Haven't got to really enjoy this Channukah... So much to do in so little time between shows and events. I just lit the candles with my lovely, super helpful and patient daugther after she and my brother helped me move into the One Of A Kind Show. My brother even cooked dinner (amazing pasta with garlic fried zucchinis) that night so I can finish packing and do inventory control before we head to the new and beautiful convention centre to set up the new shop for the next 4 days. It was surreal to enter the new convention centre in the space where the show takes place - it looked like a made up microcosmos of all things beautiful and creative; each booth like a little planet of its own and so beautifully set. Everyone was wearing those safety vests in case the place gets completely black-outed and it was just so bizzarre... The overall jet-lag feeling I've been experiencing (from not having much sleep and working day and nights for 4 weeks) contributed to the surreality of the experience - and it did feel like a strange airport, in a very unknown yet beautiful land.

Yesterday was the holiday soiree at House of Jewels, where patrons enjoyed some wine, cheese, the company of some local designers and the lovely Nadene, Leslie and Precia who are always so fun, helpful and generous. And everything was 20% off which was really great, because I could also take advantage of the situation and get myself a new holiday dress, by a local designer, of course :-)

I always enjoy meeting new people, and see their reaction to my perfumes - there is usually an element of surprise. And I am always especially pleased to see gentlemen get won over by scents they never imagined they will like (or more so: finding out that they actually can enjoy and appreciate scent). Last night, the most unusual thing happened though: a gentleman bought himself a bottle of Roses et Chocolat parfum. Now, that's what I consider a small victory for perfume-kind.

From now on light will grow stronger, and winter's darkness will be chased away in no time...
I'm thrilled to be right next to my friend Jolanta who will be selling her beautiful leather bags (from rescued, reclaimed and recycled leather), and to have the help of my friend Tina (she's the elf who always does all your shipping when I go to real faraway lands) and my intern Monique who's been studying perfumery with me for 3 years now.

And until Sunday night, you will likely not hear much from me here (except for mobile updates through my Facebook fanpage - please do join!) as I will be busy manning my show as well as ensuring that all online orders go out in time for Christmas!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

One of the perfumes I unearthed from my very bottom drawer of abandoned creations is this number I titled "Sandal Tree" in Hebrew back in my very first perfumer's notebook of my very first year of 2001, when it all began.

This perfume was created after I ordered kewda attar for the first time, from Enfleurage in New York. It arrived in a half-full vial, and cost me dearly. I was equally repelled and intnrigued by kewda, and thought it would make a very pretty addition to a floral sandalwood perfume.

Discovering a formula written by a novice ten years later is fascinating. Especially when the novice have become a little less of the novice. There is the element of excitement reeking from the page of the formula: discovering a new art and medium for expression. Exploring fragrant raw materials that were never experienced before. This enthusiasm comes through the formula in the way that the essences were combined. When I'm looking at my own formula from the perspective of a perfumer with almost 10 years of experience, and who have taught perfume for the past 3 years, I feel as though it was a completely different person creating this perfume - someone who was a fearless dreamer and to whom I'm deeply thankful, as if it wasn't for that bold passion and determination, I wouldn't be a perfumer right now.

What surprises me in retrospect is, I suppose, that I chose ingredients that are what I would consider now as difficult to work with and harmonize. And I'm glad that I was not afraid of blending them even though they were rare and expensive. I think that's what taught me the most - that slight disregard to price when I initially started working with essences. Just trusting my instincts, rather than dwelling on whether it's going to work or not, and if the experiment is going to cost me dearly or not. I think I've become a lot more cautious since 2001 though...

Sandal Tree was created with the abovementnioned kewda attar - a heady, sharp flower from India that has a very East Indian personality. It does not smell like anything you would smell elsewhere. It is very volatile, so the sandalwood base of the attar actually helps to fix it as a raw material. It smells like hyacinths with an apple cider vinegar sharpness. There is a fair amount of kewda there (twice as much as I used later on in either Charisma or Gigi). There is mimosa absolute and cardamom oil at the top. Neither is a tame essence, but the magically decided to get along here. Than there is also heady ylang ylang and voluptuous jasmine, leading into the creamy, smooth sandalwood base with hints of vanilla and tonka bean (I was an avid Guerlain groopie when I started, and still am...). It wears very floral and light and exotic and has a diffusive sillage. In the new vat when I re-blended it last week, I used some of the stash of East Indian sandalwood oil I have left, and also sustainable sandalwood oils from Vanuatu and Australia (the Australian one is organically grown).

Sandal Tree was the title on the bottle and in the formula book (in Hebrew) and I finally decided it was best to keep the name that way, only in English. I am making only 4 bottles of this, which will be only available directly through me at the studio and at the One of a Kind Show, December 9-12.

The One of a Kind show is fast approaching, and it is going to be a very different shows than anything else I've ever done before. Besides the fact that it is so big (number of vendors) established (there are also shows in Toronto, Chicago and New York City, one of which I will make my goal to travel to next year), and also quite compartmentalized. By that I mean that a lot of my unusual and innovative products I'm not permitted to showcase. There are going to be no poison rings (which are vintage, collectible items) and no perfumed pendants either (although they are extremely innovative, and were designed especially for me AND made by hand in my home village). There are also going to be non of the gourmet items that have become such a strong part of my presence at the markets - because they are such irresistible: the perfumemd teas, truffles and chocolates are all out of bounds because I'm not classified as a food vendor. This is a challenge from the point of view that in this tough economy, having little affordable luxury items (aka chocolate bars that cost $12 for 50gr) really help a high end business make ends meet even if people seem to be more hesitant before reaching their wallet for bigger bills to pay for a flacon of perfume.

But I see this as a blessing in disguise, because: a) the size of my table (4' long) will not have space for everything anyway, so being told to cut out particular products makes my curating job a tad easier; and b) this will once and for all make it very clear that the focus of my business is perfume, and will enable me to reveal this side of my business with more focus and showcase perfumes that I don't usually put on display, such as my one of a kind collection.

But I'm also pulling out other scents from my vaults - old formulas that were never released but I think are neat and unusual and special and that this is a good time for them to get some exposure. And also some very new and recent formulations that I haven't released to the public yet (meaning: they are not on my website, and won't be there for a long time). In the next few posts I will be telling you a bit about them so those of you who are visiting the show will have something to ponder or hunt for when you come to my table. As in my next upcoming post about the Sandal Tree perfume.