Cyber Monday and Holiday Sale!

Today is Cyber Monday, which means tons of awesome deals in many online shops. It's definitely a great day to get your Christmas shopping done, or to pick up some presents for yourself while they're on sale  ;)

Don't forget that all 4-ounce candles in my shop are now 20% off! This sale will last until late tonight, so be sure to check it out!

Holiday Sale!

For all those who plan to do their Christmas shopping on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and/or Cyber Monday, I'm offering 20% off ALL 4-ounce candles in my shop, including my Aromatherapy Collection. All of my seasonal and year-round 4-ounce candles are now marked down from $4.50 to $3.60 and my Aromatherapy Collection candles are reduced from $7.50 to $6.00.

The sales ends Monday night, so be sure to check out the shop and grab them at these awesome prices while they're available. Happy shopping!  :)

Thanksgiving is Almost Here!

Thanksgiving in my family is always a big deal, with the promise of a table full of food, family, and friends. My mom is the type of person who lives by the motto "the more the merrier" so there's always plenty of extra food for any last-minute guests. She also loves sending everyone home with leftovers, so she makes way more than we could ever eat in one dinner. Every year I look forward to helping her prep the food and then sitting around the table enjoying everyone's company.

Oh and did I mention my Mom is an awesome cook? The food is definitely my favorite part about Thanksgiving haha. Even now my mouth is watering just thinking about her famous stuffed mushrooms...yum! What's your all-time favorite Thanksgiving food? (Everyone has one!)

While you're thinking about your favorite Thanksgiving fare, don't forget to check out my Thanksgiving sale items in my shop!

I wish you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Aromatherapy/Botanicals Tip of the Week

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a workshop at the Cooperstown Farmers Museum (click here for details on all of their upcoming programs), where we learned how to make several wonderful recipes from an old pharmaceutical book, Encyclopedia of Practical Receipts and Processes (which can be found on Google Books if you're interested). The "Fragrant Waters" workshop was held in the historic village's pharmacy building, which was originally built in 1832 and owned by Dr. Freeborn Garrison Thrall in Hartwick, NY.

Cooperstown Farmers Museum Pharmacy

The building itself is an amazing piece of history--the folks at the Farmers Museum even went as far as to build historically accurate shelving units and work-counters based on building plans from old pharmaceutical guides. I swear, the second you walk in there you feel like you're transported back in time, it's so neat.

That atmosphere only made this workshop even cooler because, not only were we lucky even to have someone teaching us historic recipes, but we were doing it in an authentic 1800s pharmacy, complete with a cozy wood-burning stove and shelves upon shelves of beautiful glass bottles holding all sorts of natural concoctions (made by the resident "pharmacist" in the Village, of course).

For the next few weeks, I will be sharing with you the recipes that we learned during this workshop. They can also be found in Encyclopedia of Practical Receipts and Processes on Google Books, along with many, many others.

So, let's kick this off with my favorite of the bunch: lavender water! Because this lavender water is made with alcohol, it's really more suitable for culinary uses, but you can also substitute the alcohol for water if you want to make a lavender water to be used in a bath or on your skin. If you do replace the alcohol with water, just note that the liquid will eventually spoil since the alcohol would normally act as a preservative.

Lavender Water
Ingredients:
3 1/2 quarts water
1/2 quart vodka (any cheap vodka will do, no need to buy the expensive stuff!)
25 drops all-natural lavender essential oil

Directions:
Pour the vodka into a container large enough to hold at least 4 quarts of liquid. Add 25 drops of lavender oil and shake vigorously. Add enough water so that the total mixture is about 1 pint shy of a gallon. Shake again. Add the remaining water to make 1 gallon. Filter the water using a coffee filter then pour into amber glass bottles to store (the dark bottle helps keep the liquid from going bad).

 

Thanksgiving Sale!

Thanksgiving is now only one week away (can you believe it?)! To celebrate the holiday, I am offering my Apple Orchard and Plumberry candles at a discounted price until Friday, 11/25.

Apple Orchard smells just like fresh, crisp apples! After just a few minutes of burning, you'll feel like you're walking through an apple orchard on a cool autumn afternoon.

Plumberry is a unique, yet somehow still traditional, fragrance. with hints of clove, raspberry, pear, and—of course—plum. It’s a bit sweet with just the right amount of autumn-inspired spice.

These two scents are absolutely perfect for the autumn season and would be a wonderful addition to any family gathering or for everyday occasions. Be sure to pick them up before the sale ends!

Made with Love Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Jessica, the winner of the Made with Love Giveaway! 

This lucky lady won some really awesome prizes, including my holiday trio: Gingerbread, Mistletoe, and Winter Wonderland! I'll be sending those out right away so that you can start enjoying your candles ASAP  :)

Thank you to everyone who entered, and especially to those who spent the time to check out my shop and join my Twitter or blog. It's always a pleasure to meet new friends and customers!

Aromatherapy/Botanicals Tip of the Week

I just discovered this great blog maintained by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA). Their November post was written by Gina Rafkind, an Aromatherapy Consultant. In her post, Rafkind explains how aromatherapy can be helpful for relieving anxiety. This sparked my interest because my sister has struggled with anxiety for several years and at one point even suffered from anxiety-induced seizures. Now that I have some reliable information on using aromatherapy to treat anxiety, I'm definitely going to pass this along to my sister! Hopefully she can use aromatherapy to supplement her current treatment rather than solely relying on synthetic medications.

In particular, Rafkind highlights specific oils, including ylang ylang, chamomile, sandalwood, and lavender. She also goes into detail about exactly how aromatherapy triggers your sense of smell in order to redirect your thoughts away from anxiety. For more information on her helpful suggestions, visit the post here.

