It’s been almost one year since I said good bye to anxiety and anti-depresant medication… Is it horrible to say I miss it? Well, I do.
Especially when I’m ovulating or PMSing and am having insane panic attacks and depression. The tiniest things will set me off and it’s so hard to calm down.
I remember those glorious days of shrugging off everything that would typically set me off. I literally could compartmentalize and move on! Now-a-days it’s not that easy!
If something sets me off, (like my landlord recently), I take that anxiety and frustration with me throughout my day. I find myself terrified to get out of bed because different tasks trigger emotions even more. And I’m suddenly dealing with my kids and husband in a grumpy manner and my back is so tight from anxiety it aches!
Ok whoa! Have you been there? And when there have you tried lighting a candle?
I believed candles were solely for mood lighting to be honest. I thought that was the essence of the calming effect. So I believed they could only be lit at night.
But this is news to me- candles that incorporate natural essential oils like lavender, give off a calming smell that not only changes the atmosphere in a room, but changes moods!
I literally tried this and it worked! First thing in the morning I got out of bed so tense and frantic, I had no idea how to start my day. It’s mornings like these I can’t even eat.
But instead of starting with my morning cup of coffee, I started with lighting a lavender scented candle.
I didn’t realize how much of a haze I was truly in until I calmed down. It was like my entire perspective changed. I felt like I got up to a trashed house and cranky kids.
But once I calmed down I realized my house wasn’t just trashed, there were simply dishes left in the sink after dinner that I knew I could take care of in minutes. My kids weren’t just cranky, it was simply breakfast time and they were hungry.
Setting a calming atmosphere in our homes and lives is the goal of one such candle company Grave+Love Candles. A family owned small business from Virginia. Grace+Love Candles create 100% domestically grown soy wax, vegan, cruelty-free and phthalate free candles.
What I love most about this family safe candle company, is their contribution to minority charities for the improvement of minority education.
Here is Grace+Love Candle Company to tell us more:
- What are your signature smells for this season (or the upcoming summer season) and can you describe them?
We have a number of collections inclusive of a spring collection. With spring being primarily light, airy and rosie we chose the following scents for the 2021 G+L Spring collection:
English Garden:
Be swept away to a garden exploding in full bloom with our fresh, botanical English Garden fragrance. It starts with subtle notes of green florals with a heart of lilac, rose, and jasmine. If you’re looking for a beautiful floral fragrance, this is it. This is a must-have scent for floral lovers.
Mediterranean Fig:
The crisp freshness of our Mediterranean Fig fragrance oil evokes Spring and Summer all year long. This scent opens with top notes of green florals and green leaves that give way to a heart of fig and jasmine. Base notes of light musk, wood, and moss balance out the floral accords.
Magnolia & Peony:
Magnolia and Peony is the complex floral powerhouse you’ve been waiting for. Delicate yet satisfyingly bold, this fragrance captures spring at the peak of its blossoming glory with its marriage of magnolia, peony, and freesia.
Golden Rose:
Tired of the same old rose fragrance? Look no more! This is the best mix of unique fragrances to create a complex bouquet of sweet rose, lily, chrysanthemum, and green florals.
- Do you believe there’s an ideal time to light a candle and when is that?
I wouldn’t say there is an ideal time primarily because lots of people like to light candles in the morning to start their day or in the evening to unwind from their day. I would say there are ideal candles to light in order to set a particular vibe or mood. Lavenders are very calming and tranquil while peppermints are more so lit to charge your energy and get you up and moving. The ability that fragrances have to impact your feelings and emotions as well as trigger memories is absolutely amazing.
- Can you explain further the contributions you make to minority charities and what the importance is for you?
G+L is proud to partner with educational organizations that support the enhancement of minority education. Minority students are less likely than their majority counterparts to have access to college-ready courses. Two-thirds of minority students still attend schools that are predominantly minority, most of them located in central cities and funded well below those in neighboring suburban districts.
Many schools serving low-income and minority students do not even offer the math and science courses needed for college, and they provide lower-quality teaching in the classes they do offer. We know the importance of and have benefitted from higher learning and want to help future generations to come. That is why we donate a portion of sales to this cause that is close to us.
- Why is it important to you to provide customers with not just a quality product but a safe products for their home?
Our Promise is to always put our customers first by producing quality and luxury products that do not contain harsh chemicals and that are not mass produced. Our products are made in small batches, hand poured, hand packaged and curated with care. The entire G+L collection is vegan, cruelty- free, and phthalate-free — always.
All of our candles are made with 100% domestically grown soy wax. All of our candle wicks are constructed from all- natural ring-spun cotton. They do not contain zinc, lead, or any other metals. With so many of us spending so much time in doors and for so many who have tiny humans like ourselves what we consume is a priority for our well being.
- Can you recall the moment you decided to start your candle company and why?
Honestly this is an age old tale of a happy wife happy life type of situation. Candles in conjunction with meditation and prayers brought us through a lot of dark times. Once the pandemic hit, candles were the first things we stocked up on….eventually we got some food too lol. But when we weren’t able to get the fragrances that we typically enjoyed we took to making our own.
Slowly friends and family got word of it and they really loved the ones we would send them. Eventually we decided to turn it into a business and it’s definitely one of the best decisions we have ever made. We have met so many amazing people along the way and we have so much further to go in our journey.
Grace+Love Candles Company is your one stop shop to take your home’s atmosphere to another level. Shop now at https://www.gracelovecandles.com/
