Introducing Cutesy-Wootsy!

Recently, we were inspired to create gift candles for a very special mommy-to-be. We wanted to send her something cute, fun and baby-themed... something the mommy-to-be and baby could both enjoy.  From packaging to scent selection & presentation, we wanted our gift to be special so we put on our thinking caps.  Then, it hit us!  We'd make:

BABY FOOD JAR CANDLES

Nothing says baby like baby food, so empty baby food jars were the perfect holders for our candles. Not just any old baby food jar candles would do though. We knew we had to upcycle them (convert the used empty jars into new a totally new product of better quality) into eye-catching nursery decorations.

We started with Gerber baby food jars.  We washed them thoroughly with hot water to clean them and remove the product label.  After drying them, we made our candles. For these candles, we chose a lovely new fragrance we named appropriately: Lavender Baby.  It's a soft, powder-like fragrance that contains oils of lavender & chamomile, essential oils both known for their relaxing qualities.

While the candles were cooling, we went to work on revamping the jar lids.  We chose a natural muslin fabric with jute twine wrapped around the lid & tied into a bow.  We then applied adorable 3D animal stickers on the lids to give the lids a fun, juvenile-themed appearance. 

These candles came out so adorable that we knew enclosing them in a box or putting them in an organza pouch wouldn't do. So we put our thinking caps on again to think about how to package them in an equally adorable way. Then it hit us! We'd wrap them like pieces of candy. We wouldn't wrap them with any old fabric either, we'd wrap them in bright, colorful baby washcloths. Not only are baby washclothscandy colored and soft, but they would make the candles a 2-in-1 gift.

We were so thrilled with how cute these gift candles came out that we decided to make them available to our customers. Our Cutesy-Wootsy Candle Collection was born! 

We're currently working on 2 additional candle scents for this collection and hope to make them available for sale toward the end of 2012.  Please share the word about this new collection with friends & family planning for a new arrival.  They will make great gifts or even favors.  You will "ooo" and "awww" over them.  We do!

Bubbly News

We're happy to announce that our handmade, natural soaps are on the way! 

Soapmaking is absolutely addictive!  It's relaxing, it's creative, it's fun and challenging all at once. We've had such a pleasure experimenting with both MP (melt and pour) and cold process (CP) soapmaking. Though MP soaps are easier to make and shelf ready immediately, there's nothing like soap made the old fashioned way using the CP method.  In the CP method, you get to control the ingredients, you get to truly build the product from scratch and we love that.

So what soap will we be offering?  What yummy scents do we have cooked up?  (Glad you asked! lol)  Initially, we'll be offering CP soaps in our Yum E'scentials body care scents Mango Colada, Plumeria Aloe and Black Raspberry Sage.  All are formulated with ingredients like olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter and palm oil... simple, ingredients for simply wonderful, lather-ful (we made that word up) and natural bars of soap!

We thought we'd show you an early picture of our Mango Colada (left) and Black Raspberry Sage (right) soaps. Mango Colada looked so pretty but it didn't stay that way.  Over time, it discolored to a milk chocolate color.  Why?  Our fragrance contains vanillin (think vanilla) so overtime it browns naturally.  Our Black Raspberry Sage soap stayed just as you see it however.  It's such a pretty bar!  You can't see them very well, but blueberry seeds were used in this batch for gentle exfoliation.



Below are pics of other soap loaves we made as we learned the CP method of soapmaking.  Some came out wonderful... some, not so wonderful. (lol)

Hombre scented soap made with green tea gunpowder.  Palm oil free! This batch didnt come out as moisturizing as we care for, but it smells really good.




Champagne Pear made with real California champagne! We can't wait to try it.




Zen-fandel soap made with a white zinfandel fragrance oil and green tea leaves. This one didn't come out so well. It crumbled when we cut it... A sign of too much lye.


Cantaloupe Cucumber smells fresh and clean and the bars are so pretty. We love this batch!



