Friday, February 27, 2009

It's that time of year AGAIN?!

Yippie! It's that time of year again! I get to blow out the birthday candles on Monday...yep I am turning 21 again!! (So what if it is the 10th year in a row?!) So what about the birthday celebration? Well...I am definitely going to have my cake and eat it too! And so can you!!!

Starting Friday February 27, 2009 5pm (CST) through Sunday March 1, 2009 until midnight (CST) I will be having a BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT WEEKEND SALE at Ozark Scents!! ALL purchases in my store will receive 20% off! Anything you fancy, you get 20% off your whole order!
(Excludes Shipping)

So go ahead and splurge a little, after all March 2nd is Dr. Seuss day! (Oh, and my birthday too!) Besides, who doesnt need a little economically friendly shopping break every now and then? Especially with all of the gloom and doom we've been subjected to lately.

♥♥♥Don't forget to enter our blog makeover GIVEAWAY below! I will announce the winner on Sunday, and will have some new fun for everybody too!.....So stay tuned!!♥♥♥

Also be sure to check out the Etsy featured artist and Giveaway over at Craft Content. It's being sponsored by Creative Addictions, a very talented husband and wife team.

Good luck everyone and have fun!

Amy :)

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Feed Your Pig



Hi guys, Hope everyone is having a great day today! It has been so gloomy here in Missouri. I am so ready for Spring to get here!


I just wanted to tell you all that Janna over at Feed your Pig has featured Ozark Scents this month! She has a money earning and savings minded blog, which is great considering our times right now!! I hope you all go over to her blog and show some love! Of course there is free stuff too! ...and who doesn't love free stuff right?


Anyway if you guys get a chance check it out! Thanks for all your support!♥
**Don't forget to enter our candle giveaway here on Ozark Scents blog (scroll on down)! We will be picking a winner on Sunday (3-1-09)!!
Jenny is also hosting a giveaway on her blog craft content which ends on Sunday too, so go on over there and check it out as well! Great stuff!


Amy :)

Monday, February 23, 2009

We made it into a treasury!


Hey everyone! Our Midnight Mocha 8 oz candle made it into a treasury on Etsy!! We are excited about it!! It is a lovely treasury and it's our first time featured in one! A big thanks to ErikaPrice for including us in her gorgeous treasury!! :) Hope everyone will swing over to etsy and take a peak.
...And don't forget to enter our candle giveaway below. You could win our Midnight Mocha candle or any candle of your choice from Ozark Scents!!
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!! :)
Amy

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Surprise! (This Contest is now closed, winner has been chosen)

Its finally here!

What you have been waiting for all week!

The SURPRISE!!!

To celebrate our blog makeover, we are going to be giving away an 8oz candle of your choice from our shop!!!


To enter the giveaway, go to Ozark Scents Candle Co. and take a peep at the fragrance list.

(The fragrance list is located in the “Shop Policies” at Ozark Scents Candle Co.)

Come back here to the blog, and leave a comment letting us know what your favorite scent is.

Your comment will enter you into a drawing to win an 8oz candle in the scent of your choice.

Please include your email address, entries without email addresses will not be considered.

If you become a follower of our blog, let us know in the comments section and you will receive an additional entry. If you already follow, then say so in your comment and you will also receive an additional entry.

The giveaway will be open to US residents only.

We are going to draw a name next Sunday night March 1st 2009.

Good luck, and have fun!!!

And the winner is...........

Kathy55439!!!!

Congratulations Kathy! You have won a pendant of your choice from the Giggles & Grins Bowtique!!!

Thank you very much to Dawn at Giggles & Grins Bowtique for sponsoring this great giveaway! She is a great seller, and a very talented artist:)

Thank you to everyone who entered, and a very special thank you to our followers. You all have made this a wonderful experience!

Please swing back by later today to see the big surprise we have for you!

Thanks again,
Amy & Jenny at Ozark Scents

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Our fresh new look!

