Southern Summer Collection-Soy Candles

Summer 2014 is unofficially here but for me it's now official with the introduction of my summer candle line. Summer in the south is about as hot and humid as it gets but we sure do love our summers! I've taken inspiration from the things that make summertime wonderful.

Southern Summer Collection
Junk Ranch Soy Candles

Let me show you my Southern Summer Collection...I'd love it if you could smell them but I will have to compensate with good descriptions...

Everyone knows how we love our sweet tea here...not iced, but sweet! Every picnic and cookout includes a jug of sweet tea and if you visit anyone in the south, you will barely get through the door before you're offered a glass.

Sippin' Sweet Tea
Soy Candle

I chose the 100 year anniversary blue Ball jars for Sippin' Sweet Tea for you to keep and enjoy when the candle is gone. This is a fresh scent that will make you think cool thoughts of sitting on the porch sipping tea with a sprig of lemon balm and mint. We've been burning this one for a couple of weeks now and I can tell you it's going to be a classic summer fragrance here! Once you are finished with your candle, carefully remove the wick tab and leftover wax, run it through your dishwasher and drink sweet tea from your jar.

Vegetable gardening has made a huge comeback in the last several years, especially with the ease of square foot gardening...there is nothing, nothing like a homegrown 'mater.

Country Garden
Soy Candle

My Country Garden candle is a wonderful mix of tomato leaves and basil...smells just like you are walking through the garden. It is light and a good choice for those that do not like a strong scented candle..These have been hand poured into vintage Kerr Jars I bought at an estate sale.

I have two different places I call my potting sheds here. One is behind the barn close to the garden and one is under the shed between the herb gardens. At either one I keep a big bag of potting soil for starting plants or re-potting them. I absolutely love the smell of dirt!

Pottin' Shed
Soy Candle

My Pottin' Shed candle has been poured into recycled bean cans and embellished with used bailing twine...just like I start young plants in. You can go into any barn around here and find that most people save their twine after they cut open a bail of hay....so many uses for that stuff to mention. This one smells like...you guessed it...dirt. Earthy and musky. Men seem to gravitate to this one.

I haven't worn shoes with toes in them in a month and I've added one more pair of flip flops to my collection already. The rule growing up was that you couldn't go bare footed until May 1st. I don't do much bare footin' these days because I prefer my feet to be soft now, unlike the days when I would brag about being able to run across the gravel driveway without it hurting my feet.

Bare Footin'
Soy Candle

I love these little quilted jelly jars for my Bare Footin' candle. They are the perfect size for a small table or on your kitchen counter. When you walk into a room where this one is burning you may think the window is open and someone just cut the grass...fresh and inviting!

...And on the same path as dirt and grass are probably a few wildflowers. We have a more and more daisies each year in the field beside our house. They are the first of many that I pick each spring to add to bouquets from my flower and herb gardens.

Pickin' Wildflowers
Soy Candle

 Pickin' Wildflowers is a nice floral and herb scent that smells as good cold as it does burning. It will definitely give your home a pleasant summery aroma.  I've poured them into green collectible vintage style Ball jars so you can enjoy the candle now and the jar later as a flower vase.

And, what would summer be without a beach trip or six? Going to the beach is a given for most of us. It's as close as three hours to Myrtle or five to OBX, which is our favorite.

Sun Tannin'
Soy Candle

This has to be the official "smell of summer". Sun Tannin' captures all that is perfect about the beach. It is the smell you have on your beach towel after a day of swimming and you hang it out to dry...suntan oil, salt, a  little citrus, a  little floral...perfect. I poured twice to get the sand and water effect...maybe next time I will try to get sand, water and top off with a light Carolina Blue sky.

All of these are now available in limited quantities just for the summer. Get them here at the ranch (please call, text, email or send a Facebook message for a pick up time). Please see the sidebar for contact information.

Remember. we keep your favorite "regulars" in stock year round...like Hazelnut Coffee and Lavender mixes. Do not hesitate to ask for a custom order of something you would rather have that is not in stock.

Got Candles?

Hand Poured Scented Soy Candles

I never intended to become a candle shop...but it's looking like that's the big draw here these days! I've had people drive out here from other cities just for my candles.

I first started pouring my own scented soy candles a couple of years ago, when my favorite little shop stopped making them. Until I "experienced" a soy candle I had been happy enough with my $4 Walmart candles even though they sooted up my ceilings a little.

Soy candles not only hold more fragrance, they burn clean and last much longer than paraffin candles. Most scents have as good a cold throw as hot. After my first soy candle, I have never bought another paraffin candle.

I started out with these great little mason jars because that was what I always bought. They look nice in your kitchen and add a little nostalgia.They come in 8oz and 16 oz sizes.

Jelly jars are as good in the bath or bedroom as in the kitchen, because of their generic appearance. They are available in 4 oz and 8 oz sizes.

The travel tins are always a must for vacation to freshen up your hotel room or beach/mountain house. Take a citronella out on your deck to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Also, these tins are what I use for my spa line. I keep them in three sizes...4 oz, 8 oz and 16 oz.

