Did you know that these beautiful flower nests are made by a special type of bee for their larvae?
We all associate bees with building bee hives, being a colonial organisation and having a Queen Bee.
However, an unusual bee species called ‘osmia avosetta’ creates beautiful flower nests made from flower petals to protect their larvae.
The mating females, without the help of worker bees, create these wonderfully colourful homes for their young.
During the course of 1 – 2 days, the mother bee sources petals from various flowers to create the nest and then places a single bee egg inside this new ‘Flower Home’.
The bee bites off the petal from the flower, flies back to its new nest and applies a thin coat of mud between each new layer of petals.
The larve is then placed inside and the nest is sealed.
A few days later the egg hatches into a larvae and spins itself a cocoon inside the beautiful nest, i.e. quasi a home inside a home.
“It’s not common for bees to use parts of plants for nests,” says Dr. Jerome Rozen of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
“There’s a demand for biologists to know bees nowadays, … they are the foremost animal pollinators of plants, and tremendously important for maintaining ecosystems — not only crops but also for conservation.”
Read more about this phenomenon that Dr. Rozen researched extensively here.
To turn your home into a cocoon with beautiful flowers, why not treat your ‘nest’ to one of our wonderful floral fragrances?
At this time of the year and fitting with the theme of ‘bees’, we recommend ‘Orangery Blossoms‘, as it contains a warming honey-note in its base.
When the weather outside is cold & miserable, we can find ourselves dreaming of a holiday.
Especially after Christmas and the New Year, our thoughts easily turn to the next holiday.
We have a wonderful fragrance here at Pairfum London to get you into the ‘holiday spirit’.
Start your vacation early with an ‘olfactive’ holiday!
Fragrance your home with our perfume called ‘SPA’ (candle, diffuser, spray) and allow your ‘mind’ to travel ahead to your next dream destination.
We have all experienced how perfume can bring memories that we treasure and the fragrance ‘SPA’ can send you back (or forward) to the last time you were swimming in an infinity pool, lounged beside the pool or floated in the ocean.
Head over to our online boutique to book your next vacation.
Here is an ‘olfactive’ description of what you can expect to experience on your olfactive vacation with SPA by Pairfum.
This period over Christmas is also known as Twelvetide, where “Christmas Day” is considered the “First Day of Christmas” and the Twelve Days are the 25th of December to the 6th of January (Old Christmas Day).
Most people look forward to Christmas and spending time with their family, but it is a busy and often a hectic time of year..
So if you do find yourself getting stressed out about it, as we all do at times….
Just spare a thought for the unfortunate person in the song – The Twelve Days of Christmas
What! between getting a Pear Tree, that needs pruning and watering, with a Partridge that needs feeding….
To Two Turtle Doves, Three French Hens, Four Calling Birds, by day four you already have an aviary to look after.. and you have not even got the Turkey yet!
Then just when you think that things may be slowing down on the avian side, because after all you had received – Five Golden Rings…
It was just a case of them lulling you into a false sense of security…..
Along comes.. you may already have guessed where this is going… Yes, that right – Six Geese a Laying…
Just when you think it can’t get any better! – Seven Swans a Swimming arrive on the scene – hopefully not in your garden pond….
Now hold on to your hats, because if you thought you had sorted out all the feeding, cleaning, and housing of half the avian population..
Eight Maids a Milking arrive… milking what we don’t know? but it will mean an extra eight people for dinner…
By now, any sensible person would have moved house, gone on holiday or simply broken off the engagement….
However in the case of true love, Nine Ladies Dancing arrived and had to be added to the guest list for Christmas Dinner.
Along with – Ten Lords a Leaping, Eleven Pipers Piping, 12 Drummers Drumming, at this stage the aviary is starting to look like a place of sanctuary…
So however or where ever you plan to spend The Twelve Days of Christmas this year….
PAIRFUM London, wish you peace, happiness, patience and lots of restfull sleep xx
The Twelve Days of Christmas:
On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the third day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the fourth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the fifth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the sixth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the seventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the eighth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the ninth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
12 Drummers Drumming
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Just spare a thought for the unfortunate person in the song – The Twelve Days of Christmas
When shopping for Gifts this year, Coco Chanel has some time-tested Christmas Advice.
Here she is in her own words:
“Be who you are, not what the world wants you to be.” – Coco Chanel
What does this mean for Christmas?
We believe, she is trying to say that when buying gifts, don’t just buy the first item on somebody’s wishlist.
Instead, try and find (or create) a gift that allows you to inject at least a little of yourself into the gift.
Nowadays, most people can afford the gift you present to them and we have all experienced cases of where we got the size, colour or something else wrong.
It is not that easy to understand exactly what somebody is telling you (as we know from “Chinese Whispers”).
Coco’s advice to this dilemma is to inject a little of yourself, rather than trying (and failing) to be what others are asking for.
Don’t be surprised when this works out well for you and keep in mind another ‘Christmas Advice’ from Coco Chanel:
“If you want to be original, be ready to be copied.” – Coco Chanel
Yes, you may have to accept that others will copy the originality of your gifts in the coming years.
Happy Christmas from All of us here at Pairfum London.
Enjoy selecting gifts with originality from our online boutique.
The English Oxford dictionary defines art as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines art as “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” What is Art?, what do you think it is and how would you go about describing it.
Leo Tolstoy said that “Art is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious idea of beauty or God; it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of stored-up energy; it is not the expression of man’s emotions by external signs; it is not the production of pleasing objects; and, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity”.
So when we create something whether it is in the kitchen, workshop, class room, craft room or garden. We are as Oscar Wilde said taking part in the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known. If this is the case, then what we create is not only important for our own well-being but for the health and well being of the people and World around us.
Can A Product Be Art?
