Let your heart be light.
I started making candles in my one bedroom apartment in Burbank, California in 2014. I was seeing a nutritionist and learning so much about how I could clean up the little things in my life to make a big difference in how I felt. I started taking a closer look at what I was eating, the cleaning supplies I used in my home, even the beauty products I put on my skin and hair.
That’s when I set out to make a clean, natural, and fragrant candle - at first, just for myself.
After a lot of experimenting with essential oils, various fragrances, wicks, and waxes - I created a candle that I was so proud of. Soon, I began giving them away as gifts. Everyone loved them! It wasn’t long when friends and family started calling them "Annie Candles."
When my Mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, I moved back to Massachusetts to be with her. After she died, I started making candles again, if for no other reason than to keep busy during my first Christmas without her. The experience was not only therapeutic, it was metaphorical. I was literally making “light” during the darkest time of my life. Pouring candles not only brought a new sense of purpose into my life, it helped me reconnect with the outside world, provide gifts to the people I love, and share my health and wellness journey with others.
One night, shortly before my first Holiday Craft Fair, I found boxes filled with business cards that my Mom had made. She used them to show her gratitude for those she came in contact with. They say:
“A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another, and see how it’s own light increases, as a candle gives it’s flame to the other. You are such a light. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Thank you for being a part of my journey. My wish for you is that you may always let your heart be light.