Halloween 2011

Good Afternoon everyone,
I know I'm a little late with this post, but better late than never. I hope those that participate in Halloween activities had a great time this year.  My girls and my husband decorated the house with lights & some other goolish stuff.  My girls and I carved our pumpkins and gave out little mini bags of M&M cookies. This was the first year that I have seen these cookies.  The cookies were made with chocolate m&m's.  Yummy! The pediatric dentist said no sticky gooey candy. Chocolate only! Kids are so much fun during the holidays.  My girls are still celebrating Halloween. They continue to wear their costumes just about every other day! Well, I guess I am getting my monies worth. Halloween costumes have gotten more expensive over the years. Below, is a picture of my girls. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the house and pumpkins, but you get the idea...

My "Monster High" girls: clawdeen wolf and frankie stein...They have really sensitive skin, so we didn't do makeup this year.. In our house, Halloween starts in September and goes all the way to December!.. You got to love it though..It is great to see the kids having so much fun!..

About Us...Part 3

Hi everyone, welcome to part 3 of "About Us".  Okay, now for soaps. What gave us the notion to start making soaps? Well, I got this idea from my Grandma Mamie.  Yes, she has passed down this time consuming talent to me.  God bless her, she is now around 86 years young! See her in the photo below. This photo was taken several years ago. It is the only one I have for now but she still looks the same.

Our family really don't know her exact age because she has a couple of birth certificates with different birth years. She was born in the South.  Back then, it was not uncommon for there to be an error on birth certificates. When I was growing up, she never really wanted people to know how old she was.  I can remember when I was a little kid, she used to say "I am 21+ years old!"  As of today, we still don't know her exact age.  Her mission accomplished! She is too funny!  She is battling Alzheimer's and is winning everyday! We love you Grandma..

Anyways, when I was a little girl, she used to make these big batches of handmade soap in those black speckled roasting pans that you get at a local 5 and dime store.  Remember Woolworth's? I used to work there in High School.  Those were the good ole days! Okay, enough of that.  Back to soap.  All of the kids in the house (she was also a foster mom), used to laugh at her and say "that stuff stinks!"  Now I know, that it was the sodium hydroxide (lye) and the water combination that used to smell so bad.  Low and behold, I am now carrying on her tradition.

These days in time, the soap making process has modernized.  The process in general is more precise with the introduction of computer software to help with calculations of the soap ingredients.  My Grandmother used whatever oils she had in her kitchen to make handmade soap.  Today, the ingredients we use to make soap now include many luxury oils and butters such as Jojoba Oil and African Shea Butter.  These oils and butters were not as readily accessible to my Grandmother back then when I was a child.  Thank goodness for the Internet!  The Internet has made it possible to purchase these fabulous products with just a click of a "mouse."  We can now customize our soaps to compliment a particular skin type or create a certain characteristic feel.  How great is that?  How many different soap scents (natural of course) and color (we love color) combinations can you think of?  If I had all the time in the world and unlimited resources, the combinations I could create would be endless..  Until next time...

About Us...part 2

Post by Sonya on October 18, 2011

Good Day everyone, welcome to part 2 of "About Us".  Have you asked yourself what started us to making candles and soaps. Well, let me start by telling you that in my younger years I worked in the retail industry.  Later on, I turned the tables a bit and worked in the banking industry for over 11 years.  While working in the banking world, I acquired an education in Cosmetology.  When I was a little girl I thoroughly enjoyed any and all aspects of Cosmetology.  It has always been in my nature to be of service by doing whatever I can to help people feel about themselves.  Unfortunately, I became ill and I was left with trying to find something to do at home that allowed me to channel some energy, hence Dixon Candle and Bath  came about. Originally the name was Dixon Candle and Distribution but we changed it awhile ago.  It is a wonderful hobby, when time permits, that keeps my creativity flowing.  See me being a mad scientist!

 I started making candles back in 2001 before the natural candle industry became so widespread.  I got tired of buying candles at the store and when I got home and lit them, I could hardly smell any fragrance.  I am somewhat crafty by nature, so off to the nearest local craft store I went.  I purchased all the supplies to make my first candle.  Family and friends loved them and voila!  At first we started with paraffin wax and then quickly changed to natural vegetable wax candles due to environmental concerns.

Scented candles provide an ambiance that can't be surpassed.  Burned correctly, candles can help you embark on a soothing and calming journey.  Candles can be burned with a specific color in mind to help bring about a particular mood or "vibe."  (We will do a separate entry on candle colors and what they represent.)  Until next time, stay tuned for part 3 of "About Us."

About Us..part 1

Posted by Sonya on October 17, 2011

Hi everyone, Fall is finally upon us here in NE Pennsylvania. I don't know about you all, but I am starting to miss Summer already. It just seems like it was yesterday when my husband opened our swimming pool for the season.  Now it is time to close it.  See this little guy hanging out by our pool. He or She was so adorable I could not resist. Sorry about the blurr, but I took this photo looking through a window pane and screen.

Anyways, I am so excited to start my blogging.  I know it has been awhile since my last post.  I hope to give you the readers some useful info about candles, soaps, and bath products.  We want to help enrich your knowledge about what we do, the products we make, and the ingredients that goes in them.  We hope to include some fun stuff as well.

My husband and 3 kids, age 16, 8, and 4 are a blessing to me.  They all help out with whatever they can.  My family are all so excited to participate in this venture.  All though my time is precious and very limited, I will do my best to keep you updated with some interesting postings.  My youngest are both girls and they get such a kick out of helping Mom. They really love creating things. I guess they take after their Mom!..

Also we are running a sweepstakes on Facebook for someone to win 1-free 16oz scented soy wax candle from whatever scent is in stock.  The contest ends at midnight 10/25/11 EST.  No purchase necessary. For additional information on our sweepstakes, check out this link: "Win Free Stuff".  To be continued..

Creating my blog

Hi everyone, Today is the day. I finally got the notion to start a blog. I am just getting started with the design and such so it may take me a minute to learn how to get this blogging thing going. I am thanking you in advance for your patience...

I will keeping you up to date on everything that deals with handcrafted scented candles, handmade soap, and natural bath/body products. This includes all of our handmade products, the ingredients that go into them and everything in between.. I hope you will find this blog informational and lots of fun. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.. Thanks, Happy Blogging! (oh boy, what did I get myself into!)

Talk to you soon,
Sonya
www.dixoncandleandbath.com