Greetings, my dear Purrfumery friends!

I’ve been indulging in these last days of summer and stopping to smell the roses (more on that later). I haven’t been on social media much, and you know what? I have come to love taking a break! 

All my life, there has been a little person sitting on my shoulder telling me that I need to do more and they’ve gone on vacation! With each passing day, the weight of ambition and service that has pushed me to create as much as possible is easing up a bit. It’s wonderful and very freeing. 

I wonder if this something that comes with age? I just celebrated my 69th birthday, and I’m finding time for my other passions that I pushed to the backburner for years. But just because you don’t see me here, there, and everywhere, doesn’t mean I’m not around. Here’s a snapshot of what I’ve been up to lately. It’s a mix of personal and Purrfumery! 

But first, a sale!

I’m having an end of summer sale from now until September 18th– 20% off everything on the website! Type FALLBONBON in the discount box.This is the perfect time to stock up on scents that will warm your fall and winter days and nights. You can also shop for goodies for your friends and family – it’s nice to have little gifts around for those seasonal get togethers that are right around the corner.

Happy shopping, my dear Purrfumery friends!

Last call for Magical Kitty Mermaid Sea Salts

I found my last stash of antique apothecary bottles and I’m creating a new batch of Magical Kitty Mermaid Sea Salts as we speak! These make beautiful holiday gifts, stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, and smelling salts. Get a dozen and you’ll be ready for the holidays!

I fill each bottle with deeply scented bath salts and wisps of dried flowers. This is your invitation to relax and rejuvenate in a bath of lavender, geranium, ylang ylang, vetiver, or frankincense. Just let me know which scent you would like!

I donate a portion of the proceeds to Sea Turtle Recovery, an organization that is helping to rehabilitate sea turtle populations in my home state of New Jersey. Thank you for being a part of this project! 

Get your Black Cat now
(before I take a break in October)

New batch of limited edition Narcissus Poeticus

Narcissus Poeticus takes its name from rare, spring-blooming jonquil flowers. A romantic blend of French violets, kumquat, mandarin, osmanthus flower, boronia, and iris bulb, Narcissus Poeticus was one of my most popular limited editions. It was so popular that I sold out years ago. One of my longtime customers has been begging me to mix another batch, and this spring I obliged. It’s been aging for months now.

Oh, how I adore the quiet time I spend in the Purrfumery, mixing and testing, inhaling deeply! I’m delighted to share the second limited edition of Narcissus Poeticus, available as a parfum only in exquisite Verreries Brosse French flacons.This is a true scent of spring and rejuvenation. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Back to my rose roots

In May, I attended a lecture on old roses given by the Heritage Rose Group of the Bay Area. I’ve been a member for years, but never had time to go to meetings. When I arrived at the meeting, the organizers told me they were getting ready for the Celebration of the Old Roses Festival in Albany. I immediately told them I was too busy to volunteer for anything. 

Ha! By the end of the lecture, I had volunteered for everything and then some. It was pure joy! I made new friends and volunteered to make a decorative arch of old roses for the festival. I also learned new techniques for propagating vintage roses, and now Gary and I are transforming our garden with these gorgeous plants. 

Through my springtime volunteer work, I also learned about Rose Edward, the richest, most gorgeously deep rose you’ll find anywhere. It’s incredibly rare and almost impossible to find anymore. I bought Rose Edward absolute 25 years ago and still use it in my perfumes, including Bed of Roses. I now understand why it is grown in India!

Rose Edward hails from the Isle of Bourbon in the Indian Ocean, where rose sleuths tracked it to the garden of M. Edouard Perichon and followed it from there to Europe. I found this out in a book that I have had for many years called "History of the Rose”, by Roy E. Shepherd, a faithful reproduction of the 1954 classic. It’s amazing to track the journey of roses and how they are cloned, propagated, and treasured. My volunteer work has opened my eyes to its history – I am making time to smell the roses in a new way!

