Christmas is a-coming.... ! Yes, already!

Yes, I know, it's only the start of September... grumble, moan, sigh...
I will freely admit to being one of those people who moaned every year that the Christmas frenzy was getting earlier and earlier each year, refusing to be drawn in to over commercialisation, yada, yada, yada...

But now that I have joined the ranks of the handmade businesses I have learned that you can never be prepared too early - a lesson I had reinforced just last week...

I was contacted by a friend who is currently pregnant and, with her due date slap bang around the end of December, is very wisely wanting to get ahead of the game and organise some of her Christmas presents as early as possible. And quite frankly, who can blame her! If I was in her shoes, well, I'd be tempted to cancel Christmas all together... except, of course, for expecting a lovely gift from my doting hubby, but hey I digress...

Her rather intelligent strategy, and subsequent question about what Christmas candle scents I would be offering this year, forced me to shift my bottom off the proverbial fence and actually make a decision.  I had been mulling over the question, having drafted out a (long) short list of contenders months previously; but now I have actually gone and done and ordered my fragrances! And I have to say I am rather pleased with my selections.

So without any more prevaricating, I can announce that

The Lime Garden Christmas 2011 Candle Fragrances are....

HOLLYBERRY & MISTLETOE

warm and sweet, but with an undertone of fresh greenery.

GINGER & FIG

hot, sweet and a little bit spicy, yet fruity and mild at the same time.

FRANKINCENSE & MYRRH 

ooooh... lovely warm, smooth, musky and sensuous.

APPLE STRUDEL

crisp fresh apples and warm winter spices.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE

smells just like sounds - Terry would be proud!!

and finally, back by popular demand, last year's best selling Christmas scent...

APPLE & CRANBERRY

warm sweet cranberries and fresh apples, yummy!

I have decided to add a little extra to my Christmas gifts this year too - as well as my Vintage Tea Cup candles, (cup and saucer, with candle in the cup) I have found some gorgeous Tea Cup Trios... That is, cup, saucer and matching tea plate - so they will still be vintage, they will still be candles, but they will be a usable tea set trio too!

A lot of people ask me if they can use their tea cups once they have burnt their candles, and the answer is - ...YES! The beauty of the soy wax that I use is that any residue left in the cup can simply be washed away with hot soapy water - please, please, please, never put your lovely vintage china in the dishwasher! I also take great care when I source the china - I never purchase pieces that are damaged with chips or cracks, so they are always able to be used for the purpose for which they were always intended - a nice, civilised cup of tea!

The beauty of my Vintage Cup Candle Trios is that the recipient, once they have enjoyed their lovely candle, will have a beautiful tea time set to use - perfect for that afternoon pick-me-up treat of tea and a slice cake! Gorgeous!

And finally, here is a few quick snaps of some of the lovely china I will be using...

[Just a quick additional note - I often buy part tea sets, just because I love the china and can use some of the cups and saucers for my candles, with the result that I find myself with a stock cupboard full of additional pieces of crockery. So if you would like to build up your own mis-matched vintage china tea set (very on-trend!) feel free to contact me, and I will let you know what I have... ...in fact maybe I feel another blog post coming on!]

So, yes, it is very early to be thinking about Christmas,

but spare a thought for us traders - we're already on the case!

What's new pussy cat....?

There has been lots and lots going on at The Lime Garden - plenty of gardening, both literal and figurative! So I thought it was time to tell you all about it...

First of all, as you can see, this blog has had a total makeover - with some fab new pages added, which will hopefully make it a more interesting place to visit. I have added a "mini-web" page to introduce you all to what I do; it's not a substitute for my full website at www.thelimegarden.co.uk but allows you to take a peek before heading over to the full version.

[Important note: at the moment I have some problems with Google in accessing my website for editing, so please bear with me, and content will be updated just as soon as they rectify the problems! ;-)  ]

The next new page is dedicated to Weddings & Parties... The Lime Garden is supplying more and more Vintage Cup Candles for weddings and other special events, and so I thought it was time to have a page that tells you all about our services. We offer a completely bespoke service, catering to the needs, requirements and desires of each client - putting together a beautiful collection of candles that is unique to their event. (These services are also detailed on the full website.) So if you like what you see then please drop me a line, and we can chat about your plans and ideas!