Our handmade soap will be available at the end of April/early May. (Soap has to cure for a few weeks before it's ready for use. This allows water to evaporate from it and for a little more pH reduction.) Product testers have given us awesome feedback on them so we look forward to making them available for all to enjoy!

Have a yummy day friends!

For the Romantics at Heart...

Who says romance is dead?

As we get closer to Valentine’s Day, it’s the perfect time to highlight one of our newest products, our Harmony massage candle.  There are many that believe the days of courting, wooing & romancing your sweetie are days long gone by.  Well, we think the story behind our Harmony massage candle proves them wrong.  We hope it's just one example of all acts of love & courtship that take place around the world that we just don’t get to see or witness.

So here’s how the story goes… Once upon a time (smile)....

The fiancé of one of our loyal customers contacted us to inquire if we could create a special candle with which he could surprise his soon-to-be wife (& their guests) on their wedding day.  He asked that it be named after his future wife & that the scent be reflective of her personality. The thoughtfulness & love behind his inquiry left us smitten. Of course we said we could & would love to!   

We came up with a few samples & mailed them secretly to his job. He chose one of the samples & then it was on to creating the labels for their wedding favors.  He provided us with a few pics from their engagement photos. We played around with them to come up with a label that we loved & we hoped they would love too!

Here is a pic of their wedding favors. BEAUTIFUL!

As part of the plan, we committed to making the candle available for sale online as part of our line of massage candles. We had to change the label unfortunately, but we love the new look.  It’s simple, clean, romantic & whimsy all-in-one… perfect for a love story such as this one.

Our Harmony candle has a soft & clean lavender aroma with a hint of vanilla & sage.  It strikes the perfect balance between romance, rejuvenation & peace.

Want to add harmony to your aromatherapy candle collection?  Try this new candle!  Now save 20% on our Harmony massage candle now through Valentine’s Day using the code HARMONY in your cart at www.yumyumcandle.com.

New Year, New Yum Yum Candle!

We're a little delayed in writing this post.  We've been very busy working on our new look (have you visited our website lately?), some new ideas, new products and brainstorming on how to be greener and better in 2012.  We've been so excited about all of these things that well... writing our first entry for 2012 slipped on our list of things to do but...

HERE WE ARE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!

Like many, we've committed to making this new year different from last year.  We've committed to being a better Yum Yum Candle, providing our customers with an even more yummy and "scent"sational experience while being as gentle to mother Earth as we can. 
So what's new and different in 2012?

Our website upgrade!   We felt our old site was a little outdated and well... stale.  We wanted a more modern and fresher looking website.  Something clean and easy to navigate with a different layout than before. If you haven't visited our new site, please do so and let us know... what do you think of our new look?

Our Classic Collection candles are now available in an 8 oz. recycled glass option!  Tins are neat and great for travel, but some candle fans love the look of glass so we've made that option available.

Our reed diffusers are back and better than ever!  Made using round, recycled glass bottles, we've added 3 new diffuser scents AND you have the option of adding color to your scented oil to compliment your decor.

We've reduced the size of all natural soy candles to a 6 oz. size and changed the glass jars to one more contemporary.  We've also decided to skip labeling these candles.  It's more eco-friendly to not label them and the candles are absolutely beautiful as is.  Now if you prefer to have a label, we can add one for you at a nominal cost, but we think you'll agree with us... these candles need no labels.  They're simply gorgeous and classic as is.

What else is new?  We'll, we have several Valentine's Day themed products now available.... from strawberry shea hand soaps to massage candle tealights.  We're also happy to welcome back our Love Gift Candle as seen in the August 2011 issue of Essence Magazine.

Let's see... what else do we have up our sleeve??   A customer loyalty program.  We have some of the best and loyal customers out there and we want to give them the special treatment they deserve.  Look for this program to start a little later this year as we fine tune the specifics.
2012 is starting off busy as you can see, but great.  We believe this year will be an awesome one on so many levels.  You know... the mind is a powerful tool.  Believe great things and great things will happen.  We believe we've started 2012 off on the right foot and we're committed to making the year fantastic.  

