“What is that delightful smell?” Asks your guest.

“I found this new place online last month that makes scented stuff, and some of the scents are magical!” You say.

Several years ago, there was this thing that kept people inside and afraid to go out in public. When you did, everyone was expected to “wear a mask”. You may remember that awful year. Anyway, while I was cooped up away from society, there was a voice inside saying to try a new hobby. I listened to that voice and found “scentology” or “mixology” to be a fun way to pass time. As the months went by, I really began to enjoy combining scents to “make something new”. This isn’t as easy as you may first think. Candles alone are a major challenge. Wicks, containers, dye coloring, the right wax and combination of scents all add up to a flurry of possibilities. With a big enough variance, it can even produce a different outcome! Some scent mixes smell great at first but may not “stick” together and that separation can turn out to be nasty. There is much trial and error in developing new aromas. Sometimes you discover scents that smell like nothing else, beautiful scent notes and it all may come by accident!

Getting everything right is an ongoing obstacle to overcome. With patience and a lot of wasted material, you finally come up with a wax melt or candle that you wish to share with others. Producing scented items and sharing them with family and friends can drive them crazy after a couple months of throwing scents at them and asking for their opinion. Sometimes you don’t get the feedback you thought it would be and sometimes everyone loves what you put together! The scents here have been tried by many people and have passed the test with most of them. Since everyone likes different scents, it’s difficult to please all.

With many different ideas for a name, A Familiar Flame seemed to stand out. Originally thought to be just for candles, it soon expanded to melts, then diffusers were added when I noticed some mixes smell great on their own! If you don’t know, candles must sit for 14 days before they can be sold. During this metamorphosis, scented wax items change the way they smell several times. Some scent mixes are just plain nasty before the wax is added. The chemical transition that occurs from adding fragrance oil into wax is surprising.

A Familiar Flame originally planned to use a person’s first name for the scent name. That thought was shot down for the simple fact that if you loved a scent, but the name was of an ex, you would probably not want to order it. Thus, it transitioned through a few other ideas until it rested on the “familiar” stuff such as events, places, things, feelings and nostalgia. These scents are hoped to inspire or recall a distant memory, possibly even help produce a new one that you can recall with fondness!

Every so often you stumble upon something new and have to give it a try. All of the scents at A Familiar Flame are mixed in southern Indiana from scents purchased using American retailers. We use local whenever possible and try our best to buy American products (although it’s becoming ever so challenging to do so). If you feel hesitant to order a full item, you can opt for the seasonal sample pack that consists of the scent choices for that 4 month stretch. Although these samples are for wax melt warmers, they will give you a good idea for what the candle will smell like as well. Each sample is equivalent to two cubes in our clamshell melts. The diffuser, room and fabric spray also have a sample pack as well (these items rarely change). These packs contain small glass tubes with cork tops (you can use them as a desktop diffuser by ordering shortened reeds with your pack). Scent beads and freshie scents are similar to the diffuser/spray samples as well.

We would like to take this moment to thank you for your interest in A Familiar Flame and for reading our “story”. We hope that you enjoy all of our scents and choose to visit often. We also hope you will come back every season to discover new aromas that will become your favorites! Speaking of seasonal scents, we generally try to have at least 15 to 20 new scent choices every 4 months. Some scents may make it to the next season if they are considered a “close” match or our patrons “top choice(s)”. Some scents won’t be seen until their next season. And unfortunately, some scents may never make it back for their next season simply because there were not enough “noses” that appreciated their aromas. When the season does end, all exiting scents will be offered on the “special deals” page. These products will be sold at a “close out” discount to help clear inventory space for the new arrivals!