Now that the excitement of Christmas and New Year’s is over, I started to get the winter doldrums.  Luckily I know a trick  which cures me every time – indulging in a taste of spring through the fragrance of a hyacinth scented candle.

I know that all I have to do is light a hyacinth votive or jar candle and in minutes I feel like springtime is just around the corner.  The delicate floral scent instantly takes me back to playing in the backyard at my grandmother’s house.  She was an incredible gardener and always had hyacinths in her flower bed.  So now, just by lighting this richly scented candle, memories of hot summer days spent bike riding, playing hopscotch and swimming with my best friend Janie, flood my soul.  Can you think of an easier way to turn winter into spring?

So what candle scent reminds you of spring?  Whether its roses or ocean breeze, honeydew or apple, always remember this simple trick to make springtime instantly come alive in your home.

I visited a friend’s house for New Year’s Eve, and I loved what she had done in her powder room.  The room had a seashore theme, and next to the sea shells and sand dollars, she worked in lots of shaped candles and a few richly scented candles.

The vanity had a filled seashell candle next to the bottle of liquid soap; it was so pretty I did a double-take to make sure it actually was a candle.  The effect was a delicate emphasis of the room’s theme which didn’t take up much space on the small vanity.

There was a small shelving unit in the corner with an Ocean Scented jar candle burning on the top shelf.  It gave the whole room an intriguing fresh breeze scent that kept things smelling fresh even though the bathroom was being used extensively by all the party guests. The light from the single flame was enough to enable guests to find the light switch, so our hostess didn’t have to leave the vanity light turned on.  I noticed that she also had an Island Flowers scented candle on another shelf, so she switched fragrances whenever she wanted something different.

Finally, on top of the commode, a collection of starfish candles floated in a clear glass bowl.   Candle Bay offers a selection of starfish candles, which gave her the same variety of sizes and hues found at the beach.

Combining all the candles with the embroidered towels, decorated soap dispenser, and hurricane vase filled with sea shells created a beautifully accessorized room completely in tune with her theme.  The greatest thing about including candles in the room was the addition of scent through the jar candle, as well as color and texture from the shaped candles, all for just a few dollars each.  Whether you’re decorating your home for the first time, or just want to refresh a room’s décor, remember candles are one of the least expensive and most effective ways to add color, fragrance and texture to any room.

I confess, I love pumpkin pie!  Whether it has whipped cream on top or not doesn’t really matter, as long as I can savor the flavor.  Pumpkin pie means Christmas, time with family and friends, holiday decorations like Christmas candles, and delicious goodies baking in the oven.

Problem is that I’m going on a cruise in a few months, and indulging in pumpkin pie now won’t help me fit into my bathing suit then.  Luckily, with a pumpkin pie scented candle, I can satisfy that hunger without adding pounds.  Since a large pumpkin pie scented jar candle is affordable, I’m also using some as Christmas gifts under twenty dollars .

Since I’m frugal, I’ve bought a few pumpkin candles in different sizes.  That way, when I choose which candle to light, I keep in mind how long I have to enjoy it.  If I’m going to be home all evening, I’ll choose the scented jar candle because there’s enough time to melt the entire top of the wax; otherwise if I just light a car candle for a little while it will just burn down by the wick, wasting the rest of the jar!  If time is short I choose a pumpkin scented votive candle, which unleashes full fragrance even during just a short burn.

So tonight, when the temp drops into the 20’s and we build a warm fire, I’ll light a richly scented candle, then let the warmth and the fragrance fill my senses.  Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?

Now that our friends know we have a web site about candles, we’re getting lots of questions about using candles as Christmas gifts.  That’s why I thought it might be good to  share some ideas for some of the people on your gift list.

If you have some special ladies on your list, consider Christmas scented candles.  Illuminations.com has some wonderful special fragrances exclusively for this year,  like candy canes, gingerbread and eggnog scented candles.  For me, each scent brings back a flood of memories, of things like my  grandmother’s sugar cookies, opening presents  with the entire extended family on Christmas Eve (there were over twenty of us in a very tiny living room!), or sipping a cup of eggnog at my in-law’s house on Christmas Day.  Of course, I enjoy the classic scents too, like Christmas tree and pumpkin pie.  Yum!

My girlfriend is the admin for the boss of her department, and as such, was responsible for finding corporate Christmas gifts for their clients.  I suggested  candles of course, like Mulled Wine Scented Pillar Candles from Illuminations; depending on the choice,  they burn up to 120 hours, cost less than $20, and best of all, they have the rich scent of delicious burgundy touched with clove and cinnamon. 

Another great choice is aromatherapy candles.  I know my mother-in-law loves flowers, so I’m sending her a Gardenia Musk scented AromaZone aromatherapy candle from 100Candles.com as an extra treat.  She’s never tried a candle containing essential oils before, so I’m looking forward to her reaction.

We love candles. We love the way a single flame brings light and warmth to darkness. A single scented candle can fill a room with the delicate fragrance of flowers or other delicious things. Choosing a soy candle can make that fragrance even more intense. For more fun, we’ll even mix scents to produce a more exquisite result, like Cappuccino and Peppermint for a mint mocha scent. Add in shaped candles, floating candles, delicate tapers set in a beautiful candelabra, thick tall pillars on a unique candle holder – the choices go on and on!

In this blog, we will help you find terrific new candles and candle holders, and help you find great deals or coupons on candles we know you will love. You will find ideas to create stunning yet simple candle centerpieces and arrangements, or ones you can buy without breaking your budget! Need gift ideas for someone special or difficult to buy for? We can give you suggestions for both women and men, and you know they’ll never get a duplicate. You can even learn how to make your own candles, and find a myriad of choices available for candle making!

Whether you are someone who always has a candle burning, just enjoy one occasionally, or are looking for a candle gift for someone else who loves candles, please visit Brightest Candles often to find just what you are looking for, at great prices. If there is something special you are looking for, a question you have, an idea you want to share, please email us at info@brightestcandles.com Send us photos of your candle creations, and we’ll share them here too.