Fleurbain

Category: herbalism

  • herbs for cats

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    tammy.schmidt
    in , ,

    Cats have been a part of my daily life for 14 years now.?á During most of this time I have thought of them as little carnivores, little super predators.?á?á While it is true that they rely on meat for their sustenance, they love plants too.?á They love green stuff like fresh green blades of oats…

  • the beauty is in the practice

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    tammy.schmidt
    in ,

    I just read a very silly article in the Globe and Mail called The promise and perils of backyard herbalism by Adriana Barton. ?áIn this, she tries to pit herbalists against ‘real’ science and research. ?áI love how this article reveals how bound-up we are in our respective beliefs. ?áSome people are thoroughly disgusted with…

  • March!

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    tammy.schmidt
    in , , ,

    A friend of mine remarked to me a couple of months ago that Arcade Fire’s music is very marchy. ?áSometimes when I am listening to them on my Ipod, I test this comment and try to march a little. ?áUnfortunately, I can usually march along to their music. ?áThis does not really matter to me.…

  • snow painting with plant pigments

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    tammy.schmidt
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    This past weekend during the Montreal High Lights Festival, we participated in Nuit?áBlanche in the Griffintown?áCultural Corridor.?áIt was a great deal of fun to put our recent?áexperiments in Herbal Snow Painting to the test. Despite the cold, we had many keen public?áparticipants join us in creating some snow paintings! We began the day with a…

  • DIY blossoms and oatmeal tub tea

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    tammy.schmidt
    in ,

    I just watched The Story of Cosmetics (2010). ?áIt reminded me of why I went down this road called herbalism. ?áI kept seeing myself and others buying into the hype on labels, and this hype had little or nothing to do with the?ácontents. For example, we all know a successful company based on oatmeal (Avena…

  • hot chocolate, my way

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    tammy.schmidt
    in , ,

    Over the years I have learned that the amount of sugar we eat in North America is not normal, nor is it helping us.?á To change this and scale back on the sweet stuff will require a good amount of determination and some experimentation. Gary Taubes states in his book, Good Calories Bad Calories, that…

  • gratitude

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    tammy.schmidt
    in ,

    This is a sentimental entry as well as somewhat of a departure from the typical ‘Fleurbain concept’. In the last few days, I have thought about the folks?áwho have got through to me. ?áThese people have been my teachers. I am overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for the people in my life who have…

  • Herbal Creativity Spa Weekend: Valentine

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    tammy.schmidt
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    The pinnacle of the dark, dreary days of winter is a purgatory that rests between Christmastime and SpringÔǪ February. Installed into February is a day that is supposed to be a celebration of ÔÇ£LoveÔÇØ. Many lament the commercialisation of ValentineÔÇÿs Day, and resent the high expectations and sadness that come with so many of our…

  • Simple Reminder

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    tammy.schmidt
    in ,

    I have the flu. I’m pretty sure you can’t catch it from me by reading this, so don’t be afraid. Because I have the flu, I am researching a bit more about healthy eating and smart practices. Yes, it has been an overtly festive end to 2010, and now it is time to get 2011…

  • sugar, salt, spice and something nice: 5 of the quickest & easiest, last minute DIY projects ever!

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    tammy.schmidt
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    “Ooof! There is no time left, yet I still need a meaningful gift!” No problem. ?áAll you need is a couple jars, 2 or 3 commonly found ingredients and 5 minutes. Ready, set, go! Caffeinated Sugar Scrub Caffeine is?áa very popular ingredient in cosmetics at the moment. Amongst it’s many attributes, it is said to…