candle

Today marks Day Two of our Seven Day Timothy Jay Candle giveaway. A winner will be picked each day so if you don't win today, come back tomorrow when a different candle will be given away.

People come to the West Coast for a variety of reasons, fame, fortune, not too many people come to end up as candlemakers. But Tim Sullivan is no ordinary candlemaker. A Madison Avenue ad exec for 25 years, Sullivan left behind the East Coast and the corporate world for something deeper. In 1996 he started off making candles in his tiny kitchen in West Hollywood. What started with one scent has evolved into a studio and store where the Timothy Jay candles are lovingly poured and packaged. There is now a separate private label line and a new online store.

When it comes to scented candles it's often the little details that make a difference. The 10 ounce glasses are heated before pouring to make sure that the wax settles evenly. Fragrances and colors are added by hand. One detail that is particularly welcome is the addition of a felt pad to the bottom of the candle so that a hot candle doesn't mar your tabletop. But it's really the scents that are the magic, they are present but not cloying filling a room with a subtle perfume.

Today's giveaway: Wildflower Serenity Bowl--This one is amazing, a perfect floral yet slightly citrusy scent for summer! Timothy Jay says "I was driving and saw vivid colos dotting the hills and fields, popping up anywhere! Reds, oranges, yellows, lavenders; reminding me of colors in a more formal garden But these flowers are wild and unique ... indescribable; an outrageous profusion creating a rare, light fragrance borne by summer breezes."

The three-wicked Serenity Bowl is a black ceramic bowl that is 5 1/2" in diameter and 3" high. Total burn time for the candle made of soy-based wax is approximately 50 hours. The Serenity Bowl comes wrapped in tissue, cradled in sisal, attractively packaged in a Timothy Jay box and finished with a hand tied grosgrain ribbon. It sells for $37.


* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed today June 7, 2010 at 11:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive one Timothy Jay Candles Wildflower Serenity Bowl, valued at $37.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete giveaway rules here.

This contest is now closed. Thank you for your participation.

Looks like The Plaza Hotel in New York has been thinking some thing over and asked itself a question worthy of Scarface: why take a cut when we can have the whole thing? Instead of selling eau de parfum from from another maker, the Plaza has commissioned its own from haute parfumery Krigler. Said to remind one of "grace, beauty, elegance and style," it is an assemblage of the scents that have been doing that for centuries, such as bergamot, grapefruit and leather.

Intriguingly, the hotel has elected to call this olfactory joy "The Plaza," where we might have thought they'd give it a name a little less institutional. If nothing else, though, it gives us a good reason to move up from our other hotel fragrance, The Howard Johnson's. You can avail yourself of The Plaza at the hotel's shop in soap, candle, or eau de parfum, the last of which runs $95 for 1.7 ounces.

Lafco New York has just the thing to help shopping mavens destress after a tough day of swiping the Amex -- a new collection of eight candles named after the world's most famous shopping streets. Appropriately named the Avenue Candle Collection, the collection comprises Canton Road, Ave Montaigne, Bloor Street, Madison Avenue, Via Condotti, Bond Street, Stoleschnikov, and Bahnhofstrasse. All boast 75 - 85 hours burn time from a clean-burning soy wax blend, and the hand-blown glass vessels are hand-dipped in platinum or gold. $48 each

Chocolatier Godiva recently introduced its Home Fragrance Collection of five candles, in collaboration with Laura Slatkin, wife of Harry, of Slatkin & Co.

The nicely-packaged candles come in five scents: Holiday Peppermint Bark, Milk Chocolate Truffle, Black Almond Truffle, White Chocolate Magnolia, and Raspberry Ganache.

The candles are the brand's first foray into the home fragrance category in its more-than 80-year history and represent a departure from Godiva's traditional culinary products.

Neiman Marcus carries the collection. One of these would make a lovely host gift. Reasonably priced at $22.50 each.

Candles always set a mood, and soy candles are an earth-friendly luxury. Add to this mix a Diamond Bow Necklace encrusted with 38 diamonds, 2.23 carat total weight, G color, VS clarity, and set in 14-carat white gold, and you have The Ultimate Luxury Candle, a limited-edition candle from Welcome Home Candles. Modeled on Welcome Home's Champagne Noir Soy Candle fragrance, this candle and necklace set was designed exclusively for Welcome Home Candles by Bucci's Jewelry & Design, one of the Philadelphia area's top jewelry designers. Order online, free shipping. $4,995

Is there a market for celebrity restaurant grease? Further makes hand soap and candles from waste grease of some of Los Angeles's finest restaurants. The business began when Marshall Dostal began using restaurant grease and converting it to biofuel for his car. His wife Megan, a former event planner for Vogue Magazine, saw the drums of glycerin, a byproduct of the process and a business was born. Further products use an aromatic scent of bergamot, olive and exotic grasses. The Further candle is made from purified waste grease from Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton's delicious Mozza restaurant and sells for $24. I love this idea, I think there could be a whole line of signature candles for various restaurants.