Visit to the new flower market

San Francisco’s old flower market holds a special place in my heart. I spent countless hours there during my years as a wedding florist. I was sad to see the old one close a year or so ago, but the new one on Potrero Hill is outstanding and a real treat! I made a trip to the new market to buy flowers for a family party, and as I was picking and choosing, I stopped for a moment and thought, wow! I’m just so happy that I’m still using all these skills that I’ve acquired over my lifetime. 

Whatever we learn stays with us. Nothing gets thrown away! I don’t regret a single, crazy ass thing I’ve ever done! It all somehow gets tied into this glorious bouquet.

Custom perfume joy

See you in November!

I’ll be retreating for a bit in October, mixing and daydreaming, getting ready for the holidays. Stay tuned for more news!

Peace, love, purrfume, and kitty cats,

XOXO~ Laurie and the kitties and birds

Greetings, my dear Purrfumery friends!

The Perfumer’s Garden is retreating as it does every year, going to that magical place to rest and rejuvenate for spring. But the osmanthus is singing above all the quiet – it’s in full bloom outside the Purrfumery window and it smells absolutely gorgeous! Our guava tree is heavy with fruit and dropping guavas everywhere, delightfully perfuming the air. Even as the air is chillier and the days are growing darker, there is still so much beauty in the garden! 

Sometimes, when the chill hits my bones, I light some candles, run some water, and sink into a luxurious bath. That reminds me…

20% off sale and Magical Kitty Mermaid Bath Salts to the rescue!

I’m offering 20% off everything on the site until November 26. Type Mermaid in the discount box. Now is the time to stock up on your favorites, like Bed of Roses, Fleur de Caramel, Highway, and Songbird. I also made juicy new batches of Jasmine Dawn & Dusk and Honey! Get your holiday shopping done early, and inhale deeply!

The kitties and I have filled the shelves with something for everyone on your list. Our newest creations are our Magical Kitty Mermaid Bath Salts! 

Whether you want to relax and forget the world or get your holiday shopping done early, Magical Kitty Mermaid Bath Salts can do it all! 

These little bon bons came to me in a dream and making them is a labor of love. When I released the first batch in September, they sold out in 24 hours. I’ve posted more to the site and you can order them any way you choose!

• One by one
• Sets of 3
• Sets of 6
• Sets of 12

When you order sets of 3, 6 or 12, I can select a lovely variety for you. I tuck each one into a beautiful organza pouch, so all you have to do is open the box and commence gift-giving! They make beautiful gifts – perfect for a dresser or a window, scenting your bath water, or as an indulgent smelling salt pick-me-up! 

Kitty Mermaid Bath Salts are my little gift to you when you place orders of $100 or more, until the end of November. You may also buy them individually. Enjoy these little treasures, my dear Purrfumery friends!

Every little kitty detail

Like all my products, I make these bath salt treasures one-by-one. They are gifts from the inside out! 

I start with my antique bottle collection that I’ve cherished for the last 50 years. I wash each bottle carefully and thoroughly until it sparkles. Then I mix a big bowl of Sonoma coast and Epson salt crystals with dried flowers of rose, calendula, and bachelor’s buttons, and pour them into the bottles. Then I get the cards ready! One by one, I adorn every card with iridescent seashells from my vintage 1950s necklaces, and I add dots of 100-year-old imported glitter. I tie a tiny scroll around the neck of each bottle and then I wait for your order. 

When your order comes through, the computer says “DING!” the kitties say, “MEOW!” and I get to work hand scenting each bottle to your choosing! They are available in lavender, geranium, ylang ylang, vetiver and frankincense.

A gift for turtles too!

Every project I do is one that I truly love and it has to benefit animals in some way. I’m donating a portion of Magical Kitty Mermaid Bath Salt sales to two groups: Turtle Island Restoration Network, which is working to save sea turtles, protect critical habitats, and change laws to protect marine species. I am also donating to Sea Turtle Recovery, a group that’s dedicated to rehabilitating sea turtles in my native New Jersey.

