Hey there y’all!  Courtney here just writing to everyone with a big hello and some new news!!!!
Things have been SUPER busy lately for Ashley and I and we wanted to share it with all of our loyal friends and customers!
Last week, I just finished working on a new comedy movie called “Freeloaders” for the funny people who brought you movies like Super Troopers and Beerfest.  It’s hilarious and Adam Duritz from The Counting Crows is not only in the movie – he’s producing it too!  While on the set, I started working on a new design concept for my jewelry line, CHARMED JEWELRY, so please keep checking back to see my brand new additions over the next couple of weeks!  I wanted to start fresh this new year and make sure my pieces are not only extremely affordable (can’t be too careful right now!), but that they also stayed true to my dream for CHARMED JEWELRY while staying up to date with the latest styles and trends! 

Ashley’s also been super busy getting ready for the next Whole Foods Life Style event happening right here in Los Angeles next week!  She’s constantly updating her site with new scents, blends, body and hair care products, and special SALES!!!!  Ashley has also been working on a new show for the web called “Girls Gone College” which is really funny and written by one of the head writers of Everybody Loves Raymond so it’s been a blast for her!  Absolutely everybody on the show asked about her perfume (because she smells so darn good!) and they even added it to the character’s bedroom for ambiance!

 I had an idea for a new kind of contest!  It’s being lovingly titled “Brain Teaser Gymnastics!”  These are all fun, simple exercises designed to stretch the imagination.  There are no “right” or “wrong” answers.  Any answer no matter how “crazy” it may sound is a correct answer, as long as it is relevant to the question.  Make a comment here in the blog with your answers and I’ll pick a winner! You’ll win a great prize from Starring!

Okay, here goes:
Name 7 or more ways to keep a candle from burning all the way down.

So I recently revamped my eating preferences. I’m a real ‘health nut’, I truly enjoy eating unprocessed foods and cooking my own gourmet healthy meals!  But, I was stuck in a food rut, eating the same things again and again (oh yam, tomato, cabbage, bananas, chicken . .  .how I love thee).  So, I am shaking things up and working to incorporate more exotic grains, more vegetarian meals, and new veggies (ugly, lumpy, poor neglected celeriac, here I come!)

So, my mom’s birthday was yesterday, which meant it was time to bake!  She is nuts and eats like I do too, so I decided to whip her up a birthday cake and brownies!

I’d love to share the yummy brownie recipe. I won’t share the cake recipe cause lets just say it was . . um . . .1″ thick and dry like a desert. (yes, desert with one “s”, not the yummy type with two.) 

This recipe is white sugar free, dairy free, wheat and gluten free! 75 calories per 1/16th the batch.

• 1/2 Cup Applesauce
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (or Carob)
• 3/4 cup Agave Nectar (or honey, or 1 cup sugar)
• 3 Egg Whites
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (or peppermint, raspberry, etc)
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
• Opt 1/4 Carob Chips, Nuts, Dried Fruit, etc

How to make it:

Now while you are enjoying the scent of that baking, go online to starringfragrances.com and order “Mint Chip Cupcake” or maybe ”Chocolate Marshmallow” to get some chocolate goodness you can wear!  Oooh, even better, a cocoa lotion bar you can slather all over yourself . . . .mmmmm . . .cocoa lotion bar  . . .drooooool!

Hi, I’ve been working so hard on the site lately!  I have added a ton of new great products, as well as I upgraded all of my packaging and labeling lately.  I really strive to have my products look elegant and classic.  I love the look of my new gold embellished bottles.  Now everything in my line has a touch of gold on them.  My new labels are shiny and beautiful professionally made labels, so my laserjet printer no longer takes a beating.  I know have an industrial thermal printer I personalize my labels with.  I went to three trade shows before I found the model that worked for me.

Talking about trade shows, I recently went to the “Natural Products West” trade-show.  It was amazing, it was gigantic and had thousands of vendors, all Eco friendly and natural.  Mostly there were food products on display, but there was also a nice health and beauty department, as well as a great nutritional section.  I have to say I found quite a few amazing products, and have been considering carrying some other lines in my store of boutique companies that make things different than my own.  More about this soon as I research further.  I’d love to find a way to bring other amazing natural products and even foods into people’s home. I really think being eco-conscious can be economic and accessible if done correctly.  

Anyway, I spent a few hours with a photographer today shooting photos of the new bottles and labels.  I’ll start uploading them as I get a chance between filling orders.   I have a new store that will be carrying perfumes, creams, wax melts, and burners soon in San Louis Obispo.  Don’t forget to check often on the store locator to see if you can find Starring near you.  Also, you can ask your local boutiques to carry Starring, we are represented in a showroom in the Fashion District of Downtown LA.  My rep is fabulous and she’s happy to speak to store owners.

Till next time . . .and yes . . I promise to write on my blog more often!

-Ashley

 www.starringfragrances.com