HAZEL AND BLUE

Its official! Creative Q&As are back! And I’ve got a super duper crew of creatives lined up ready to tell us all (maybe not all, gotta have some boundaries…).

We’re starting off with an absolute CRACKER (thank me later): lovely Becky, who is the owner and founder of gorgeous candle company Hazel and Blue.

I first discovered Hazel and Blue when I was researching small businesses offering creative kits and supplies, for the first post of 2021: New Year, New Skills (read here!). Since then, I have watched their success continue to grow and grow, and very deservedly so!

So please read on to find out more about this fab company, and the lovely face behind the scenes!

JANEY: Let’s get going – please tell us about how Hazel and Blue came to be, and how long you have been perfecting your candle making wizardry!

BECKY: I started making candles with my daughter, who was 9 at the time, and loved it from the moment I stirred in the scented oils, to watching it set in the glass and lighting it. I was immediately intrigued and wanting to make more and more! I have always used creativity to keep my mind and hands occupied. My parents always said I was a ‘busy child’ so I think I may have swapped this into my creative hobbies as an adult!

I was a nurse for 20 years and would use creative hobbies to distract me and take my mind off work, children and life! It always made me feel better and I loved creating new things.

I started making soy candle making kits after one of my candle workshop attendees suggested that it would be a lovely idea to have them at the workshop so they could take one home afterwards and continue to make candles. In addition, one of our retail stockists suggested in the same week the same idea! I knew then that I had to make one! I really wanted to create an eco-friendly soy candle making kit as, when I first used one, they were full of paraffin wax and plastic ingredients. I wanted my potential customers to use all the eco-friendly ingredients and materials that I used.

J: That absolutely sounds like fate! Such a lovely concept: for someone to fall in love with the craft while being taught at a workshop, and then having the opportunity to take a ready-made kit home with them to continue their new found skill! I think that is something that I hope will catch on – I for one am so keen after attending a creative workshop, and then get home to realise what a minefield it is to try to track down and source the right equipment. You’ve solved that one!

My Mum is an aromatherapist, so I really grew up with a love for essential oils and their properties and ‘powers’. If I was really cruel, and told you that you absolutely had to choose, what would be your favourite essential oil? (Camomile lover here!)

B: Oh, my goodness this is a tough question! I love so many essential oils, as they can make you feel different things! I really love Lemon and Eucalyptus oils, the scent is energising and calming all in one and they are anti-inflammatory and soothing.

J: Lovely! We can see that being eco-friendly is really important to you – how do you ensure that the products you make are sustainable?

B: Our eco-friendly and nature inspired ethos is at the centre of what we do and the products we make. It is important that the ingredients we use are eco-friendly and good to the environment. From the soy wax we use to the FSC certified packaging we use to package our kits.

J: And what lovely goodies make up one of those candle making kits?

B: The candle making kits are so special to me, they are a labour of love as I spend hours and hours thinking about them and creating them.

I wanted customers to be able to make two soy candles, one to keep and maybe one to give away or use at another time. So, each kit has enough ingredients and kit to make two candles. They are all 100% natural vegan friendly ingredients. Customers also receive two personalised labels so they can personalise their own candle labels to put on the jar. There is also a link to a video tutorial which customers can have beside them when they are making the candles.

J: And what does one of your workshops involve?

B: Our candle making workshops are a lovely way to spend quality time with each other, whether it’s your Mum or your sister. I have customers feedback to say that the workshop was a lovely way to spend time with each other and they will keep those treasured memories forever! They are also a lovely intimate way to learn a new hobby or skill. I love meeting new people and watching them have fun and enjoy the workshops. They always leave with big smiles on their faces!

J: What more could anyone want, other than a new skill; a candle they made themselves; and a lovely big smile to take home!?
So apart from lots more smiles to inspire, what do you hope to be on the cards for the future of Hazel and Blue?

B: We have so many plans for Hazel & Blue for the future! We are looking to expand our candle making kit range and our soy candle subscription box this year!

We had such a busy year last year so we are spending the time reviewing everything at the moment and preparing for Christmas.

J: Sounds like exciting times are ahead! So for now, how do we get our mitts on your products?

B: You can buy our products via our website, or through Not on the High Street. We are stocked in several small independents and some larger retailers including KEW gardens and Daylesford Organic.

Please do follow the links above, or visit www.hazelandbluecandles.co.uk , and keep up to date with all of the behind the scenes action and workshop dates on Instagram – @hazel_andblue

Hope you enjoyed the first Creative Q&A of the summer, there’s lot’s more where that came from, but what a start right?! I’m so grateful to Becky for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer these questions!

P.S. If you need one, have you got your hands on a Father’s Day card yet? Next Sunday is the big day, so why not head down to your local indie shop this weekend? Or get online and order ASAP! Check out my Father’s Day card guide from last week here!

Janey