spring awakening

by Alicia Thompson, Marketing Manager

I know it’s not technically spring yet, but in Arizona, after Christmas I’m straight into spring mode. Conjuring up images of baby chicks and pastel chocolate eggs. Brightly colored flowers to lift my spirits and melt away any holiday frost.

With each new year comes the anticipation of spring.

New life adds a youthful glow, as hope abounds.

So, I spent last night creating a new video for the Claire Burke website. It needed a holiday switchover and I was able to style some really beautiful floral shots for our spring catalog so I had plenty of inspiration.

Read the entire post HERE

Home Fragrance Oil – what is it really?

by Carrie Moreau, Claire Burke® Product Development

We’ve been making changes, haven’t you noticed?  We’ve shed our old skin and had a makeover, we’ve added some new stunning fragrances and products, and we’ve even changed how we offer some of our products to you.  Gone are the days of votives only offered in 4 packs.  We now offer them individually.  This makes decorating and even trialing a new fragrance more economical.

AND…over the years you’ve known Claire Burke® for our amazing designer potpourri, our famous Home Fragrance Spray and even our Botanical Candles, you know the ones…that have the botanicals hand-placed ever so perfectly.  But…do you know us for our Home Fragrance Oil?  Well – we want you to!  For all of you home fragrance fanatics out there, I promise that this is a must have product.

Did you know that our Home Fragrance Oil is a 3-in-1 product?  “What do you mean by 3-in-1 product you ask?”  Well 1) dropping 20 or more drops of oil in any tealight oil warmer (works in a Scentsy® warmer too) and in moments, your favorite Claire Burke fragrance will come alive 2) yes, it’s a potpourri refresher oil, sprinkle the oil over your potpourri to revive the fragrance and 3) for any of you out there that love your light bulb ring – yes, this oil can be used with that as well! Light rings can be purchased on www.myclaireburke.com

We even redesigned the packaging; the bottle has a built-in dropper-type dispenser making it more user-friendly! Just tip it over and it will start to drip out. It’s even offered in all of the Claire Burke fragrances too!  I think all of the bases are covered with this one little bottle of oil – talk about bang for your buck!

OH, and….you’ll even be able to use our Home Fragrance Oil in the new accessory we are unveiling in February! Stay tuned to www.myclaireburke.com or the Claire Burke Facebook page for more information.

HAPPY FRAGRANCING!

About Carrie Moreau

Carrie brings a contemporary view to the tradition of fragrant decor with modern updates and a strong sense of style and grace. Working with the Claire Burke brand for almost 10 years, Carrie blends today’s home fragrance trends with the tradition of  quality and beauty Claire Burke is known for.

How ‘Bout Them Apples?

By Guest Blogger, Julee Morrison of Mommy’s Memorandum

Claire Burke is an incredible place to start filling your home with beauty and fragrance. With scents that seem to waif through the air this time of year and beyond. Slice of Spice, O Christmas Tree, Tropical Flowers, Vanilla Bean, Wild Cotton and our new favorite, AppleJack and Peel. It’s the beauty of bringing scents that remind us memories and generate new beginnings. It’s simply Claire Burke.

When we received our AppleJack and Peel candle, my family oohed and aahed. It is indeed striking. A pristine white candle infused with apple slices, cinnamon sticks and green leaves make for a beautiful display piece. In fact, it was so impressive that has The Divine Miss M helped set up for her Winter Wonderland Tea Party, she disappeared and returned with the Claire Burke AppleJack and Peel Candle to use as the Snowman’s hat in her cupcake centerpiece. When her father pointed out it was square and the base of the snowman’s head was round, she looked at him and said, “Yeah. So?” Obviously she knows a lot about decorating because as the guests arrived, the mom’s took a moment to pick up and smell the candle professing it was “incredible” and “I love this!”

Claire Burke has outdone themselves in all areas. The Peel is an endangered candle at our house. It sits in our foyer, greeting guests. A couple of times my husband has gotten out the Bic, but my children come running begging him to save the candle. He’s tried to explain that if we light it the smell will infuse throughout our home, but they will have none of it. They love the beauty of the candle. They love picking it up and holding it and then inhaling as deep as possible to extract the delicious smell it holds.

Candles are a part of our home. I love their beauty but after experiencing Claire Burke I realize there is more than a color scheme or scent. A candle can be a display of beauty. A conversation starter. Claire Burke is unique and truly adds new charm to our home.

While we have not lit the Claire Burke AppleJack and Peel candle, I don’t think we are the exception. After all, their slogan is decorate with fragrance. This we are doing and I think it adds a bit of charm to our home, and even without a flame flickering in its center, it is a wonderful smell that warrants compliments from nearly everyone who enters our home.

