Autumn has arrived

     The autumn season has arrived at Candlelight Barn in beautiful Burlington, Connecticut.  The season of falling leaves, big orange pumpkins, warm sunny days and cool crisp nights make this time of year special and one of our favorite times.  This time of year is busy for everyone as we get back to school, trips to the orchard for apple picking, and hay rides to pick out the perfect pumpkin.
     We are getting ready to start the craft fair circuit again to celebrate all of the coming holidays.  Candlelight Barn has been busy making wreaths, pins, and magnets made of colorful leaves to help celebrate this time of year.  Beautful oranges, yellows leaves, and the clear blue skies are inspiration for our color pallette.
     Our teacher flower pots decorated with school supplies added to a plant continue to be popular as thank you gifts and welcome back to school gifts.  Candlelight Barn has also been busy putting together custom made baskets for our clients for birthdays, get well, and congratulations.  Our small gift boxes, just right for a little treat or trinket for someone special are now decorated with fall themes.
     Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower (Albert Casmus).  Please check out our website and continue to follow us on facebook as we continue this journey together.

Happy Summertime!!

            Fireworks and fireflies, ice cream cones and watermelon, backyard gatherings and simple family parties, all mean that summer has arrived.  It is hard to believe that we are in the middle of summer and time is passing by quickly.  The weather is beautiful with soft, gentle breezes, and these perfect days are the longest days of the year.  Candlelight Barn has been very busy making all kinds of gift baskets for our clients.  They have emailed us what they wish and a price they would like to pay, and we do the rest.  Get well baskets, dog lover baskets, and end of the school year flower pots to say thank you to the teachers have been exceptionally popular.  It has been a very busy time, and a lot of fun, also.
             We  have a few gift ideas for the summer including wreaths and baskets to celebrate this wonderful time of the year.  And of course, we have our little treasure boxes decorated for the summertime. 
             Candlelight Barn will soon be getting ready for the holiday season and the many craft fairs which we will be attending.  Check out our new products and continue to follow us on Facebook.  Happy Summer to all!!

Reflections for the Month of May

Happy May Day to everyone!  Hard to believe that May is here already.  After a seemingly endless winter, the weather is getting warmer, the trees and flowers are starting to bloom, and the birds are singing.  The April showers have made the landscape lush and beautiful.  It is a busy time of year for everyone, from Mother’s Day, graduations, and birthdays. 

            We at Candlelight Barn are busy filling orders for all of these occasions.  Our baskets, wreaths, and planters are popular.  They are perfect for a sunny porch, entry way or to add a bit of spring to your décor.  Our mini gift boxes have also been very popular.  These little boxes are perfect for sweet treats or small gifts for a loved one, as a thoughtful gesture or as a thank you.  Our small bird houses are painted and decorated for spring, and are perfect to add a touch of whimsy to your home.  For someone who loves to garden, or wishes they had a “green thumb”, our flower buckets and pots will help to achieve this goal.  Each includes seeds, gloves, trowel, and potting soil.

Candlelight Barn still offers our line of natural scrubs and body washes made with products from every day ingredients from your kitchen, including lemon juice, raspberry tea, vanilla, and cocoa powder.  These make perfect gifts for someone for relaxing in a bubble bath, an invigorating shower, and as a wonderful scented scrub. We are still making our ever popular all natural ingredients dog biscuits in cute containers to celebrate the season.

Three new items include antique tea cups with homemade candles, small vintage handbags filled with silk flowers to add charm to an entry table or bedroom dresser, and gift bags with seeds, an angel bear pin, and candle, a perfect way to say, I love you to mom.

Everyone at Candlelight Barn enjoys country and vintage charm and we strive to have that come thru with our crafts, baskets, and gifts.  Our old LP’s, both small and large, are a perfect addition to any party.  We will continue to add to our line of products thru the summer months to celebrate Father’s Day and Fourth of July and  keep everyone updated as we continue this journey together. 

April Greetings from Candlelight Barn

            It’s Spring time!!  Warm weather, sunny days and blue skies are here.  The birds are singing and the trees and flowers are starting to bud.  Peter Cottontail is hopping his way to Candlelight Barn.

            We have many new items including pins, magnets, wreaths, baskets, clever plant containers, pocketbook vases, miniature bird houses, vintage tea cups with candles, and miniature boxes for gifts.  We also offer decorations for Easter including eggs and bunnies.  We will soon have decorations and gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  Candlelight Barn still offers our line of natural scrubs and body washes made with products from every day ingredients, and our ever popular all natural ingredients dog biscuits.

            Everyone at Candlelight Barn are busy getting ready for our next craft fair in May.  Keep checking our website and follow us on Facebook as we continue this journey together.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to All

            There’s a wee bit of magic in the air and wearin’ of the green at Candlelight Barn.  If you love green, leprechauns, and the pot of gold, then you will love what we are creating.  Our newest body wash is very refreshing with a splash of mint.  We also have our ever famous all natural ingredient dog treats, this time in the shape of shamrocks.  Candlelight Barn is also continuing our line of jelly roll face clothes, this time called “shamrock shake”.  There are shamrock pins, magnets, flower pots with “shamrock” seeds guaranteed to grow with a little leprechaun magic.  We also have our famous “match box” gift containers and party favors to make your St. Patty’s day memorable.  Our LP gift baskets can be filled with whatever you request to make your next party a rockin’ success.  With the days growing longer, Spring is definitely in the air and we continue to add more products to our product line.  Candlelight Barn’s motto is custom made, so if there is a special request that you have, please feel free to contact us and we will do our best to accomplish this.  Continue to check back each month for our updated blogs, pictures, products, and follow us on Facebook as we continue this journey together.  Top of the mornin’ to everyone! 

