Beads N Botanicals is the Place for Valentine's Day Gifts for Her or Him

Want to give your Valentine something special?

If you are looking for a more traditional Valentine's Day gift, Beads N Botanicals offers unscented and custom scented massage oils, body lotions and organic hand creme. Add some votive candles in a few holders, some All Night Long incense and soft music and you have the beginning of a very romantic evening.

Or think about a beautiful gemstone necklace. Or a pearl necklace with Swarovski crystals. Grace her with a bracelet or several pairs of earrings.

We have gifts for every budget, from body jewelry to wire-wrapped pendants, real flower pendants, books and yoga mats.

Remember the beader in your family with beads, jewelry making tools or even a GIFT CERTIFICATE if you are not sure what to pick out.

Thinking more along Gothic lines? We also have black silk roses and dead roses. Goes against the grain but suits some folks with a sense of adventure (as well as a sense of humor).

Beads N Botanicals Class Schedule for Winter 2009 in Champaign Urbana, IL

Body/Mind/Spirit Classes Winter 2009

Held at Beads N Botanicals

117 N Broadway Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
217-365-9355
Please pre-register and pay for all jewelry making and craft classes
at least two days in advance of the actual class, sooner, if possible, to guarantee yourself a spot in the class. Some classes have been filled a week or more in advance of the date.

Advance pre-registration with payment required for the following classes. See schedule for details.

Soul Coaching Class

Heart Wisdom Yoga

Reiki I

Psychic & Health Fair:
Saturday, January 24, 2009 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Come and Join Us! Psychics, Tarot Readers, Reiki, Reflexology and more. $20 per session.

Wednesday, January 14
Basic Stringing: Necklace Design: Want to learn how to put together a necklace, but not sure how to begin? Or, how to end it? Cost: $18, materials included. … 6 p.m.

Wednesday, January 21
Basic Wire Working: How to Make Earrings: A great starter class! You'll make two pairs of earrings. Please Note: This class is a pre-requisite for our Wire-Wrapping Pendants class. Cost: $15, 1 hour, materials included. … 6 p.m.

How Does the Tarot Work?… A basic introduction to how it is used for divination. Cost: $5 … 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, January 27

Soul Coaching Class:Tuesdays: Jan 27, Feb 3, 10, 17, 24, Mar 3rd, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Teacher: Lisa M. Billman, M.S.Dedicated to an in-depth decluttering of the metal, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of your life. Includes a 28-day program with practical, carefully crafted steps which provide the tools you need to find more peace, harmony and alignment for your life. Clear away old blockages so that you can truly begin to uncover your authentic self and hear the secret messages of your soul. To register, call Lisa at 217-898-2313. Cost: $300.

Advance Pre-registration with payment required.

Wednesday, January 28

Basic Stringing: Bracelet Design: Want to learn how to put together a bracelet, but not sure how to begin? Or, how to end it? $15, 1 hour, materials included. …6 p.m.

Basics of Psychic Protection …Learn how to protect yourself from unwanted outside influences.

Cost: $5…7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 31

Basic Wire Working: How to Make Earrings: A great starter class! You'll make two pairs of earrings. Cost: $15, materials included. Please Note: This class is a pre-requisite for our Wire-Wrapping Pendants class. Cost: $15, 1 hour, materials included … 11 a.m.

Advanced Wire Working: Wire Wrapping Pendants:
Do you have a stone that would make a wonderful pendant? But have no clue how to make it into a pendant? In this class, basic techniques for caging tumbled and rough rocks in cages of wire will be taught. Hands-on. Wire and stones will be provided. Bring a special piece if, you want. $22, 1 ½ hours, materials included. (Basic Wire Working: How to Make Earrings is a prerequisite to this class.) 1 p.m.

Saturday, January 31

Reiki Roundup Meet and Greet: Learn about Reiki, the art and science of channeling universal life force energy to promote spiritual, mental and physical healing. Whether you are new to Reiki, or have studied it, you are welcome to join in. This is a great opportunity to meet Reiki Master Marlitta, who will be offering Reiki classes here at the shop.

Time: 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Cost: $5.00

Advance pre-registration with payment required for the following classes. See schedule for details.

Heart Wisdom

Yoga Reiki I

Tuesday, February 3

Heart Wisdom Yoga
Tuesdays: Feb 3, 10, 17, 24, Mar 3rd, 10^th 10 a.m.-11a.m.. Teacher: Amy Sax Luke, Certified Yoga Instructor. Using breath and movement to strengthen the physical body while releasing stress.

Cost: $75 for six classes. Advance Pre-registration with payment required. No drop-ins. Minimum 5 students.

Wednesday, February 4
Basic Wire Working: How to Make Earrings: A great starter class! You'll make two pairs of earrings. Please Note: This class is a pre-requisite for our Wire-Wrapping Pendants class. Cost: $15, 1 hour, materials included. … 6 p.m.

Spiritual Cleansing: Housekeeping for Body, Mind & Spirit… Cost: $5… … 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 7

Scents & Sensuality: The use of botanicals to make oneself more attractive to members of the opposite sex goes back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The art of perfumery entices and delights many people. Learn about its secrets--scents that influence passion, acting as catalysts to amore. Cost: $10, 1 hour….1 p.m.

The Sole Experience…Foot Reflexology with Marlitta: Not a class, but an opportunity for you to pamper yourself. This special type of foot massage is available by appointment (recommended) or walk-in. Cost: $65 per hour; $35 per half hour. Noon to 5 p.m. Call the shop to make an appointment.

