CandleLight.00_byDekaTessera

Ένα από τα αγαπημένα σχέδια του DekaTessera – Κερί για ρεσώ με βάση την παραφίνη και ζωγραφισμένο στο χέρι με ακρυλικά χρώματα.

Εμείς βάζουμε μέσα τρία αρωματικά ρεσώ και απολαμβάνουμε τη ζεστασιά του!

One of our favourites – Paraffin candle light, hand-painted using acrylic colours.

We put in three scented T-lights and enjoy its warmth!

Playing in the candles–what I get for trying to bring home Kathleen’s elegance to a household of men . . .

I’m home.

I have to cook for three teenage boys.

I do. I fight not to have the carbs they need.

I walk.

I stay beneath calorie count.

I’ve learned a lot from Kathleen, from our healthy meals, our daily treks on the sand.

But I’m disappointed when I climb the big hill by my house, that long mile that ascends. I look at Jerry and laugh. “I guess I’m still not in as good as shape as I thought I was back at sea level.”

Yup. I’m back home.

A mile high.

Real Time Update:

It was so much easier to eat low calorie when I didn’t have to worry about growing boys. I still struggle with this issue.

What About You?

How do you stay on the weight loss journey when you’re around others who need more calories than you do–especially if you’re the cook?

http://candlesinsoy.com

I guard my Sundays jealously. Ferociously, really.
I like to start off the week/end the weekend quietly.

From September to June, my Sundays afternoons are given over to  Girding My Loins.
I mean, Getting Ready For The Week Ahead.
Part of the prep is the ritual of having a restful soak.

Since we (finally!) finished our bathroom reno last year, I can really indulge.
Something that smells pretty, something that looks pretty , a soothing cuppa and a good read are all part of the ritual.

Solo ©2013 HAB Photography

This afternoon, I felt the extreme need to take pictures, so I bundled up and went outside.  Just as I was heading inside, I saw a series of lights like the ones above outside of my dorm and quickly snapped a picture.  After I looked through the pictures I had taken, this last photograph turned out to be one of my favorites.

There are several things I especially like about this photograph.  I did not realize that it was as dark as it was when I took this picture, so this turned into a gray scale photograph on accident.  I also particularly like the old yet modern look that the lamp has.  The extreme light protruding from the lamp further amplifies this effect because the lamp has the deceiving look of being lit by a candle. I also find the contrast within this photograph particularly interesting, the reflection of the lamp on the ceiling above and how the outline of the lamp is just faintly visible.

Whenever anything catches your eye that may turn out to be an interesting subject, take a picture. You have nothing to lose!

For the final instalment in this week’s candlelight theme, let me invite you into my boudoir. Hee!

In the fall, I was given a truly lovely gift: a little votive candle from Diptyque. It is, in short, a luxury of the highest order. For good reason: it smells divine! The scent is lavender– perfect for the bedroom because it aids in relaxation and makes one sleepy. As someone who does not fall asleep easily, I find that my luxury candle has become a necessity. When the votive size had been spent, I made sure to replace it, splurging on the full-sized version this time.
It sits alongside a photo of my beloved, departed “Men” and whatever book I am reading.

I love my recently-acquired nightly ritual of lighting the candle, filling the room with lavender scent and then cozying up in bed.

Have a lovely, restful, candlelight-filled weekend.

C.Filip

I was at Ikea, buying napkins.
And then I saw these lacy lovelies and suddenly I was also buying them.
(And some new linens for the guest bed….As you do.)

The other night my daughter came down the stairs with a bunch of candles. I must have had a puzzled look on my face because she smiled and said: “I am going to spoil myself with a relaxing, romantic bubble bath with candle light and good music”.

I thought about that for a moment and started gathering together some candles myself and before I knew it I had made myself a romantic setting in my bathroom with candle light and the music from my daughters bathroom.

What an experience. How relaxing. How wonderful and rejuvenating.

That night I went to bed with a special smile and that smile was still there in the morning when I woke up. I felt 20 years younger.

Spoil yourself with a bit of luxury and have a romantic bubble bath with candle light and romantic music once in a while. It works wonders. It is amazing. Just right out unbelievable.

Always Your Beauty in Mind,

Elke Houghton at Juvele

Glossy magazines.

A good ol’ gossip session with a girlfriend.

A satisfying, engrossing (if not overly-literary…) read.