I've had the most fun getting creative with other vessels. When I used to mostly paint I always said I would paint on anything that didn't run away. Now, I'm pouring soy wax into anything that will hold it.

Vintage Art Pottery Planter

Vintage Art Pottery Planter and Vintage Scottie Glass Creamer

Vintage Milk Glass Goblets

Old Tins

Mid Century Stacking Mugs (JAPAN)

When you go to auctions as often as I have over the years you accumulate lots of glass whether you want it or not...the pieces come in box lots and if you want the one great treasure in the box you have to take the whole box of goodies to get it. I have managed to acquire lots of punch cups and vintage costume jewelry... 

The best thing about having a local candle shop is that you can have your favorite vessel refilled or bring in your own. Just today I had a customer bring in her own pieces and will be giving them as gifts. She was also able to request her favorite scents that I was not currently stocking. 

Customers Own Vessels

I hope you will come in and try one. Before I started making them I always liked to treat myself to a new candle or two each season. I couldn't wait to try something new! They make wonderful gifts and especially this time of year when you need to grab something for a your party hostess!

Vintage Teacup and Saucer with Mulled Cider & Chestnut Scented Soy Candle

I am now wholesaling them if you'd like to inquire for your shop or boutique.

I will be open one more Saturday before Christmas but as always, I am open by appointment...that simple! You can find select fragrances at Spade and Broom in Trinity and Palette Boutique in Thomasville if you are out and about. 

Parts + Pieces = Clean Studio

A while back I challenged myself to use up things from my junk stashes creatively as an incentive to get things organized. I would love to invite people back into my studio, but honestly I have no where to put them...I hardly have anywhere to work!

I'm not sure how long ago it was that I made myself that challenge...but I didn't do very well. I have continued to shop with the excuse that I needed to add to my rental inventory. Now, I actually have NO more room to store anything and I'm thinning my inventory by selling some of the overflow.

This week I've been in the studio making making more candy containers/vanity jars...etc. I made a few sales in my Etsy shop and now I'm motivated. $$

I have accumulated lots and lots of glass so I started with those shelves and I'm going to work my way around the studio until I'm down to the real junk...the stuff that probably needs to be thrown away....we'll see!

More to replace the sold pair....

Finally digging into the broken pearls I bought on Etsy years ago

A smaller set...5 and 7 inches high...nice for a vanity

This one I think I will keep...for a while at least...from a vintage fish bowl, and crystal candle holder and footed bowl

...salt shaker lid trimmed out with broken rhinestone jewelry

I have no shortage of plates either...china, ironstone, stoneware, old, new....

Small teapot centerpiece

I just brought this teapot home this past week...

The gold chains are from the old jewelry that I've had since bringing in the storage trailer in 2010...and so did the pink and gold rimmed plate.

This teapot "almost" sold a dozen different times. It works very well in it's new role as centerpiece. I hope someone will use it for tea parties!

I leave the lids unattached so you can use the teapots as vases if you'd like

These are so much fun to make! The bond is permanent and weather proof...some people use the centerpieces in the garden in warm months as totems or bird feeders...lots of uses for both jars and centerpieces.

What is it about Rust?

I have a thing for rust! As soon as I saw these doors I had a plan for them. The white stenciling is new as of last week but, soon I know the iron oxide will penetrate the new paint and begin to creep into the pattern and create a weathered patina that is unmatched in character...in my opinion.

They are metal cabinet doors my husband took off so that he could better use the cabinet in his shop. Knowing I love a little rust, left them out behind the building exposed to the elements for over a year...well, we forgot about them. The little bit of rust that was in a few choice places took over as they blew to the ground during a storm I suppose and became leaf covered in the fall. They remained there through the very wet winter and spring. Early in June, they appeared on the studio porch after the hubby rediscovered them. ...very proud of "his" work, later that day he told me my doors were ready. 

 They make a unique back drop for photo sessions or behind a guest book table. I also envision them separated and used individually behind fern stands...so many ideas!!

As I look around here I see rust in every direction...

This is a great old piece...heavy, heavy! It's an old street light base and makes a gorgeous pedestal...think ferns or other spillover plants or add a flat surface to the top and use as a guest sign in spot.

How cute is this rusty old Radio Flyer? 

What would you do with this old fireplace grate? I love it for flower pots.

Okay, you just never know when you will need a rusty old iron with a bent handle...but you do know where to find one!

If I keep looking I'm sure I could find just as many more pieces around here!

It's a Candy Bar Kinda Thing

A good friend and fellow vintage rental owner asked me recently if I had vessels for a candy bar. I had pinned some pretty photos on Pinterest but, no, I really had not started collecting pretty little jars, bowls or dishes.

When I first opened my shop I had lots of glass, many beautiful crystal and glass pieces, that came from the storage trailer. I had no trouble selling them. At the time, I didn't appreciate them and couldn't see a use for them...for me personally anyway....so they are gone. There are a few pieces now, that I would love to buy back since I have discovered I could use them...for a candy bar!

What is a candy bar? It's a buffet of candy actually. These are popular at receptions, engagement  and birthday parties.

