Oh it's that most wonderful time of year again! I do LOVE December and Christmas time and the whole season. This year I am again, sitting out the market atmosphere simply because I am still healing. I have to always remind myself that it took years for my knees to be unwell and all the accompanying limitations that goes with that and though, my knees are much improved, I still have a long way to go. It is so lovely though, to bake gingerbread cookies, sip on a cup of coffee, and burn a candle and relax while listening to the soft rain from the comfort of being dry and warm and indoors.
So many years were spent outdoors at Christmas time at markets and I will always be grateful for the life they have afforded me along with some wonderful memories. At the time, I never name dropped people who purchased my candles as I didn't feel like that was how I wanted to build my brand but now that I am removed from that atmosphere... do get ready for some name dropping! Our first one occurred in Winnipeg during the filming of Home Alone 5. Malcolm McDowell was at the Forks and in our shop to ask my son if he could direct him to the washrooms. Not a stellar referal, by any means, but to this day, when we see him in movies or TV shows (he's currently on Son of a Critch on CBC), we smile and say, "hey, it's the guy who asked where the bathroom was!" Then when I had my shop on Granville Island in 2014-2015, Taylor Swift (before she was an icon)'s personal assistant came into the shop and bought some candles for Taylor's green room for her concert that weekend. That was fun! Throughout my work with the Christmas Market in Vancouver, I have sold candles to members of the cast of The Walking Dead, the actor who played Ghengis Khan in Night At the Museum movies and Daryl Hannah. Daryl was buying my candles as gifts for people she was working with on some movies being shot in Vancouver and it was fun seeing and chatting with her in real life.
I have been so blessed to have worked and met so many wonderful people regardless of fame (they are all infamous in their own way). Some became very good friends whom I am still in contact with and some just left me with crazy stories. It is all good! Most of my great memories are centered around Christmas markets and the holiday season, which helps make this time of year even more special. But, markets are hard... even as I type this on a chilly November day with a stormy night ahead, I am so over the moon grateful to not be outside in a booth for 10 hours straight with only the heat from a solitary standing heater. Our relationship with that heater was so personal that one year we even gave him a name as he was our sustenance and source of life basically. Do you think that perhaps the arthritis from old knee injuries was aggravated by the excessive cold? Maybe? lol
All this to say, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for your continued online support! It means the world to me that you give your support to my makes. Since I have slowed down and taken some time to enjoy life more, I have fallen in love with my candles again. Did you know the scents are absolutely ahmazing?!? My favorites will always be Woodland Whisper and Cedar Sage Blackberry but earthy/slightly sweet ones like London Fog, Cabin Fever or Crackling Firewood are right up there too. I've been tweaking the wood wicks (you might notice that they are slightly easier to light and burn), the packaging and how I paint/finish them to reflect more of how I used to make them starting out (when things were simpler).
And thank you so very much for your support for my soaps as well. I've been using my brightly colored designs in the bathroom and it just is a moment of happiness to use a soap that is so pretty and then smells so great but also feels so great too! Yes, they are a luxury in my world but what a lovely experience every time that I wash up. If you have the chance to treat yourself, I strongly recommend it! I think my favourite is the pink plaid and I LOVE using it! It just makes me smile!
And finally, I may be a little more quiet and introspective on social media right now, but I'm finding social media to be full of alot of AI and inauthenticity. I want to be less about making a sale and more about sharing my creativity with you all. I want you to find things you love and enjoy too! If that's my creations, that's great, but wherever you find that special something, I want you to revel in it! I'm looking forward to sharing more of my creations with you in the New Year and letting you peek behind the doors of what I am trying to manifest in 2026. In the meantime....
Merry Christmas!! Thank you so much for supporting and following along on my journey!
Sending all of my love!
Lana