I have also added a Gallery page to this blog - it is simply a collection of pictures of stock, previous and current, so that you can see what we do.

And the last new page on the blog is my "Trading Post".  This was inspired by seeing posts on Twitter from fellow Folksy.com sellers, letting people know that they are willing to trade their handmade goods for other handmade goods.  I thought it was a great idea, and if I could collect a list of these traders in one place then it would be a useful tool for all of us... It is early days at the moment, but I am hoping that many more traders will get in contact, and we will soon have lovely selection of handmade goodies represented. If you think that you may be interested, please click over and take a look - there is absolutely no obligation whatsoever to agree to any trade at all, you only accept trades that you really want! It is free to sign up, and if nothing else could increase traffic to your Folksy.com shop.

These pages though are not all that's new on the blog... Take a look at last Sunday's post "Sunday Bookworm" where I am starting a monthly book review and inviting other readers to chip in with their views and comments too. Please read the post, and if you would like to take part, please get in contact!

But work on the blog is not all that has been going on...

The Lime Garden is now a listed supplier for Vintage Cup Candles for wedding decorations, and "Melt Your Heart" wax melts as wedding favours, on the following wedding directories:

www.marrymeinsomerset.co.uk

www.gatheredhere.co.uk

www.yourweddingunveiled.co.uk

And if you are in the throes of planning your wedding, you could not do anything better than check these sites out, as there are many wonderful suppliers listed - from frocks to florists and cars to cakes - and they all have fantastic forums too, where you can ask questions, get advice, trade tips, and chat about all things weddings related - or just have a good old rant to relieve some of that planning stress!

In addition to all these activities, I have also been busy working on some lovely new products. In particular I have started working with palm wax - another eco-friendly product as an alternative to soy wax - which has some marvellous properties that allows you to create the most beautiful pearlescent finishes. So I will be introducing them to you shortly, with lots of lovely pictures and a bit more about working with the wax itself and all it's eco credentials.

Finally, it hasn't all been work, work, work... real life has been pretty busy too! Along with my handy husband, we have totally transformed our real garden - more pictures and the full story coming soon. And I have been perfecting my baking with gluten-free flour - so I will have some fab tasty recipes to share with you too... just as soon as my cakes and biscuits hang around long enough to be photographed!!

I really hope you will enjoy visiting my new look blog, and hopefully will join in with some of the activities, if you want to contact me about anything in particular I have written about today, please email me at:

anna@thelimegarden.co.uk

subject line either: Blog Trading Post or Sunday Bookworm

or if you would like to find out more about our wedding & party sale or hire services:

enquiries@thelimegarden.co.uk

I look forward to hearing form you!

♥

Candle Fragrance - Making Sense of the Scents

AN ART NOT TO BE SNIFFED AT...

When I first started making candles, and I wanted to add fragrance to make them more appealing, I just bought an initial stock of simple, popular scents - including everyone's favourite: lavender.  Then I progressed to pre-mixed fragrances - I think I dipped into "sun dried linen" and "lemon chiffon pie" !!

But there are so many candles on the market today, I wanted to do something either a little different, or create my own USP (unique selling point).  For example, sun dried linen is a very lovely fragrance, and very popular too - both with makers and buyers - but it is (a) pre-mixed, (b) artificial, and (c) everywhere!  Now, I'm not knocking it, it really does smell like the real thing (you know, getting into bed at night as a child when Mum has just changed the sheets...) - but I wanted to "do my own thing".

So I perused the different scents available, and decided that I would go for real pure essential oils (you can't extract essence of lemon chiffon pie, but rose oil is totally natural) in natures own fragrances, a mix of flowers, fruits, herbs and plants - and create my own blends.

NOW FOR THE SCIENCE BIT...

Sadly, as I found out, you can't just take two scents that you happen to like, bung them together in equal measures, and happen to produce a pleasing aroma...  there really is a bit more of a science to it than that.