These magical bottles started as a dream, and now they’re real – and they’re making a difference in animals’ lives!

Frostings are back

Chillier weather means… Whipped Face & Body Frostings! This year, I’m offering two scents – my best-selling Gardenia and Orange Blossom. I’ve been using Frostings as a night moisturizer for its deeply penetrating, overnight moisturizing power. Have you tried it this way, my dear Purrfumery friends? It’s a delightful way to moisturize and lull yourself into sweet-scented dreams!

Stop by my new Vintage Treasures Flea Market!

I’ve been collecting vintage treasures at antique shops and flea markets my whole life. I’ve enjoyed each and every one of these collectables for years, and now it’s my turn to have a flea market!

Bookmark my flea market and stop by often. I will have antique laces, jewelry, and one-of-a-kind bon bons there for your shopping delight!

Let's have tea!

I’m here for appointments so you can peruse the Purrfumery and sniff and sample to your heart’s content! Stop by for a cup of tea and try on a few new things! 

Call me at 510-334-8824 or email me at laurie@purrfumery.com 

Peace, love, purrfume, and kitty cats,

Laurie

Greetings, my dear Purrfumery friends!

There’s a moment at the end of summer when I can feel that fall is close. Today is that day! I’m excited to welcome the changing colors of the leaves and the morning chilly air, but first, I want to remember all the fun I had this summer. 

It was a marvelous season of creativity that started with a batch of mulberries in June. We drove out to farm country and picked big boxes of mulberries – these exquisite fruits are heaven to munch on, and they make the most incredible jam! I added mint and lime and indulged for weeks on jars of deep purple mulberry jam. 

Then I moved on to peach sorbet. A few years ago, Gary spit a few peach pits off the deck and this summer we had our first little peach crop! The trees are small, but they produce juicy, sweet peaches, and I whipped them and more into incredible sorbets. When I’m canning, I use my perfumer’s nose and think about which different flavors I could add. Mint! Peach and mint sorbet is divine! And rosemary peach too!

Then one afternoon, I cleaned my basement, and that is where this dream begins…

Welcome Kitty Mermaid Bath Salts!

You all know how I spent my early years, right? I used to tag along with my sister to antique shops, where all I could afford was a vintage kitty postcard or apothecary bottle. Well, 50 years later, I have hundreds of antique apothecary bottles, some of them dating back to the mid 1800s. After going through box after box of these delightful treasures one afternoon, I fell into bed exhausted. As I drifted off to sleep, I had the most incredible dream. 

Apothecary bottles danced through my mind, and they were filled with scented bath salts and adorned with pearlized seashells from my 1950s necklaces. An ocean wave lapped against my feet and one of the apothecary bottles had a tiny scroll inside. There was iridescent glitter all around me… and then I woke up.

Another thing you may know about me is I grew up on the Atlantic City boardwalk, and my Dad had gift shops. I worked there for as long as I can remember! I could wander in whenever I wanted and find a gift for a friend or something fun to take to a party. And that experience – that peddler history – shaped my life.  And apparently it shaped my dreams, too! I woke up after my “message in a bottle” dream and I got to work designing what I’d seen. 

No two are alike

Each one of these little bon bons is unique – an antique apothecary bottle filled with crystal bath salts, dried roses, bachelor buttons, and calendula flowers. I adorned the scent card, with pearlized seashells and glitter I found decades ago, and Emerald outdid herself on the graphic design! They are delightful as bath salts or smelling salts, and they’re available in lavender, geranium, ylang ylang, vetiver and frankincense. You get to choose the scent!

These days, I am only interested in projects that I truly love. And they have to benefit animals in some way. I am donating a portion of bottle sales to two groups: Turtle Island Restoration Network, which is working to save sea turtles, protect critical habitats, and change laws to protect marine species, and Sea Turtle Recovery, dedicated to rehabilitating sea turtles in my native New Jersey. Thanks Lauren, for helping me pick them!

