No secret here that Roots & Crowns is very Rose-centric. 

Roses are part of all the kinds of products I formulate. Whether it be ingestible, topical, or scent-ual Rose has an absolutely cornerstone in my work.

In celebration of the 6th birthday of my first ingestible product: Beloved Bitters, I've mixed this beverage of yumminess and wanted to share it with you! 

You'll need to prep at least a day in advance to make the infusions, but it's super easy! 

  

Step 1: 

Infuse tequila (or water) with roses. 

2 cups tequila (or water)
3 tbsp. dried red rose petals 

Combine in clean jar, seal with wax paper and jar lid. Give it a good shake and put somewhere you'll remember to strain it! Kitchen counter is a good choice. Strain 18 hours later if you don't want the Rose flavor to become too astringent. When you strain the tequila/water it will be a reddish/brown color but the pink magic will happen when you mix your beverage!

Infuse simple syrup with roses.

1/3 cup organic cane sugar
1//3 cup recently boiled water
1 heaping tsp. dried red rose petals

Stir all together in clean jar until the sugar is dissolved. Let steep for a full day and then strain. You can keep what you don't use for a couple of weeks in the fridge!  

Step 2: 

Cocktail time!
This is a recipe for 2 beverages. 

3 oz. Rose tequila
1.5 oz. Rose simple syrup
1.5 oz. fresh Lime juice
1 dropper-full of Beloved Bitters

Combine Rose tequila/tea, Rose simple syrup, lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake, shake shake. Strain into a glass (observe the magic color shift!) with an ice block, preferably with roses inside. Top with Beloved Bitters. Enjoy!

Adam and I made this recipe up in a moment of fun necessity when we realized we were hungry and the only things left in the produce drawer were a head of cauliflower and a few leeks! This was so yummy and so gosh darn easy that we've made it several times since and it's a hit. It would be a perfect dish for Chanukah! 

 

Servings: 2-4 depending on how hungry you are
Start to finish prep and cook time: just under an hour

• 2 tbsp butter (regular or vegan)
• 2 large leeks, thinly sliced (white parts and light green)
• 1 head of cauliflower chopped up
• 4 cups broth of choice (we used chicken)
• 1/3 cup of white wine 
• sour cream for serving
• fresh dill for serving

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Chop the cauliflower up and arrange it with some oil on a baking sheet. Keep a small pile of cauliflower that you chop extra tiny separate and off to the side of the sheet- these will get extra crispy and be a great topping for the soup. Roast the cauliflower for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, add the sliced leeks to a buttered deep skillet. Sautee the leeks until they are nice and soft- about 5 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of white wine and let it simmer and reduce on low until most of the liquid has been absorbed or gone. Add 4 cups of broth/stock and bring to a light boil. When the cauliflower is finished, gently add it all (aside from the tiny crispy bits) to the vitamix or high powered blender. Pour the stock + leek mixture into the blender on top of the cauliflower, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend for a minute on high. 

To serve: pour the soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream, fresh dill, and the cauliflower crispy bits. This soup is also nice served with fresh baguette. 

Enjoy!

Wearing masks all day is saving lives and it’s causing some skin issues for many of you. 

I get it that this is becoming something that some of you can’t ignore anymore, and you’re looking for ways to prevent irritation and acne and all the other not-so-fun side effects of being a good human being and wearing your damn mask. 

Please keep in mind that I’m not an esthetician- I’m a clinical herbalist who has been in the making and using of natural botanical skincare products for over a decade, so I offer these insights from my own mind and experience. May it be helpful!

Cleanliness of Masks: first things first! Keep your masks clean! If you’re using the reusable cotton/silk kind of masks that are ubiquitously made now by all sorts of small makers, that’s awesome! Just make sure you wash them as regularly as you wash your underwear. Because you’re breathing into that all day, your skin is sweating into them all day, and if they’re dirty, they’re going to up the irritation factor for your skin. So get yourself a small collection of masks and rotate them very, very often. And wash them with a detergent that isn’t full of harsh chemicals, because the skin on your face is sensitive and you don’t want it getting irritated by that stuff. Similarly, if you’re using the disposable kind, you’ll want to swap those out at least every day. On hot days, maybe even multiple times a day. 