I have developed my own way of second guessing which fragrances will complement each other, before I even begin to melt some wax and try them out.  It is by no means fool-proof, and I have stumbled across some really quite quirky combinations through pure chance (I was making two sets of wax chunks for my frosted chunk candle range this week - one was chamomile, the other was coconut - and the smell wafting out of my kitchen was absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS...!!), but in general it is a good "rule of thumb" guide.

Whenever I buy a new scent, I categorise it by the attributes of its smell; I ask myself, is it:

warm  or  cool

sweet  or  sharp

light  or  heavy

cosy  or  fresh

Fragrances that tend to have two common notes, tend to be the best ones that mix - they have a similar enough base to complement each other, but enough differences to show their own characters.  This is by no means definitive - but think about some of the scents that are currently in my stock cupboard...

Banana - warm, sweet, heavy, cosy     &     Bergamot - cool, sharp, light, fresh

Every attribute is different - so would you dream of putting them together? - no way!!

Grapefruit - warm, sweet, light, fresh     &     Rose - warm, sweet, heavy, cosy

They share two notes, not a natural choice perhaps - but does it work? - yes it does!!

 

So, now we have blended our candles - when and where should we burn them?

Different fragrances can have different effects on ambience, feelings, mood and perception.  Think of the supermarkets who duct the air from their bakery section to waft over you as you enter the store... a delicious smell that just can't help making you feel hungry - and what happens if you go food shopping when you're hungry - you buy more!

So, if you want to create romance try warm, heavy or cosy scents; if you want to clear the air and stay alert try cool, fresh or sharp fragrances; if you want to relax and chill out then try a mix of cosy, cool, light and sweet smells... Is it making sense now??

Of course I could go on and on - how to choose candles to change the "feeling" of a room, to combat it's negative elements (make it feel lighter and airier, when it is in fact dark and stuffy) - but hey, I think you have had enough by now, and have got the picture.

And for those of you who pick a candle just because you like the smell...? (Surely there's no science in that!) Well, you will find that certain personality traits are drawn to certain types of smell - and of course, it depends what kind of mood you are in to begin with...

(...sorry! I promise to stop now!)

Goings on at Boho HQ...

This week has just whizzed by, and here at Boho HQ I have been very busy - I wish I could also say productive, but the two don't necessarily go hand in hand, well not here at any rate.  Being a stay at home crafter, wife to one, and general slave to Oscar, Bella and Jasmine (our dog and two cats - we are yet to be blessed with anything with less than four feet) I have a very varied life - but one that is generally very happy and fulfilling.  It also means that while Hubby is away at the coal-face (metaphorically speaking) my days and evenings are pretty much my own to plan as I wish - barring petulant pet demands and housework etc.

I do love my life - and here is what I have been getting up to this week...


SATURDAY - deep joy, the postie has delivered my new shoes!! I have been searching high and low for some pumps to go trekking around Barcelona next month; they had to be comfortable, lightweight, not too sweat inducing, able to go with just about anything, and a wee bit trendy (this trip will be for my 40th birthday, so maintaining street-cred is essential to combat any feelings of slipping into middle-age).  My other problem is that I have relatively large feet, size 7, but narrow too - so getting a good fit isn't always easy.  Anyway, here they are, my perfect city sight seeing pumps - Waterlily by Skechers. THE most comfortable shoes I have EVER worn!!

SUNDAY - Hubby is at work and I need to amuse myself.  Housework chores were completed yesterday, so today is pretty much mine to do what I like with - apart from feeding aforementioned crew, and the washing machine, at periodic intervals.  I finally manage to finish my first mosaic item that will be going up for sale soon, very soon, just as soon as I have finished her sister.  This one is a decorative mirror with wide mosaic surround, geometric design in shades of blue, sand and grey - her sister is similar, but with blue and yellow glass beads...

MONDAY & TUESDAY - Hubby not working - yippee!! We usually plan something together for these two days, and this week was no exception - if perhaps not quite as pleasurable as some weeks.  We spent two days putting up our new (secondhand) shed.... erm, I mean, workshop!  Well, workshop is a little bit grand for it - but it will kitted out to become my little world away from the house, where I can indulge my crafting to my hearts content.  No more drips of wax in the kitchen, no more plaster dust over everything(!) and enough space to swing a small kitten (Bella beware!).  The windows still need to finish being repaired, and the stable door that my H kindly cut for me needs finishing too, but we are nearly there...

