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hidden treasures ...

I found this treasure of a purple violet today, hiding in dappled shade underneath a low hedge in the garden.

More treasures recently unearthed, packed away in a box in the loft, is my collection of Devon and Torquay Ware Violets perfume bottles.

Collected back in the early 1990s, for what you would say peanuts!



Some have decorative metal stoppers.



Some don't!

You can find these bottles, at relatively low prices on ebay.

I must say to being just a tincy wincy bit tempted at times, to further my collection!



I love this A Bunch of Violets Dubarry Talcum bottle, bought around the same time.

It's the epitome of the Art Deco period with its Sunburst design and cloudy glass.

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perfume ...

The modern perfumier has a choice of some 3,000 ingredients, including around 50 completely synthetic chemicals. The average perfume consists of at least 50 of these elements. The elements are grouped into 14 distinctive odour families, which are then split into a further three categories, known as notes. The notes used to create the perfect perfume come from these three categories and are blended with three basic rules in mind:

Head Notes: Head notes are the 'in your face' impact of the perfume and generally create the impression before evaporating within about 15 minutes.

Heart Notes: Heart notes make up the lingering body of the perfume which create the lasting memory and are known to hang around for perhaps three or four hours after the head notes have evaporated.

Base Notes: These provide the under-body of the perfume. They enrich and enhance the other notes, while lingering for a further four to five hours following the evaporation of the heart notes.

The skill of the perfumier is to select and blend these notes to make the beautiful music that becomes the perfume we will all want to buy.

I don't know about you but I am always hard pushed to find a perfume which smells nice on me, especially from the top perfume houses. We travel a fair bit these days but I have got to the stage where I don't bother going into duty free, with some of the aromas I have tested I think I would do better dousing myself with household disinfectant. My favourite perfumes are floral and citrus based and I long to find one which I know I can wear, maybe they should go easy on the head notes and let the heart notes come through a little more, as it is true that perfume does smell better once you have worn it on your person for a while.

I do like a couple of Body Shop ones, although being from the economy end of the market, the scent does disappear after a short while, so constant spraying is a necessity, they are Moonflower which I think has been discontinued, and Citrella which was a limited edition, the original I bought over in Cologne but my last bottle I bought on ebay, although I think it has now been rebranded as Zestini.

Do you have a favourite perfume?

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orrefors perfume bottle ...

Orrefors Glasbruk is a glassworks in the Swedish village Orrefors in Smaland.

Orrefors has been making crystal and fine glass for over 100 years. Glass that has become famous all over the world for its creative design, its exquisite craftsmanship, and the excellence of its form and function. Orrefors glass is created by a close-knit team of designers and glassblowers who are masters of their craft. Together they create pieces of beauty and practical functionality that will long retain their value.

This is one of my favourite finds on ebay, a beautiful art glass Orrefors perfume bottle from the Amour range, just perfect as I love hearts and I love glass. To the top of the stopper it measures 5 inches high and takes pride of place in my boudoir.