What are your goals for 2012?  What do you believe about your 2012?  Whatever it is... keep believing, keeping working, keeping growing... it's on the way... trust and know that it is if you believe!

Live well... and make life yummy!

Work vs. Life Balance

Being an entrepreneur isn't easy. Your days are often long.  Your nights are often not a time for winding down and relaxing, it's time you use to work more and sometimes worry about decisions to make and avenues to take.  (Hey, that rhymes! lol)  Your personal life becomes a blur and willingly you allow it happen because you believe in your your business, your vision and your brand.  It's only when something happens, a life event that shakes you up some, or maybe you become ill, that you take step back and remember that you may need to spend a little more time on you and those you love... after all, if you're run-down, sick or stressed out, what good are you really to your business, your customers, your clients?  None.

As entrepreneurs, it's important that we care for ourselves so we can best serve our craft.  Taking just a few minutes a day to focus on self, is a few minutes well invested and truth be told, needed.  Bottom line = We need to stop and smell the roses.  Life is too short not to.

Below are a few suggestions for taking care of you.  Some of them are downright obvious and should be innate but a driven entrepreneur often forgets about them and needs a little reminder.

• Go for a 10 minute walk to clear you mind. While walking, mentally focus on other areas of your life or just observe your surroundings. Nature is inspiring.  It's beauty can help produce feelings of tranquility and relaxation.
• Eat. (You'd be surprised how many entrepreneurs neglect to eat in order to work more.)  Even better... schedule lunch or dinner dates with friends or your family to keep connected.
• Drink plenty of water. (Coffee doesn't count.)
• Take a few minutes each day to meditate or pray.
• Shower or bathe by candlelight before going to bed. (This works wonders for a good night's rest.)
• Do something that will make you laugh. Laughter really is good medicine.
• Smile. It's contagious and is a mood booster.
• Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.

Summer Pleasures

Summer is our favorite season.  It's a season of vacations, time with family and friends, theme parks and grilling great foods, all while being able to wear bright clothes and the summer staple... flip flops.  (Love those!)

What do you love about summer?  What's on your To-Do list before summer ends?  Up next on our list...  to take beautiful summer pics for our scrapbook so we can remember them fondly during the upcoming winter months when it's really cold in NJ!

Congrats Pookalita!

Congratulations to Dawn Fitch (aka Pookalita), the creator of the natural bath & body brand, Pooka Pure & Simple, on her first retail store!  We can only imagine how exciting this is for her and the Pooka family.  Dawn and company are working hard to deliver the best, she's a wonderful person and a fellow Indie.  We're so very happy for Pooka! 

I stopped by today and snapped a few pics to share with our friends.  The official grand opening is September 10th.  If you're in the NJ area, please stop by. It's going to be awesome! (You have to smell her Pomegranate Kiwi Body Polish... it's amazing!) 

   Pooka Pure & Simple

   15. S. Essex Street, Orange, NJ

    Handcrafted soaps made by NJ's own, The Soap Coach!

    Goodies await in every corner.

    Products that moisturize and pamper!

    Luxurious body oils and whipped body creams.

   Simply beautiful!

    The Demo Station

    Yum Yum Candles  :-)

Christmas in July

'Tis the season for retailers and manufacturers to really start getting in gear for the holidays.  It's only July but it's time to get ready for the Christmas shopping season so holiday gift items are on the brain.

We have 2 great new candle scents we plan to offer.  They're a little different than your traditional holiday scents like pumpkin and gingerbread, but we like them a lot and think our customers will too.

Gift baskets will be available and we think may offer shea butter soap again this year too.  (They were a hit last year!)

Here's a sneak peak of a gift candle in the final stages of being designed.  We call them Bling Candles.  They'll be available in votive sets and 8 oz. sizes with a few colored ribbon options.  What do you think?  We like them!

Yum Yum Candle in Essence Magazine!

