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| Thanks to Anthology Candles, my lovely little Victorian apartment now smells like Scarlett's southern plantation! ;) |
The other day, my boyfriend asked "What would you like to do this weekend?" He laughed when I told him that I wanted to visit a little shop down the road and smell all the candles.
I love candles. I love how they smell. I love how they set the mood for writing, for cleaning, for cuddling with my cats while binge-watching historical period drama. I love how they make wonderful, usable gifts – to give and receive.
I'm super excited to introduce you to Anthology Candles. The handcrafted, all-natural, soy candles are inspired by music, books, and movies. The scents are completely unique and ideal gifts for the unique, hard-to-buy-for. There's one inspired by Ed Sheeran's romantic Thinking Out Loud. Another, called The Great Pumpkin, is a spiced pumpkin ode to Charlie Brown. You'll even find one inspired by the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. I love the variety.
So when Anthology Candles offered to send me over some goodies to sample, I was particularly intrigued by Tara. Gone with the Wind is my favorite movie and one of my favorite books. I imagined lighting the Tara candle, pouring a bit of brandy, putting my Goodwill-find Gone with the Wind record on the turntable, and pretending Rhett Butler is in the next room, smoking a cigar and waiting for me. A girl can dream, right?
Anthology Candles sent me the Tara candle and a tealight sampler to enjoy. Here are my thoughts – accompanied by ideas for gift giving.
So this must be what Scarlett O'Hara's home smelled like. It's lovely. If this were available in a lotion and perfume, I'd wear it on my body. It's feminine, with the just right mixture of sweet and floral. Magnolia, honeysuckle, and jasmine mingle with a bit of clean cotton in a feminine fragrance that's the perfect balance of sweet and floral. I looooove it. Now, if only Rhett Butler would show up. ;)
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| Gift Idea: Tara candle + Gone with the Wind + Essie's "Scarlett O'Hara" nail polish + a green velvet bow, reminiscent of Scarlett's famous dress made from green velvet drapes |
Defying Gravity
This is my favorite music. Seeing it at the Fox theatre in St. Louis is one of my favorite memories. The fresh, woodsy scent of this candle transports me to the forests around Elphaba's dear old Shiz. Did it transport me by magical broomstick? Maybe. ;)
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| Gift Idea: Defying Gravity candle, Wicked t-shirt, and (if you're feeling generous) tickets to see Wicked live! |
Let It Go
I adore Anna, Elsa, and especially Olaf. This winterfrseh mix of minty goodness and a bit of sweetness is the perfect candle to light once the world outside turns into a winter wonderland.
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| Gift Idea: Let It Go candle + pretty snowflake earrings + Philosophy's "Twinkling Snowflakes" set |
Sherlock's Flat
First of all, I love the deep purple hue of this candle. And the smell – tobacco, leather, earthy wood – is exactly what I imagine 221-B Baker Street to smell like. I'd love to burn this while binge-watching BBC's Sherlock series. (Note: This is also a guy-safe candle smell. It smells rich and wonderful without being girly.)
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| Gift Idea: Sherlock's Flat candle + 221-B Necklace + Sherlock knee-high socks + The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arther Conan Doyle |
Winter is Coming
Don't get me started on how most of last season's Game of Thones was disappointing. (Team Daenerys and dragons, btw.) Winter is indeed coming, but this candle ought to put you at ease a little bit. It's invigorating and calming with hints of juniper trees, eucalyptus, and a hint of spearmint. (Another guy-safe smell, too.)
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| Gift Idea: Winter is Coming candle + dragon's egg necklace + Funko Pop! Daenerys figure + Khaleesi t-shirt |
Alice and her adventures in Wonderland were one of my favorite books (and Disney movies) when I was little. I had to have this one in my sampler pack to find out how a candle could smell like tea! It does not disappoint, but it's not what I expected. It's sweet and cakey without being overly saccharine. It lets off a warm and cozy fragrance of vanilla, Chamomile, and cinnamon. And the orange color is as lovely as a cup of strongly brewed tea. :)
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| Gift Idea: Mad Hatter's Tea Part + Mad Hatter tea cup + English Breakfast tea + Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll |
Hansel and Gretel's House
This story was a childhood favorite of mine (second only to Three Billy Goats' Gruff, but I don't want to know what that would smell like...) Long story short: This candle smells good enough to eat. It inspires mad cravings for warm and spicy-sweet gingerbread. And if you built a house that smelled this good, I'd probably be caught nibbling on it, too.
