The Story Behind Thimble and Hearth and Why Handmade Matters To Me

I’m going to let you in on a secret…I started this business sort of by accident. I’ve always loved making things, and tried my hand at many different arts and crafts over the years. About 20 years ago I was in a craft store and decided on a whim to make a 3 dimensional molded apple candle. Had I ever made a candle before? No. Did I have any idea how to do it? No.This was in the dark ages before YouTube, so I was sort of just trying things and seeing what happened. It wasn't a very good apple candle. I remember not totally loving the process or the result, so I moved on to sewing or crocheting or something else.

Flash forward 20 years, I (finally) moved to New England from Florida, and I was nervously preparing for my first long winter when I decided to embrace the Danish lifestyle of Hygge- I wanted to make our home cozy and bright, so instead of painting all the walls dark colors as I had done in Florida, I kept the walls a light white with a yellow undertone, I put out lots of cozy blankets and pillows (and vowed I would finally finish the quilts I had started years ago and forgot about…I still haven’t done that ooops), and started looking for candles to level up that cozy hygge vibe. Again I found myself in a craft store staring at a wall of candle making supplies (because when you’re a maker, you just have to make stuff even if it’s cheaper and easier to buy it, that is not the point in a maker’s mind)…this time I went for container candles (as I learned later, this was a good choice). Again, though, I had no instructions. While most people would google things or immediately go to YouTube and do some, or any, research before buying supplies and diving in head first, but that is not my style. I made some basic candles, I didn’t know what kind of wax I was using or how much to heat it, I didn’t know wicks came in different sizes so I just used whatever, and it was fun and turned out pretty good. They were far from perfect, honestly, barely good, but I was so proud of them! I still have a few left, and it’s cool to see how much I’ve improved and learned since then. 

My first attempts with no research, but I had so much fun making these, and at the time I was so pleased with myself! lol! Why does one of them have a wooden wick and a regular wick?! I was truly winging it!

I went on to make some 8 oz. candle tins for some gift boxes I made for Mother’s Day and my friend's birthday. Inspired by a gift box I saw on the cricut design site, I ended up finally doing some research, and found the Candlescience website. Candlescience is my go-to for all things candles and body products. I love that their fragrance oils are all Clean Scents and I feel good about using them in my home and giving them to my loved ones, and they have the best instructions and inspiration on their site for making all kinds of things. I used their instructions for a spa day gift box and finally learned how to properly make candles, as well as soaps, scrubs, whipped soap…it was a lot of fun and it made me really happy to do something special for the people who I care about. And it turns out that actually doing some research and having high quality materials and instructions to work with made such a difference! Who knew?! Now, not only was I having fun, but I was starting to make really good things that I could feel good about giving to my friends and family.

My first scent blend and candle tin, I made this as part of a spa day gift box, complete with a cricut vinyl label.

So when candlescience released their fall container line…those cute orange pumpkin containers, the clear pumpkins, the fall fragrance oils, forget it. I couldn’t resist! I bought a ton of stuff, and started making like crazy and ended up with so many things, I started to wonder if maybe I could sell some on Etsy or something, just to make enough money to buy more supplies and keep the party going. Then they released the Christmas container line, and I thought ok let’s give this a try. I had so much fun creating scent blends (you can’t have just one, can you?) and hit a wall. In order to sell them, they had to have labels that meet certain Federal compliance rules, including a business name.

I am creative in a lot of ways, but creating a brand? No. Graphic design for logos and labels? No. It was a struggle, to say the least. I ended up going with Thimble and Hearth. The Thimble represents my love of making things by hand, and the Hearth represents my intention of making things that are cozy, comforting, and nurturing. It’s not the catchiest name, but it means a lot to me. And as far as the labels, logos, attempting to crack the Instagram algorithm (shoutout to all my followers in Liverpool! Idk how you found me, but I love Liverpool!), and designing a website, it’s been fun learning these new skills. After years of being a stay at home mom, I’m really enjoying using my brain to learn how to do all of this, and I’m sure by this time next year I’ll look back at the candles and labels and products I’ve made and think how cool it is how far I’ve progressed and how much I’ve learned.

I have some big dreams for this business, but for now I’m going to enjoy taking it slow and learning all I can to make it the best it can be. It’s about the process, learning and growing in many ways, as much as it is about making a beautiful product. In the mind of a maker, it’s not about the cost or the time, it’s about the process of making. Just like Mr. Rogers said, there’s only one you in this world, there has never been another one like you and there never will be again. What you make is uniquely yours, and handmade is made better.

Thanks for reading and being here, it really means a lot to me. 

Until next time, 

Elizabeth