Tips to make your candles last

To get the most out of your candles, follow these tips:


Keep your wick trimmed. Before lighting your candle, trim the wick to 1/4" above the wax.  Anything longer can cause the wick to burn too quickly and to create smoke.  If you have a "mushroom" at the top of your wick after burning, it's too long.

Candles add fragrance, warmth and comfort to a home.
Try these tips to keep them burning longer.

Avoid drafts.  Drafts can cause your candle to burn unevenly.  Sometimes the drafts in your home are subtle and you may not notice.  If you see your candle is burning unevenly, rotate it 90 degrees with every burn .  This will help you get the most from your wax.


Burn your candles long enough.  Burn your candles no more than 3 to 4 hours at a time.  A general rule of thumb is to burn your candle one hour per inch of diameter. Burning candles longer can cause the wax to get too hot and your may risk your glass breaking from the heat.


Use a candle snuffer.  The snuffer eliminates the oxygen needed for the fire to burn and enables the fire to estinguish itself naturally.  This also allows the wax to remain in its melt pool without splattering all over.  If a snuffer is unavailable, blow the candle out by placing your finger in front of the flame and blow gently.


Place a teaspoon of water in the bottom of your votive holder before inserting the candle. This will prevent your votive from overheating and ease in removal of the candle.


And always, keep your candle away from children and pets. 

Follow up to Blogger Blues

Not too long ago, I wrote about my case of "Blogger Blues." Many of you responded that you feel the same from time to time. It's no wonder! Many of my followers are running their own business, sometimes in addition to working part or full time, in addition to family responsibilities.


Some of you responded to the post with comments of "yes, me to!" or even words of wisdom.  Well, today I have a few words of wisdom of my own.


Ok, they aren't quite my own.  While waiting and hoping to get into a Tophatter auction today (another post), I was wandering around the web, trying to find pieces of business advice I could use.  In doing so, I came across the website Hubspot.com.  If you're not familiar with it, check it out.  There is a good, free analysis of your social media ranking, accompanied with a few free white papers on how to optimize your online presence.  (I downloaded their ebooks on Twitter, blogs, and Facebook.)  


While there, I perused their blog and found this awesome article on 41 Fresh Blog Post Ideas for Your Company Blog.  I hope you take the time to check out the website and to read the article on your own, but for those of you with time poverty, here is my Top Ten List:

1. Share a tip of things to avoid.
2. Relate your how-to content to a current event or celebrity. Example "5 _____Lessons from Lady Gaga" or "What the Election Teaches Us About_____".
3. Do a links-round up of relevant news for your community.
4. Do a round-up of your most popular posts.
5. Respond to industry research with your own perspective.
6. Feature guest posts from industry experts.
7. Publish responses to frequently asked questions about your industry.
8. Interview your favorite customer.
9. Run a contest and give away something relevant to your community.

And Number 10: (I really wish there were an auto feature to count down from 10 to 1)

Ask for guest posts from community members!

I love that one! I need to have a few of these in my pocket for whenever my well or my time runs dry!

What tips do you have? Comment and take my poll on the right! (And yes, I may feature them - with credit to the author - in the future!)

Follow me!

I feel so lucky to have grown my fan base to its current level, and it's all because of you!


Those of you who have followed me for a while know I spend a lot of my time marketing my business.  Did you know:

• My first marketing initiative was my newsletter. It has grown from 20+ close friends to nearly 100 people including customers, vendors, and others who are interested? I've also grown the format from a simple Publisher piece to an electronic newsletter with subscriptions? (If you haven't already, you can subscribe here.)
• I have a Facebook Fan page with over 120 fans and I give away a free product every month?
• Through the prodding of the Etsy Promotional Frenzy Team, my third marketing initiative was Twitter.  I never thought I would tweet, and now I have a Klout score of 37. (Go to www.klout.com for more on this). You can follow me @DLitesbyDorene.
• I've fallen in love with Pinterest.
• I've written 24 blog posts.

Perhaps this isn't earth shattering news or the strongest of social media efforts out there, but for someone who began this business venture less than a year ago and had no interest in SEO, it's been huge for me personally.  

I share this with you today for three reasons:

1. I love sharing my product. Please "like" my Facebook page if you haven't already. 
2. I hope to encourage everyone out there that working the social media is easy to do, although it does take time, skill and practice for the efforts to reap the benefits.
3. To thank you for reading my post and to offer you an additional 15% off any purchase (including sales and clearance) through the end of March.  If you email your order to me, the discount will be subtracted from your final price; if you purchase through my Etsy shop, please use coupon code BLOGLOVER at checkout.

I hope you continue to follow me through whichever media outlet you prefer. But please know I offer different  specials at various times through all of my marketing initiatives.

Thank you so much for your support! Enjoy the green this weekend!

Last month I launched new product lines of diffuser oils and fragrance sprays.  I'm happy to say my line continues to grow, but I need your help.  


If you've ever seen my fragrance listing, you know that it is extensive.  I'm currently seeking product testers for feedback on new fragrances to offer.  I've currently received feedback on a handful of fragrances, but have many more to go. So,....I NEED YOUR HELP! 

I am currently seeking testers for my new line of diffuser oils and fragrance sprays.  Please email me three fragrances you'd like to test, and I'll send you one (my choice) 1 oz. complimentary sample to test.  A complete fragrance listing is available here.

Thank you for your help!

Color of the Year

I've recently found myself thinking a lot about trends. All kinds. Technology. Social trends. Fragrance trends (of course). But not fashion, I'm a Capricorn, after all.


So I thought today's post would be about color trends. Every year Pantone researches worldwide socio-economic conditions to determine the color influencer for the upcoming year. Here's a snippet from their news release:


To arrive at the selection, Pantone quite literally combs the world looking for color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films that are in production, traveling art collections, hot new artists, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, availability of new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention.


The 2012 color of the year, drum roll please, is Tango Tangerine. 

According to to the Pantone website, 


Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.  Over the past several years, orange has grown in popularity and acceptance among designers and consumers alike. A provocative attention-getter, Tangerine Tango is especially appealing in men’s and women’s fashion.


Personally, when I first heard the news, my reaction was, "Hmmm....." I'm not an orange person.  But the more I see the color, the more I like it.  It is more red and appealing to me than I first thought.  Here are another image of the color from the Pantone website:

So, what are your thoughts? Do you follow color trends, and do you use them in your daily life or business?

Pearberry - March fragrance of the month

Sorry I've been MIA for a while....I'm glad to be back and to announce the March fragrance of the month - Pearberry!


For anyone who is a fan of Bath & Body Works, you know what a wonderful fragrance Pearberry is! Combining the fragrances of perfect pear and beautiful berry, Pearberry is a classic for anyone, anytime.


In addition to launching this new fragrance line, I’m pleased to announce the introduction of bath & body fragrances in addition to my home fragrance line. New products include body lotion and spray, as well as hand and foot balm to soothe away those rough edges and callousness.


While the Fragrance of the Month, Peryberry is 10% off.  Products shown include: 

• 12 oz. container candle, $14.85; 
• 7 oz. cocktail glass candle, $6.75; 
• tea lights, 6 pack for $5.50; 
• fragrance tarts 4 pack, $4.50; 
• room and linen spray, - $9.45; 
• votives, 4 for $9.00; 
• wickless candle, $4.50; 
• body lotion, 4 oz. for $7.20; 
• body spray, 4 oz. for $7.20.; 
• and hand and foot balm, 2 oz. for $10.00.

 Please take a look and indulge yourself!