Hello again

We hope you like our fresh new face, we did it just for you! Yes, we feel so much better since our transformation, and it actually didn’t take as long as we had expected, but I’m just now posting about it because today was my wedding anniversary! So why am I on here blogging? Well, it’s almost my bedtime, hubby is in bed, and all the anniversary fun and games (wink) are over. It was a great day, love you honey (kisses).

Hey, speaking of celebrations, we are so excited about our new look that we are going to be celebrating it with a big surprise! However, we are going to make you wait until Sunday to find out what it is (ha, ha, ha), but believe me, you are going to love it!!!!

Anyhoo, we are counting down to the final days of the featured artist giveaway, and boy are we excited about that too! We should probably calm down before our faces turn blue and we pass out, but we can’t help it! We thought we would let everyone know that we have marked an official time for the ending of the giveaway on Sunday; it will be at 3pm central standard time. Don’t worry, we won’t jump the gun again, pinky swear.

As we said before, we will contact you personally if you win (don’t be like us and pass out if you're the winner, we wouldn’t want you to get a boo boo) but we will also be posting the winner here on the blog that evening, so swing by to see who won! Oh yeah, there will be that surprise thing too.

In the mean time, we have conjured up some cool projects from the DIY Network to keep you occupied while you wait for Sunday to get here.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Blog Makeover

Hi There everyone!

Thank you for participating in this great giveaway! We really appreciate all of the great comments, and kind words you have left for us and our featured artist Giggles & Grins Bowtique (you guys are too good to us). And we especially appreciate all of you who have decided to follow our blog! As cheesy as it may sound, it really is a great honor to us to get new followers.

So, to thank you for your sweetness, we have decided to give you something sweet to look at! We know you love us just the way we are, and we know that you would never leave us just because we gained a few pounds, but we feel that we have become a little saggy around the eyes, and the love handles we acquired during the holidays are still flappin around. Yes, we feel it may be time for a makeover, a blog makeover that is.

So for the next few days we are going to be on the HTML treadmill getting fierce and fabulous just for you! So come back soon to see our new look.

While you’re waiting for us to get done primping, you can scroll down to the post below and check out the featured artist, and enter the drawing. (if you haven’t already). And don't forget to leave your email address, or we won't be able to let you know if you win!

And if you have already entered, don’t fret, we got you a magazine to read while you wait for us to get out of the bathroom, we will be out soon, we swear:)

If you don't like magazines, then hop on over to Etsy and check out some of our new candles!


Thanks again!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Featured Artist (Contest Closed-Winner Announced)

Hi Everyone! First of all, thanks for coming to our blog! This is our first feature and we hope everyone joins in for the fun & goodies! We jumped the gun a little bit by posting the contest details at the Etsy shop last night, and we just couldn't wait until 2pm to start the fun, so here we go.......

Our guest of honor this week is Giggles & Grins Bowtique! I chose this particular shop because I have made several purchases here and have always been 110% happy! Dawn Wilcox is the talented and wonderful seller behind Giggles & Grins Bowtique, she makes beautiful and unique necklaces from recycled dominoes and scrabble tiles, as well as, cute little hair bows for girls. My twelve-year-old daughter has become addicted to Dawns Twilight inspired bottle cap and scrabble tile necklaces; I have purchased several for her and one for my cousin, and they absolutely love them!! I love the price and quality of Dawn's work and I highly recommend Giggles & Grins Bowtique to anyone looking for a one of a kind, high quality necklace, or hair bow.

Here are some of our favorite items from Giggles & Grins Bowtique




Remember when we said that there would be a surprise? Well here it is!

Go to Giggles & Grins Bowtique and browse through Dawns awesome handmade products

Come back to our blog, and tell us which wonderful item you dig the most (you can only choose one).

Your comment will enter you into a drawing to receive the item you have chosen! Be sure to leave your email address in the comments, entries without email address will not be considered.

