Calling All Vendors of Crafts and Cuisine

Hopefully you've all read about Lavender Days, our fabulous festival taking place at the Young Living Lavender Farm on June 27-28, 2008. In addition to exciting entertainment (wait till you hear who will be performing at this year's event!), inspiring educators, and beautiful views of the lavender fields, our lavender festival offers the best and most creative handmade crafts and cuisine for our guests to enjoy.

If you're a food or product vendor, we invite you to join our company of artisans, bakers, and craftsmen who will be a part of our event. Simply visit our web site , complete the application, then send it in (hurry--if it's postmarked by May 15th you will get the discount rate.) One of Utah County's favorite bakeries, Flour Girls & Dough Boys, will be at Lavender Days selling their absolutely delicious breads and goodies, along with several other great businesses (many will offer lavender specialties). All I can say is YUM!

Say Love with Lavender for Mother's Day

We saw thousands of moms, mothers-to-be, and grandmothers at the Women's Expo, and many found their way to our booth by following the scent of lavender. Several expo attendees asked these types of questions and made these statements:

"I love lavender! A friend gave me some of your essential oil and I've been using it ever since."

"I've heard of Lavender Days and I've always wanted to go. When is it this year?"

"How do you use lavender? I love the smell but didn't know you can use it."

We talked with thousands of women about the Young Living Lavender Farm, Lavender Days, and of course lavender essential oil. We explained that lavender is an herb that we grow at our farm, where it is carefully cultivated, harvested, and distilled into pure, therapeutic-grade essential oil. In celebration of the lavender harvest, we host Lavender Days from June 27-28,
which is one of the most spectacular festivals in Utah! We also shared many ways to use lavender essential oil, such as in massage, in bath salts to soak in the tub, to nourish and soothe burned skin, and for overall well-being.

The sweetest young mother stopped by with her two small children and mentioned to her father-in-law that she had always wanted lavender essential oil. This father-in-law couldn't resist and purchased a bottle for her, much to her excitement! She was so grateful to own a bottle of lavender essential oil--it was the perfect Mother's Day gift.

Moms of all ages love lavender, so remember to show her love on Mother's Day with a gift that will pamper her throughout the year--lavender essential oil.

The Latest Research on Lavender

We have some fabulous classes and workshops lined up for Lavender Days, so be sure to mark June 27-28 on your calendars to learn, learn, learn! Interested in finding out about the latest research on the benefits of lavender essential oil? Then you'll definitely want to attend Karen Boren's class! Here's a sneak preview from Karen:

"As of today, there are 149 lavender essential oil studies on PubMed.gov, the website of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. All peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals...exciting discoverings!"

We are thrilled to be bringing together the top instructors in their fields, from herbs and gardening, to cooking and bread baking, for a great educational experience at Lavender Days. If you're a gardening enthusiast, you'll be pleased to know that Joy Bossi of "Joy in the Garden" --the Salt Lake City based radio program--will also be teaching classes at our event.

Studio 5 Features Young Living Lavender Farm

We were thrilled to be invited to appear on Studio 5, a KSL television program that focuses on improving the lives of others. We were treated so kindly by everyone on their crew--thank you for making us feel so welcome! We had a great time visiting their set and sharing with viewers the wonderful benefits of lavender. The show's hosts, Brooke and Darin, are fun and energetic, and share lots of great tips on each of their shows, which air Monday-Friday at 11:0o a.m. on channel 5.



As Brooke Walker, the show's host, mentioned, there are more and more "lavender" products appearing on store shelves. But an important point that consumers need to be aware of is that although the label says "lavender", most of those products contain very little lavender and are oftentimes full of harmful chemicals. There is a big difference between perfume-grade lavender and Young Living's therapeutic-grade lavender. Perfume-grade lavender can be diluted, adulterated, and synthetically made in a chemical laboratory. Young Living's therapeutic-grade lavender is all natural--it is the purest and most potent form of lavender essential oil available. To learn about the care and testing involved in our distillation and production process, please visit our website and click on the tab titled "Seed to Seal".

And as always, we invite you to visit us at the farm to see firsthand how the process works. When you see the rich soil, touch the plants, and smell the fragrance, you'll better understand how Young Living's therapeutic-grade lavender essential oil is the best choice for receiving all the benefits of lavender!

Here are the fun beauty tips we shared on the show using Young Living's lavender essential oil:

1. Get your beauty sleep with the help of lavender linen spray. Pour a few drops of Young Living lavender essential oil (4-8 drops per 4 oz. container) into a spray bottle and fill with distilled water. Mist your pillows and bed linens before going to sleep.
2. Skin soothing at-home spa treatment--lavender bath fizzers. Mix 2 TBSP. baking soda, 2 tsp. citric acid, and 8-10 drops Young Living lavender essential oil in a small bowl. Spray 1-2 sprays of water into mixture. Stir and repeat sprays of water until mixture sticks together when compacted. Press small amounts into candy molds or into small balls. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, turn molds over and release fizzers onto wax paper. Let dry until hardened all the way through. Drop into warm water and enjoy a soothing soak in the tub!
3. Pretty pedicure time with our exfoliating lavender foot scrub. Stir together 1/4 c. Dead sea salt or epsom salt, 1/4 c. Young Living V-6 Oil or unscented massage oil, and 3-6 drops Young Living lavender essential oil. Mix well; pour into container. Place a small amount in hand and scrub over feet that have soaked in warm water. Rinse off and apply lavender lotion. (Painting toenails a pretty pink is optional, but highly recommended!)