Truly yummy wine.

Snuggles with a cat (or three…).

Time to oneself.

These are life’s little luxuries.
Here is another one: candlelight.
If I had my way (and I often do!), I would light our home solely with candles.

In the deep, dark depths of our northern winter, I thought I’d bring you some images of  a few of  the candles that keep our house warm & glowing.

Copyright Ketakii Jewson-Brown

Pretty cool halo effect here on Wiruungga’s head. Not exactly sure what caused it. But I like it just the same. More photos to come soon x

In the end, although I like some design tension in a vignette, I decided to go with a soothing, cohesive look when displaying my little collection of glass stoppers.(After all, M does call the living room my “Zen Room”…) The pretty bowl from West Elm has a floral pattern and colour that are echoed in the Domino book, and the curved lines of the candle holders also tie in with the organic, curvy lines of the stoppers, bowl, and patterns. Of course, some flickering candle light adds sparkle, and that is never a bad thing, is it?

I was fooling around with the settings on my camera and ended up with these pale, sort of washed-out photos, with only the aqua of the book showing up in colour.  I kinda like these shots, as it turns out…

Happy Birthday to my step-mum and Happy Friday, everyone!
Why not try (re)arranging a few collection-based vignettes at your house this weekend?

]]> http://valerievierk.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/the-wonder-of-light/ Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:32:03 +0000 valerievierk http://valerievierk.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/the-wonder-of-light/

Val in 1986

With Christmas over for another year, I am always a little sad to see the outdoor and indoor lights packed away. On my acreage, several of my neighbors put up light displays and I greatly enjoy them. My “display” is one lone Santa Claus, but he is cheery and greets me when I get home after work. I took him down last week and immediately put up a little heart for Valentine’s Day. I just couldn’t stand my empty field as I look out my living room window in the evenings.
What is it about light that is so magical, so wonderful, so uplifting, be it real fire light or electric? Years ago Christmas trees used to be lit by real candles, but electric lights have been around a long time now. Many times I’ve read stories about how it used to be with the candles on the trees, and how the children were so awed by them. In our mega modern age, candles are still lit in churches and sometimes in our homes. Obviously, there is still something quite fascinating about natural light–candlelight, or a lit fireplace, or a campfire.

But electric light is almost as fascinating.  How many people flock to the lawn of the White House every year to see the sudden lighting of the national Christmas tree? On my drive home from work in the winter, I greatly enjoy the Christmas light on the farms. One place has a lone five pointed star hanging on the windmill.  It has been there for years, a beacon in the early winter darkness.

I have a hobnail candle bowl that has indentions for either one large candle or five tapers. I remember circa 1973 when I was living on a farm and one winter evening I lit the red tapers, turned off the electric lights, and just sat there in the dark looking at the flickering light. My little son was asleep and my husband was at a meeting so it was very quiet. It was such a magical experience. Years later, circa 1986, my now  teenage son took a photo of me holding the same candle bowl lit with tapers. It is one of my favorite photos.
With the winter solstice three weeks in the past, we can detect the days getting longer. Little by little, the sun is coming back, and we welcome the gradual change. The gift of light, whether it be the sun, the moon, or colorful electric lights, is a wonderful thing. Let there be light!

New Years Day Candle light sent out as thank you to all who have viewed Lightwords in 2012. Please pass on the light.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Wow and Thanks to everyone who made the trek to LightWords!

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 11,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 18 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Dining Room wreaths

Yesterday I had a bit of time between watching birds, getting poor quality photos of them because they are so busy and area blur of non-stop movements. I turned my attention to inanimate objects. Knowing these all need to come down this weekend, and the natural boughs on the table need to be put in the garden recycle bin before company arrives for New Years brunch tomorrow, I knew my time was limited.  Glass doors separate our dining rooms and office. We love having a place to hang a couple of wreaths, a simple festive addition.

Candle Light Sparkle

Reflections from the tea light show off the swirl pattern of its holder and the contrast of the cut glass antique salt shaker made for a perfect photo with no movement. The addition of the candy adds to the story. Bright blossoms could be used in the summer for a completely different effect.

Cheers to candle light,

Shez

Related post:

Light a Candle

I’m not sure what this is called in English. We call it a snølykt, or snow light. It’s a lamp made of many snow balls and then put a lit candle inside. This one was made by my son and my husband earlier today.