Heavenly Impressions

Okay, so I usually talk candles and fragrances, but I have a wonderful company that I felt compelled to dish about: Heavenly Impressions.

Based out of Shreveport, Lousiana, Heavenly Impressions is the brainchild of Rachel Fultz (www.heavenlyimpressions.com). Heavenly Impressions offers chic and trendy scrapbook inspired photo cards and other unique products. These wonderful cards aren’t your everyday cards! From invitations to holiday cards, Heavenly Impressions has a creative array of fantastic choices.

I discovered this fantastic company while trying to find photo birthday cards for my daughter’s upcoming birthday party several years ago. She was having a Flip Flop Pool Party theme. When I stumbled on Rachel’s site, I was sold! Her Hot Pink Hawaiian card was EXACTLY what I’d been hunting for!

I’d ordered from other companies before finding Rachel’s fantastic company. I won’t ever go back! Not only were the cards professional, the customer service was outstanding. Rachel quickly answers any questions or concerns. She gets back to you with a proof of your design very quickly and ships promptly (although if you’re a procrastinator like me, she does offer Rush Delivery). AND, if your daughter decides to take all 25 invitations to school and invite her entire class plus a few, and you are now out of invitations to give to family members and neighbors....Rachel is more than happy to create a few more ;) Don't ask me how I know this, LOL.

In addition to invitations for all occasions, Rachel offers birth announcements, stationary, address labels and jewelry! For the Holidays, her photo Christmas cards are perfect (and she also offers Hanukah cards as well). Again being the ever constant procrastinator that I am, I missed Christmas cards last year and ended up ordering New Year’s cards. I came up with a cute poem and Rachel custom designed the cards to fit my needs. They turned out beautifully and everyone loved them! This year we’ll be ordering the photo ornaments as presents for family!

So if you’re looking for unique, high quality custom cards, ornaments, stationary or more, be sure to swing by http://www.heavenlyimpressions.com/ . You won’t be disappointed!

The Blue Gecko Candle Company's August Newsletter!

Happy August!

We hope you are all managing to survive this scorching summer heat!
In an effort to bring some good out of this miserable sweltering heat, today only, if you type in the coupon code, “Heatstroke”, you will receive 15% off your order! Offer good on purchases made today August 1, 2008 only and expires at midnight MST. Don’t forget about your free tarts! Spend $35 or more (prior to shipping and taxes) and click on the “Freebie” link to get your three free tarts, your choice of scent!

New scents for this month :

*Bellissima Bella
*Forever Alice
*Sugared Raspberry Violets

In honor of the release of Stephenie Meyer's final book in the "Twilight" series, "Breaking Dawn" (which I happen to be ridiculously obsessed with), we are proud to introduce two new fragrances inspired by our favorite characters!

Bellissima Bella: If you’re a fan of the wonderful Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer, this is what we think Bella must smell like to that handsome forbidden fiend of hers ;) Soft floral notes of lavender and freesia are dazzled with fresh cut spruce, sprinkled with luscious sugar crystals and balanced out with just a hint of orange zest; ending with a sweet infusion of juicy summer berries, picked in the deep woods of Forks, Washington. Be warned, may attract Vampires.

Forever Alice: Inspired by the hit novel, “Twilight”, our custom blend, Forever Alice, is named for the premonition having best friend of Bella. Alice is a teenage girl, bubbly sweet, but she also happens to be a vampire, immortally cold..she's forever Alice. Our interpretation of Alice is filled with sweet, sugary cotton candy, innocent creamy vanilla and swirls of gooey caramel; ending with an icy tribute to her cold immortal destiny; minty fresh, frosty cold peppermint. May induce possible premonitions of the future, visions may or may not be reliable.

We’ve also added the delightful fragrance, Sugared Raspberry Violets; sweet summer raspberries are married with soft delicate violets and sprinkled with just a dusting of crystalline sugar.

We are also proud to introduce our new line of Sassy Sink Scents! This isn't your granny's cleaner! This is a sassy, chic, and fabulously fragrant sink freshener, deodorizer, and cleaner! Highly scented, this sink scent is a wonderful way to get rid of that icky odor coming from your drain! Simply fill your sink with hot water, adding 3-4 tablespoons of our cleanser while water is running. Let the water cool, and the steam from the water will infuse your home with an amazing amount of fragrance! Once the water is cool, drain the water and use a sponge to scrub the remaining mixture in the sink. Non drain clogging. Available in all of our body safe scents!

