image courtesy of blog.gigmasters.com

With Mardi Gras just around the corner, I am so excited about planning evening festivities to enjoy with family and friends. Mardi Gras, also known as “Fat Tuesday”, is the day before Ash Wednesday and filled with raucous celebrations, colorful beads adorning the necks of millions of revelers, and of course, breathtaking floats parading through the streets of New Orleans. However, Mardi Gras is about more than just beads, bringing diverse groups of people together to celebrate together. Let the good times roll!

Here’s a recipe I found for a lovely little cocktail to start off your Mardi Gras festivities. Enjoy!
NEELY’S HURRICANE
Ingredients
• Ice cubes
• 2 ounces light rum
• 2 ounces dark rum
• 2 ounces passion fruit juice
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon grenadine
• 1 orange, sliced into wheels, for garnish
Yields 1 serving

Directions
Fill the hurricane glasses with ice. Mix the rums, passion fruit juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, and grenadine in an ice-filled shaker. Strain into the hurricane glasses. Garnish with a wheel of orange. Cheers!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’m thrilled to introduce two more romantic collections. First, travel to Belgium with your beloved and tickle your nose with the aromas of warm Belgian waffles. Then imagine cozying up in a bed made up with the freshest Belgian linen, the finest in the world. Inspired by our travels through the Flanders region, the Belgian Linen blend has a top note of floral, middle note of ozone, and bottom notes of woods & musk. Envelop yourself in irresistible richness.

Our newest gift set is Luxe in every sense of the word and includes three seductive, rich and luxurious scents: Amber, our new Belgian Linen and Cashmere.

Amber – For thousands of years the healing properties of amber have been revered. From the ancient Greeks to the Chinese, burning Amber was used to purify the air and perfume sacred spaces. Appealing to the romantic in all of us, indulge in this ancient and irresistible scent with our rich amber candle blended with Egyptian musk. Purify.

NEW! Belgian Linen

Cashmere – Nothing warms you up like cashmere. Now you can wrap your sweetheart in this inspired and sophisticated herbal scent. Infused with the warming scent of patchouli, Persian limes and a touch of vanilla, this scent will warm up any room. Elegance.

Bring the romance home this Valentine’s Day and treat your love to Linnea’s Lights candles from our sweet new bouquet. Shop the newest collection, here!

In ancient mythology, Roses were associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Isis, the goddess of motherhood and magic, and Eros, also known as Cupid. In modern days, the Rose is a time-honored way to say “I love you” when words just aren’t enough. Warm, inviting, and intoxicating all in one, this timeless blend is inspired by the endless bouquets of roses that our loved ones shower upon us. Close your eyes and be swept off your feet. Romance. Love. Seduction. What do Roses mean to you?

Plus, shop the Rose candle, now available at Terrain!

With Valentine’s Day around the corner and Spring following shortly after, we’re excited to be introducing our latest candles for your enjoyment. Wouldn’t it be nice to give your sweetheart the ultimate floral bouquet and one that will last a heck of a lot longer than just a few days? Personally, I’d love to receive something like that too!

Now I’d like to introduce the first of our newest additions to the Spring 2012 collection: our Violet scent. It is said that those with violet auras are forward looking visionaries while in ancient Chinese paintings the pigment cultivated from pure violet flower extract, represents the harmony of the universe, the yin and yang. Violets are known to have a flirty scent as its fragrance comes and goes with the gentle winds of spring. Inspired by the beauty and elegance of the color Violet & the simplicity of the plant itself with Iris at the heart, Violet represents love & luxury. This blend has top notes of florals & leafy greens, middle notes of violet & iris and bottom notes of musk.

Enjoy and once you try it, we always love to hear what you think!

chinese-new-year-cards.blogspot.com

Happy Lunar New Year! As a little bit of background, Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival) is one of the longest and most important celebrations in the lunar calendar. Festivities begin on Monday, January 23, and continue for 15 days to usher in the start of a new year and the beginning of  the revitalizing spring season. The events consist of fireworks, family feasts, “lucky money” given in traditional red envelopes and on the final day, the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival is an exciting, action-packed day filled with music, dancing, acrobatics, parades, Yuanxiao dumplings, and, of course, the release of beautifully decorated lanterns.

I think Lunar New Year is a perfect time to revisit some of the resolutions we made at the beginning of this month and to evaluate our progress in each of them. In honor of the occasion, I will be celebrating the Chinese New Year this Monday by curling up in a comfortable chair with a good book and the Asian-inspired Bamboo candle in the background. The Bamboo scent, which has notes of Asian spices, grasses, citrus and lavender, is the perfect way to enjoy the New Year since bamboo is traditionally believed to bring in prosperity and good luck.

How are you celebrating the Lunar New Year?

Happy New Year to you all and we’re thrilled to be back after some much needed family time! Now that it’s officially 2012, it’s time to make good on these resolutions and start the year off on the right foot. We’re all about getting organized by eliminating clutter around the house and studio and thought some of you might be similarly resolved.

Since we use recycled paper, soy and water based inks in our packaging, we also strongly recommend recycling the candle’s decorative glass vessel after the candle has been completely enjoyed. Since soy wax is all natural, simply wash out the vessel with warm soap & water. Then it’s time to clean up the clutter! Our vessels make exceptional bar ware, vases, and lovely storage jars for cotton balls, q-tips, pens, pencils and more! How else are you getting organized? What other resolutions are on your mind for 2012?

We’re so excited to share all that’s ahead with you. Here’s to your best year yet!

Image courtesy of kevin-peter.hubpages.com

Each year the family and I look forward to ringing in the New Year together. We like to have people over for an intimate dinner party before watching the ball drop in Times Square from the warmth and comfort of our own home. There is nothing better than celebrating all that’s happened and toasting to all that’s ahead with the people who are nearest and dearest.

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? Any resolutions?

xo

Image courtesy of howtodecorateachristmastree.com

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev’rywhere you go;
Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in ev’ry store
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be

On your own front door.” ~ Johnny Mathis

I love December because it looks, feels and smells just like Christmas. Beautiful Christmas lights are strung across storefront windows, fragrant holly wreaths adorn every door and the sweet, cozy aromas of peppermint-infused lattes and pastries tickle your nose as you walk past coffee shops and bakeries. Every year, my family and I officially ring in the holiday season with a very special Christmas tradition: the decorating of our Christmas tree! We use ornaments that are laced with our family memories mixed in with the fun ones we’ve collected over the years, like snow-globes, candy canes, snowflakes, and my favorites, homemade ornaments lovingly crafted by the kids. This year, we’re making these adorable dangling snowmen ornaments to embellish our tree, and I’m definitely excited to see how they turn out. What are some of your favorite family holiday traditions?