Kitty Mermaid Bath Salts are my little gift to you when you place orders of $75 or more, until the end of November. You may also buy them individually. Enjoy these little treasures, my dear Purrfumery friends!

End of Summer 20% Off!

From now until September 23rd I’m offering 20% off on all orders. The changing season is the perfect time to try something new! Type KITTYMERMAID in the discount box.

Speaking of something new, have you tried my latest?

Beaumes de Cassis is very popular right now – it’s the ultimate fruity bon bon, the essence of celebration. It opens with a burst of juicy blood orange, ripe berries and jammy black currant bud. Then osmanthus and Tasmanian boronia join the party for a scent that’s bold in one moment and dreamy in the next. Beaumes de Cassis is available as an exquisite, creamy solid and as a organic jojoba oil based eau de parfum.

Taking a break Sept 25 - Oct 25

The kitties and I are taking some creative time to get the Purrfumery in order for fall and the holidays. I’ll be taking a little break from shipping from September 25 to October 25. 

And last, but not least…

Stay tuned for more vintage!

I will be parting with some vintage goodies very soon, so stay tuned for laces and velvets and much, much more!

Until next time…

Peace, love, purrfume and kitty cats,

Laurie

Greetings, my dear Purrfumery friends!

I look out my window and the Purrfumery Garden is changing a little more each day. Our Mexican and Pineapple Sages are still in bloom, and my favorite Peace Roses and Morning Glory welcome me each morning. Monarch butterflies visit the native Milkweed, their orange wings flashing across the sky. Other plants have become quiet and dormant. These are beautiful moments to witness – the earth’s lush carpet of plants turns inward for its annual rest. The bulb that is so rich underground today will burst forth in the spring! 

Free Shipping in November, Winter potion in December

Mother Nature knows best – every living thing needs deep rest and relaxation. But if you’re like me, your calendar is looking as full as it did before the pandemic! As we go into the holiday season, life will get even more hectic. 

Kitty Magic, Truffle and I want to be part of the solution, my dear Purrfumery friends. Here are the results of our annual board meeting!

Free shipping through November with orders over $100.
Type KITTYLICIOUS CHEER in the discount box.

All orders in December will receive a rare and divine relaxation treat – a 5 ml relaxation potion that you can use in the bath or as a perfume. My December potion will feature French lavender and blue chamomile essential oils cradled in a sandalwood treasure I discovered more than 20 years ago. I’m sharing my extraordinary stash of rare oils, packaged in a Verreries Brosse crystal bottle, as a gift for my dear Purrfumery friends! Inhale deeply! 

New Kittylicious Scent and Sizes!

One of my wonderful customers recently asked me a question. She told me she loved the bold and dreamy scent of Beaumes de Cassis, but she wasn’t a fan of solid perfumes. She asked if I could make it for her in an oil-based liquid, and I said of course!

Drumroll please…

Introducing the newest addition to my Kittylicious line…

Beaumes de Cassis! 

The kitties and I listen to our customers! A little mixing and testing and we discovered that Beaumes de Cassis makes a sumptuous eau de parfum with its juicy blood orange, jammy black current bud, Tasmanian boronia and more.

And I have even more fabulous news!

My customers asked for larger sizes for Kittylicious, and again I said of course! I’ve added new sizes to the Kittylicious mix. I’m using French crystal bottles for my 8 ml and 15 ml offerings. These gorgeous bottles are crafted by Verreries Brosse, a Normandy company that has been making bottles for royalty since the 1850s. 

I love Kittylicious because it embodies all the sultry fun and delight of a purring kitty sitting in a sunny window, or playing with a velvet ribbon! I’ll be highlighting Kittylicious this season with regular posts on Instagram, Facebook and on my website – it’s time to reconnect with your inner kitty!

