Over the last couple of weeks, I've been reading through forums and whatnot, trying to determine what fragrances are going to be "hot" this spring.
I have put together a small list of the scents that have gotten the most mention and ones that I've personally noticed as being really popular...
Thought I would share the list and I would love hear what others think!
1.) Blackberry Sage
2.) Wild Rose
3.) Black Amber and Lavender
4.) Cool Citrus Basil
5.) Grass Stain (I really want to try this one out!  It just sounds fun!)
6.) Country Clothesline
7.) Narcissus II
8.) Moonlight Path
9.) English Ivy
10.) Eucalyptus and Spearmint (I honestly had no idea this fragrance would be "popular" for spring when I purchased it, but I am very happy that it is!  I even have candles available all ready: Eucalyptus Spearmint Votive Candles )

My own personal observations (these are fragrances that I've noticed as being popular):
1.) Cotton Candy (I only have one Cotton Candy candle left in my shop!)
2.) Blue Raspberry
3.) Vanilla Mint

Of course, I just have fun working with all sorts of fragrances!  So, there will always be interesting and fun candles floating around my shop!

Wow, I can't believe it is March 23rd all ready! This month really got away from me. I do have some very exciting news to share... I was recently interviewed by the lovely people at Nature's Garden...
Today, they published my interview on their blog!
To check out the article, you can find it here: http://blog.naturesgardencandles.com/candle-company-owner/

Nature's Garden is such a wonderful company and I really love their products, so its a huge honor to be featured on their blog.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Well, a new month is upon us...
The month of March is always a bitter sweet month for me.  It has been a month filled with great joy, with the birth of my son, happening near the end of the month.  It is also a month filled with great sadness, since I lost both my parents in the month of March.
The reason I am writing this entry, is so I can discuss the illness that claimed my mother's life.
My mother was a wonderful person, caring and kind, hard working, creative and always worried about others before her self.  She also suffered from Lupus.
Lupus may be a disease that you haven't heard of or it might be one that has touched your own life or someone you care about.  In my house, Lupus was one disease that my family and I knew intimately well.  I am certainly not a doctor, nor a researcher, I am simply the daughter of a woman that suffered with it daily.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, that can damage any part of the body.  This disease is chronic, which simply means signs and symptoms last longer than six weeks and often for many years. (My mother had Lupus for 18 years, with only a 3 year remission.)  With Lupus, something goes wrong with the patient's immune system, instead of the body attacking "invaders" or the viruses, bacteria and germs that can make us sick...a patient's body begins attacking healthy tissues.
One of the most difficult parts of the disease, is that it affects people very differently.  Some people with Lupus have problems with their kidneys, other have issues with their joints...
My mother's Lupus affected her blood counts.  She had very low blood counts and was often left unable to fight off common colds or flu. (She would also bruise very easily, especially when her platelets were low.)

I do want to make it clear that a diagnosis of Lupus is NOT a death sentence.
Yes, my mother did pass away, but she died 13 years ago.  There have been advancements in Lupus research, since she passed away.  Plus, what ultimately claimed my mother's life, was an experimental treatment. (Her disease had gotten to a point where "normal" treatments weren't providing results, so she underwent a new treatment and unfortunately, it didn't work.)

So, some may be asking..."Why are you writing this entry?"
I'm writing this entry to start to tell my mother's story and share my family's experience with this disease.  I also want to expose Lupus to as many people as I can.  The more that know, the better!

There are some wonderful resources for people with Lupus or for those that just want some more information...
Please visit the Lupus Foundation of America.
Thanks so much for visiting and reading!  For my household, March is Lupus month, so I will be sharing information about Lupus all month long.

The last few weeks, I've been reading through the forums/teams on Etsy and I've noticed several topics about trades.  Well, I trade quite a bit on Etsy and love it! (I would love to always have cold - hard cash, but trading has allowed me to get so many amazing products and meet some truly wonderful people, that I feel I've gain way more trading.)
Now, I don't really want to get into the pros and cons of trading...
Honestly, it works for me, but I know it might not work for another Etsy seller.  I usually only participate in a couple trade events throughout the year, so I don't short myself too much on shipping costs.
What I really wanted to start talking about, are some of the terrific things I've gotten through my trades and the fabulous shops I have found!

One of the very first trades I did, was with the shop Torch and Hammer, which is owned by Amanda...
Now I'll be honest, I LOVE jewelry, especially necklaces! (Unfortunately, I can't wear earrings and I don't like to wear a lot of rings or bracelets, so necklaces are my one piece of statement jewelry that I can wear on a regular basis.)  I had a lot of fun looking through Amanda's shop.
The most difficult part of the trade was narrowing down exactly what I wanted. (There were so many wonderful things I wanted, it was really hard to choose.)  I finally made my decision and chose a lovely copper necklace.  The pendant was hand stamped with a mountain and stars design and it hung from a lovely, 18 inch ball chain. (I actually picked the necklace out as a Christmas gift for my niece, but I just fell in love with it.  Don't worry, I found a different lovely necklace for her.)
Anyway, I've worn the necklace quite a bit and it has held up beautifully!  It goes wonderful with pretty much everything I wear, which is mainly jeans and a sweater or T-Shirt.
A few months later, I traded with Amanda again, this time for my birthday. (My husband actually handled most of the trade.  He even set up an Etsy account, so he could trade for the necklace he found.)  It was really great of Amanda to trade with us again!
Anyway, I got another gorgeous necklace!  In this necklace, the focal piece was made from polymer clay, which was set in copper bezel, then stamped, baked, painted and polished.  The chain is copper - colored and closes with a toggle clasp. (The pendant says HOPE and has a lovely copper - colored flower.)
This necklace is breathtaking!  I was so happy when I received it, I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present!  I wear it a lot and it has held up very well.  Again, it is a piece that goes with pretty much anything I wear. (It looks really nice with casual clothes or dressy clothes.)
Amanda is really great about trading, but honestly, everything in her shop is so beautiful, I would gladly purchase any item!
So, if you haven't checked out her shop, you definitely should: http://www.etsy.com/shop/torchandhammer
You will not be disappointed!

For the last couple weeks, I've been working really hard getting a new section in my shop ready for listing. (It's actually been a bit more difficult then I expected.)
I had originally planned on opening a second Etsy shop, but after talking with my hubby and fellow Etsy shop owners, I decided making a new shop section would work better.  I am really excited about this new section and new product line, that I just had to share something with someone...
And what better place, then here!

The new section will be called "The Vanilla Shack" and this section is going to be dedicated to the wonderful scent of vanilla!  Vanilla is my absolute favorite fragrance and I am super excited to share this love with all my customers.
In "The Vanilla Shack" section, all candles made will be dye free and of course, high quality fragrance oils will be used!
I have a few pictures of one of the first candles that will be posted: