Day 15 - Natural resin incense, for your friend who loves incense.
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Day 16 - A gift for your favorite unicorn-lover! Check out our selection of magical unicorn gifts.
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Day 17 - Gift-wrapping is probably easier with 8 arms. Check out this card in my Zazzle shop.
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Day 18 - An adorable s'mores mug! Just add a packet of hot chocolate and candy cane for a quick gift.
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Day 19 - A cute art print for your friends who are decorating a nursery.
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Day 20 - A funny Yeti Santa ornament for your brother.
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Day 21 - Wordless picture books to explore imagination with your favorite little one. Check out The Snail & the Kite, A Swim in the River, and The Sleep Catcher.
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Traditionally, small pieces of pure resin are placed on top of a hot piece of charcoal so that the resin smolders and releases its fragrance. In modern times, special charcoal is now widely produced with the intent to be used for this style of incense, such as the Three Kings brand. Many other methods have been devised over the course of the centuries, but they all have one thing in common: they all produce a heat source. Resin incense must be heated to release its naturally-stored aroma.

Electric incense heaters are now becoming more widely available at an affordable price and are optimal for using naturally fragrant material. Rather than producing smoke, these heaters warm the resins and unlock the aromatic essential oils, releasing them into the air. This method is becoming more common and is preferred for indoor use. This method releases the therapeutic aspects of many plant materials without the hazard of smoke being released into the air. Some electric heaters, such as the Golden Lotus, provide a wide range of heat settings by thermostat control and may be also used for dried plant leaves and flowers, fragrant woods, and even essential oils. For those who love natural fragrances, but are turned off by the smoke produced by most incense, electric heaters are the way to go.

I have been making my own resin-based incense blends for almost 10 years now. Acquiring unique and interesting resins from all over the world has moved from being a hobby to a business venture. This has allowed me to merge my background in graphic design with my love for creating artwork and creating incense blends. The incense blends created under Ethereal Aromas Incense Company are unique in that they are mostly resin-based. Other natural ingredients such as fragrant wood, leaves, spices, flowers, homemade extracts, and essential oils help make up the unique blends that are sold in the Ink ’n Scents store. I strive to use all natural ingredients and to be able to identify the sources of the ingredients used in all of the incense blends. If you or someone you know loves incense, perfume, or aromatics, resin incense provides a unique window into the traditions rooted in thousands of years of history and lore.

Shop our selection of gift-able resin incense blends in our Etsy shop!

Day 8 - A Robot Coloring Book for your nephew who loves robots.

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Day 9 - Mermaid Waterlily's 2019 Gift Guide.

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Day 10 - A stationery set for your aunt who always sends the sweetest cards.

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Day 11 - A cookie plate perfect for gifting fresh-baked cookies.

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Day 12 - The gift of natural incense. Check out Matt's blog post to learn more about our incense!

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Day 13 - Shop at a local art market! Visit our blog post for some holiday market ideas in St. Louis.

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Day 14 - A cute mouse ornament for your grandma.

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We are excited to share 28 Days of Gifts with you! Here we will be sharing our favorite gift ideas for the holidays, with some special offers and sales sprinkled throughout. Follow along on our Facebook and Instagram for special offer codes!

​Disclosure: Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Day 1 - An adorable Raccoon Card for sending to your family and friends. Customize this card on Zazzle!

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Day 2 - A mini illustration for your friend who's decorating her new home. Check out the current selection of adoptable critters in the shop!

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Day 3 - Sweet mice greeting cards, available in our Zazzle shop. Customize the inside greeting, and even order matching stickers and return address labels!

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Day 4 - A stationery set to send to your best friend who lives out of town!

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Day 5 - A whimsical Yeti Santa card, to make your friends laugh. Available from Zazzle!

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Day 6 - A custom pet illustration, for your friend with the cutest dog ever! Request your custom artwork by Melissa here.

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Day 7 - Incense to make your home smell like the holidays all month long. Check out the selection of all-natural incense blends in our Etsy shop!

1. Maiden Mermaid - The Tale of Sirena 
Sheri Wall takes a legend and makes it a colorful world of rhyming and adventure with many lessons along the way. A must read for all little mermaids! Find The Tale of Sirena at A Matter of Rhyme.

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3. The Thankful Series 
This coloring book and gratitude journal series by Hayley Rose is a splendid way for little mers to write out their thoughts and express their goals and dreams.

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5. The Green Sorceress Jewelry and Accessories 
Mermaiding can get pricey, especially when it comes to finding plenty of FINtastic accessories that fit your mersona. The Green Sorceress handmakes plenty of affordable and abSHELLutely beautiful jewelry that can make all mers swim with excitement! 

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I often get asked why I have multiple venues and shops for my artwork. I'd like to explain the differences between my shops, and the reasoning behind having my artwork and books available from these different places.

I originally began selling my work through Zazzle, a print-on-demand company. This website allows artists to upload their work, and have it for sale on a variety of products. Zazzle takes care of the printing, production, and shipping of the items, and in turn the artists receive royalties. When I was in college this was an easy way for me to begin selling my work, as I did not yet have the expertise to run a website, or the time to put into developing inventory in my apartment.

Later, I started my own website, The Inky Octopus, and added a shopping cart to sell my original work. When I decided to begin self-publishing books, I wanted to have them available on Amazon as well as my own shop. Amazon of course has a powerful search engine and lots of traffic, so this is a great way for new people to discover my books.

In 2012, Matt and I decided to open an Etsy shop. We knew many people enjoy shopping on Etsy, and wanted to offer some of our most popular products there. As many of you know, we also vend at local art fairs. These in-person fairs are a great way for people to see our many items in person.

Here's a little bit more about each venue:

The Inky Octopus Shop - offers my original artwork, prints, cards, books, and shirts. You can also request custom artwork and coloring pages through this shop.

Ink 'n Scents Etsy Shop - offers my books, cards, shirts, as well as Matt's handmade incense blends.

OctopusLove Zazzle Shop - offers my artwork on a variety of items such as cards, tote bags, shirts, stickers, and more. These items can be customized, and this is a great way to add your own text to my cards, as well as order larger quantities than may be available in my shop.

Amazon - find my coloring books and story books on Amazon.

Local Events - we also offer a selection of our items at local midwest art fairs. Find out where we'll be on our event page.

Other Shops - I also have select products available in other shops around the country, such as ShopColumbia in Chicago, Illinois, and Conspire in Greencastle, Indiana.

Join Mermaid Waterlily under the water! Download and print this free coloring page above, and share the fun. This coloring page is based on Mermaid Waterlily, a mermaid you can follow on Instagram and Facebook!

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next freebie, book, and artwork! <<

Keep the fun going with A Mermaid's World Coloring Book!

Thanks for joining us at The Big Glamp festival in Carondelet Park, St. Louis last weekend! We had a fun time enjoying the weather, bands, and other goodies. Keep an eye out for these new products in our shop, and our next big festival is Strange Folk in September!

For the month of June we are featuring octopi! You can follow along on my Facebook page and this blog. All illustrations are by Melissa Rohr, copyright 2019.

This week's critters:
Octopus Circus
Octopus & Submarine
Crabby
Octopus & Pinwheel
​Neon Octopi

>> Join our list to be the first to find out when we will release our next batch of adoptable critter illustrations! <<

Disclosure: Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.