Material: from my experience, my favorite mask for breathability are the ones my friend made me out of 100% cotton. And apparently, they’re also really effective at filtering. It seems that in general, natural fibers are better for both breathability and filtration. So choose cotton or silk over polyester!

Cleanliness of Face: the same way you want your masks to be clean, you want to make sure you’re only wearing a mask over clean skin. Because dirty skin and clogged pores equals irritation. Wash your face in the morning and moisturize with a light, emollient oil. This way your skin is primed for the friction of the mask, and hydrated without being too densely covered. From my product line the best oils for this season and mask wearing would be: 

Handsome Serum (emollient and moisturizing but quickly and efficiently absorbed)

Sea Buckthorn Serum (repairing for pores and soothes irritations/breakouts while moisturizing). This is something I've guided several people to since opening the new shop, and they've all written back saying it's been majorly helpful!

Wide Awake Serum (usually recommended for eye area, but can absolutely be used all over. This is light and moisturizing and really great for sensitive skin- hence it being perfect for the eye area)

Makeup: don’t wear makeup under masks! Just don't. Even the nicer more natural face makeups do clog your pores, even if only slightly slightly, and the addition of a mask on top of that is going to cause irritation. The best situation for wearing masks is a clean face that’s lightly moisturized and nothing else. 

Skin Care: even with precautions, breakouts will still happen sometimes. I recommend doing a facial steam once or twice a week to open and clear out pores. Depending on your skin constitution there are different herbs that can be extra repairing/nourishing/helpful. Part of the Facial kits I’m releasing soon will have tins of herbs that are blended for different skin types. Soon, soon! 

I hope these tips help you and your beautiful face while you do your part to be a good human being and wear your mask!

MARGARITA, BUT MAKE IT GREEN JUICE

3 stalks Celery
1 small Cucumber
1/2 Meyer Lemon
1/2 Orange of choice
1/2 Lime
1/4 small Apple
1 inch fresh Ginger

Optional but extra Yummy: 
Moon Bitters

Juice this in your juicer. Pour into a glass that's been honey and salted! 

If you don't have a juicer, you can blend this all with a bit of water and then strain out the pulp using a colander or nut milk bag. 

Top with a dropper-full of Moon Bitters. 

 

 

BLOOD ORANGE SPRITZ

1/2 Blood Orange
Sparkling Mineral Water

Optional but extra yummy:
Tulsi + Rose CBD Tincture

Hand squeeze blood orange and pour into a champagne glass. Fill the rest of the glass with the sparkling water, and add 10 drops of Tulsi + Rose Tincture. 

LOVE DUST ELIXIR

1 tsp. Love Dust
12 oz. of Milk of choice
1 tsp. Honey (or sugar)

Optional but extra yummy: whipped cream to top it off! I found almond milk whipped cream that worked so well! 

Also optional and extra yummy for daytime enjoyment: split the 12 oz. in half, and make it 6 oz. milk of choice, plus 6 oz. coffee. 

Heat milk in a small saucepan, but don't let it boil. Add the milk, Love Dust, and honey to blender. Blend on high for a minute or two, and pour the frothy elixir into a nice glass. Top with whipped cream! 

Y'all are the ones who decide whether what I make is worth having again and again! Here's a list of what you voted most popular, with your purchases. 

It's worth adding that I came up with this list by combining the reports from both my online shop, and my brick & mortar shop. So some ties definitely happened! :) 

Did your favorite Roots & Crowns make this list? 
Maybe you'll spot something for your 2020 wish list...

Top Product Overall: 
Tie between ROSE FACE SERUM, COCOA DUST, + The new AMULETS! 

Top Amulet: 
To Connect & Be At Peace

Top Face Serum:

Tie between Rose Face Serum and the new CBD Face Serum

Top Essential Oil Perfume Roller:
Beloved Perfume Roller

Top Bath Soak:
You're Ok 

Top Essential Oil Perfume Mist:
Ritual 

Close Runner Ups: Beloved and You're Ok

Top Salve:
Tattoo Balm

Top Tincture Blend: 
You're Ok 

Top Bitters: 
Rest Well Bitters

Top Tea Blend: 
Doug Fir Chai

 

Top Lip Color: 
Autumn Lip Color 

Top Apothecary Bundle:
You're Ok Bundle

 

From working in my darling brick & mortar shop, Homebody, for the past year and a half, I’ve come to realize the importance of some guidance when it comes to touring my work. We all get by with a little help from our friends. So in this case, your friend is me- Max- the maker of each item that appears in my shop. 

