Spice Up Your Home with Abode

 

We all love fragrances for the skin. From women to men, it is an extensive industry that carries something for every taste and smell (so to speak). Here at The Amazing Blog, we like to have a lovely scent in the office just as much as we do on our bodies. There are so many various types of home fragrances out there, from candles to aerosol sprays, but one that really stands out is the diffuser. When we found out about Abode Aroma diffusers, we were very excited to try out some scents from their very extensive fragrance collection.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with reed diffusers, the reeds absorb the fragrance of the oil contained in a bottle, and the reeds diffuse the fragrance into the air. Plus, they are very stylish in appearance, so they look great in the home! Abode Aroma chooses to craft their reeds out of bamboo, which is incredibly porous and absorbent, so the scent is stronger than with other choices. Using 90% fragrance oil and 10% alcohol also means that the scent is stronger, and the fragrance lasts much longer, as there is no water to dilute it. Abode Aroma also makes sure that their packaging is super stylish, ranging from ultra modern to very feminine. All of the diffusers are in clear glass bottles, so they will look fabulous in any room. We were able to test out some scents from their new Neon Collection, which is very modern ‘fluoroscape’ of fragrances. Two standouts that we thought were perfect for late summer and early autumn are Oriental Spice and Fresh Fig. Oriental spice is a very exotic scent, full of ylang-ylang, vanilla, and amber. Overall, it is a very warm scent and will certainly take you on a mini-scent-vacation. Fresh Fig has an obvious sweet fig smell, partnered with oranges, blackcurrant, and foliage. Both of these scents are very unisex-friendly, and would liven up any home. Because of the wonderful packaging, and easiness of the product, the Abode Aroma diffusers make absolutely wonderful ‘grab and go gifts’.

If you are interested in livening up your home, office, or getting a gift for a loved one, look no further because Abode Aroma will certainly have something for you. Their collection is extensive, and they have a scent for any season, and any home. To purchase a diffuser from Abode Aroma (£21-£40 retail), visit the Amara or Acassa website.

Love Brand & Co: Giving Back to the Elephants

  

As we all know, there are many wildlife charity organisations out there in the world working to help save, protect, and maintain endangered species lives and habitats. We at The Amazing Blog are always interested in these wonderful projects, and we have found an absolutely great one to introduce to you! Oliver Tomalin, who is passionate about Elephants and Fashion has found an exciting way to blend his two loves. A clothing company that donates sales to elephant conservation! I’m sure many, if not all of you know that elephants are drastically at risk for becoming completely extinct, and we can do our part to help save the species.

 

Love Brand & Co.  is the clothing company created by Oliver Tomalin that sells men’s and boy’s t-shirts, polo shirts, and a vast array of shorts. For every sale made, 5% of sales are donated to conserving elephants and their habitats. The company supports quite a few wonderful organisations. Elephant Family created by Mark Shand works to save the Asian Elephant and its habitat. They also have UK-wide Education Programs to extend the knowledge of the issue. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust works in Kenya to hand rear orphaned elephant babies until they are strong enough to survive in the wild. They also work with anti-poaching efforts and have mobile veterinary units in place. Another trust that Love Brand & Co supports is the Tusk Trust, which has raised over £16 million to conserve wildlife and alleviate poverty across Africa.

 

Sounds wonderful, right? Well, it is. You can take your part and help the elephants, and get great clothes in the meantime.  The t-shirts and polo shirts have an adorable elephant logo, and the shorts are available in a wide variety of colours and prints. Plus, they are all made with 100% organic cotton, which is a fabulous thing on it’s own. These are perfect for you, a friend, son, or boyfriend. Hopefully we will get some women’s clothes in the mix soon from Love Brand & Co. They retail between £49.00-£119.00 and are available on their website. The company also has a flagship store at 5 Park Walk, London.

Get Festival Ready This Summer: Glam Style!

Whether you went to Glastonbury or Isle of Wight, summer in the UK means Festivals! There are many good ones to attend that happen through the summer months, so plan away! Here at The Amazing Blog HQ, we all love a good bit of music. And we know our readers love music, summer, and festivals, so we thought this was  the perfect time to introduce some wonderful new products that are perfect for taking with you to a festival.

 

A company called Wacky Practicals really caught our eye in terms of unique, special products that serve a purpose when the original version just won’t do. Their Collapsible Tea Kettle is perfect for taking with you to any festival or even a camping trip. It is made of silicone and stainless steel, which means it is a very durable kettle and the fact that it is collapsible means packing it away is a breeze. It is available to purchase from their website for £29.99. You definitely won’t miss your next cup of tea with this perfect kettle.