We're super excited about being featured in the August 2011 issue of Essence Magazine!!  Our "Love" Gift Candle is featured among products from other great companies we know and admire in the article Fab Finds $15 or Less.

I'm loving it! A LUSH Curly Wurly Shampoo Review

LUSH Curly Wurly Shampoo

Who doesn't love LUSH?  Their yummy concoctions for bath & body can make even the most uninterested shopper perk up with intrigue.

This past weekend I stopped by my local LUSH shop for a conditioner for my thick, naturally curly hair.  I ended up purchasing their Curly Wurly shampoo and boy am I glad I did!  It's just the thing for my dense and moisture-loving locks.

The first thing I noticed was it's texture.  It's thick, creamy, a little oily and contains bits and pieces of what appear to be coconut flesh.  It looks handmade and minimally processed.  As a crafter of handmade goodies for home & body products myself I have a great appreciation for handmade products.  I know that those made well, are simply fabulous!   I sometimes think people view handmade products as inferior... and well, a poorly skilled crafter likely makes inferior products but I know the reverse is also true.....a skilled crafter makes products that are SUPERIOR, surpassing the quality of those mass manufactured using machinery.  Needless to say, in the case of Curly Wurly, it's handmade appeal made it a winner for me in the appearance category.

Next, I observed its scent.  Two words: LOVE IT.  It smells like fresh coconut and vanilla with a trace of fruit oils to me.  Its scent was another winner for me.

Finally, I looked at its ingredients.  Woweee, what a list of nourishing ingredients!  Containing creamed coconut and coconut oil, papaya, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, shea butter, avocado butter and even fresh free range eggs among other ingredients, I became excited about the product so I decided to purchase it and try it out.

I honestly don't have much luck with shampoos.  Most of them strip my hair and leave it dry and tangled so I was a little nervous about how my hair would turn out.  My nerves increased while shampooing as I realized those tiny little pieces of coconut could get "lost" in my thick curly hair, making it impossible to fully rinse the product from my hair.  Much to my delight (and relief) the product wasn't too hard to rinse out.  I wasn't left with head full of coconut shreds... just maybe 2 or 3.  Not bad!!

Here's a close-up of the shampoo:

While rinsing my hair I immediately noticed how moisturized my hair felt.  My tiny corkscrew curls seemed to "pop" more too.  They seemed to clump together nicely, forming larger, more manageable ringlets and spirals.  (With hair as thick as mine, that's a desirable result.)

I didn't have to use a lot of product either.  Just two little scoops (one per each section of my hair which I washed in two sections) were enough to yield a nice, rich lather.   (The picture above was taken after use.)  I know I'll be able to get many uses out of the 7.7 oz jar which was approximately $22.  Another win!

Kudos to LUSH for creating such a wonderful product for those of us with very thick, curly hair.  I'm loving Curly Wurly and have added it to my short list of staple hair products.

Green Beauty Products Anyone?

Am I the only person who loves Shine from Yahoo?  I absolutely love browsing their content. The articles are always simple and informative reads... great for someone like me that stays on the go.

Today's great find on Shine: "The Latest in Earth-Friendly Beauty Products -- (That Don't Suck)".  As eco-friendly company, we wanted to share this article with you.  Read more about the featured green products here: http://yhoo.it/fQ2UMd.  We love that they're budget-friendly too. 
WIN WIN!

The top 2 featured products include:

#1: The Body Shop Shower Gels for Earth Lovers, $12




AND

#2: SheaMoisture Organic Red Bush & Sage Congestion Relief Bath, $9.99

Found: Good Exists!

Turn on the news, read the paper, or browse the web and you’re bound to find reports of crime, misfortune, or scandal.  It seems like every day, something bad is happening somewhere.  In fact lots of bad things to seem to be happening everyday somewhere.  It can be really scary at times and leave you wondering "Is there any good in the world?"