Visit Julee’s blog at http://jonbonjovious.blogspot.com

A Claire Burke Holiday Party

By Guest Blogger, Patti Johnson, Patti Johnson Interiors

 

I’ve been chatting about “Decorating with Fragrance” lately. My husband and I had a Christmas Party this weekend for some very dear friends. A very good time was had by all and I received many compliments on the holiday decor throughout the house. One friend (no lie) thought one of my Christmas trees was real and could not believe it wasn’t! Here’s a picture, you be the judge.  My husband, Ray, who loves real trees, sprayed Claire Burke “Oh Christmas Tree!” Room Spray around the room, it must have been convincing!

Above are a couple of guests who may or may not have really thought it was real, but they did say it was ‘real’ pretty. Below, is the Claire Burke “Christmas Memories” diffuser which is such a beautiful fragrance!

You can place this diffuser anywhere, as the scent is lovely yet subtle. No, I’m not being paid for this endorsement of the Claire Burke products, I just happen to enjoy quality scents in my home and I hope you will too!
Stay tuned for an update on the #IntDesignerChat Design Challenge in Chicago that my team won, I want to share more details with you.  Also, a lot has been happening on the Creative Arts Studio front and I can now release the  name of  it, as the owners have registered their trademark.  It is called “Creation Nation” and you heard it here first!
Have a wonderful, joyous holiday!

www.pattijohnsoninteriors.com

Be Our Guest

By Guest Blogger, Patti Johnson- Patti Johnson Interiors

Claire Burke invites Patti Johnson of Patti Johnson Interiors to tell us what she loves about our Slice of Spice filled candle.  You can also check it out on her website.  Visit http://pattijohnsoninteriors.com

It’s that time of year! You know, bustling about, shopping for gifts, preparing the house for Holiday gatherings. Well, I have discovered the most beautifully scented candle to set the tone! It’s called “Slice of Spice” by Claire Burke. It’s one of those rare fragrances that can transition from autumn into Christmas! Truly this fragrance is all my favorites wrapped into one! Pick up several, perfect gifts for school teachers, your hair dresser, neighborhood party, etc.

5 Reasons Why Candles Make a Great Gift This Season

By Tracy Cox, Claire Burke Staff Writer

Fragrance fanatics like myself look at candles as a part of daily life: they’re great first thing in the morning while I’m getting ready for work, great for setting the mood for a dinner with friends, and great to help me relax in a hot bathtub at the end of a long day.  But for people who aren’t used to using candles everyday like me, they make a great gift of something new and special.

Here are five reasons why candles make great gifts

1.  You can’t go wrong with a candle.  Men and women alike enjoy candles, which make candles a reliable gift for that certain someone you never can figure out how to shop for.

2. Batteries not included.  They don’t come with an instruction manual or power adapter.  With candles, you just light and go.  That’s it

3.  If you can’t make it, fake it!  Candles are great for that of yours who’ll spend hours in the kitchen, only to have the food smell like burned up cookies.  Candles can give the home that fresh-baked smell, without the hassle.

4.  Candles are calming.  As great as candles are to give, they’re even better to receive.  They can help shave off the stress of a rough day and bring you back down to earth.

5.  Scent of memories.  The sense of smell is linked the most closely with the memory.  That’s why the scent of cookies baking in the oven might make you remember your grandma when you were little.  Candles are a great way to connect or reconnect with memories of the past or to help build new ones.

And the holidays are the only time when candles make a perfect gift

Other great occasions to give candles:

Housewarming

Birthday

Condolences

Mother’s Day

Graduation

Bar/Bat mitzvah

Wedding

Bridal/Baby shower

It’s Electric!

By Tracy Cox, Vitabath Staff Writer

There are a countless number of ways to fragrance a room.  Claire Burke has covered everything from flame-released fragrance to flame free fragrance and potpourri.  My personal favorite way to fragrance is electric.

I love my Electric Fragrance Warmer and Refill Oil because it’s always on so no matter what, I walk into a room that already smells amazing.   It gently warms the fragrance oil to disperse it throughout the room and the fragrance stays strong for up to 60 days.  Its customized fragrance control even allows me to determine how much fragrance to use.

Level I disperses fragrance for 45-60 days and is perfect for smaller rooms or subtler fragrance.  Level II kicks the fragrance up a notch and lasts 30-45 days.  This is great for larger rooms or a more intense fragrance impact.  This is really handy for those moments when you need that added boost, like when you want to cover up the smell of burned food in the oven, pet accidents, or other unsavory odors that creep their way into our homes.