When does a mere product become a piece of art or an item of beauty?
“When science meets ingenuity. When creative invention and relentless research ignite a trend. When quality is pride of product. When a woman feels beauty in herself and a desire for life’s little luxuries is fulfilled.” – Huib Maat, in house Perfumer at PAIRFUM London.
Excerpt from Leo Tolstoy’s ‘What Is Art?’
(1896 – translated by Aylmer Maude (1900):
“… In order correctly to define art, it is necessary, first of all, to cease to consider it as a means to pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life.”
For most of us, our gardens, homes, rooms or work spaces are a canvas that we create and re-create over time.
It is an expression of how we see ourselves and how we wish to live. We use colour, texture, light and space to design and define the space around us.
By adding a ‘Perfumed Candle’ or a ‘Reed Diffuser’ you are also able to add a truly multi-sensorial experience to your life’s ‘Work of Art’ or ‘Art Work’.
PAIRFUM London’s Works of Art are available for sale in our online boutique.
Hands up, who hasn’t enjoyed visiting a Christmas Market in Germany?
We doubt there will be many hands in the air.
The German Christmas Markets have become a wonderful tradition that is now being taken up by other countries outside of Germany.
One of the attractions of the pre-Christmas Market are the exhibition of traditional arts & crafts and good old-fashioned habits.
When meandering through such a market one will invariably come past the different food stalls selling a variety of typically German food items, e.g. ‘Reibekuchen’ (or ‘Potato Fritters’).
However, the highlight of any German Christmas market has to be a glass of ‘Gluehwein’.
Visiting without a glass of this delicious drink feels incomplete.
Gluehwein is also known as:
Glogg / Gløgg / Glögg / Glögi
Mulled Wine
It is a spiced, wine that is served warm and can be red or sometimes white wine.
The typical spices are cloves, cinnamon and orange peel with the addition of sugar to the wine.
If you would like a perfume for your home that reminds you of Gluehwine, then try our “Rich Spices” fragrance.
Here is the Perfume Description:
“This richly aromatic and spicy accord opens with hints of Pomegranate and Cranberry,
then flows into a warm heart of Chestnut, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Clove,
to finally rest on a base of Vanilla Pods and drieg Figs, Dates and Persimmons.”
History
Spiced and heated wine was first recorded in Rome during the 2nd century.
It was the conquering Roman army that brought their wine and viticulture with them along the Rhine and Danube rivers.
The oldest documented Gluehwein tankard (dated ca. 1420 AD) is attributed to Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen, a German nobleman who was the first grower of Riesling grapes.
Glögi was originally used to revive the messengers and postmen who travelled on horseback or skis in cold weather in Scandinavia.
Could it really be that the Persimmon fruit was the inspiration for the artist Christo?
When looking at the images in this article, we thought ‘maybe’.
There are certainly some striking similarities.
During the persimmon drying season the prefecture in Kansai, Wakayama (Japan) turns orange.
The farms of 70 farmers in Katsuragi resemble the installation of Christo and Jeanne-Claude called “The Gates” in New York in 2005. Orange curtains create ‘gates’ in Central Park.
The similarity with the town in Japan is indeed surprising, when it dresses in orange to celebrate a good harvest of persimmon.
In Japan, the Persimmon, the fruit, also symbolizes ‘longevity’, as the tree has a long life.
If you would like to introduce a little of Persimmon and Cristo into your home this Christmas, we can highly recommend our fragrance ‘Rich Spices’.
Enjoy reading the fragrance description:
This richly aromatic and spicy accord opens with hints of Pomegranate and Cranberry,
then flows into a warm heart of Chestnut, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Clove,
to finally rest on a base of Vanilla Pods and drieg Figs, Dates and beautiful Persimmons.
Pairfum Pantone Living Coral Colour Year 2019 Patch
The Pantone Colour of the year 2019 has been revealed as “Living Coral”.
Here you can read the official announcement by Pantone.
Description
How can it be described in words? Is it a warm pink & orange hue, a muted terracotta or a pastel desert? Or, is it all of these in one?
Is was presented as a “life-affirming” colour for consumers wishing to escape from the “onslaught” of social media and digital technology. We as consumers react to this by seeking more authentic and intimate experiences.
“Colour is an equalising lens through which we experience our natural and digital reality and this is particularly true for Living Coral,” said Leatrice Eiseman (Executive Director at the Pantone Color Institute).
“With consumers craving human interaction and social connection, the humanising and heartening qualities displayed by the convivial Pantone Living Coral hit a responsive chord.”
“It represents a feeling that’s out there in the zeitgeist.”
Reading this, it seems the world is calmer and happier than it appears in the news.
On the other hand, it might be the opposite. Maybe we crave a colour that is natural, solid and warm when times are troubled.
To us, here at Pairfum, this colour promises a combination of these words:
holiday in paradise,
natural and yet sophisticated,
positive and life affirming,
soft, warm but still fresh,
safe at home but ready to escape.
Pantone Colour of the Year 2018 & 2017
Last year we had “Ultra Violet” and in 2017 Pantone had presented “Greenery”. Two colours that we translated into perfume here at Pairfum London, with these two fragrances:
Black Orchid
Neroli Olive
How do we translate “Living Coral” into a fragrance?
We believe we already introduced a fragrance in 2018 in our collection that perfectly encapsulates the ‘zeitgeist’ of “Living Coral”:
Pink Grapefruit
Here is the fragrance description:
“A vibrant Pink Grapefruit fragrance with the added complexity of Mandarine, Lime and Bergamot.
Floral notes of Jasmin and Lily lend a feminine touch.
Deep sophistication comes from a Sandalwood Accord in the base note”
What do you think of this Perfume to match the Pantone Colour of the Year 2019?
Below is the olfactive triangle for this beautiful note.
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