"But what I really want to do…"

I have a cartoon that hangs in my home office, showing a prosperous man standing in front of a huge plate glass window, behind a huge oak desk. He is talking to a man in a three piece suit on the other side of the desk, saying, "…but what I REALLY want to do is make candles."

I didn't start out wanting to be a candle maker. My husband and I finished college in the mid '70s, with degrees in business administration, and he was not eager to settle into a "real" job quite yet. I was anxious to pay off student loans, and soon was working in the corporate world. My husband was off on his "not a real job" tangent. We had seen carved candles in Hawaii and on the piers in San Francisco, and he decided that would be a good "one-year venture." I thought he was being silly…

While it took him longer than he expected to work the kinks out, he finally was satisfied with his craft, and talked me into joining him for a Christmas season. We spent the following summer working at a shop in Blackpool, England -- a very popular vacation destination for Brits. We worked at fairs and area shopping malls. We returned to England 3 times over the next few years, but each time found more and more candle makers that had sprouted up from our initial summer. More than once, we got a kick out of hearing one say they had invented the idea.

Eventually my husband was ready for a REAL job and returned to school for a teaching degree; he has been a high school math teacher ever since. I found that candle-making dovetailed nicely with raising a family. I could work at a craft show on the weekend, or work a limited holiday season, and still be with my kids 90% of the time.

I have done some shows for more than 30 years and have many customers that have become good friends over the years. Most of my specialty holiday candles have come about because of a special request by one of these wonderful people.

A few years ago, my husband began hinting that it might be time for ME to get a REAL job. I have given it a lot of thought. While I would like the challenge of something new and interesting, and would enjoy meeting new people, I do remember that, with a REAL job, you have to go EVERY DAY!

In the end, I'm drawn back to that cartoon. My business degree was with a specialization in finance, and I realized after my short stint in the business world that, while I enjoyed the study and theory of economics, when it comes to putting it all into practice, I HATE paperwork!

But, I LOVE candlemaking. I love color and trying new shades and combinations. I love creating "theme" candles that celebrate special days and special people. I especially love hearing about my customers' special celebrations and family traditions. If you're looking for something unique, please feel free to send me a message. I'd love to work with you and see what we can create!