As for me?  I like my fragrance strong and keep mine on the Level II all the time.  I just love walking into a bedroom perfumed with one of my favorite scents.  Plus, the soft glow that radiates from the signature Claire Burke diamond gives a dark room a gentle illumination, which also contributes to the calming aspect of my Electric Fragrance Warmer.

Want to know a fun trick to try with your Electric Fragrance Warmer?  Try combining the fragrance from your warmer with a complementary fragrance from a candle!  Right now, with the Thanksgiving season quickly approaching, I’ve got Slice of Spice in my Electric Fragrance Warmer.  If I want to change it up, I’ll burn my Vanilla Bean filled candle to give it a sweet, fresh-out-of-the-oven scent.

Some fun fragrance combinations to try:

• Applejack & Peel with Christmas Memories for an apple-cinnamon scent
• Original with Tropical Flowers for a romantic floral scent
• Cherry O! with Vanilla Bean for yummy sweet scent

The combinations are endless, come up with some of your own!

Oh So Nice- Slice of Spice

By Tracy Cox, Claire Burke Staff Writer

As we settle into this autumnal season, we are greeted with the visions of golden leaves on the ground, scarves around necks, and pumpkins on porches.  I wish there was a way to bundle it all up into one tangible embodiment of the season.

Maybe there’s no way to hold autumn in our hands, but there’s still a way to capture it so we can smell it with our noses.

Slice of Spice is the perfect olfactory manifestation of this season.  Burning a filled candle or warming some home fragrance oil fills the room with an aroma you can almost taste.  You can smell the fresh pumpkin as if you’ve just finished carving it in your kitchen.  The hints of allspice and rum give it a woody bite.  It’s topped off with the delicious scent of maple syrup and cream cheese frosting that make the whole room smell like Mom’s kitchen in November.

It’s an inviting fragrance that keeps the house smelling like you’ve been baking, but without all the hard work.  So fill your home with the warm, enticing aroma of Slice of Spice and let autumn wash over you!

The Beauty of Home Fragrance Spray

By Tracy Cox, Claire Burke Staff Writer

I know it sounds a little silly to say, “Thank goodness for home spray,” but it’s become a lifesaver in my house.  There is no quicker way to fragrance a room to perk up a pleasant smell or mask an unsavory one

For example, a few nights ago, I had some friends come over for dinner.  I had baked cookies earlier in the day and had just finished cooking the fish right before they arrived.  I wanted my house to smell more like the cookies than the fish (obviously) but at that point, it was too late.  My house smelled like a seafood restaurant.  So I reached for my handy dandy Vanilla Bean Home Fragrance Spray and a few spritzes later, my home smelled like cookies instead of fish.

Some other great places to use Home Fragrance Spray:

• School lockers
• Gym lockers
• Bathrooms
• Closets and linens
• Even in the car!

If you want to freshen up a room quickly and keep the fragrance for a while, a great way to do that is to start with a few sprays of Home Fragrance Spray and top it off by lighting a filled or botanical candle to keep the fragrance steady.  That way I have the ambiance of candlelight but I don’t have to wait for the room to fill with fragrance as the wax warms up and melts.

I’ll always love my Home Fragrance Spray- I have a different scent for every room!  Give ‘em a try some time!

Give for the Holidays Before the Holidays!

By Tracy Cox, Claire Burke® Staff Writer

As we turn the corner from summer to autumn, and the leaves are changing from green to orange, our thoughts start to wander towards the holiday season. Everyone has his or her own reasons for loving the holidays.  For some it’s the presents, for others its spending time with family, and for many it’s the heartwarming smells that accompany the holidays.

The Christmas season is my favorite time to give Claire Burke®, whether it’s a botanical candle, a gift set, or a fragrance diffuser, Claire Burke® is always a hit around the holidays.  However, I’ve learned from years passed that the heartwarming Claire Burke® holiday scents that I give as Christmas gifts only get a little use after Christmas before they are packed up for the next year.

That’s why this holiday season I’m going to gift differently!  This year I plan on bringing the holiday fragrances like Christmas Memories®, Oh Christmas Treeä, and Slice of Spiceä out long before Christmas passes.  Rather than giving fragrances that will end up getting packed up with the rest of the holiday décor, I’m going to give these scents as gifts for Halloween, Thanksgiving, holiday party host gifts, house warming parties, and get togethers.  That way they can be used for weeks or even months before the season changes and they may contribute to the aura of the season.

Then for my Christmas presents, I’m going to gift from the Claire Burke® basic collection so that my gift can be used long after Christmas.  My friends and family can love the holiday scents from October through December and then admire the classics for the rest of the year.

If you want to make sure the gifts you give this season are enjoyed to their full potential, remember this, give for the holidays before the holidays!