2016 and Fresh is Celebrating 3 Years

I know it's been many months since I have posted on my blog and I apologize! I'll try to be more consistent in keeping you up to date with our store, family, DIY projects, events, and news. I'm looking forward to the year 2016. Looking back on 2015, I have many good memories and then a few, not so good memories. I guess we can all agree that it's just life and it has it's ups and downs, highs and lows, mountain tops and valleys, but through it all God is in control and he is always there to pick up the pieces. And for that, I am very thankful....where would I be without him?
I have several things to share with you that will be happening at Fresh this upcoming year. The month of February we will be celebrating our 3rd year of being in business. Can you believe it's been 3 years???? Sharon and I cannot believe it - but time flies when you're having fun. Our workshop schedule can be found on our facebook page here. If you want to join us in our fun filled workshops please register early. We can teach you how to paint your furniture, cabinets, crafts, or whatever is needing a fresh new look. 
Fresh will be attending the Christus LiveWell Conference in Jasper this year on February 5th at the Harvest Church. We invite you to shop our booth for the newest DIY paints and tools for your projects. Sharon and I will be demonstrating many of our products and available for any questions you might have. 
American Paint Company is our newest DIY chalk and clay paint line that we introduced to our store this week. We were sad to say "good-bye" to Mother Earth Paints due to them not producing paint any longer. We still have plenty of ME in stock at several of our locations. 
After researching the chalk based paints once again we fell in love with APC. It's all natural, no VOC's and the leader in Chalk and Clay paints. What better fit for Fresh? 
More exciting news will be shared in my next blog post but for now I think that is enough for one post. 
If you are working on a project or hesitant to get started, please stop by Fresh and let us consult you on easy applications. The paint world has definitely changed tremendously over the past couple of years. If you are still stripping paint, sanding, etc. you may be surprised to know that you don't have to do all of that anymore with our products at Fresh. You will be amazed at how easy and fun painting is now. You can basically paint a typical furniture piece in a couple of days. No longer do you have to use a sander to distress, no more stinky harmful fumes, paint inside instead of in the cold and heat, drying time is minimal, paint the hardware to update, and clean up is with soap and water. There are no limits to what you can learn in our workshops. The picture I'm posting is one of the many applications we teach! Have a wonderful weekend and as always share your DIY projects with us......PLEASE.

Candles, Diffusers, and Melts - Which One is Best?

Are you a candle burner, a diffuser "user", or do you like the soft waxy melts that are so popular? There are so many brand choices and types to choose from it can be mind boggling at times. This is what I look for when I'm searching for the perfect scent for my home:

• Is it all natural and no harmful carcinogens?
• What is it made of? soy? paraffin?
• Is the wick cotton or is metal which could contain lead?
• Does it smoke when I burn the candle?
• Does the scent last for a long time or does it fizzle out after a few hours of burning?
• Do they have a scent that is pleasing for the different seasons?
• How many hours will my candle burn? 

Those are a few things that are important to me when I'm purchasing such an item. So which product is my favorite and fulfills my list of necessities for a fragrance in my home?

1803 Candles are my choice of candles, diffusers, and waxy melts. 1803 Candles are all natural soy with an all cotton wick. This candle company is family owned and operated in the U.S.(I like family owned businesses where they promote health and good quality)

Essential oils mixed with fragrance oils, herbs, flowers, and spices are used to make the most wonderful scents available. A few of my favorites are Cornbread and Honey, Pine Needles and Berries, Holiday Cheer, Cranberry Cupboard, and Cabin on the Hill. The more summery scents are Lavender Buds, Lavender Sugar, Coconut Vanilla, and many more. 

The candles will burn for around 96 hours and the melts burn for 6-8 hours before having to add new ones. They are smoke free because they are made of soy instead of paraffin. It is important to keep the wick trimmed to 1/4" to prevent smoking. They are carcinogenic free - very important! 

One last "plus" is that the melts, diffusers, and candles come in the same scents, so you can use all three throughout your house. I use the melts and diffusers in areas of my home that do not have to be monitored as a candle would have to be. 

I know there are so many choices but if you haven't tried these all natural and great scented candles, melts and diffusers, I highly recommend that you do. If you stop by Fresh we are usually burning a candle in the front,using one of the melters in the kitchen and a diffuser in the restroom. We're open every Friday, Saturday, and Monday from 9-5 and you can always find us online here. Have a wonderful week!