This piece is made from an old
Hormel jar, 2 crystal candle holders, and a lamp finial

When looking through my inventory, I found I only had parts and pieces of jars, lids, and other baubles I had collected for making centerpieces and garden totems....then I had a light bulb moment....perfect! I got busy one afternoon and started putting pieces together until I had a nice little grouping of candy jars.

Jars and bowls for candy

Made from various pieces and parts

Interesting little bowl

This beautiful bowl I kept from the trailer contents

Two brandy snifters and two custard cups...pretty clever huh?..

I hope you like them. I enjoyed making them and now they are ready for rental.

Also, I think it's quite okay to mix things up a little...you know I love milk glass used with vintage aluminum so I spread out a few of my pieces just to get an idea if this would work as a candy bar also... I think so!

Milk glass is the new black!...it goes with everything.

This will dress up or down....

I hope to have some photos soon in situ!

We Are Leaving Easy Street

When our children were younger I was fortunate enough to take summers off for the most part and spend precious time with them. We "played" summer camp and did educational and fun activities throughout the day. We had a schedule that took us from quiet mornings learning to cook and read to chore time at the barn and garden. We spent time caring for and riding our horses, had art time and swam for hours at the community pool. Although I do remember being exhausted, it was a good time in our lives. I was on track with who I wanted to be and lived very authentically...for a few good years anyway.

As the kid's grew and schedules got tighter our lives changed quickly. Once we were very self sufficient here on our little homestead and had planned to teach our children these values...but, that wasn't the case. To make a long story short, we forgot our mission. Our careers took off and our lifestyle changed. We were too busy and because we could, we took a wrong turn down Easy Street.

Day by day we would buy something we could make or repair. We stopped more often to get fast food on the way home from gymnastics or ball practice, and we began subscribing to services we swore we'd never pay for...TV, trash pick up and cell phones for kids under 16!  We stopped planting a garden because we let spring go past without noticing we'd forgotten to  prepare our plot and then...Walmart opened up 5 miles from our country home. Need I say more?

I recognized our wrong turns many times (I wrote a very similar post two years ago) and have seriously tried to get back on track...especially during the years I homeschooled our son. Bless his heart, I'm sure he has repressed memories of planting with the signs and Three Sisters gardening...Google it!

I'm writing this more for myself than for any other reason really. It helps me to feel more organized to see it written in black and white...but here goes...if you are even still with me...

We are getting back on track this summer. My business is in the perfect stage for me to do this and summer is the perfect time, with the long days, to get organized. We are going back to the basics and trying to be as self sufficient as possible. I'm exhausted from trying to keep up with current trends, from social media to the newest business model. Before making this decision, I was at the point of being so overwhelmed I accomplished nothing day in and day out for weeks at a time.

We live in a world of information overload. I've spent countless hours keeping up a website, blog, facebook pages, Etsy and Ebay accounts and now Pinterest boards....and all for what? Business? That's what we tell ourselves. I made the most money I've ever made in my lifetime the last year we lived in our mobile home, before the internet or any paid advertising. We only "think" we have to do things like "they" say to be successful. I've been most successful when I've done things authentically.

My heart and gut tell me to slow down! I'm cutting back. I'm taking back some precious time that I want to spend with family and friends and getting reorganized into a simpler lifestyle...which includes my business.

With this said, this will be my last blog post until about August. You may see photo shoot postings that I will  be working on that I need linked from my website, but for the most part I am going to be pretty busy offline.

If you want information about vintage rentals please visit my website, www.thejunkranch.com. You will find all of my information there.

Your best bet for the most up to date information will be from my Facebook page....And you may certainly contact me for appointments for shopping and rental or design consultations. See the side bar for my contact info.

If you'd like more information on living a sustainable lifestyle there is much "out there" these days. The Urban Homestead  is a favorite and a wealth of info about doing this in small spaces. You don't need to live on a farm or even out in the country to be more self sufficient.

Thanks for reading and I will see you back here in about a month!
~Angie

Bring out the Swans...it's still raining!

Hand Poured Soy Candles in Vintage Swan Pottery Vessels

All of this spring rain has surely put a halt on any outdoor picture taking I've wanted to do this last week...or two! On a brighter note, the time inside has given me the opportunity to get a little more organized and I did happen to get a few more individual inventory shots of my rentals.

In the photo above I'm showing two of my vintage pottery swans that I've hand poured scented soy wax into. These are available for rent for entry tables...etc. They will burn for your entire event or longer and will  greet your guests with a pleasant aroma of your choosing. I stock all of the popular fragrance oils and can order by request....such a special touch for your special day or event!

A chipmunk sipping rain water from a leaf that had blown up on our front porch

The daily rains have also forced me to slow my roll and to try to enjoy a somewhat slower pace...giving me an opportunity also to notice that there is another world existing right under my nose that I'd ignored for quite a while...

A fledgling wren I found in the herb garden

I love my work, but I also love living out in the country and farm life. It takes balance to do it all. I'm still working on that...and focus! 

This summer, I'm making it my goal to live a balanced life. I'm blessed that I can and I'm very grateful! I love my life on the farm and my design and rental business that I run right here from home. It's the very best of both worlds. 

As I look out my window now...it's raining...again, but, that's okay.