Wednesday, February 11

Advanced Wire Working: Wire Wrapping Pendants:
Do you have a stone that would make a wonderful pendant? But have no clue how to make it into a pendant? In this class, basic techniques for caging tumbled and rough rocks in cages of wire will be taught. Hands-on. Wire and stones will be provided. Bring a special piece if, you want. $22, 1 ½ hours, materials included. (Basic Wire Working: How to Make Earrings is a prerequisite to this class.) 6 p.m.

Wednesday, February 18

The Sole Experience…Foot Reflexology with Marlitta: Not a class, but an opportunity for you to pamper yourself. This special type of foot massage is available by appointment only. Cost: $65 per hour; $35 per half hour. Noon to 5 p.m. Call the shop to get the time slot you want.

Introduction to Western Astrology… Learn about sun signs, moon signs and their roles. Cost: $5 … 6 p.m.

Saturday, February 21
Basic Wire Working: Collage Pendants/Pins: Learn how to make theme-based pendants or pins using basic wire working techniques. Makes great gifts whether for cat lovers, nature lovers, celestial themes, weddings, graduations or healing. Cost: $24, 1 ½ hours, materials included … 11 a.m.

Reiki I Class: Saturday Feb. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday Feb 22, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Reiki, the art and science of channeling universal life force energy to promote spiritual, mental and physical healing. Reiki is a powerful and simple hands on technique, which anyone, regardless of health or age, can easily learn.

Cost: $150. Advance Preregistration with payment required.

A Consumer's Right to Know About Essential Oils and Oil Blends

Wise Weeds Botanicals is celebrating its 15^th Anniversary in 2007.

Known as “the Wise Weeds Lady” to many people over the years, I have been blending essential oils, cosmetic grade fragrance oils and herbs to make my herbal healing, mystical, magical and spiritual oils for even longer than the establishment of Wise Weeds in 1992.

I’m a certified medicinal herbalist, transpersonal hypnotherapist and Reiki practitioner who has taught herbalism, aromatherapy and other healing practices in a variety of venues, including a community college, many adult education programs, Barnes & Noble bookstores,gift shops, beauty spas and salons, festivals and many other places. I've appeared on radio,cable and network television shows over the years, as well as been featured in newpaper articles.

Over the years, I’ve learned more and more about safe practices using oils. I’ve also seen how many vendors sell their products via false advertising, whereby they confuse the consumer
by promoting oils as being essential oil based, when they are not.

A Consumer’s Right to Know What S/he is Buying

As a consumer, you have a right to know what you are buying. I make no bones that I use cosmetic grade fragrance oils in some of my blends. Unlike many others on the market, whether ignorant or greedy, I do not call my blends “essences” thereby giving the impression, but not the reality, that certain oils are essential, plant-based oils.

There are some spiritual practitioners who value only actual essential oils and/or herbs in oil blends. Their reasoning is that the plants imbue the product with a type of natural magic that cannot be found in synthetically based products.

While I myself tend to follow this belief, on a practical level, certain scents are NOT generally available, except as synthetics. For example, Gardenia Absolute is rare, hard to obtain and VERY expensive. Rose Otto is more readily available, however, it is still extremely expensive. It is virtually impossible to obtain a natural Lilac fragrance. So I will use synthetic versions of these oils in blends. But, again, I don’t hide the fact from anyone, nor do I try to mislead anyone.

If you’re buying a one-dram bottle of rose oil essence for $5.00, it’s not the real McCoy. Believe me, I've had people insist they had found a "bargain." Well, you get what you pay for.

On the other hand, if someone has infused rose petals into oil to get the scent, the oil blend will not be an “essential” oil, but it may be a wonderful treat. I used to own such an oil many years ago, and the scent was delightful and quite magical. But it was not an essential oil, nor had it been sold to me under that guise.

What actually are essential oils?

The essential oils of herbs contain their concentrated energies. An essential oil usually bears the aroma and/or flavor of a plant, although the intensity of the scent may be overwhelming compared to what you're used to the plant smelling like.

Found in Various Plant Parts

Unlike fixed oils, essential oils are volatile. This means they evaporate rapidly at room temperature, whereas fixed oils, such as vegetable or motor oils, are more stable. Chemically, essential oils consist of a complex mixture of 30 to 100 or more compounds.

The oils themselves are found in various plant parts. Peppermint, patchouli, basil and geranium oils are derived from their leaves and stems. Clove oil comes from flower buds. Jasmine, rose and tuberose oils are derived from the open flowers. Essential oils are also derived from the seeds, wood, bark, roots, needles and skins of various plants.

Herbally-Infused Oils

Herbally-infused oils are different creatures than essential oils. An herbally-infused oil consists of plant material that is infused into a carrier or base oil. This base oil takes on the medicinal qualities of the herb, and can often be used either by itself or with another vegetable oil for massage therapy or as the base for an herbal salve.

I, myself, will often include some herbs in certain oils blends, taking a cue from certain hoodoo and voodoo traditional blendings of spiritual oils.

More often, I make herbally infused oils with a direct medicinal usage in mind. For example,
Hypericum oil consists of the fresh flowering tops of St. Johnswort infused into olive or some other carrier oil. Comfrey infused oil forms the basis of comfrey salve, used for healing.

And, of course, my Banish Pain oils consist of a combination of herbally infused oils and essential oils to help reduce or eliminate inflammation and pain.

To check out my oils in my webstore, you can go to

http://wiseweeds.net

essential oils, healing oils, hypericum oil, magical herbalism, medicinal herbalism, essences, perfume, parfume, magical oil blends, pagan, wicca, witch