Scents, Scents, & Dare We Dare...More Scents

This week, we've added a new line of handmade (in Lancaster County, PA) herbal soaps to the shop. To get a feel of what scents customers like, we are starting with the following:

• Lavender Shea (made with shea butter, a calming, relaxing, soothing scent of fresh lavender)
• Gardener's Delight (lifts mood & dirt for soft skin...spicy scent men will love as well as ladies & the pumice will help scrub away a day's work quite pleasantly!)
• Cocoa Butter (a mild scent that moisturizes & calms dry skin with hints of ylang-ylang, patchouli, & lavender)
• Sweet Orange (an invigoratingly sweet tangerine scent sure to be a favorite)
• Orange Blossom & Honey (mild scent to nourish & refresh)
• Green Tea & Honey (renews & repairs skin ...anitbacterial & antioxidant)

The soaps will sell for $5.25 in the shop. We also will have some cute gift/guest soaps in lavender, cherry, & peach as well as chocolate lover's bars.

We've also introduced a new line of handmade candles made in Lancaster County. These are clean-burning, eco-friendly, with lead-free wicks. They come in glass "canning-style" jars with metal lids. Even as appealing as their scents, is their price in the shop: $6.50!!! Again, we're sampling scents to start out, and plan to add more as we get a feel for what customers like best. Right now, the basic scents are:

• Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie
• Mulberry
• Pears 'N Berries
• Sweet Orange

The seasonal scents for fall include:

• Harvest Spice (a rich cinnamon-scented red candle)
• Pumpkin Spice
• Spicy Mulled Cider

And, for the coming winter seasonal scents, we have:

• Peppermint (an all-white candle smelling just like a candy cane)
• Christmas Berry (a cheery red candle with a cranberry scent)

If all these scents aren't enough, our next shipment of our private label woodwick candles will be arriving by this coming Friday (just in time for the kick-off of the Lancaster County's Best Kept Secrets' Tour!!) These include the following yummy blends:

• Sweet Potato Pie/Pumpkin Cider
• Mocha Java/Caramel Kiss (our all-season favorite!!)
  
  
  

Glass Tealight Diplays: Limitlessly Awesome

We picked up a few new glass tealight holder cylinders that allow lots of creativity. They are basically a blank, glass slate which you place tealight candles. The first style come in three sizes, 5", 7", and 9" tall. Each has a separate glass candle cup which sits securely into the top of the cylinder. The beauty is that both can be filled with whatever your heart delights...or the mood strikes...or the season calls for!

We filled the tall one with sand and shells (not as full as I would make it if using it in my home, but just enough for customers to get the concept in the shop). We placed sand in the tealight cup as well to continue the theme and allow the candle to fit snuggly in place. To expand the whole beachy look, you could add small pieces of driftwood, sand pebbles, sea glass, and/or starfish. This makes a great spot to display mementos from a vacation (in any environment).

The second cylinder is filled with buttons in complementary shades. Again, we placed some in the base and in the tealight cup to complete the look.

The third cylinder is filled with tiny rosebuds. Any type of potourri, faux flowers or dried snippets from your garden (lavender would be awesome) would work just as well.

What ideas do you have?? I'm thinking: small vintage glass balls and tinsel for Christmas, candy corn for Halloween, conversation hearts for Valentine's....

I have to say, I bought one of these from a PartyLite show a month or so ago. It was wayyyy over-priced and, unfortunately, the candle cup didn't even sit level. Since it was not exactly stable, my daughter accidently knocked it over and shattered the base. With VCB prices (1/4 of what the PartyLite versions cost), you can afford to buy several. They look great individually or in a grouping of the three sizes. They also make awesome gifts and can be customized for any occasion or event. They truy are limitlessly awesome!!

The other glass tealight display is pictured below. This has a tube-like cylinder that sits horizontally on a tabletop. There are tiny feet to support the base and slots to hold five tealight candles. Again, the creative factor is limitless and versatile enough to change it up on a whim. Since we're in the full beach cottage mode these days, we filled our sample with a collection of pretty shells.