If you are already a follower of our blog, your comment will grant you two entries into the drawing, if you choose to follow our blog, let us know, and you will also be granted two entries, and if you choose not to follow then your comment will grant you one entry:)

Dawn has graciously agreed to give away one item of the winner’s choice from her shop! (She is so cool)

We are going to put everyone’s name in a hat and draw a winner next Sunday February 22, 2009! (This drawing is open to US residents only)

We will contact you via email next Sunday if you are the lucky winner! We will also be posting the winner here on the blog!

Thanks so much for participating:) Be sure to drop us a line if you would like to be featured on our blog, or would like to nominate someone else to be featured.

Good luck, and have fun!

Amy

Saturday, February 14, 2009

This Sunday!

We have found our first featured handmade artist! We will be rolling out all the details on this artist and their handmade products tomorrow! In addition to the feature, we will also be rolling out a special surprise! So be sure to swing by on Sunday 02-15-09 at around 2pm central time to check it out!

Thanks for stopping by

Friday, February 13, 2009

Quick and inexpensive last minute Valentine’s Day gifts

We are now counting down the final hours until V-Day, and some of you still have not got your Valentine a gift. You may not even know what to get your special someone, and you are probably sweating bullets right about now. I know your dilemma all to well, that is why I have conjured up several great last minute gift ideas. So sit back, relax, and wipe the sweat from your brow.

Although these ideas are somewhat of a quick fix, you certainly do not have to give your honey the impression that your gift is not heartfelt and sincere.

Rent his or her favorite movie
With prices on everything skyrocketing it has become increasingly difficult to stay entertained on a budget, renting movies is a great inexpensive way to have a great night in with your sweetheart, especially if you let them know how much you care by grabbing their favs at the video store. Be creative; make a small “Now Showing” marquee out of cardboard or construction paper listing all of your sweetie’s favorite flicks. Place the sign in front of the TV. And don’t forget to grab his or her favorite snacks while you’re out!

Love note card
In an earlier post I talked about homemade cards, they are a great personalized way to show your love, but they can take time and possibly supplies that you just don’t have this late in the game. Don’t fret; you can still make a great personalized Valentine. Now, I understand that writing can be difficult, especially in the love department, but if you truly know how you feel about your special someone, it really won’t be that hard to make a note of those feelings. Step one, grab some printer paper, and get a ruler, a marker (preferably red) or a red ink pen (a regular black or blue pen will work). Sit down and just write whatever comes to mind about your Valentine, write your feelings for them. Once you have done that, look over what you have written, and edit anything that you want, check for spelling, etc. Once you have narrowed down what you want to say, then grab a clean piece of printer paper and your ruler (or some type of straight flat object that will help you keep your penmanship straight and clean looking). Place the ruler on the paper where you want to start your note, write everything out in your best penmanship and then sign the paper. You can title the note (e.g. For my lovely Valentine) Just be honest and heartfelt, and your handwritten note will hold a special place in his or her heart for a long time.

Make his or her favorite dish
If you know what their favorite foods are, then this should be an easy task. Go to the market, grab what you need to make their favorite dish, bring it home and whip it up. Now I know some of you are probably thinking, “easy task my foot” but this can be altered to fit anyone’s schedule or lifestyle. If you don’t cook and have no clue how to cook, then you will need to put more effort into the shopping portion of the task. You will need to find instant, microwavable, already made, or easy to make foods. I suggest browsing the freezer section; most markets will have a rather large variety of semi- gourmet meals for two that can be popped in the oven and ready to go in about an hour. Again, be creative, set a nice table with flowers, buy his or her favorite wine, and grab a quick dessert. Bon appetit!

Note: if these tips just don’t fit your plans, you can resort to the Valentine’s Day norms of flowers and candy; just make it a little less predictable by thinking outside of the heart shaped box. Buy lilies, instead of red roses, get him or her a big cookie with a short, yet sweet personal message written on it in icing.

Remember, no matter how ‘last minute’ your gift may be, you can still make it shine with creativity, personalization, and most importantly, LOVE.