I sat down and thought about how to make this tour fun and accessible. Here is what I came up with! Hope it helps...

Thanks for shopping small and consciously this season….

 

FOR LITERALLY ANYONE // YOUR EVER-ANXIOUS BFF // THE NEW PARENTS in your life

Anything from the You’re Ok Collection!

I was inspired to make this line of both herbal remedy + aromatherapy versions of stress-relieving goods after nannying infant twins and hearing their mom say “you’re ok” over and over to them when they were fussy. It made me realize that no matter what age we are, or what phase of life we are in...we could use similar soothing. 

Choose from: Bath Soak, Tincture Blend, Tea Blend, Essential Oil Perfume Mist, Essential Oil Perfume Roll-On Oil, Essential Oil Diffuser Blend, The You're Ok Amulet, and The You’re Ok Bundle

FOR THE NEW HOMEOWNERS in your life

The first thing many folks wanna do with their new home, is cleanse their space. I’m so glad to have found some new friends who are also queer Jewish witches who make smoke cleansing wands out of locally sourced non-endangered plants. I chose Cedar & Yarrow for my shop because these are plants I feel most affinity for in this application… 

Smoke Cleansing Bundle....

Essential oil diffusers are great ways to utilize aromatherapy in one’s home. After years of using somewhat tacky plastic-y ones, I’m so happy to have found these beautiful wooden & hand-blown nebulizing diffusers that are a lovely decor piece on their own! And they even have an auto-off switch after a few hours of use. Functional Art at its finest. 

I also recently released 6 different Roots & Crowns essential oil diffuser blends that you can choose from! 

And of course BROOMS!

These brooms are handmade in Eugene, and dyed with non-toxic dyes. I am happy to offer either winged or whisk style brooms…great for small areas, corners that are hard to reach, and table-tops! 

FOR THE FACES in your life

My face serums are a really approachable, yet luxurious way to simplify a skin routine. These are to be used for both cleansing and moisturizing!

 I could go on and on about each one, but for a quick intro: 

Rose Serum: for dry- prone skin 

Handsome Serum: for sensitive-prone skin

Sea Buckthorn: for combination/oily-prone skin (yes! Oil on oily skin does not make more oil! It balances it!) 

Adam’s Oil: for dry, sensitive, facial-haired skin

And they each come in 3 sizes 

FOR THE LOVERS in your life

Anything from The Beloved Collection!

This whole collection is full of aphrodisiac herbs and sensual scents. Made with the intention of all kinds of self-love and love-with-another dates in mind. The Beloved scent profile that is found in the perfumes and bath soak have become a tried and true favorite in my shop, and there’s a reason for that! 

Choose from: Bath Soak, Bitters, Love Dust, Tea Blend, Essential Oil Perfume Mist, and Essential Oil Perfume Roll-On Oil

FOR THE WORKAHOLICS (you?) in your life 

One of the most profound permaculture principles that I’ve taken with me in my life is that “all work is half rest.” The endless-work, always-productive mindset that seems so ubiquitous in our society is just not sustainable. Call in The Rest Well Collection. Aromatherapy and herbal remedy blends to help encourage rest and aid sleep…

Choose from: Bath Soak, Bitters, Tea Blend, Pillow Mist, Essential Oil Perfume Roll-On Oil, and Essential Oil Diffuser Blend

FOR THE PUTS-CBD-IN-EVERYTHING FRIENDS in your life

I recently released a line of three CBD products! Made from potent, locally sourced CBD extract. All three products have been lab tested to ensure their CBD content. Also I wanna low-key let you know that the CBD Face Serum may be the best thing I ever made, in my personal opinion.

Since my webshop doesn’t yet allow the sale of CBD products through its processor (although, CBD is fully legal in all 50 states!) you can order these products via email or through the contact page on my website. And don’t worry! You won’t incur an extra shipping charge for these. If you place an order and email your CBD order to me right away, I will make sure they ship out all together! 

