Crafts, gifts and a whole lot of love
Hello! I’m back with another easy recipe for you to try this weekend. All you need are a few simple ingredients and you can whip up a tasty, creamy chicken and vegetable dish to please a crowd. If it’s just you and your other half, […]
Today I’m going to give you a little peek behind the curtain and share a little about the process of making my candles. Before I begin though, I will say that candle making is one of those things that is infinitely more fun with a friend. I’m super fortunate to have one who doesn’t mind giving me an entire day for candle making. We split the tasks between us and it makes for a fun day. Plus, the house smells AMAZING when we are done.
In a previous post , I introduced you to one of my favorite scents , Northwoods Bonfire. My candle partner took a candle making class with me a year or so ago, and we’ve both been hooked ever since. Actually, I may be a tad more hooked than her if you consider how much wax, fragrance and wicks I have on hand. Yeah. It’s a lot. Of course, that means I can whip up a batch whenever I want to and (spoiler alert) add new fragrances to my shop from time to time too! Like, say near the end of August perhaps? Hint, Hint…More on that in a bit.
The process for making a single batch takes us roughly an hour. Most of that is spent stirring wax and waiting on the temperature to either come up or go down. In between, we’ve been known to chat, drink wine, and discuss French. I’ve been actively learning the language (well, re-learning actually) for the last 2 years, and as she is a French teacher, I shamelessly use her for clarification and speaking practice. I’m sure she LOVES spending her summer teaching! LOL! If you don’t have access to a French teacher willing to explain all the ins and outs of the use of “de” I highly recommend Duolingo. I’ve been using the app for two years now and love it. If you’re interested in learning a language, there are lots to choose from and the app makes it fun and easy. Apparently for me, re-learning what I’ve forgotten since high school requires a cartoon owl and lessons that come in bite sized pieces. C’est vrai! {It’s true!}
So, back to the candles. The scents that my French-speaking candle pal and I come up with are often a blend of different fragrances with an occasional single fragrance thrown in. Sometimes a fragrance all on its own is so delicious we can’t imagine mixing it with anything else. Take for example Plain Jane. Anyone who knows me will tell you I do not like the smell of vanilla, but this is the exception! If you don’t care for a lot of fuss, Plain Jane is the perfect pick. I actually landed on that scent when my sister indicated that her allergies gave her fits with certain fragrances but vanilla tended to be fine. I needed her for my candle testing so…enter Plain Jane!
The other scents currently in my store are a bit more diverse. There’s a couple floral options (Indigo Island or Hello Sunshine) it that’s your preference, Happy Housewarming if you like lemon pound cake and lavender, or Streusel & Joe if you like the idea of warm streusel and coffee. Well really, who doesn’t?!? in the coming months, I will be adding new scents. Just wait ’til you see what I have for the Christmas season!
In the meantime, if you’re searching for some yummy Autumn scents, here’s a sneak preview of coming attractions. Later this month, I will be releasing four new Autumn-y scents that I guarantee you will love. (I can say that because I’ve tested them on my family and friends with lots of great responses) These four scents will only be available for a limited time so be sure to get on my newsletter list so you hear about when they land in the store first! Hop on over to my contact page, scroll to the bottom and sign up for a little love from the heartland. Plus, right now there’s that 10% off birthday coupon just waiting to land in your inbox! Don’t miss out on that either!
Happy Wednesday all!
This week I’m looking at finishing up another 365 day spin around the sun and am trying to figure out what I might want to do to celebrate. Birthdays should be celebrated right? I have reached that point in my life that I’m less worried […]
I am a little (ok a lot) ashamed to admit that it only dawned on me today that the welcome decor that I have on my front step was still in need of a refresh. I did get the Christmas decorations pulled off my sturdy […]
When I was a girl, I tried to keep a diary. Later, when my boys were born, I tried documenting their early years, and mine as a new mother. But, then, I lost interest, or got too busy or just gave up. Committing to a daily session with my journal or diary seemed like such an insurmountable task when the boys were running me ragged.
Then, a couple of years ago, while I was at an annual girl’s craft retreat, the hostess (Tina) tuned me into journaling. She had several journals she was keeping and it intrigued me that she would have more than one, and that they would each have their own purpose. I asked her about it and then I decided to give it a try. Again.
My conversation with Tina yielded one very important tip for journaling. Just write. Don’t filter, don’t think too hard, just write whatever comes to mind. Maybe it’s your grocery list, ideas for a vacation, a list of tasks you want to accomplish this week, a rant over something you heard or saw that annoyed you. If it’s in your head, get it out and on the paper. Trust me, you will feel SO MUCH BETTER once you do.
