A Gift to Nurture Yourself
You deserve a gift.
Yes, you read that right. You really DO deserve a present, and I’m serving up a special one this morning. We have been developing our Finding Sanctuary Home Collection for months. And today we are officially launching the sanctuary candles and sprays we’ve been working on. Ever since I wrote a post about my favorite candles several years ago, I’ve been dreaming about creating a line of my own. We finally did it!
So, if you’re feeling impatient and just want to peek at these beauties, click here.
But if you’re in the mood for a bit of a story, read on!
Over the past year, I’ve been obsessing over every candle detail to get them just right — the perfect scent blend of organic, essential oils, the best wax, the ideal pouring methods, the exact diameter of wick, the recycled glass container, the best box and label design, the packing materials — all of it. I did indeed sweat the small stuff because honestly, I wanted them to be utterly perfect in every way for everyone who wants to create instant sanctuary, that healing space of peace and harmony.
It was the same for the sprays—the matching essential oil blend to the candles, the magical piece of larimar slipped inside to activate the properties of the oils, the best bottles, just every. Single. Little. Detail. I practiced using them until the best way to create a portal to sanctuary came through to me in a moment of divine inspiration. You spray it several times, in a circle in front of you, and then after giving it a moment to diffuse, you step through the opening, inhaling that heavenly scent. A portal to sanctuary? Oh yes.
You may know that our olfactory sense, our sense of smell, is the one that is most connected to memory. Maybe you’ve experienced the way the smell of baking cookies can take you home in your mind. I wanted to leverage the science of how our brains work to make sanctuary more portable. Imagine this—you light your sanctuary candle in your sanctuary at home as you journal, or make art, or do whatever feeds your soul. The subtle scent of the candle suffuses your activities. Then, as you leave for the day you throw your Sanctuary Spray in your purse. When you find yourself needing a bit of sanctuary as you go through your day, voilà—you pull out your Sanctuary Spray, spritz it in the air around you, and find that the peace and energy of your sanctuary at home has found you in that moment, wherever you are. This to me is nothing short of magic.
But there’s more! The candles have an even bigger purpose and impact, which I’m so excited to share. For their creation, I partnered with a local non-profit organization in Naples, Florida where I live. I chose the STARability Foundation—they provide life-transforming programs and resources for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community. As the current president of their board of directors, I love the concept of helping to provide employment and enterprise to their members. In the STARability STAR*made Studio, members lovingly hand-pour each candle, using our custom-blended scent. Then they package them to our exact specifications. It’s a wonderful fit for all involved. And this partnership is a way for us to put the principles of sanctuary into action. We put out an exceptional sanctuary product into the marketplace, while helping our community and providing jobs. Everyone wins!
So as you think about gifts for yourself or others, in considering our candles and/or sprays, know that you are assisting with the transformation of lives—yours, ours, the recipient of your gift and members of our local Naples community with disabilities. It doesn’t get much better than that. In this way, a little bit of sanctuary reaches everyone involved.
We’re even doing a special package of a matching candle and spray in a gift pack at a special price.
Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks. We have more exquisite products to share, more sanctuary to create and more delights to discover together. MUCH to be grateful for.
And I am so very grateful for you, reading this, wherever you are right now. I’m carrying you in my heart this week as I count my many blessings, of which you are most decidedly one.
Sending you love, gratitude and SANCTUARY for the Thanksgiving holiday,
Lisa