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| Gift Idea: Hansel and Gretel's House candle + nostalgic Hansel and Gretel Golden Book + gingerbread cookie mix + Philosophy's gingerbread 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath |
From Fields of Gold to Autumn Leaves and Chestnuts Roasting to I'll Be Home for Christmas, Anthology has an array of candles to put you and your home in the holiday-scented spirit. From Lord of the Rings' Rivendell to Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, a candle pairs well with a book for birthdays/Christmas.
Place an order now and receive 10% off your purchase!
(Just use the discount code LOVELY when you check out.)
Scents are available as candles, tea lights, and soy wax tarts (for you melters out there). Did I mention the prices are perfect? Head over now to scope out candles for yourself, friends, and family.
Oh! And Anthology Candles is giving one lucky The Lovely Side reader one candle and a six-tealight sampler pack. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. :) Good luck and happy smells!
31 comments:
I think my favorite would be the Bedford Falls one! (Though the Sherlock themed one is a VERY close second!!!) I would make a gift set including the candle, some of my homemade hot chocolate mix, a fun popcorn flavor mix, a Christmas ornament that was a bell for a swell movie reference, and a copy of the movie! That way whomever got my gift could have a perfect movie night in!
If I made my own candle, it would be inspired by my favorite Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hints of florals, a bit of woodsy undertones, and light airy scents would bring the enchanted forest to life for me!
Love your movie night-in idea! And I'd totally buy a Midsummer Night's Dream candle. I can almost smell it now. ;)
Ashley, you are a genius! I was a theatre major in college (before law school!) so a Shakespearean candle is so right up my alley :) I designed Bedford Falls for my husband who turned me on to Classic Movies during our first year of marriage. I'm hooked. Thanks for such a great candle idea - you just might see it in time for a Midsummer Night! In the meantime, I think you'd love Rivendell. Thanks again!
I love Anthology Candles! And they absolutely make perfect gifts. I have two girlfriends that will be getting Uptown funk gift baskets this year.
Uptown Funk is a man-safe scent...but it smells like a roomful of sexy men. Seriously! You know when your guy gets out of the shower and has on his best cologne--but not a lot, just a little--and is looking good? That's what the candle smells like!
I'll be pairing Uptown Funk with a bottle of wine and a vinyl copy of the new Thomas Rhett album, "Tangled Up."
I am bonkers over that Mad Hatter's tea party candle! I don't like to drink chamomile tea but cinnamon and birthday cake?! I love it! Could somebody get this candle as part of a birthday gift to me? You could throw in tea leaves, a new hat...perhaps a chessboard? :)
I do wish there were more candles available. I love the Shakespeare suggestion - an As You Like It candle would be superb (...dahlias, summer woods, and sheep?).
I prefer to leave the candle shopping to my wife (what can I say, I'm not much of a candle aficionado) but she got the Winter is Coming candle recently and I think it smells awesome. And of course I appreciate the GoT reference ;)
Ooooh, now you've piqued my interest in Uptown Funk. Even though I received my samples courtesy of Anthology Candles... I'm hooked! I'll be ordering many (for myself and for friends/family). I looooove candles that smell like a sexy man. :) And what a great gift pairing to go with!
Haha! Sheep. I would love to read that candle scent description. :)
Woo! Glad you're enjoying the Winter is Coming candle. I stuck it in my boyfriend's nose and told him it's what Jon Snow smells like. Heh.
Love, love, love that description, Monta. It's spot on :)
That's awesome, Lee! It's so funny you say Winter is Coming is what Jon Snow smells like, Jessica - I have been toying around with the idea of renaming "Uptown Funk" as "Jon Snow" - It's a black candle (hello, Crows?!) and it smells like Monta said: "A roomful of sexy men!" What do you think? Make the switch?
Thanks for your suggestion, Shelby! Yes, Sheep. That goes right along with your Billy Goats Gruff candle, Jessica!! I could definitely work in the wooly sheep as a nice cotton scent ;)
Of course, for my Mad Men obsessed Monta, she'd suggest I rename it Don Draper!