Armed with a fresh journal and a favorite pen, I discovered right away that when I opened my journal right away in the morning and just wrote whatever came to mind, my head was so much clearer as I started my work day. On those days when I got up later than planned and didn’t have that time to purge my thoughts, I just wasn’t as focused. This is what fueled my tenacity and determination to make the time each day to write. I can’t claim that anything I wrote was earth shattering or even made sense, but it was definitely worth the time it took to write a page or two just to get it out of my head. I also can’t claim I wrote EVERY single day, but I did write most days and I’ve accumulated quite a stack of journals since then.
A friend asked me once what I planned to do with all of them and when I told her I had no real intention of keeping them, she was surprised. “Why would you take all that time writing and not plan on going back to read it all later?” The thing is, I really don’t need to go back and read them. The bulk of what I wrote was just a lot of extra stuff cluttering my mind and why would I want to invite all of that back in? I certainly don’t want to go back and read all my rants about things that annoyed me, and everything that was truly important has been handled. So, I can just let it go.
Grab a fresh journal or even a simple notebook and your favorite pen and just start writing. If you aren’t a morning writer, no worries. You can write anytime really. Make it part of your lunchtime break. It’s a great way to get your eyes off the screen if you sit in front of a computer all day and gives you a great reason to step away. Settle into a patch of grass in your garden or on your patio, or curl up in your favorite chair. Maybe evenings are better. If so, find a quiet and comfortable spot, put on your jammies and relax with your thoughts. Wherever or whenever you choose to write, I promise if you give it a try, you won’t be sorry. Let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear from you.
Back in May of 2015, my husband and I along with our youngest son, embarked on an 8 day trip to Ireland. I’d been dreaming of this travel destination for years and we finally had the necessary funding and time to make it happen. I […]
I’m not sure who Sam is, or how he came up with this recipe, but it’s my number one go-to when I need a delicious breakfast fast and as we head into another weekend, I’m going to share it with all of you. You’re welcome! […]
We’re enjoying a really beautiful summer this year and that means bonfire season. Heck our neighbors to the South have one going every night! I haven’t yet worked up the courage to wander over with my S’mores kit but I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind.
I’d love to have a fire pit of our own, but for now I’ll camp out on our deck and enjoy the woodsmoke smell courtesy of the neighbors. Not a bad compromise really since I can enjoy it without having to tend it and there’s also the added bonus of no bugs. Gee, maybe I should deliver some S’mores stuff as payment for keeping my yard free of mosquitos!
If you’ve not yet checked out my store, I encourage you to take a look. I’ve got a great lineup of really nice candles that I think you will love. I even have one that smells like a Minnesota Northwoods Bonfire. Woodsy, smoky and laced with a little bit of Bayberry, this candle is definitely one of my favorites.
I may have mentioned I’m kinda into the craft thing. A year or so ago (geez, has it really been that long?!? ) my bestie and I took a candle making class with another friend. One afternoon of weighing, measuring and melting (Guess those science classes weren’t a total waste after all) I was hooked. Like, SERIOUSLY hooked. The candle supply companies LOVE me. Anywhoo, since the class the bestie and I have been dabbling in scent combos and spending entire afternoons up to our elbows in wax, wicks and fragrance. They haven’t all been winners, but ever since I’ve been shamelessly testing my scents out on pretty much anyone who’s willing to light the match. The candles that I currently have in my store are some of my more popular scents. I’m working on others and will have a delicious line of Autumn and Winter options coming out later on in August. Just wait until you try the holiday scents! I smell CHRISTMAS!!! In the meantime, Northwoods Bonfire is a good one to tide you over ’til the holiday scents are out. If you like a smoky bonfire kind of scent, Northwoods Bonfire is perfect. If smoky isn’t your thing, there are several others to choose from. Like lemons? Try La La Lemon. How about something Summery? Pineapple Julep or Hello Sunshine are great choices. Or, maybe you just want something pure and simple like Plain Jane. She’s all about the vanilla. *wink*
Finally, if my sheer enthusiasm for this hasn’t convinced you and you’re looking for more info about what goes into my candles , my Candles page has all the details. Candles are available in two sizes: a 5 ounce (wax weight) tin and a 7 oz (wax weight) amber jar. The tins burn roughly 40+ hours and the jars about 60+ hours.
That’s all for today folks! I just wanted to tune you into some of the other goodies this site has to offer. Happy Wednesday and I’ll see you again on Friday with another easy recipe for the weekend.
Now, where’s my lighter…