 Choose from: The Balm (an arnica-infused body salve), Face Serum, and Tulsi + Rose Tincture Blend

FOR THE WITCHES in your life

The Ritual Candle is my one candle offering, and it is amazing. Made from the best smelling oils, soy wax, and wooden wick that cackles slowly...this candle is great company to ceremony and rituals. 

The Elemental Notebook is a great tool for dream journaling, moon intentions, or any other kind of magical notes. 

My Amulet Necklaces were the very first offering I ever made under the name Roots & Crowns, and I’m so thrilled to have them back with actual gold chains and an upgrade in design quality. 

Choose from: You’re Ok, In Joy, To Connect & Be At Peace, and Protector 

 And of course.. The smoke cleansing wands. 

FOR THE QUEERS you wanna love up in your life 

I’m so glad that my Self Care with Pride Kit has been such a hit year round, because I say Pride-month-only marketing be damned! 

This bundle of goodies is to help spoil the queer babes in your life who deserve all the self care. And 10% of each Pride Bundle goes to local organizations that support queer youth. 

Oh and word on the street says there’s an actual rainbow botanical situation happening with the included bath soak! 

FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING HEARTBREAK, LOSS, GRIEF in your life

One of the mots important categories of medicine I make is for the process of grief. When my community lost a friend to suicide a few years ago, I was cracked open and moved to devote a lot of my effort to help the healing process when the heart is jostled and hurting. 

The "To Connect and Be At Peace" amulet is a special talisman that contains herbs and the words "to connect and be at peace" in a little vial on a 14k gold chain. 

For ingestible herbs, I have the Heart Tonic & In Joy tincture blends...

May our hearts feel hope and trust that the deepest sadness will give way to joy...

FOR THE FLOWER POWERS in your life

It’s no secret that flowers are a MAJOR inspiration and fused element to Roots & Crowns. I made this bundle of self care with flowers a couple of years ago, and it’s a popular gift item!

Insider tip: the foot balm in this bundle is soooo good! 

FOR THE MIXOLOGISTS in your life

Did you know that I make a whole line of Bitters? In fact, my bitters were the first ingestible/topical product I ever made. These bitters are not only great in mixed drinks, they are also tincture-based and remedial so they all serve purposes beyond delicious flavors. From aphrodisiac yumminess to a blend that helps with seasonal sadness, I’ve got you!

Choose from: Beloved, Awake, Blues Away, Moon, Detox, Rest Well, and Forest

FOR THE BEARDED ONE in your life

Because even beards deserve some love. This serum was made to encourage self care for the skin and hair that grows on the face of a loved one. Nourishing, moisturizing, and helpful for any irritation that may come from maintaining these faces! 

Here's to Adam's Oil...

FOR THE BATH-ENTHUSIASTS in your life

How about some of the most decadent, mineral rich bath soaks that also smell incredible?!

These soaks are a great gift, and the bottles are so pretty that they tend to become vases for flowers, after the fact. 

Choose from Beloved, You’re Ok, Forest, and Rest Well 

FOR THE WOODSY BABES in your life

Somehow I have a whole bunch of forest-inspired products. I think that’s because I know the sense of grounded clarity I receive whenever I walk into the woods, and I always want to bring back into my spaces with me. 

Forest Clearing Room Spray is one of the best bathroom, car, drawer fresheners! 

Forest Bath is a mineral-rich soak that can be used as a foot or full body soak to hydrate the body with the scent of the forest...

Spruce & Cedarwood is a popular blend that comes in: Essential Oil Perfume Mist, Essential Oil Perfume Roll-On Oil, and Essential Oil Diffuser Blend

The Self Care of Forest Kit is a nice little gift bundle…

And of course, the coveted Doug Fir Chai which is a yummy spicy woodsy tea blend that often sells out at some point during the winter! 

FOR THE COME-IN-AND-HAVE-A-HOT-CUP-OF-TEA FOLKS in your life 

I have a whole line of libations that are loose-leaf teas and mushroom-cocoa elixirs...

The Cocoa Dust is a top-selling blend of adaptogen herbs and medicinal mushrooms, with organic cocoa! A healthy potion to add to a morning latte. 

The Love Dust is an aphrodisiac version of the Cocoa Dust, and can be used to make a date-night cocktail or dessert treats. 