Good news travels... but unfortunately bad news travels faster.  Bad news travels like lightening... good news seems to travel as slow as a snail but it exists. It's worth seeking out from time to time as a reminder of its existence too.  It's like "food for the soul".  It can help encourage, motivate, inspire, rejuvenate... it can help restore faith in the belief that not everything in this world is bad or evil.

We searched online and found plenty of good news; some we want to share with you here.  Read one or two of the stories and consider sharing. The bad news is that good news will only travel if we share it.  The good news is... good exists!


WHDH-TV - Homeless man returns wallet, gets donations: http://t.co/zvFIvqi


CBS Detroit - Bystander Foot Chase Nabs Detroit Wallet Thief: http://t.co/GzpAsyD

Greektown (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Huffington Post - Stranger Saves Man's Life Through Internet Organ Donation: http://bit.ly/aoC93n

Associated Press

ABC - West Phila. concert raises money for fire victims:
http://bit.ly/ez76WV

Video courtesy of ABC

Incredibly yummy, thankfully distant!

Ok, so I had probably THE BEST cupcake I've ever had in my xx years last night.  Is this monumental?  No.  Is it life-changing?  Not really.  Is it worth this post so I can shout out this bakery and hopefully bring them more business?  YES.

Kudos to Mr. Cupcakes located in Clifton, NJ!  The vanilla cake, coconut buttercream cupcake I DEVOURED last night was absolutely delicious.  Talk about moist!  The buttercream icing was delish too... it was just right, sweet without being overly sweet or bitter tasting.  I wanted another one so bad but didn't dare take another.  (Summertime is coming. lol)

Does the name Mr. Cupcakes sound familiar to you?  Are you a Food Network fan?  Well, they were on Cupcake Wars!!  (I love that show.)

I know I'll be purchasing from them in the future for my bakery needs.  They have 3 locations in NJ (thankfully, none of them are located too close to me).  Their website says they make over 40 different cupcakes with all kinds of flavors from Peanut Butter & Jelly to French Toast.  All I can say is yum yum yummy! 

For more visit them online at www.mrcupcakes.com.




Photography by Helga Schaefer

It Feels Good To Go Green!

I can honestly admit that if you asked me about "going green" or "buying natural" or supporting the "eco-friendly" or "sustainable" movement years ago, I wouldn't have had much to say except maybe "ok" or "sounds cool".  Trying to do what I could do, being just one person, to help save our environment wasn't high on my thought list.  It wasn't.  As I started to hear more about going green on TV, online or in magazines (I'm an avid reader), I became really interested in it.  I started to seek out more information.  The more I learned, the more I became convinced to join movement.  I became willing and was excited to help do my part.  It ultimately is for a great cause after all... one that we all share an invested interest in too.... our planet!

Going green, living green, being green... it's not so hard.  Getting started is easy and it's a commitment that is really easy to keep.  You may even find it fun.  I do!  I like to challenge myself to do something green whenever possible.  It's almost like a mental game I play with myself.  I like to stop and consider if what I'm about to throw away can be reused in some way, shape or form.  I like to research eco-friendly companies and support them when I can.  I do the same in the grocery store... I read labels and support the efforts of green and natural brands.  I recycle.  I buy used books.  I purchase items made with recycled or sustainable materials.  (Sustainable is defined as "of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged" by Merriam-Webster.)  I donate clothing I no longer want (that's a form of recycling too).  Whatever I can do, I do.  I'm not a fanatic or a radical but I believe in the movement and want to play a part.

I'm sure you have nieces or nephews, smaller cousins or maybe you're a mom or a dad.  What we do now, will impact what the world will look like and be like when our little ones get to be adults and start families of their own.  What will we leave them?  What can we do to help protect their future environment?  If for no other reason, caring about the future for our younger ones is a great motivator to go green.  I bet that once you get started.... you won't want to stop because it really feels good to go green!

Want to learn more?  Try reading Living Green by Greg Horn.  It's a great and easy read with lots of useful information. It's available on Amazon.com with many in "used" condition.☺ 

Living Green by Greg Horn on Amazon.com