I love the idea of woolly sheep smelling like clean cotton. ;)
I'm foreseeing an anthology of "sexy men." Jon Snow. Don Draper. Rhett Butler? Arargorn (a la Viggo Mortensen)? Mister Rochester from Jane Eyre? Mr. Darcy? ;)
I think my favorite would be Hansel and Gretel's House but if I were putting together a gift set I would probably pick Tara because I now live in Savannah. I'd include different goodies from around the city like pecan pralines, some Byrd cookies, maybe some low country boil seasoning. If I were to make my own candle I'd probably base it on Harry Potter. I'm a nerd like that. It would include pumpkin, butterscotch and a warm vanilla.
Oooh, I love your Tara gift pairing idea. One of my good friends just moved down to Atlanta... can't wait to go visit her (and stop by Margaret Mitchell's house)!
Love the Harry Potter candle scents. :)
Jennifer - Our Harry Potter candle, The Three Broomsticks, is coming out TODAY!! My take on Butterbeer: warm caramel, melty brown sugar, spiced pralines, and notes of vanilla! Butterscotch colored ;)
Your gift set ideas are so cute!
I am seriously coveting the Bedford Falls candle. Maybe pair it with It's a Wonderful Life, a bell necklace or ornament, and a fuzzy throw? Hmmm, for a new candle idea....they already covered a lot of good ideas. . . .I wonder if they could get something Dickensian in there. Like A Christmas Carol candle that smells like the shop windows the book described or the ghost of Christmas Present's feast?
Deliciousness, Jessica! Utter.
The anthology candle that would be my favourite would probably be "I'll Be Home for Christmas." It sounds amazing, and just the smell to have in my home on the first snow day, which will be soon I am sure!
I think a gift set with a holiday candle, a holiday drink (cider or hot chocolate or BOTH), and some fuzzy slippers or socks would be a perfect Christmas gift!
I would definitely create a candle inspired by Anne of Green Gables. Maybe it could be raspberry cordial. Or smell of the ocean and pine trees.
Danielle, we DO have an Anne of Green Gables candle - Avonlea Afternoon!! It's raspberry cordial, delicate almond cookies and vanilla bean ice cream! As one of my customers said: "It smells like Christmas!" I adore Anne, with an "E" :) And if you love Christmas candles, you'd love Avonlea Afternoon!
All fantastic ideas, Marissa! I considered doing an A Christmas Carol "Figgy Pudding" candle and it still might make an appearance this season if enough people were interested :) We have a similar candle planned to launch in a couple of weeks: "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" - smells like delicious brown sugar, figs and cinnamon!
I like the idea of something Dickensian!
And Rheney, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" sounds delightful!
A cozy holiday gift set sounds lovely – especially when cider and hot cocoa are BOTH included. :D
I would buy all of the sexy men anthology. All of 'em. LOL
Jessica and Jennifer: TWO Harry Potter candles now exist! I just introduced "The Yule Ball" this morning with 2 new book candles: "Law Library" (old books, aged library, must - it's enchanting) and "The Sunday Times" (hot-off-the-presses newspaper, fresh ink, and deliciously warm hazelnut coffee!). Check them out :)
I have a bachelors in English (where I focused in Shakespeare studies) and am currently in my second year of law school! I just saw you added a Law Library candle, and it is DEFINITELY on my Christmas wish list now!
My favourite would be Sherlocks Flat, I think. Something about old wood and leather books.
I'd make a collection for reading. Defying Gravity for my friend who loves Wicked, Three Broomsticks for another who loves Harry Potter, Winter is Coming for my husband who loves Game of Thrones, and The Secret Garden for me.
If I had to create a candle, it would be one that had apple, strawberry, vanilla, and leather, something nice and homey.
I love your reading collection idea for a gift set, Kristin!
And that apple/strawberry/vanilla candle sounds wonderful – especially with a bit of leather to balance out the sweetness. :)
Love those, Kristin! Sherlock's Flat is definitely a favorite of ours (mine and the hubs), as well! We like to light it while we binge watch Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman - love them as Sherlock and Watson so much! ;)
We have the "Book Fans' Collection" tea light samplers which include 6 different book scents - you could certainly drop in any 6 you wanted, including those you mentioned. And we have discounts for multiple candle purchases!
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