We hope you are all managing to keep cool. We’d also like to remind everyone to burn responsibly! If you’re not sure how to properly burn a candle, be sure to check out our article in the August edition of Candle Corner Magazine!

http://www.candlecornermagazine.com/august08page3.htm

We hope you are having a wonderful summer! Enjoy those refreshing summer scents, fall is just around the corner (think pumpkin and spices)!

Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to stop by http://www.bluegeckocandles.com/!

Deirdre
Owner
www.bluegeckocandles.com

The Wonderful World of Tarts!

Scents can trigger memories, affect your mood, and create a sense of well being. With summer in full swing, many might shy away from lighting candles to create the fragrances they so love. An open flame in 100 degree weather? Not very appealing. So what can we use to scent our living and work spaces without adding to the heat? More and more people are turning to wax tarts as wickless alternatives to burning candles.

What is a tart? A tart (also known as a wax melt, wax potpourri, or scent disk) is highly scented wax poured into molds…with no wick! Tarts can come in a variety of clever shapes, depending on what mold is used. Below is a picture of our own Jelly Berry Butter Cookie Tarts!





A tart is one of the most efficient ways to fragrance your living space. No wick means no open flame to add to the heat of the day, and tarts can be used in places candles aren’t allowed..like offices or dorm rooms! Tarts have the potential to be stronger than candles (no flame means more fragrance can be added!), and they are extremely user friendly.

To use a tart, simply place the wax tart in an approved tart warmer and turn on. Once the tart has melted (it should be fully melted within 35 minutes or so), the fragrance is released. A good tart will last a minimum of 8 hours, depending on the type of warmer used, the fragrance itself and how long the burner is on. Another wonderful benefit of tarts? When you’re tired of smelling a certain fragrance, you can simply change tarts!

Unlike a candle, the wax does NOT disappear. If using a warmer with a removable bowl, once the fragrance has faded (or you want something new), turn the warmer off and let the wax cool and harden. Once cool, you place the removable bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes, remove from the freezer and the wax should just pop out! NEVER place cold (frozen) bowl back on the warmer, please wait for the bowl to reach room temperature. Another option is to simply pour the hot wax into a jar or can and wipe the bowl clean (please be careful, wax and bowl will be very hot). NEVER pour the wax into your sink, while it may get rid of that icky leftover spaghetti smell, it will clog your pipes! Easy to use, tarts are also easier to store than candles (and a lot less bulky).

Tarts should be stored in their own packaging. Keeping them in a cool dark area (a drawer or a closet) will help preserve their longevity. For best results, tarts should be used within 6 months, however, some tarts may last up to one year depending on the scent. Storing multiple scents together may cause the scents of those tarts to intermingle. Nothing like lilac cinnamon grapefruit tarts to make you gag! Now that tarts have been explained, what is the best way to melt them?

There are a variety of tart warmers on the market today. There are tea light burners, tin burners, burners that melt with light bulbs, and electric ceramic burners. So which one is best? While it is a matter of personal preference, there are some facts to consider before making a tart warmer purchase. Tealight burners (which require a tealight candle to melt the tarts) may not melt the tart completely, and fragrance may not be as strong (and if you’re trying to avoid an open flame, this defeats the purpose). With light bulb burners, you will have to replace bulbs. Many consumers today are turning to the electric plug in tart warmers with the removable bowls.

These are my personal favorites, and are currently carried in our store: http://www.bluegeckocandles.com/. They melt the tarts nicely, don’t get overly hot, and you can turn them on and off with a click of a button. With the electric warmers, you never have to replace light bulbs or use tea lights. Using an electric tart warmer is ideal for dorms, nursing homes, offices, or other places where an open flame is forbidden. Do keep in mind, just like a candle, you should NEVER leave a tart warmer unattended.

Tarts are a wonderful alternative to candles. Decorative, highly scented, long lasting, and no flames make these wonderful wax tidbits a fantastic alternative to burning candles during these hot summer months.

Written by: Deirdre Motley – Owner www.bluegeckocandles.com