Popular designer and potter has always had a risque side. Two years ago, we covered his condom caddy decorated with squiggly spermatozoa. Now check out his Hashish candle. The candle is scented with black currant, green apple, wormwood, patchouli and moss. It combines in a porcelain container emblazoned with marijuana leaves. The listing at Unicahome promises that "when the candle burns out the porcelain vessel makes the perfect stash box." Perfect, maybe. Discreet? Not so much. It sells for $68.

These very cool "pathing" candles -- Bravit Decoration Candles, by Authentics ($28) -- leave you in the dark as to what shape they will become while burning. Due to the weaving wick, they will continually change shape as the wick moves about. The wick formation also will cause the flame to split into two at any intersection. Available in a number of patterns on different Web sites, and also available in the numbers 0-9 ($24); great idea for birthday parties! You'll also want a base ($6-8), available on the same page as the first candle linked in this post. As seen on youTube!

There's no easier or simpler way to both boost your mood and give an entire room a makeover than to infuse it with a beautiful scent. The Michael S. Smith Collection for Agraria is a great way to do that, with two scents available in your choice of mix and match candle, fragrance sheets, and AirEssence options. The new fragrances, Angkor and Palma, are born of quite different inspirations -- Angkor coming from deep in the Cambodian rainforests and Palma heralding from sunny Mallorca. Prices range from $28 to $105, depending.

A romantic dinner by candlelight is perhaps one of the most common, and most enjoyable, ways to spend Valentine's Day. And what better way to set the mood and light the evening than with a pair of classy looking Kissing Candlesticks from Nambé. The candlesticks cuddle up together to give off a sweet glow of love without being gaudy, cheesy, or over-the-top. And after Valentine's Day is over they aren't so themed you can't continue to display and use them the rest of the year. 7" or 9" high, $79-$110.

If you're looking to put some "creepy" on your table then these Lee Hale Bird Feet candle holders could be what's missing. I'm all about the outdoors and generally gravitate towards things with a natural theme, but these decapitated bird feet are not appealing to me at all. They even look a little violent, what with the big claws and all.

But obviously somebody in the world must love them, and differences in taste is what makes everything interesting. So if you think these are beautiful then great for you -- just 60,000 yen for the pair.


Via Wists

These Arim Candle Holder and Bud Vases are inspired by contemporary influences combined with ancient Turkish forms. Mouth blown out of lead-free crystal, the slim stems and pastel coloring fits well with their name (arim), which in Turkish means "sweetheart." It's too bad they don't make a variety of sizes, as I'd love a grouping all bunched together with white blooms in each, but that's not to say one as part of a summer centerpiece wouldn't be gorgeous also. They are only available in two colors, green and blue, and are actually quite tall at 14". $215 each.

Candles are one of those things that although they seem to be everywhere we look, they continue to be as popular as ever and we just can't seem to get enough. They add such a wonderful warmth and ambience to a room -- for example this Grapefruit Luxury Candle from Jo Malone will fill your home with a unique and uplifting spicy citrus scent comprised of grapefruit, tangerine, vetiver, and rosemary. It has a stylishly understated design so it will add to your decor without competing for too much attention.

Priced at $345, The Luxury Candle is also available in scents other than grapefruit, plus the website offers suggestions on what scents go well together so different rooms can blend seamlessly.

Apotheia Aromatic Candles won the award for the best interior scent of the year in 2006 from the Fragrance Foundation and their packaging won the Best Design award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts. The candles come in eleven different scents, each with its own personality. Bronzed, for example, has orange highlights and the urban-inspired Scene uses juniper, pepper and fig to capture the sweetness of night life in the city. Our top pick, especially with awards season (and awards after-parties) already upon us, is Velvet Rope, a scent meant to stimulate the senses, "a dry vanilla martini spiked with absolute jasmine and a twist of grapefruit." Price: $46.

This is a concept I've never seen before, the Scandle is a candle that when it burns turns into a massage oil. The Scandle comes in a glass votive and is made from palm kernel oil, shea butter, cosmetic grade soy butter, vitamin E, aloe vera and essential oils. The candles do not contain soy wax or any dyes. Once the candle is lit you can use the warmed oil or you can scoop out the candle before it is lit and rub it on your skin, The essential oil Scandle comes in different blends such as calming and uplifting and sells for $31.90.