candle, scented candleIt's possible to learn something new everyday and when I was looking online for new candles, I learned that there are vegetable wax candles that are a renewable alternative to the old paraffin candles that use a hydrocarbon base which is not renewable. I found the candle shown here that is made from vegetable wax, and since I was in the market for new candles, I bought several of the Toasted Vanilla Scented Candle. It's been scented with toasted vanilla beans and the wick is 100% cotton, so it's a totally green (although white) candle.

We are trying to do what we can to minimize our carbon footprint but don't want to have to sacrifice the quality of life that we are used to, but with vegetable wax candles, there is no sacrifice, so by burning these candles, we'll have the best of all worlds. We love to burn candles around the house, even during the day when we're working. The aroma from the burning candles does a lot to mellow our mood and we get more work done.

It goes without saying that the candles are wonderful at night, too, especially when it's cold and windy outside and we want to have a cozy atmosphere inside. We live in Phoenix and have no burn days when we can't use the fireplace inside or out because the air pollution is too high, so lighting a big arrangement of candles gives us almost the same effect. Now that we can use vegetable wax products, there's every incentive to burn less wood in the fireplace and do our part toward cleaning up the air in Phoenix.

The site where I found these vegetable wax candles is at Purple Rose Candles and Gifts at www.purplerosecandlesandgifts.com/ where they have page after page of wonderful candles just waiting to be delivered to our home. Not only are they great for creating mood and atmosphere, they add so much beauty to our interior decorating, too, quite inexpensively. Using lanterns or candles is such an easy way to improve the look and feel of our rooms, and I order ours online. The selection is large and there are no crowded parking lots, either. I do not buy candles locally in the summer because our cars are so hot, often hitting 140 or hotter here in Phoenix. The Internet has been the place for me to go to get candles for the patio that we enjoy after the sun sets and we're being lazy around the pool. For us, candles are a staple inside and out all year long.