Caring For The World

I recently received a note from a customer saying she was inspired by my art and the way I care for the world. These words feed my heart. Thank you for sharing these sentiments. And thank you for joining me on my journey to honor humanity and nature! 

The pain we hear about every day weighs heavily on us all, and when I feel helpless, I reflect on this: Caring for the world – for its ecosystems and every living thing – can connect us, if we let it. This is a guiding light that guides me every day.

I’m inspired by the ideas of conservationists like Hana Raza, founder and chairperson of Leopards Beyond Borders. 

Hana was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and endured years of war and conflict.

Her message is profound:

“Growing up and living in a region of the world where instability and war have been the immediate reality, I have always found that the bigger picture has been lost on my nation: that species conservation and the preservation of ecological stability is the uniting concern of mankind; that conservation is necessary for the future well-being of the entire planet.” (From Future for Nature.)

Learn more about Hana’s life and work.

Here’s a podcast about Hana.

Thank you, Hana, for all you do!

Wishing you peace...and Peace on Earth This Season

I’m grateful to all of you and wish you all a lovely holiday season. Get in touch if you’d like to make an appointment. I’d love to see you! Call me at 510-334-8824, or email me at laurie@purrfumery.com. 

Until next time…

Peace, love, social justice, purrfume and kitty cats,

XOXO~ Laurie

Greetings, my dear Purrfumery friends!

Have you stopped to smell the flowers lately? I have. Some of my Purrfumery friends have reached out and asked me where I’ve been. I’ve been around… but I’m taking it slow, enjoying the moment, and thinking about what I want to do next. What do I want my work to be about in the years to come? My answer is led by my love of animals and a commitment to protecting them. I’m working on a few new products and I will be sharing more soon!

In the meantime, the Purrfumery Garden beckons me every day. The rain and storms have transformed it into a paradise of blooms! The wind wafting through the fresh jasmine blossoms in the rain was intoxicating, and the irises are going bananas! The osmanthus and daphne sway in the breeze and send their exquisite perfume into the air. It’s a treat to walk outside each morning and inhale deeply!

20% Off Spring Fling Sale

Let’s celebrate this season of rebirth, renewal and joy! We’re all starting to get out more – I hear about people traveling and visiting friends. Doesn’t it feel amazing to hug a friend you haven’t seen in a long time? In the spirit of friendship and love, I’m holding a Spring Fling sale until April 15th. All perfumes are 20% off! Just type Spring Fling in the discount box. Custom perfumes excluded. This is a great opportunity to stock up on some of your favorites, or share something new with a friend or loved one.

Need ideas? Here are a few of my favorite scents for spring…

Beaumes de Cassis: A fabulous solid to tuck into your pocket or purse when you’re out and about. This is the ultimate fruity bon bon, blending blood orange, ripe berries and jammy black currant bud. Osmanthus and Tasmanian boronia complete the fruity mélange that finds its heart in a woodsy mix of benzoin resins and fir balsam. Celebrate love and joy!

Rose Encens: Rose, citrus and resin essences dance in perfect harmony. Sensuous and warm, Rose Ensens opens with a deep, rich scent of rose that mingles with sweet, tart Italian blood orange and Mexican lime top notes. The mystery of sacred Frankincense resin emerges as time passes. A perfect scent for spring!

Terrain: Earthy, bright and intoxicating! Men and women will love this blend of Mexican lime with wild Bulgarian geranium, Japanese yuzu, frankincense and rare sandalwoods, including Tamil Nadu from India.

Luminous Lemurs Gift Set: Looking for a hostess gift for your Spring Break getaway with friends? This luxurious gift set combines Luminous Lemurs Perfume, Bath Salts, and Frosting. More help for Madagascar lemurs!

Let's have tea

I am taking appointments through April, so let me know if you want to stop by and try something new. Call me at 510-334-8824, or email me at laurie@purrfumery.com.

Hope to see you at the Purrfumery sometime soon!

Until next time…

Peace, love, purrfume and kitty cats,

Laurie