 

Ever heard of Glamping? Yes, that’s right: Glam Camping. A new phenomenon that we at the Amazing Blog think is absolutely wonderful. You are going to a festival or camping, but don’t want to sacrifice being a girly girl? Well, now you don’t have to. Boutique Camping offers festival and camping products that are chic, fashionable, and portable! One product we thought you wouldn’t want to miss out on: the Quilt/Sleeping Bag in Rosa. Absolutely Adorable and sure to keep you warm and snugly on those chilly summer nights. Available on their website for £90.00.

 

 We were so excited when we received Ickle Bockle’s Festival Kit here at The Amazing Blog. It is the perfect travel accessory kit for any festival goer. The Kit is packed full of perfect items: two ickle bockles (travel-sized bottles), one ickle pot, a waterproof poncho, eye mask, ear plugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, compact mirror, tissues, plasters, antibacterial hand sanitiser, and lip balm. Absolutely everything you need in one handy little bag! Can be purchased on the website for £16.95. I know I won’t be heading away without mine!

 

Fox & Pepper’s After Welly Gelly is perfect for those tired festival feet! We all know how your feet can feel after a day of wearing our favourite rubber boots, and this soothing gel takes care of the problem. Best part? It’s Paraben Free, so no nasties there. Available for £7.99 from Made In Heaven.

 

Another product we thought was most interesting. Bloom.fm, a downloadable music app has created Bloom Boots, which are Musical Wellington Boots! There is a speaker actually placed into the boot itself, so you can attach your IPod or MP3 and crank up bloom.fm! Unfortunately, there were only 10 pairs created originally, but a thought for next summer! However, you can still tune into Bloom.fm when you download the app! Check out their website for more info.

One last thing: when you're feeling tired and worn out during the day, you're going to need a pick me up. We have found the perfect way to get it, naturally of course, with Scheckter's Organic Energy Drinks! We were so excited when they arrived at the office, and needless to say, they are everything you want in an energy drink, with none of the nasty additives! They taste great, and are 100% Natural and Organic. Perfect for stowing in your rucksack for the trip, you can get the drinks from Ocado starting at £1.29 or on www.amazon.co.uk. Take a look at the Scheckter's website for more information on the drinks.

Sew Over It by Lisa Comfort

Ever wanted to know how to take a piece of clothing you have and make it fit perfectly? Maybe it is a bit too wide in the hips, or a pair of pants that need the hem let out. Possibly you just want to know the finer points of sewing on buttons and appliqués? Well, we here at The Amazing Blog have found the book for you. Sew Over It by Lisa Comfort (Ebury Press, £15) is a book for anyone who is interested in the art (and craft) of sewing. From a beginner to an expert level, this book is full of tips and tricks to benefit from. Lisa Comfort was interested in sewing from a very young age, received a sewing machine, and has since grown her love for the craft into a successful career.

Sew Over It goes from basic steps like needle threading and hand stitches to more advanced sewing techniques and projects.  An entire section is devoted to going through your closet, something many women (like myself) want and need to do. Lisa Comfort teaches you how to sort through what you already have and decide whether it is worth the time to change and repair. You then enter the chapters containing tutorials on customising, altering, and changing your clothing. There are not tutorials devoted to making clothing from scratch, but rather altering to make something fit and look better or applying an appliqué to enhance a garment. Lisa does include full on instructions for making accessories like a vintage scarf belt, a fifties style hair-band and a flower corsage. All of these are sure to make your wardrobe all the more exciting!

All in all, the projects Lisa includes in the book are very achievable and won’t take obscene amounts of time. Perfect fun for weekends and summer!  Sew Over It by Lisa Comfort (Ebury Press, £15) is a book that will enhance any shelf and is perfect for anyone who has ever had a desire to get crafty! If you are interested in taking sewing classes from Lisa Comfort and her team, she offers them at the Sew Over It Café in London as well as stocking plenty of fabrics, notions, and kits at the same location. You can purchase the book and see a list of classes offered on her website and on Amazon.

Bahoma Eau de Chambre

At The Amazing Blog we are always looking for something to help keep our office smelling nice and fresh. As obsessed as we are with room diffusers, sprays and scents, we could not wait to get our hands onto the Bahoma Room Spray, and were eager to spritz our way through the day.

Bahoma is a niche luxury fragrance brand, based in London. Their Home Collection consists of a wide range of room sprays, diffusers and scented candles that can be used to freshen up any kind of environment. With 25 different fragrances you are sure to find one that suits your nose the best.

Our personal favourite is Imperial. With citrus-y top notes and floral and spicy heart notes such jasmine, patchouli it is perfect to refresh the air in the office. This combined with woody, cedar and musk base notes makes our hearts skip a beat and Imperial has been voted as our office scent, by yours truly that is. This combination works perfectly as a ‘pick-me-up’ scent after a long day in the office, being fresh and calming at the same time. The spray is presented in very simplistic and sophisticated packaging, underlining Bahoma’s philosophy – the product is more important than the packaging.

So add a touch of distinction to your home or office with their Home Collection, which you can order from their website from £21.95.