Happy March to all!
And just like that we are coming up to the end of the first quarter of the year. Before we know it, Easter will be here! It's so much fun making for the holidays and Easter is no exception. This year, I'm challenging myself by taking on chocolate making. At Christmas time I made Peppermint Patties that were wonderful. I make homemade marshmallows on the regular so I'm thinking this year I'll be putting together some chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies (or hearts at the very least) for Easter fun.
But I understand, you don't get to try my tasty treats and confections so you want to hear about all things sniffy and filled with wonderful smells. As we all know, 2025 is yet another challenging year in dealing with our neighbours to the South. During the Pandemic I switched many of my suppliers to Canadian sources. There were a few though, that I just loved that were sourced from the States and I hung onto those and continued to replenish as needed with those particular scents. However. Do I need to say more? Okay... I cannot in good conscience continue to purchase items from the States in the midst of a trade war. So there will be a few scents that you notice that will disappear from the line this year. For the ones that have been best sellers for me, I will reformulate and provide the new and improved version of those scents. As I have mentioned before, I am toning down my vast selection of scents anyways as not having a storefront negates the need for such a wide variety and if anything, makes it more difficult to sell online. Sometimes less is more and for online sales and markets, definitely less is more. If you have any concerns about your favourite scents, please either email me (lana@hartmont.com) and I can give you details on the scents you need to know about or stock up on your favourites now. However, I wouldn't panic too much because historically, whenever I have been forced to reblend a scent due to supply issues, the results have always been better than the previously offered scent. This is the year where there is alot of small detail work going on behind the scenes. It's time consuming work to find the correct oils to blend at the correct ratio to create the perfect result. And we all know that what something smells like sitting isn't necessarily what it smells like burning so there are hours and hours of testing put behind all of the formulating. It has always been what the Hartmont brand is about ... The best blending of oils to create the best scents when a candle is sitting that also fills a room nicely when it is burning as well.
And then, of course, this year I will be going back to my roots and creating some stained glass items (remember those were my first sales many, many years ago before I started to even sell candles) to go with my candles as well as learning a new craft of fusing and glassworking to use with my candles too. Of course, this isn't accomplished overnight so it may help explain how quiet I've been as of late. I am formulating a new plan and new products that are 100% made by me in Canada. It is my goal to have these products work with my candles and melts as much as possible.
In the meantime, a heartfelt thank you to my online customers who keep me going! I am always grateful for your support!! This year, because of my classes and NEW product development, I will not be at the Salt Spring Island Farmers Market but when you know you are making a trip over to the island, please contact me and we can make arrangements for a studio visit with even more updates and first hand information. I am literally 5 minutes away from the market location and minutes away from great food and vistas. It is certainly worth the trip to come and find me this year! I look forward to seeing you again, in person!
Sending all of my love!
Lana