This Farm Has a Soul

The Cowboy Way of Life
Driving down the road to the lavender farm today, I looked across the vast fields, still covered with snow, and wondered what it would have felt like to be a farmer and rancher in this area of the west one hundred years ago. I have the "cowboy way of life" on my mind since spending the weekend in Arizona with Tricia, visiting a western town. We enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors, hearing stories of cowboy adventures, eating around a campfire, and listening to some good ol' country music. (I was raised in Texas so it was music to my ears!)

Gary Young and Jacob Young hanging out at the western village on the Young Living Lavender Farm.

Cowboy Supper Show at Lavender Days
If you're eager to spend time in the great outdoors witnessing the cowboy way of life, be sure to join us at Lavender Days for our Cowboy Supper Show! The pioneering and adventurous spirit of the Wild West is very much alive at the Young Living Lavender Farm, where Gary Young, a farmer and rancher himself, created a western village that will delight the entire family. What better place to experience the spirit of the west than on the very land that was once a successful cattle ranch known as the Starr Ranch.

A Brief History of the Young Living Lavender Farm
Gary Young purchased this farm, rich in fertile soil, in 1996. A farmer and rancher from Idaho, Gary very much appreciates the spirit of the West and has a love of the great outdoors. But even more importantly, he is a steward of the land, carefully tending to the soil, plants, and environment to provide pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils for the world. It would seem to many quite a coincidence that the very land he purchased for planting, harvesting, and distilling herbs had been used for the same purpose one hundred years earlier!

Back in 1871, Howard and Martha Coray, with their eight children, homesteaded this same area. Howard farmed and raised livestock on the land, while Martha grew herbs, distilled them, and made liniments and medicines for neighbors and visitors. Today, thousands of people enjoy the health benefits of Young Living essential oils that are produced at the Young Living Lavender Farms. As history shows, and as local historian Jeneil Deuel put it, this farm has a soul.

Gary Young's Travels Lead to a Lavender Farm in Maui, Hawaii

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
St. Augustine
Travelling the world in search of new plants and healing modalities, Gary Young has spent a lifetime going from one end of the globe to the other to gain new knowledge, and along the way, he shares his passion for plants and essential oils with others he meets. On one such visit to Maui, Hawaii, two years ago, he met Ali'i Chang, founder and proprietor of Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm.

Gary Young and his family enjoyed visiting Ali'i's lovely farm in upcountry Maui, and Gary was eager to share some of his knowledge about lavender plants with Ali'i.

Since Gary Young's visit, Ali'i has planted more varieties of lavender, and his picturesque farm is now flourishing with plants and products. I visited the farm this past weekend and enjoyed a delightful Lavender Garden Tea Tour, sampled and purchased many of their lavender products, and spent valuable time exchanging ideas and learning from my new friends in Hawaii.

The Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm sits in a setting that has been described as having a "dreamlike beauty" and is truly an enchanting place. "My passion has always been in the earth," says Ali'i. By sharing the same passion, Gary Young and Ali'i Chang are able to educate visitors to their farms about the benefits of reconnecting to the earth and of living the "lavender lifestyle".

My hosts were extremely hospitable and kind, and I hope that when you are in Maui, you will take time to "stop and smell the lavender" at the Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm for a soothing, nurturing experience!

Reservations are not needed to visit, however all tours require 24 hour advance reservations. Mele Kalikimaka to all!

What's Not To Love?

Welcome to my new office—the Young Living Lavender Farm! Isn’t it gorgeous? I get to spend part of my work week at the Mona farm, where I’ll be planning events (Lavender Days 2008 is only 289 days away, can you believe it?) and working with Gary and Mary Young and our marketing team on developing new products that will be available from the farm. So be sure to check often for new product offerings, product tips, recipes, and information about events on the Young Living Lavender Farm Web site.

As most of you know, our products are developed with therapeutic-grade essential oils and without harmful chemicals. When you visit the Young Living Lavender Farm, you really start to get a sense of what our mission is all about, as we honor our stewardship to champion nature’s living energy, essential oils.

I recently had the opportunity to take a little bit of “the farm” to our distributors who attended Young Living’s Annual Grand Convention in Washington DC. We had a display featuring the four farms that Young Living owns and operates, as well as a few products from our Lavender Farm in Mona that were available for sale. We sold out of our lavender products within minutes! I wasn’t at all surprised, because I know that people have come to trust the Young Living Lavender Farm as a source for the purest, highest quality products made with therapeutic-grade essential oils.


There is definitely plenty to love about the Young Living Lavender Farm—from the tranquil, breathtaking setting that visitors can enjoy year round, to the fabulous lavender products. I hope you’ll take a break and stop by to visit during the month of September—it’s absolutely delightful out here!