For Tea Blends, choose from: Doug Fir Chai, You’re Ok, Beloved, Awake, Mama Love Day, Mama Love Night, Rest Well

FOR THE COFFEE-ADDICTS in your life

Listen. I’m allll about coffee. I enjoy my morning coffee ritual every single day. However, I also happen to know that the over-caffeinated versions of people sometimes backfire. 

Enter, the Awake Collection. Herbal and Aromatherapy blends to hedge the many extra cups of coffee that may not be the *best* for the adrenals. These potions can help keep the focus and deter energy slumps.

The Awake Serum is a great eye-area serum that smells so strongly of coffee (purely from infusion, no essential oils!) that whoever sniffs it may accidentally also lick it. Haha. Great for bags, easing inflammation around the eyes, and brightening up the face!

Also choose from: Awake Bitters, Tea Blend, Essential Oil Perfume Roll-On, and Essential Oil Diffuser Blend

FOR THE FREQUENT FLYERS in your life

Traveling for work or pleasure is cool, but have you tried anointing yourself with a germ-protecting oil that also smells fabulous? 

I offer the Protector blend as a roll-on oil, or diffuser blend. Great for folks who are on trains and planes a lot (or in schools or hospitals, too!). 

The Wellness Tincture blend is a great handy airport-friendly-in-size herbal remedy to keep those immune systems up to par on the journey. 

I started Roots & Crowns in 2014, with exactly $1000, which seemed like a huge investment to me at the time. I didn't have any small business loans or family money to float my dream. It's been a bit by bit growth and pulling myself up by my own bootstraps ever since then. If I made an extra hundred dollars one month, it went right back into my work, maybe I'd get more ingredients that I'd been eager to work with. This has been my story ever since. 

I am hardly rolling in the dough, and some months are very tight, but I'm extremely grateful that I've managed to support myself by doing meaningful work that I love, and help others at the same time, for a few years now! When I decided to "rebrand" in late spring of 2019, I knew it would be a financially big leap. My decision for doing so was hardly just to look cool. I yearned for cohesion after years of making my own labels on my computer (I have absolutely no graphic design training), and to not be scrambling to keep all the various print-at-home-labels in stock. Not to mention the hideous amounts of printer ink I would go through and inevitably run out of at the most inopportune times. I also really wanted the outside of my products to hint at the quality and intention of what's within the containers.

So I put many thousands of dollars of new labels and bottles on my credit card, with the faith that just like my initial $1000 investment in my dream, this next phase too, will work out. I have designed every phase of my new website myself- from Etsy, to my first real website, and now this incarnation of rootsandcrowns.com I've learned to take photos that appeal to the eyes, versus my first photos back in 2014 when I thought laying a bottle on a yellowish wood table next to a leaf, and then increasing the saturation all the way up before posting it on Instagram, was a good look. 

I've come a long way, but I've worked really, really, really hard to get here. I tell you this to remind you what kind of small business you are supporting when you choose to add items to your cart, gift my work to others, and read my newsletters. I'm only here and able to do this because of you. 

So Thank You! 

 

Cocoa Dust is a delicious and healthful addition to your morning beverage ritual. It's a combination of medicinal mushrooms and adaptogen herbs with cocoa, and really elevates coffee or tea into a scrumptious latte!

Here's how I like to make my drink:

Add the following to a blender:

• 1-2 shots of espresso
• 2 teaspoons of Cocoa Dust
• 1 heaping teaspoon of Honey or Maple Syrup
• 8-10 oz. steamed Milk of choice (I like hemp)

Blend, blend, blend! 

Pour into your favorite mug.

Adorn with flower petals if that's your thing.

ENJOY! 

I sorta just made this up the other day when I realized it was frozé weather but I had a nice bottle of Rioja open and I didn't want to waste it. 

You need: 

• a 750 ml bottle of red wine (mine wasn't entirely full, but it worked anyway!)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup frozen fruit of your choice- I recommend strawberry and pineapple
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon
• handful of fresh rose petals for extra love

Blend this all in a high-powered blender. Add it to an ice cream maker and turn it on! If you don't have an ice cream maker, add the blended concoction to a ziplock bag, freeze overnight, and blend again right before enjoying!