An Afternoon at Candlefish

One of my most favorite things about Charleston is the fact that there are so many unique things to do in this little city.  Yes, y'all know I love the happy hours and shopping, but who ever thought of a workshop to make your own candles?  Last Friday afternoon (as you might have seen on Instagram), Mike and I did just that at Candlefish, a specialty shop located a few steps off King on Wentworth Street.

Candlefish has been open for almost a year and a half and has a large, airy, and beautifully decorated space.  Not only is the flagship Candlefish location a candle-making workshop, it's also a fantastic gift boutique. They sell tons of different candles (They're also the creators of Rewined and Produce candles!) as well as other fantastic items like stationary, art prints, and local Charleston gifts.

The intimate scented candle class we attended is only one of an array of different offerings from hand-dipping taper candles to therapeutic essential oil candle-making classes.  When we arrived, all of the tools and gadgets were already set up.  All we had to do was pop our cork (yes, it's BYOB!), put on an apron, and find a seat.  After a warm welcome from our professional chandler, Eloise, we all started the class by choosing our scents.

The most unique aspect of Candlefish is their library.  They have 100 different numbered scents from which to choose.  All of the scents aren't just one flavor either, they are mixtures of 3-4 different oils that create everything from floral and fruity to woodsy and masculine fragrances.  The reason each scent is numbered and not named is to keep each amateur chandler's fragrance choice as unbiased as possible.  I didn't know before I smelled the sample candle if the scent would be lemongrass and orange or lavender and elderflower, so I was more open to different aromas than I would be if each composition was listed on the bottle of fragrance oil.  Candlefish even has a card catalog where you can save your preferences on the "library card" below for subsequent trips to the shop.

After choosing our scents (a sweet oil for Mike that smelled just like baking and a musky scent for me), Eloise walked us through each step of candle making: pouring the wax, setting the wic, etc. all while sharing tons of important candle maintenance and care tips with us.

Mike and I had a fantastic time at Candlefish and could not wait to pick up our candles the next day.  They smell just as good as we imagined, and we have already burned each of our scents.  I highly suggest a trip to Candlefish if you're in the area, to browse their fantastic selection of unique scents and to try your hand at candle-making!  Even if you're not planning a trip to Charleston, they have a vast number of collections on their website to shop from, which, right now, include some fantastic winter and Valentine's Day gift ideas!

I was provided with a complimentary candle-making class in exchange for an honest review of their boutique and workshop.  All opinions are my own. 

Carmelita Bars

With Valentine's Day is coming up, I have a delicious heart-shaped treat for you today.  Yes, I love all Valentine's Day candy, but I also never turn down an excuse to bake with pink and red sprinkles.  This recipe is also close to my heart because it's one of the two that always reminds me of my mother-in-law.  (In case you were wondering, the other is her orange swirl cake.)  I remember when Mike and I were first dating, she introduced me to this delicious combination of chocolate and caramel.  Back then, the mix used to come packaged all together, but they (I think it was Betty Crocker?) stopped making them.  I hadn't even thought about these in a few years, but after seeing them in a post on Buzzfeed, I knew I had to try making them!  They were very easy to make and cutting them into hearts made for the perfect Valentine's Day treat.

Ingredients:

- two 4.5 ounce bags of Werther's Original Soft Caramels

- 3/4 cup heavy cream

- 3/4 cup melted butter

- 1 cup rolled oats

- 1 cup dark brown sugar

- 1 cup flour

- 12 oz chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine caramels and heavy cream in small saucepan on low, stirring occasionally until caramels are melted.  Remove sauce from heat.

3. Mix together melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and flour.  

4. Grease a square 8x8 pan and press 2/3 of the oat mixture into the bottom and bake for 10 minutes.

5. Sprinkles chocolate chips onto the warm crust, followed by caramel sauce.  Top with remaining crumbs and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
6. Allow it to cool all the way, cut into hearts using a cookie cutter, and decorate with festive sprinkles.

Here are a few other Valentine's Day dessert suggestions: Heart-Shaped Samoas, Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf, Whoopie Pies, and Cookies & Cream Cookies

Linking up for Two Cup Tuesday, Try A New Recipe Tuesday, and Delicious Dish Tuesday! 

Month of Love: Cube Appeal

Happy February, y'all!  I don't know about you, but for me, the first day of February is always a sigh of relief: we made it through the first month of resolutions, (hopefully) the coldest months are behind us, and everything pink, red, and chocolate starts making its appearance for Valentine's Day.  I know Valentine's Day has its fair share of critics, but any day whose main goal is to spread love, I'm all for.  Well, this year, I want Valentine's Day to last this whole month for all of you, so I'm teaming up with some fantastic businesses to bring you: "Month of Love" - a new giveaway each Monday throughout February.  And, actually, I have two giveaways going on right now because my collaborative Resolutions Giveaway doesn't end until tonight, so make sure you enter that one, too, by clicking here.

The first giveaway comes from Cube Appeal, an office decor company started by entrepreneur and mom, Clarissa.  I love everything in her shop, and the "Be Yourself" wall mirror she sent me is definitely a favorite in my office!

Some of my other favorites (below) include the Girl Boss Mug and Pink Lady Art Print.  Seriously, how cute and feminine are her designs?

Clarissa has graciously offered to give away a Floral Initial Print framed in your choice of black, white, gold, or silver to one lucky reader!  Enter using the Rafflecopter giveaway below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I was provided with complementary products in exchange for a feature on this blog.  All opinions are my own.