Have a happy V-Day!

Pink Sugar, how come you smell so good? Just like a candle should:)

Homemade Dry Skin Lotion Recipe

As we all know the groundhog saw his shadow a few weeks ago, and you know what that means, SIX more weeks of winter! Yes, SIX miserable, dry, itchy, flaky, blotchy weeks. I seriously do not know how much more winter skin I can handle, it has been a bad winter for me so far, and I know that countless others are suffering the same horrific dermatological fate. Therefore, here is my attempt to help as many moisture challenged people as possible. This is a great lotion recipe that you can whip up in your kitchen, and it only takes about 10-15 minutes.

Moisturizing Beeswax and Almond Oil Lotion

½ cup distilled water
1/8 tsp. borax powder (acts as a preservative)
½ cup almond oil
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. grated beeswax
2 tablespoons of honey
2-3 drops of orange essential oil (or your choice)


In a Pyrex or glass bowl, mix almond oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and honey. Place the glass bowl inside of a medium to large size sauce pan, fill pan with approximately 1-2 inches of water (do not get water in the oil mixture). On the stovetop heat the mixture on low until the beeswax is melted.

In a separate glass bowl, mix water and borax powder together until well blended, microwave the borax mixture until boiling (about 1 minute)

Pour beeswax mixture into a blender or food processor; slowly mix in the hot borax mixture. Add essential oil, and blend until the entire mixture is whipped (the lotion will appear slightly thin until it cools).

Pour into a seal-able glass jar, let cool, and enjoy!

This recipe makes for a wonderfully thick and silky lotion that is great for dry sensitive skin. Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions to make this recipe better, or post a different mixture that has worked for you.

Happy lubricating!

If you want to get clean before you grease down, then try some hand-milled, super-fatted, Cinnamon and Orange Soap

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Handmade Goodness

Here at the Ozark Scents blog we are all about handmade things! Yes, it is true that we love candles and soap, but anything handmade holds a special place in our hearts. That is why we have decided to start scouring the web in search of great handmade crafts. When we find something that is pure handmade goodness, we will feature the product and the maker(s) of the fabulous find here on our blog! You may be asking yourself (or your cat) “why are they doing this?” Well, the answer is simple, we like other people who like the things that we like. Oh, and we are also really nice, and I suppose it is also because we believe in karma ;) So, you and your cat can rest peacefully tonight knowing that Ozark Scents will be running the Google machine and burning the midnight oil (or at least the 10:30 oil) to find you the cream of the crafty handmade crop.

Join in on the fun!

This may be hard for some of you to believe, but Ozark Scents has not always been the popular and ravishingly handsome thing that you all know and love today (I know, it’s shocking!). In fact, Ozark Scents was once the ugly duckling; the last kid picked for dodge ball, and couldn’t even get a date to the prom (he had to take his second cousin). That is why Ozark Scents doesn’t want to leave anyone out on the fun. So please feel free to join us by posting any worthy handcrafted goods that you may happen upon (with links) in the comments section. Who knows, it might even boost your popularity:)

Happy hunting!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Romance is in the air

Valentine's Day is creeping in on us and there is but one question on every woman’s mind “what do I do for him on Valentines day?” Girls, we love our men, and they always do greats things for us on this day of love (or at least they try to), so how can we repay them for all of their love and affection? Well, of course there is sexy lingerie, which I’m sure he has no problem with (when you wear it of course). Flowers and candy are really not for the guys (don’t learn this the hard way, just steer clear of these gifts).Then there are guy gifts like hats, t-shirts, etc, but once you have been with your honey for a few years these things start to become Valentine reruns. So what should we do?

You know, I hear allot of people say that Valentine's day is just for women, and girls shouldn’t even worry about what to do for their guys, but I beg to differ, and as a matter of fact, so do the fine experts at Redbook. Yesterday I stumbled upon an article at redbookmag.com The article is entitled "12 Things Men Really Find Romantic"

I highly recommend reading this article, it really offers insight into the strange area known as the man brain, and it should help put an end to your love day struggles.

