Make the most of your Homesick Candle!

What to do. 1. Burn your candle all the way to the edges prior to extinguishing on the first burn. This will help release the different fragrance layers and help the wax burn down evenly. Up to 1 hour for our mini size Up to 2 hours for our classic size Up to 3 hours for our 3-wick size 2. Keep the wick trimmed down to 1/4 inch at all times to avoid tall flames and soot gathering on the glass.       What to avoid. 1. Do not burn the candle for more than a couple hours at a time. 2. Do not leave the candle burning unattended. Keep away from children, curtains, and pets.     Recycle or Reuse. 1. Once there is only a thin layer of wax left, add warm water to soften and scoop out the remains.  2. Hand-wash the glass with soap and warm water and reuse it as a decor piece, planter, or new beer glass!  3. Don’t forget to post on social @homesick and use #homesickupcycled.  

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Bad Gift Guide: How To Turn Bad Gift Ideas Into Great Ones

Each holiday season it feels like it's back to the drawing board when it comes to finding recommendations for great gifts for our friends, family, and co-workers. We turn to our favorite blogs or influencers, magazines and morning shows, to guide us through some of the best gifts to give this season. Unfortunately their are still some clunkers that pop up each year that - while seemingly convenient and even useful - actually make for awful gifts that no one (even you) really want to unwrap. They may be good intentioned, but these gifts can often send the wrong signal, not to mention you're essentially gifting someone an inconvenient trip to making a return during the holiday season. Real nice. Luckily homesick is here to help you navigate through the gifting jungle! We've compiled the below guide to help you steer away from items that are destined for the re-gift, and instead gift presents that will earn you the title of "most thoughtful gift giver 2018.” 1. Dish Towels: Because Doing Dishes is NOT a Gift Dish towels (or tea towels if you want to get fancy) are pretty low on the gifting totem pole. Sure, it might have adorable roosters wearing chefs hats on it, but it’s still just a device to help you do the dishes. Instead, gift an item that's fun, sleek AND useful in the kitchen like a soup ladle that looks like Nessie the Loch Ness Monster! 2. “Merry Christmas, You’re Out of Shape” - Gifting Workout Gear is NOT OK From a $10 set of dumbells to a $5,000 Peleton, it doesn’t matter what the gift is, if it’s a tool for working out it’s sending the wrong signal. If you’ve got someone interested in health, wellness, and fitness on your list, instead opt for a trendy and eco-friendly water bottle with a fun print or innovative feature.  3. Don’t Gift a Scent, Gift a Memory A satchel of potpourri or traditional candle tells people they’ve either got an unpleasant scent they need to cover up, or they’re getting a re-gift. Since candles do make fantastic pieces of home decor (and the scents can be quite soothing during this hectic season) gifting a Homesick Candle is the perfect way to gift a practical AND personalized, thoughtful gift! Since Homesick Candles are created with scents native to their aptly named locations you can knock out a whole slew of personalized gifts in one stop shopping! 4. Pups as Presents: Better In The Movies Even though your spouse may follow every cute pup on Instagram, or your BFF may swoon over the dogs up for adoption on those depressing TV advertisements, gifting someone 10-15 years of intense responsibility is never a good idea. Instead, gift the dog lover in your life a stylish canine throw pillow of their favorite breed! These are snuggly pups you can cuddle all night long without needing to walk in the morning, so leave it to the rom-coms to tie a bow around Fido this holiday season. 5. Fruitcakes Are Classic...Classically Horrendous Sure, a bit of nostalgia is always welcome around the holidays, and so you might be tempted to gift one of the all time classic holiday gifts when attending a holiday party - the fruitcake. Let us stop you there. Don’t do it. Besides the fact they have a questionable year-long shelf life, with today’s typical dietary restrictions giving a lump of gluten is never a welcome present. We do however, love the idea of something tasty, so opt for gifting some artisanal jerky to offer a paleo and keto friendly, locally sourced present to be enjoyed by all. So this year instead of cringing, get inspired by some of the worst gift ideas and transform them into fantastic presents that will keep you top of the list for "best gift giver 2018."      

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What to do When You Are Homesick

Moving away from home, whether for school or for travel, can leave you homesick. Human beings are programmed to identify with one place as their home—somewhere they belong. So it is natural that being away from home would cause a feeling of disconnection from the rest of the world. If you feel upset by the change of scenery or the shift to a new place, then here is what you can do.   Understand the Problem Many people shy away from admitting that they miss their home. But the first step in dealing with any problem is admitting that there is one. If you find yourself feeling anxious by your new surroundings or isolated, then you are probably homesick. Homesickness can happen to anybody at any age, so there is no shame in it.   Talk about It You may feel embarrassed or afraid, discussing the fact that you are missing home, but a healthy discussion can be a much needed release. It is always good to talk about how you are feeling. Go chat with a friend or call up your family. Let them know that you miss them. Talking to people from back home could ease the adjustment into your new place.   Get Familiar with the New Go out and explore your new area. Have a taste of the local food. Find the spots where you feel most at peace. Familiarizing yourself with your new environment could help you feel less distressed about the distance from home.       Remind Yourself of the Old There is no better road to nostalgia than through a reminder of home. If your new place could give you the same feeling that your home did, then it would do wonders for your homesickness. The best way to get that home-like feeling is through the scent. If it smells like it, it feels like it. There are specialized scented candles you can get that help people through homesickness. These candles, appropriately named Homesick Candles, are made specifically with the signature aroma of each state. The state scented candles can help you feel right at home, no matter where you are. You can learn more about these candles here.

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Homesickness: when only GIFs will do...

You can’t explain why…you just have this feeling like you need to go home:   Like you are almost trapped where you are     You can’t help but be all mopey   And yes sometimes have an ugly cry   and keep crying...   It’s just that when you’re homesick, nothing makes you happy     Because you miss all the things that remind you of home. The people, the tastes, the smells   Oh especially the smells....   And then someone sends you a Homesick Candle from your state…     And happy just doesn’t begin to describe it.   And then you take a deep breath. Put on your determined face.   Light your candle and beat this feeling of Homesick because YOU ARE AWESOME    Take that Homesickness!!!

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