
Miss Sally has been tellin' me about this fragrance since she first started
talkin' to the perfumer about this stunner. But I mean, I had NO idea just how
wonderful it is. I mean when I first smelled this fragrance and soaped it, I was
knocked slap off my horse!
But studies on that thing fer a while, and I figured I'd take on the challenge
and turn it into a more masculine, sexy, “cowboy” direction and blend it with
some classic Miss Sally fragrances. Now if you've gotten Miss Sally's
Sandalwood, y'all know that this is one of those “y'all won't ever find this one
again!” fragrances. A “dead on” dupe of the very expensive essential oil, and I
know my sandalwood essential oil! Now if you need to know what Hardwood Musk is,
where have ya been? Ha. But if you don't, go see the cowboy photo on the
Hardwood Musk listing, and you'll know for sure.
So, I figured, take these three (of the ... um ten or 12) of my favorite AWB
fragrances and blend a “cowboy up” fragrance that would be worthy of blendin'
with Cowboy Campfire. Well, y'all, I hope I did this fragrance justice, and I
believe I did, according to the cowboys I asked <g>.
Here's what you get when you fuse these fragrances together... well, just take a
look again at the cowboy on Hardwood Musk! ;-) It's a sultry, musky, masculine
fragrance that is sexy to say the least. I've blended some great masculine
fragrances before, but Miss Sally's addition of Cowboy Campfire, well, what can
we say but “it's Man in a bottle”! I've CP soaped this blend and it is just out
of this world. It also will knock yer boots off if you put it in a candle. (I
made a 100% soy wax candle for the test) And any cowboy (AND his cowgirl) would
love to smell this in a body lotion, shampoo and shower gel! Another of this
edition's blends that would be GREAT in a solid or roll on perfume or other body
fragrance product.
I've worn this one myself ladies (and gentlemen) and let me tell you, the
response from those of the fairer sex DO carry on about it. Get pretty close to
smell it too!
So a personal Cowboy shout out to Miss Sally and three wonderful years gatherin'
the best fragrances out there and the best soap making products to grace the
pages of AWB! Here's to many more, my dear lady; I tip my hat, give a little
wink and a big Texas grin...
Cowboy's Blendin' Parlor
In this edition of Cowboy's Corner, I wanted to give you some ideas about
blendin' fragrances that you might have on hand to create great holiday
fragrances. There are some very simple concepts to understand that will make you
a holiday blendin' diva!
First off is to add some spice. Now, spice can be anything from black pepper,
cinnamon, a clove based fragrance, even ginger fragrances are great for
transformin' those great sellers around the year into a new fall/winter/holiday
favorite. So definitely an easy way to create a holiday fragrance is to kick up
the heat and add some spice. What can you blend? Just about everything!
Definitely the fruit fragrances. From citrus to tropical fruits, from apples,
apricots and peaches to melons, cherry and and berry fragrances, add a little
spice and you will be amazed at the response of your customers (or family and
friends) to this twist on an already favorite. And yes, you can blend a spice
with cucumber melon. :-)
Heck, you can blend spice with all sorts of things. Try Green Tweeds of Ireland
with a spice! You talk about a new masculine fragrance that might start as a
holiday fragrance but end up a year round! Sexy sexy sexy! Try other designer
fragrances, both masculine and feminine. And that Clean Waterfall Spray that
some of you may be lucky enough to have some of? Give it a try! All those fresh,
watery or airy fragrances can toss on a Santa cowboy hat with a little spice!
Don't be afraid to take the most unlikely fragrance and add some spice. And if
you have a year round favorite that just sells like hotcakes, keep it AND a
holiday version! Just add a little spice, so simple.
A little less obvious, but definitely the easiest way to make a feminine holiday
fragrance is the addition of a floral fragrance to the spice. As above, in the
Autumn Jasmine, even the “oddball” addition of Pumpkin Pie Spice, which doesn't
seem logical (hint, it's the pumpkin part that fools folks ;-), well you can
create a great holiday/fall/winter blend that is deep and spicy but definitely a
feminine holiday fragrance. These florals can be anything from sweat pea, lily
of the valley, rose, tuberose, jasmine... any floral. See? Simple.
Simple Proportions: If it's a lighter floral like jasmine or lily of the valley
or even rose (dependin' on the strength and complexity of the rose fragrance.)
start with a one to one ratio (1 part floral to 1 part spicy fragrance). Then
you may need to add more floral. Up the ratio to like 2+ parts floral to 1 part
spice.
Then you have the medium to deep fragrance florals. I usually start, again, with
the 1 to 1 ratio) then up the spice accordingly.
Again, it all depends on the strength of the spice AND the floral. But SO easy
to get right!