(apologies for weird angle, not trying to be arty, there is just not much space at that end of the garden)

WEDNESDAY saw me finally finish the wedding candle decoration order - 60 vintage tea cup candles poured and packed, ready to be delivered next week - this is one of my favourites, so much so that out of the six I managed to get my hands on, only 4 are making it to the wedding.  The other two will reside here at chez Boho until someone buys them from my Etsy store...   (now for shameless plug...)

click here to visit the shop - go on...

THURSDAY - the weather is hotting up again, although I am told tomorrow will be even hotter.  I'm seriously wilting, and just so not in the mood to get busy, despite having a very long to-do list.  The animals are suffering too - I mean, would you like to be wrapped up in a big fur coat in the middle of summer?  Here is Jaz sprawled in the shady courtyard, trying to heat dump onto the nice cool concrete....
 

and here she is looking far more ladylike, if just a tad grumpy:

During his evening constitutional across the fields Oscar decided to perk himself up by rolling in the doggy equivalent of Chanel No 5 - that's fox pee to you and me - and so had to suffer the indignity of a bath before bedtime. (Much to the H's annoyance - Oscar hates it, and H ends up wetter than the dog!)

And now, having shown pics of the other two, I better just pop a quick one on of Bella - she's a rescue cat, so I don't want her to feel left out (abandonment issues!):

FRIDAY - too hot to do anything outdoorsy today, but must crack on with that ever lengthening list.  I did however, have a lovely conversation with Kirsten from UK Handmade (see links below) about getting on board with the group, and how I can get more involved in the future.  I don't want to divulge too much here - I am after all only a newbie - but these are very exciting times, and UKHM (as I affectionately abbreviate it to) is really going places!  Check them out, follow their blog, read the online magazine... I think the eighties expression for it was "be there, or be square" !!

www.ukhandmade.co.uk

...or click here for their great blog

And here we are again, back at Saturday...

Just a Quickie Today...

I have been very busy this week, so finding time for my weekly Saturday blog has, I'm afraid, been limited.  As has my inspiration...  I think I have used up my creative juice quota for the week!

To start with I have been working away at producing the ongoing order of vintage tea cup candles for a wedding next month - I'm half way there now; though with my over-strict self-imposed quality control, it could take me right up to the last minute to complete!

Also on the candle front I have been making "Sumptuous Sundaes" - some delightfully tasty looking layered candles in wonderfully kitsch 70's sundae glasses.  For this project I have kind of made it up as I go along... I always work better this way.  I start out with an idea of what the finished product will be, decide where to start, and then re-assess progress at every stage.  The result so far with my sundaes is very pleasing!  We start with a rasberry cream base, followed by a layer of blackberries, followed by a layer of cherries, topped with banana custard, and then cream on top of that!  The finale has yet to be made - I want a cream swirl on top of each, finished off with a cherry...  Yummm!!!  They should look (and smell) good enough to eat!

I have also spent much time networking - Twitter and Facebook (yes, I think I finally cracked it!), keeping in touch with other crafty people and followers everyday.  And I have caught up with some much belated blog reading - there are so many great ones to read - and I have updated the list of my favourites here on the blog.  Each one is thoroughly recommended!

On the subject of blogs - yes, I have changed my look yet again!  But I am happy with it now, so I think (I hope!) this look is here to stay for a while... In addition I have added a couple of new features:
I have added a link to my Facebook page...
I now have an Etsy Store Preview - a revolving gallery of items in my Etsy shop...
I have added new buttons for links to other sites...
I have a great new toolbar feature at the bottom there...
Oh, and countless other little tweaks...

I do hope you like the new look!

Other activities this week have included a grand clear out, finding many things to list on Ebay - my addiction spreads to selling as well as buying! - tackling our Monster Meadow of a garden (talking about the state of it, not the size) and finally getting to grips with the Great Washing Mountain.

In between this there has been physio sessions, dog walking, mosaic making, sewing, charity shop browsing, compiling statistics, photography, baking, reading... 

God, I love my life!!!!