I rounded up a few local shops to help you find the perfect gift this year. Shopping local means you’re helping someone earn some extra money. You’re encouraging a small business owner or a solo-preneur to keep going in a really scary world. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with going to a huge chain, per se. But I think we can all agree that you can get a really special gift and also feel good about your purchase when you buy from a local family. Here’s a list of some mom-specific gifts that hopefully will get you inspired!

Have you been browsing through candles and noticed some of them are discolored? It’s kind of a curse of homemade candles and melts. Sometimes the wax just turns yellow. I’ve even noticed some turned a darker cream color over time. But it doesn’t affect anything about how the candle works. It still smells amazing and burns just as well. And it’s only some candles! Sometimes a candle can sit for months and still look freshly poured.

Did you know you can make a heater with a terracotta pot and a candle? I definitely did not, but it must be popular for there to be so many videos out there about it. I wanted to try it for myself, and it didn’t work as well as I expected. Here is how I made mine.

To recap this year, here is a little reflection and an update on the business’s mission to make an impact for animals and farmed animals. Last year was the beginning of doing more than just donations.

What went well:

• Most important: donated 68.31 to animal related causes!

• Introduced 4 candles with wax molds. 2 of those are an entire new collection of products.

• Introduced a few new labels.

• Introduced a few new scents.

• Got the branding down!

• Buying a pegboard and custom shelf did magical things to the market display.

• Got LOTS of AWESOME feedback from all of you!

• Pushed myself out of my comfort zone and tried out several new markets.

• Made LOTS of meaningful connections with other local business owners. 

And a list of what didn’t go so well.

So your candle is gone. Here is how to clean out your used candle jar. Now what? Instead of throwing the jar out, here’s some inspiration for what to do with it.

1. Letter board container.

2. Date night jar!

3. Propagate your plants.

4. Vase.

5. Do a craft with it!

6. Tealight holder.

7. Pour a new candle.

Use a spoon or popsicle stick to scrape out the old wax. It helps to melt the wax down as you go. Use a paper towel and rubbing alcohol to clean off the waxy oily residue. If you want to cut down on waste, you can use the old wax and used paper towels to make a fire started. And your jar is ready to be re-purposed.

There is a group of us small and tiny businesses out here fighting to make the changes we want to see, but we can’t do it alone. Your values align with ours. You want to see less animal cruelty. Clean up the oceans. Empower women. Literally there is a business out there for any cause you can think of. Just being intentional with where you shop can make an impact.

Making your own candles is cheaper than buying store-bought, and you know what’s in them. Plus it’s a really fun craft day.

There’s a little bit of science that goes into making a candle that performs well. It just takes planning. All the candle ingredients work differently when you mix and match them. But once you nail down exactly which ingredients and how much, it is literally that easy.

Here's a detailed look at the main ingredients of candles and it's helpful to know what they are. Hopefully this gives you some background on what goes into your candles. If good to know, especially if you’re burning it in your home.

Why do you want something that smells good? It's more than just because it smells good. You need fragrance because you just want to feel less stressed. Here's some of the science behind why good smells help and why it matters.

Even a small whiff of a scent triggers memories.

Lavender specifically helps you calm down or fall asleep, but it can also help you focus.

Alpha waves make you feel calm and alert. And they are part of learning

When you look at something cute, your brain gets a rush of serotonin and dopamine. But that does more than just make you happy. It fires up the part of the brain involved in memory and emotions. The orbitofrontal cortex. The dopamine triggers your memories of whatever you’re looking at and the joy of that memory. It creates a sense of calmness and focus that lasts a while. It’s a domino effect effect of hormones, happy memory, then a lasting effect.

I’ve always had a big heart for the animals in the shelters, and a passion to help farmed animals. My desire to help is so broad, I really can't pick between just volunteering at a shelter or volunteering at a farm sanctuary. And even then, I'm still limited with time and money to donate. If that’s the only thing that’s really a passion, then why not use my business to do it? I’m also a huge advocate for using businesses for doing good anyway. How humbling to be one of the ones supporting an animal cause.