And Second, and perhaps a bit obvious but not utilized to its full potential:
Evergreen Fragrances added to.... you name it! Now an evergreen can be anything
from “forest scent”, and pine fragrances and cedar to the more spruce/fir
needle, Christmas tree like fragrance. Many times they are given names like
simply Christmas Tree FOs.
Now, take Hibiscus, a wonderfully sweet, tropical floral, add some evergreen
fragrance and you have a holiday twist on a great spring and summer fragrance.
This can be done with Rose fragrances with a beautifully symbolic way to bring
the “hope of life” into the cold snows of winter. Rose and almost any evergreen
is a classic! Again, the proportions are goin' to be dependent on how strong
either fragrance is. My suggestion is to start with the 1 to 1, 1 part to 1
part. Just add a little of either until you get what you want (remember, you can
do this in drops! You don't have to blend ounces or even millimeters!)
Now, get this folks... try some evergreen fragrance to those wonderful holiday
“food” fragrances. From Spicy Potpourri to Sally's (comin' soon) fragrance,
Sugar Plum Spice... try a bit of evergreen! You'll be amazed! Think those “sugar
cookie”, “cake” type food fragrances won't benefit from some evergreen? Oh,
you'd better think again!
In most “food fragrance”/evergreen blends, I start at 2 parts “food fragrance”
and 1 part evergreen and adjust from there. (and see “Christmas Rose” above. It
was inspired by the subtle evergreen fragrances in the Holiday Memories)
See? When you're doin' holiday blends, there are two very simple ways to create
the feel of the holidays and ENDLESS ways to blend them with year round
fragrances and even those fragrances you may have that just don't quite make it,
sales wise, but with a bit of evergreen or spice (OR BOTH!), you can create your
own holiday fragrances that will be your own! Perhaps a “signature holiday
fragrance” that is in demand year after year! Take your year round favorites
(again, don't be concerned with what they are... you're gonna be surprised!) and
add a little evergreen and stand back! Hear that? That's the sound of customers,
friends and family rushin' to get a unique, “can't get it anywhere but here
folks” fragrance!
So, now hang on to your hats and bonnets! It's so simple! Just remember two
ingredients. By addin' either or both of a spice fragrance or evergreen
fragrance, you can instantly turn those non holiday fragrances into holiday
stunners!
Cowboy Tips his Hat
Well, I swannie, I couldn't think of a better new fragrance to tip my hat to
this time but Miss Sally's bodaciously fantastic, out of this world.... Cowboy
Campfire! I mean folks, if you got in on the last Pre Buy, you got a sample. Did
ya soap it? My stars it's great! The subtle fragrance of fresh brewed coffee
blend with a fantasy fragrance of a campfire: sweet, and lightly smoky, mountain
air, walkin' through the woods with oaks and pines and birch... Well, with
Cowboy Campfire, I can't imagine a more sexy cowboy scene than at the end of a
trail, after a long hard day, he ties up his horse, lights a fire lays down his
sleeping mat and lays back against a weather worn log to gaze at the stars. THIS
is Cowboy Campfire, the quintessential cowboy fragrance! And our own Miss Sally
was the inspiration for the fragrance. (again, if you doubt this fragrance, see
the cowboy at Hardwood Musk <g>)
So if you haven't tried it, Get it and see what I'm talkin' about! I've soaped
it and as Sally says, it soaps like a dream. And a little bit goes a long way:
yes, it's a strong one. But I used it at .7 oz/lb in CP soap and it was strong.
Course, when I get my 2 pounds or more <g>, I'm goin' to use 1 oz/lb! :-)
Miss Sally? You done GOOD! A BIG tip of the hat and a big YEEEEHAW from this
cowboy.
A Bit about Cowboy
Alex Crow hangs his hat in St. Louis, Missouri. He's a long time fragrance
blender, soap and candle maker, among other products. For years, he had an
upscale boutique fragrance shop called Luminosity, in Birmingham, Alabama, where
he grew up. He does consulting on fragrance blending and boutique design, and
has created custom fragrances for soap makers, big and small, as well as larger
fragrance houses. He comes from a long line of crafters, learning soap making
and fragrance blending from his great grandma, Momma Josie. He started making
candles at about age ten.
Cowboy dedicates his writing to his mother, Donnette, who lost the battle of
breast cancer in 2002. In hopes to save lives, he urges all women to do self
exams and talk to your doctor if you have ANY concerns.
Our very own Cowboy Alex.
If you want to get in touch with Cowboy Alex with comments or questions please
email him at
cowboycrow@gmail.com". He would love to hear from y'all.
For complete past articles from our Cowboy please check the
file section on the Magic Apple Yahoo Group. If not a member you can join from
the home page of this site.
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