Valentine Greetings

Although it seems to snow and snow, we at Candlelight Barn have been busy getting ready for Valentine’s Day and will be attending another craft event.  We have beautiful hand painted champagne glasses, clay pots painted with hearts and include flower seeds and potting soil, heart pins and magnets, and of course our popular all natural ingredient dog treats, heart-shaped.  Also, new are heart shaped catnip toys for cats for our fellow cat lovers, Valentine wreaths, and candy dishes and baskets made of old LP’s.  Candlelight Barn will soon be starting our new line of scrubs and bubble baths using everyday household ingredients in pretty containers.  All of these are perfect for your sweetheart and calorie free!

Any of these would also be perfect for Mother’s Day, birthday presents, thank you gifts, or for any other occasion.  When you place your order, if there is something you would like customized, just email us with your request and we will do our best to fulfill your request.  Candlelight Barn’s  specialty is “Custom made gifts for all occasions”. 

Candlelight Barn is a family adventure, and we are all involved in the many aspects of the day to day operations, from setting up the website and filling the orders as they come in, to making the crafts, and organizing each event that we attend.  We truly enjoy this adventure and it is a labor of love.  We are looking forward to the New Year as we expand our products for the upcoming holidays, and Spring and Summer months.  Our specialty is called “Cups of Comfort” which are mugs for teachers, friends, and family for any type of holiday or occasion, including vintage material mugs for a quick thank you or hello.  We hope to create memories for others.

Please continue to check our website for new items and updates, and follow us on Facebook as we continue this journey together.

Creating Memories

I grew up on a working dairy farm in Burlington, Connecticut. It was started sometime in the 1840’s and was purchased by my grandparents in the early 1920’s. The farm’s name is Pleasant View Farm and was a working farm until the late 1970’s when my father became ill. It was originally over 100 acres, but as time passed, parcels of land were sold off and many of the out buildings were left in disrepair and eventually torn down. In the end, all that remain are the milk house and barn.

The barn is a classic English Barn otherwise known as an eave-entry barn, meaning it is a simple building with a rectangular plan, pitched roof, and a door on the long side of the building, using timber framing. The upper level is divided into three distinct areas, which are called bays and originally were used for animals, grains, and equipment.

When my husband and I decided to take over the land in 2007, the barn was restored back to its original charm. We are currently working to complete restoration of the inside of the barn, including the basement which was once used for the milking of cows, a major part of the farm. That is how Candlelight Barn was started.

While cleaning out my parent’s house, we found a beautiful double wedding ring quilt, made by hand by mother. I remember when she sewed each square together using scraps from clothes she had made and from clothes that my brother and I had worn. She was so proud of it. It went on my parents’ bed to be used and displayed with pride. I remember her making the quilt and how much work it had been, but then as the years went by and my father became ill, things got packed away and it was forgotten. Someone had packed it away in tissue paper in the attic, and it was still in good condition, well worn, but still beautiful. This quilt brought back so many memories.

Because my mother was such an avid seamstress who truly enjoyed sewing, making our clothes and quilting, she passed her love of sewing to me and I learned from her how to sew. I still love to sew. I have made many quilts including piecing pieces of clothing from my children’s clothes together to make squares for several Around the World quilts. I also made a quilt using ties that my husband wore at his job for many years, to make a beautiful quilt which was my own design. My quilts have also included the more conventional types like Log Cabin, Bear’s Paw, Dresden Plat, and Ohio Star. I even did an abstract quilt that someone commissioned me to do which was very modern. My favorites are appliqué because you do all the piecing by hand instead of by machine. Any extra material left over from the quilts I use to make the clothing for my Raggedy Ann dolls which are one of my specialties. I have sold many of my quilts, and I always take a picture of each so I know which ones I have made and the history of each one. Quilts help to sustain the body and spirit and help to create memories.

When it was time for my son to do his Eagle project for the Boy Scouts, and after seeing an article on “At Risk Baby Crib” or “ABC Quilts”, a national organization for babies with AIDS, decided to have his Troop help him make quilts for his Eagle project. His fellow scouts and volunteers from the area stitched, patched, pinned, and clipped pieces of fabric to make over 30 quilts which were donated to the organization. As you can see, sewing and quilting are a big part of our family.

Candlelight Barn is a family adventure, and we are all involved in the many aspects of the day to day operations, from setting up the website and filling the orders as they come in, to making the crafts, and organizing each event that we attend. We truly enjoy this adventure and it is a labor of love. We are proud to begin to offer a wide range of custom made gifts and collectibles including gift baskets which we make to your specifications. We customize scrapbooks, quilts, and cards. Garden designs and gardening supplies are also available on request. Our line of products include dog and cat decorations and crafts, leashes, and all natural treats. We have crafts for the Christmas season and are looking forward to the New Year as we expand our products for the upcoming holidays, and Spring and Summer months. Our specialty is called “Cups of Comfort” which are mugs for teachers, friends, and family for any type of holiday or occasion, including vintage material mugs for a quick thank you or hello. We hope to create memories for others.

In the coming months we hope to add our new line of spa beauty gifts from every day products and baby gifts. Please check out our website, Candlelight Barn, and keep checking back as we continue this journey together.