Why We Chose Grace+Love Candle Company

We were looking for candles from a shop that has a philosophy similar to ours—locally owned and operated, offering a quality product, community-oriented, and focused on sustainability. Grace+Love is owned by the wife and husband duo of Natalie and Jamahl Grace based in Loudoun County. One of their missions is to donate funds towards minority education. You can read about their inspiring story here!

How are Grace+Love Candles Made?

The entire collection is vegan friendly and cruelty free, using domestically grown soy wax, phthalate free fragrances, and lead-free cotton wicks. What does that mean for you?

Soy wax burns clean (no blackened walls) with no toxins, carcinogens, or pollutants. Derived from soybeans, soy wax is a renewable resource and supports American farmers. It’s also biodegradable so it cleans up nicely with just soap and water. Soy wax also burns at a lower temperature than paraffin which means your candle will last longer!

Our Current Fragrances

We’re starting with five fragrances which we believe offer a nice selection of floral, fruity, and earthy. Click on each photo for more information!

Give us a call and let us know what you think! We’re eager for your feedback!

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Game Day Basket

Even though it’s not football season, you can’t go wrong with chili and cornbread! This gift basket comes with onions, red bell pepper, carrots, celery, and garlic. Chop and saute the fresh ingredients to make a yummy version of sofrito. Add the included canned tomatoes and beans as well as water (or your own broth if you prefer) and simmer for 30 minutes. While the chili is simmering, mix up the included box of cornbread and pop it in the oven. We love to top our chili with onions and avocado so we’ve included both for you. You can also add your own shredded cheese or tortilla chips. Dinner will be on the table in no time, and you didn’t even have to put your shoes on!

(The printed recipe for this vegetarian chili from Cookie + Kate is included)

Bollywood Basket

We love Indian food in our family so of course we had to include this vegetarian version of Tikka Masala with Basmati rice. Start by making a pot of the included Basmati rice. The gift basket comes with onions, tomatoes, garlic, and fresh ginger root as well as a jar of garam masala to create that unique masala flavor. You’ll also get a head of cauliflower to chop and roast with your own oil and the garam masala. Add the included chickpeas, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk, and let it simmer.

(The printed recipe for this vegetarian Tikka Masala from The Wanderlust Kitchen is included. The recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting your own coconut oil.)

Family Game Night Nachos Basket

When my boys were growing up, they loved to play Monopoly. Our Monopoly games lasted for hours, sometimes days, so snacks were a must! This gift basket comes with all the ingredients you need for a delicious spread of vegetarian nachos. You’ll get fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, and lime, to make a pico de gallo. Layer with the included tortilla chips, black beans, corn, sliced black olives, avocado, and queso cheese dip, and you’re ready to become a real estate tycoon!

(The printed recipe for the pico de gallo and serving suggestions is included)

Netflix Popcorn Basket

What is better than movies while you’re stuck at home? Movie and popcorn! We have just what you need in this fun gift basket. You’ll get pre-packaged microwave popcorn and the ingredients for 4 kinds of popcorn: taco, ranch, everything bagel, and pumpkin pie for something sweet. Just add your own butter and grab your remote!

(The printed recipes for each flavored popcorn are included)

Leave the shopping to us! Order a gift basket delivery for yourself or a loved one. We offer no contact delivery as well as curbside pickup. #InThisTogether

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Last Saturday was our family’s annual Vitamin D Party, where we chase away the post-holiday winter blues by bringing the islands to our home. For one night we don Aloha shirts, flipflops, and sunglasses and crank the heat and the island tunes. Somewhere between the laughter, the vibrant colors, and the tiki bar atmosphere, you forget that it’s cold and grey outside. What sunshine does for our bodies, that’s what flowers do for our soul! Flowers are a vacation for the soul!

Vintage photograph of a tiki bartender with exotic drinks in the 1960s. (Photo by Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images)

Soul

I realized this as I was mingling during the party. Our house was decorated with flowered plates and tablecloths and strings of flower lights. Our guests were decorated in flower shirts and dresses and leis. Being surrounded by flowers helped make us feel like we were on vacation! Last year I wrote a blog post on Why We Love Flowers which cited all of the scientific studies detailing the benefits of flowers. I think this is true especially in winter. The days are shorter. Many go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. It’s too cold for flowers to survive outside. The sun doesn’t shine quite as bright, and let’s face it, after all the joy of the holidays, winter just make us feel dreary. It’s the perfect time to send someone flowers, a vacation for their soul.

Surprise

Recently, we’ve delivered flowers to a daughter who was “having a rough week,” flowers to a partner who “needed some cheering up,” and flowers to a mom who had just gone back to work “to brighten up the office.” Whether the workplace is an office or the home kitchen; whether the recipient is a woman or a man; a bright burst of color is just the ticket to soothe our dreary souls! Especially don’t forget the men in your life! As I deliver flowers, men comment on the arrangements just as much as women do. And the best occasion to send someone flowers is for no occasion at all–just because! The best smiles are the surprised smiles when someone realizes they received a beautiful bouquet of color for no reason at all except to bring them joy and let them know they are loved.

Send

When I think about my favorite vacations, those are the feelings that are front and center–being immersed in joy and surrounded by love. So pick up the phone or go to our website and send someone’s soul on vacation today!

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