It's coming towards that time of the year again where the temperatures plummet, fevers become more prominent, and gas and heating bills stagger!  As we approach these seasonal changes I thought I'd share some tips on how to stay warm and cozy, in a more sustainable way!

1) Bring the Outside Environment Inside

If you are an outdoorsy person who loves to be surrounded by nature the cooler and darker days can feel gloomy. They don't need to be! You can introduce plenty of nature into your home through botanical prints and plants. Displays of warm-toned seasonal flowers such as dahlias and mum flowers are perfect for introducing some Autumn styling. Also, dried plants such as pampas grass and wheat mixed with flowers are a great long-lasting sustainable option.

2) Baking Your Favourite Treats 

The Autumn and Winter months are an ideal time to wind down and bake! Not only do you get to indulge in your artisan baked goods, it's also quiet therapeutic to bake, especially on a cold or wet afternoon. Imagine the smell of a freshly baked apple tart, a warm pudding dessert or your favourite bread. That's proper comfort food!  And if you want your bread to last longer, our Millbee Reusable Bread Wraps work great.

3) The Treasure of Beeswax Candles

Candles generate a fair amount of warmth, but most importantly add that extra special presence of light to your home! As referenced in the introduction, heating bills are skyrocketing. Candles can help to add a warm ambiance to your home.  Millbee's beeswax candles give the warmest glow.  In fact, beeswax candles emit light that is similar to the light spectrum of sunlight!

4. Warm & cozy fabrics

Covering yourself with a quality throw will help regulate your body temperature, keeping you warm and cosy during the Autumn and Winter. Check out Mc Nutt of Donegal, they sell a beautiful range of soft soft merino lambswool throws with lots of warm tones.  Wearing Slippers and wool socks are another way to add coziness or hygge in your home! Check out these sustainable wool slippers from Reuzi

5. Introduce warm and comforting scents 

When it comes to Autumn, earthy, citrus and spicy scents come to mind. You can introduce warm scents through a diffuser or scented candles. We're currently working on new scented candles for the upcoming season and we are really excited to showcase these products to you! If you would like to be the first to know when we launch these new scent additions subscribe to our newsletter below.

Millbee's scented candles will be launched this Autumn. We are using a blend of natural waxes and essential oils (not fragrance)! Can't wait to share!

We are celebrating World Bee Day so I thought I'd share a little bit about how I got started beekeeping as well as a few useful resources. 

How I started beekeeping

A few years ago I became familiar with beeswax and it's wonderful uses. Beeswax is a natural wax produced by bees for making honeycomb. This honeycomb stores honey which is also capped (sealed) with a thin layer of wax. Once the honey is removed the wax is cleaned and melted. This beeswax can be used to make many products such as candles, skincare products, beeswax wraps and wax for furniture or leather. After learning about all the great properties of beeswax I became fascinated with everything to do with bees. I had a neighbour who is a beekeeper and he encouraged me to do the beginners beekeeping course. That was two years ago. I got set up with my first hive and a colony of native Irish bees that summer. I got all my beekeeping gear from Donegal Bees, some guidance from local beekeepers and a very useful bee manual!

Photo credit Ruth Connolly

All Ireland Pollinator Plan 

At Millbee, sustainability, and biodiversity, particularly our amazing bees are central to what we do. I absolutely love working with beeswax to create our candles, balm, and beeswax wraps, and I love documenting the beautiful nature and wildlife surrounding me. Millbee Studio also joined the Irish Pollinator Plan. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is about all of us, from farmers to local authorities, to schools, gardeners, and businesses, coming together to try to create an Ireland where pollinators can survive and thrive. To learn what you can do to help our bees there are lots of great resources on the Irish Pollinator Plan website.

This week is also National Biodiversity Week and you will find lots of useful resources on the Biodiversity Ireland website. 

Share Your Bee Photos

We love to see your bee photos so if you would like to be featured in our social media pages simply tag @millbeestudio.

Happy World Bee day! 

It feels like we are in a surreal moment in time. People's routines have changed drastically but what's interesting is how we are coming together as a community. Last week I did an interview with Amanda Kavanagh from Image.ie for a piece on bees and our community. It got me thinking more about our community and how strong and supportive we can be when we come together. Communities are coming together to look out for the elderly or those in need and support their local business. People are chatting to their neighbors over walls. Amongst all the mayhem of Covid-19,  it's nice that time has slowed down and we are making time to talk to each other. 

Adjusting to our new lives

It does feel that this is going on a long time but I think we are all adjusting to a radical change in our lives. I am normally self-motivated but I found this week difficult. An emotional rollercoaster! And I felt guilty as other people have it much more difficult than I do. We need to look after ourselves as well as each other during this time. Routines will be broken. New emotions are emerging (so many up and down days!) This is an adjusting period so I suppose we just have to roll with it!

This was me this time last year in a field of rapeseed. Image credit Ruth Connelly

Connecting with Nature

For a few minutes every day, I head out to the garden for a stroll. Taking in new blossoms, bumblebees, scents, and the sound of birds chirping. It's free therapy and I feel reenergized for a while longer. There has never been a better time to connect with nature. If you can, head for a walk in your garden or a local park. If you need a project to keep you sane, why not give gardening a go. Even if it's just potting plants. Irish seed savers have some great traditional varieties. If you want to find out more about bees or even start beekeeping have a read of the article in Image.ie.