Here are a couple of things I have done in the past for my hubby; these ideas are great for men or women.

Handmade cards
Everyone knows that something made by hand comes from the heart. So instead of letting the good people at Hallmark write it for you, write it yourself!

One year I was feeling particularly loving towards my hubby, and I decided to make him a card. So, I thought it over (for a really long time) and finally decided that I would create a love time-line. I wanted to let him know how important he was to me by recalling all of the great moments of our relationship, and confessing the feelings that I had on those particular days. So, I started with the day we met, then our first date, first kiss, and etc. I made the card out of red and white contact paper. All together it took me about an hour, but my husband still calls that card the best gift he ever received from me.

Here are some more homemade card ideas from Better Homes and Gardens to help you get inspired

Love coupons
Okay, I know this may seem a little corny, but when I did this for my husband he really liked it, I am talking about personalized coupons. This is a very simple, inexpensive, creative, and sexy way to treat your sweetheart this year. Just think of what he or she really likes (sexually or otherwise) things that you may not do very often, like the dishes:). Then get some paper (whatever color and texture you like) and cut it into small coupon squares (make it large enough to write out your special coupon offer). Then write!

Maybe she would like you to walk the dog, or hang out with her and her friends, maybe we would like you to watch the game with him, or wear short shorts while cleaning the house, whatever it is (be sure its something you are willing to do) write it out as a coupon. Here is an example

Love Rub Offer
This coupon entitles you to one free back rub!
Limited time offer, hurry while supplies last!
Expires 04-02-09

The great thing about this idea is that you can be creative, funny, or sexy it is totally up to you! Once you have completed the individual coupons, staple them together to create a book. You can even title the book (e.g. Your lucky day coupons) Have fun!

Nothing says romance like candle light! Put a spell on your sweetheart with a Love Spell candle from Ozark Scents.

Have a happy love day!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Saving money and the environment, it's all in a days work

Here are some great natural housekeeping tips!

To clean glass, mirrors, and even stainless steal surfaces such as sinks and refrigerators, use white vinegar instead of harsh chemical cleaners. Vinegar is a little stinky, but it is safer for your children and pets, and better for the environment. Oh, and did I mention it is CHEAPER too! Vinegar cuts through tough grease, and leaves glass and mirrors sparkling clean without streaks.

To use vinegar as a surface cleaner, pour it into an empty spray bottle ( an old Windex bottle will do, just be sure to clean out the bottle and re-label it before you use it) For best results, do not dilute with water. Spray onto surface, wipe, and your done!

Vinegar also works great as a rinse aid for your dishes, just add it to your rinse aid dispenser instead of jet-dry. It cleans just as well, and it does not contain harmful phosphates.

Quick tip: Vinegar cuts through grease, but if you really want your sink or fridge to shine, use fresh limes. For sinks, get two fresh limes, cut them in half, and rub the lime all over the sink while squeezing the juice out. The citric acid cuts through rust, calcium deposits, and soap scum better than the store bought stuff like CLR. Let the lime sit on the surface for a few minutes, then rinse off, your sink will be the envy of all others. For larger appliances, such as refrigerators, follow the directions above, but use more limes to cover the surface.

Baking Soda (This stuff is the ultimate all purpose cleaner). As you may already know baking soda has been used for oral care for a very long time, but this stuff can clean more than just your teeth.

Baking soda can be used for:

Laundry
·Stain remover: Mix two parts baking soda with one part water to create a paste, apply paste to stains, work in with a rag or brush, let sit, then wash, stain gone, you happy. Yay!

·For really tough stains like blood, and grass, follow the directions above, but pour a little peroxide over the stain after you have scrubbed in the baking soda mixture, let sit for about 5-10minutes(longer for dried in stains) then wash. (for color fast fabric, test a small spot before applying peroxide)

·Whitening: To get your whites whiter, add ½ cup of baking soda to one regular load of whites along with your bleach, you will see a big difference!