Candles By Nature Giveaway!

Do you enjoy unique, handmade items? Then get your patooty on over to Rachel's Reviews and Giveaway and enter the Made with Love event. You can win a bunch of awesome prizes, including an adorable kid's activity bag, bright and colorful jewelry hangers, fun belly charms and, of course, some candles from little ol' me ;)

As part of this giveaway, I'll be sending the lucky winner  my three holiday scents--Gingerbread, Mistletoe, and Winter Wonderland. Visit my Etsy shop here to check each of them out!

Candles By Nature Featured on Rachel's Reviews & Giveaways!

Candles By Nature is currently being featured on Rachel's Reviews & Giveaways as part of her lovely Made with Love event! Please visit here to check it out and leave some love  :)

Also, be on the look-out for an announcement tomorrow when her giveaway goes live. You can win a set of my three holiday scents--Gingerbread, Winter Wonderland, and Mistletoe!

My Latest Etsy Purchase: Darkling Woods

Over the summer, I found this cute white oval picture frame, which I intended to keep in my living room. I hadn't yet found a photo that I wanted to use, so the frame ended up on one of my side tables for several months, without anything in it. Classy, right?

Around the time that I first joined Etsy, I stumbled across Darkling Woods and had hearted several of her prints, but Little Miss Magic had always been my favorite. I knew this whimsical little witch would be perfect to fill that sad, empty frame so I was thrilled when I received my print the other day in the mail.

I think it's exactly what that spotted needed. Don't you agree? Be sure to visit Darkling Woods and discover your own favorites!

Another Project--Finished!

Back in February, I introduced you guys to my workspace, including the dresser which I had planned to re-do this past summer. Well, the summer months kind of got away from me and I never had a chance to tackle this project. But this weekend, I finally got to work on it!

First, my boyfriend and I used sandpaper to smooth down some of the rough spots where the paint had chipped off. Once that was done, we wiped the surfaces clean and painted (my favorite part!). I forgot to take a photo before we painted it, but here's a shot after the first coat:

We let it dry for about an hour and then I did a second coat so that it would look nice and smooth, and to cover any light spots. While the paint dried, I planned how I would arrange these bird decals, which I found last year at Home Goods for $3 (sweet deal, right?).

Later on, it was time to add the new hardware, which I bought at Ace Hardware for about $1.50 each. Nickolas actually wanted to do this part, so I figured I'd get an action shot while I sat there watching him work ;)

Okay, so I know I said earlier that the painting was my favorite part, but I change my mind--adding the decals was my favorite part because it seemed to really tie everything in and finalized this project I had been waiting so long to complete.

After adding the birdies to the front of each drawer, I had a few more decals remaining so I decided to add one on each side of the dresser, as well.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, is the finished product!

While I was waiting for the paint to dry, I also tackled another project I had been waiting to finish. I bought this dilapidated wooden frame over a year ago for about $1 at an auction and had planned on painting it and then using it somehow in my workshop area. However, life took over (as it always does) and the frame just sat in my living room. Today I finally got to sanding it smooth and then painting it a sweet, pale yellow.

Now that it's finally painted, I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with it! I've been thinking of getting a sheet of plexiglass, cut to match dimensions of the frame, and then paint it with chalkboard paint so that I can make my own blackboard. What do you guys think? Do you have any other ideas for this frame?

And now I'll leave you with a picture of my kitty, Sasha, who thought it would be a good idea to try hiding in the paper bag from the hardware store. Silly kitty...

Aromatherapy/Botanicals Tip of the Week

Source

For today's Tip of the Week, we'll be looking at coriander, which is the dried seed of cilantro. This post was inspired by a dinner I made the other night, which called for quite a bit of cilantro. My boyfriend and I love integrating cilantro into our meals because it has such a fresh, green taste that enhances pretty much every sort of dish. I was rinsing the cilantro and began to wonder why I've never come across anything about cilantro being used in herbal medicine. I did a bit of research and found that, while cilantro isn't quite as common in herbalism, its sibling coriander, is.

According to The Power of Holistic Aromatherapy by Christine Stead, coriander can be used internally to relieve flatulence and stomach cramps. You can also add 2-3 drops of coriander oil to 1 teaspoon of a base oil to create a massage oil, which can be helpful for pain associated with rheumatism. Stead also mentions that coriander pairs well with other aromatherapy oils such as bergamot, lemon, neroli, orange, and cypress.

So there you go! Yet another herb to add to your inventory!

Sunnycrest Orchards Holiday Fair!

Source

Holiday Market and Craft Show

Sunnycrest Orchards Farm Market

November 19th and 20th

9-4

7869 State Route 10

Sharon Springs, NY 13459

(518) 284-2256

As of this morning, Candles By Nature is now signed up for the Holiday Fair at Sunnycrest Orchards in Sharon Springs. The fair will be on November 19th and 20th, from 9-4. There will be tons of vendors selling local goods, along with some food vendors and the lovely farm store at Sunnycrest. This is the perfect time to come out and buy unique, handmade Christmas gifts for everyone on your list!

If you've never been to Sharon Springs, you need to get your butt out there pronto! (Preferably some time during the Holiday Fair...hint, hint.) It's such a sweet little town, I'm really excited to be back there again. My boyfriend and I had gone out there last fall with his Mom when she was visiting and they were having their Harvest Fest at the time. It was such a nice way to see the town, Everyone was out and about, enjoying each others company. I'm sure it will be the same for the Holiday Fair (albeit a tad bit colder haha).

(PS: Sharon Springs is also the home of the Planet Green series The Fabulous Beekman Boys. I've never actually seen the show myself, but I've heard it's pretty good and it's really neat to have one of our small upstate towns being featured in a popular TV show!)