Appliances
Does anybody out there have a flat range stovetop? You know the kind that looks like glass, and is very difficult to keep clean. If you do own one of these then you know my struggle. The flat range that I purchased came with a small bottle of cleaner for the top, and it worked great, but then I ran out. So, I thought to myself, no biggie, I will just go get some more, but there was one (actually two) problems with that, nobody sells the stuff! And when you do find it, it cost an arm and a leg. So, for a very long time I was cleaning my stovetop with glass cleaner (Big NO NO according to the manufacturer) The glass cleaner did not get any of the burnt on stuff off, so I was left with a stove top that looked shinny and clean in some spots, then burnt and dirty in other spots.

So a few months after I ran out of cleaner, a bad ice storm hit, my mom and my sister lost all power and had to come and stay with my husband and me for a few weeks. While they were at my house, my mom noticed that I was cleaning the stovetop with Windex, so she asked me why, and I told her that I wanted birds to fly into my kitchen and slam into my stove. No really, I gave her the whole shebang about the pricey stuff. So, she tells me that a mixture of baking soda and water (paste consistency) will work just as well, or better! Then I started thinking about the cleaner that came with the stove, and how it actually looked like, and had the consistency of baking soda and water. So, I tried it, and I was amazed! It worked better than the pricy stuff!

Here is how you do it: Mix 2 parts baking soda with one part water, get a terry cloth rag and work into the stovetop using a circular motion. The burnt on stuff comes right off, and it does not scratch the surface! I am a happy camper now, thanks Mom!

I hope you find these tips helpful. I would like to thank my sister Amy (Ozark Scents founder/owner/ candle maker/ mom of 4 girls/very smart person) for providing most of the tips I posted here today, and I would like to thank my Mom for saving me from bird attacks in my kitchen:)

If you have any natural tips for beauty, housekeeping, etc, give us a holla in the comments section, we would love to hear from you.

Whew, that was a long post, thanks for reading it.

Have a great day!

To keep your home smelling fresh and clean the natural way, try one of our new 100% soy candles!


Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Monkey Farts

Its great being the sister of a candle maker, I get to be one of the first people to know about new scents and styles, and I get to blog about it all to my sister’s loyal fans. However, the best part about being the sister of a candle maker is getting to test the candles! That brings me to my point (I knew I had one). Hey, do you remember back in the day, when I told you that we were going to start selling 100% soy candles? Well, the day has finally come! I tested a new candle last night and I just have two words for you “Monkey Farts!” That’s right FARTS:) I must say that I have smelt allot of candles in my day, and unfortunately I have also smelt more farts than I would have liked to, but I must say that Monkey Farts is the most funny sounding, yet most deliciously scented candle my sniffer has ever had the pleasure to sniff. Maybe I am just being bias, but I really like my sister’s monkey farts, and so far, it has been one of her best selling SOY BLEND candles. Now, it will morph into one of her best selling, all time most awesome, Pure Soy Candles! (Hopefully).

The low down on the farts

Monkey farts is a tantalizing explosion of bananas, melded with hints of pineapple, kiwi, and strawberries, along with a pinch of vanilla that gives it a sweet and creamy afterthought. Now you can get your farts in a soy blend candle or 100% pure vegetable soy! What more could you ask for?

If you want to start enjoying the smell of farts in your home, office, dorm, cave, hut, etc…..Then give us a click!

Thanks for looking:) have a great day.

Monday, February 2, 2009


COMING SOON...100% Soy Candles!

All of our holiday scents are on sale now. Limited quantities and fragrances. See our
SALE ITEMS section on Etsy.

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** New Scents! POMEGRANATE FIG CEDAR, FIRST BLOOM, LITTLE BLACK DRESS, SUGAR PECAN SPICE & WHITE CHOCOLATE!**