Skyelight Candles Blog

People say to me: Why don’t you update this blog more often? Well, the truthful answer is: nothing new really happens all that often so I’d be ‘blogging’ all the same stuff all the time. However, the shop is now open for the season and for all you people out there that can’t get enough of it – we have Christmas items on sale!! I suppose the new things to tell you are that there are now candle-making classes available (all details are on the web site) and that I have now started knitting again, which means I have hats, scarves and hot water bottle covers on sale in the shop. They aren’t on the web site because they are all one-offs so it isn’t possible to put them on in the design that would be available at the time. However, if you want to see them or buy anything like that then get in touch with me and I can tell you what is possible in the wool world! The hats are all £10 and the hot water bottle with cover is £12.50.
Also, I have now gone all Googly and you can come into the virtual shop and have a walk round it thanks to the wonders of Iain Smith and his photography. Have been playing about with it myself – as if I don’t get enough of the shop during the day!
Another exciting addition to the candle holders is the Candlepoise! It’s built like the old Anglepoise lamps but it holds a candle instead of a bulb. It is quite expensive but it is solidly built and very unusual – again, it’s on the web site if you want to have a look.

The shop will be closed on the following dates:
JUNE 1st opening again on JUNE 5th – due to attending a Diamond Wedding Anniversary in Newcastle
JUNE 11th and 12th – due to me having Carpal Tunnel operation in Inverness
Well, that’s it for the moment but I will try and do something exciting so that I can put it on the blog but, until then…..

For all our regular visitors to the workshop I have some very bad news. Belle, our lovely 12 year old collie, was run over last night by a hit and run driver outside the house. As everyone who has visited us will know, she was such a good natured dog and loved to see people come to shop in the hope that they would play with her and her ball. She will be sorely missed especially by us as she was one of the family and to be taken from us like this, by someone who didn’t even have the decency to stop and see if she was still alive is unforgivable – I just hope they can live with themselves.

RIP Belle – 11th September 2012

Just to let you know that the Skyelight Candle mobile site is now up and running. You don’t have to do anything in particular. If you put skyelight.co.uk in to your mobile browser then it automatically takes you to the mobile site.

Also, I have started doing candle making classes and if you are interested then go to the home page and click on the link.

Haven’t I been busy? Actually just finished a big wedding order that has to go off tomorrow so will have to get going and start packaging it up ready for the post.

Take care

Nick

I know – I am so bad at keeping up with writing – ask my friends (or maybe ex-friends by now). Anyway, it has been a glorious summer up here this year – we had 4 and a half months of constant sunshine and hardly any rain. In fact, some people who have their own water supplies via wells have found that they have been left without any water and have dried up. A friend of ours is one of those people and he’s been coming over here for baths and to do his washing! Imagine that! Skye of all places to run out of water!! The shop hasn’t been as busy this year – it has been the same all over the island seemingly. I blame a couple of things: a) the Olympics and everyone either staying in to watch or paying huge amounts of money to go and see it live and b) the fact that the mainland has had such bad weather this year and people are determined to get some sun rather than chance their arm up here. Also, the cost of fuel is ridiculous and that must have a lot to do with it as well. That hasn’t stopped me from trying out new things in the shop. We now have another couple of new scents in our Fragrance Tin range: Strawberry and Melon, Parma Violets and Leather. Parma Violets takes me back to my youth and everyone of a certain age who comes in to the shop says the same thing – as the buy a couple of the tins to take home. We also have managed to get the most authentic smelling Peat Fire candles made and they are also a great seller.
Another new departure for us is our Candle Making classes. We have just started these and they are proving to be quite popular. (see web site for more details)  People can come along and learn the basics of candle making and also have some fun making their own candle – we can take groups of up to 8 at a time. I started out thinking about selling candle making kits but it all became too expensive and this is actually a much better idea as you get hands-on experience with a true blue professional (modest to the last!)
Having said the weather was glorious for 4 and a half months – that has all changed and I am sitting here looking out at the miserable weather that is battering against the window. Rain and cold – very cold today in fact. I am actually contemplating putting the fire on tonight for the first time in over 5 months!
Well, that’s it for the moment – will honestly try and do this more often. Oh, almost forgot – there will be a new mobile site for Skyelight up and running soon – so you will be able to follow me on your smartphones and even shop via them – technology is a great thing when it works!
Right that’s it now – going off to get something to eat and snuggle up with a good book

Nick x

I was asked this question last week by a friend of ours who lives down the road. I thought she meant candle making but she actually meant the Blog because I don’t keep it as fresh as I should. Well, the reason is simply this – nothing much happens up here to report during the winter – the shop is closed from Christmas Day until the week before Easter and, since I am out there covered in wax and smelly stuff for the rest of the year, I do try and take a break. However, we have actually been very busy this winter with internet orders from people who got our candles for Christmas and are ordering more – thank you to all those people, it is very satisfying to know that the candles are not only being appreciated as presents but that the recipients like them so much that they want more of them. I do have to congratulate Skye Candles in Broadford who have won an award for their product but I do also have to point out to people that we are two entirely different companies. The amount of people who came in the shop last year and thought we were affiliated was extraordinary but no, we are two companies doing different styles and both doing very well from it – long may it continue. Anyway, the weather (always the topic of the British) is ‘dreach’ and, as I type this entry, I can’t see the Trotternish Ridge which is usually in view from my window. Thank you for all the emails and the orders and I look forward to hearing from you all and seeing some of you during the coming year in the shop.

Very quiet Christmas at home – although the shop was very busy, especially with Internet orders – thank you all very much. New Year was disastrous as far as the weather was concerned so nobody dared to go out ‘first-footing’ – the wind would have blown them away never to be seen – just like Brigadoon! Anyway, took the opportunity to go visiting sister in Ayrshire for a couple of days and have just arrived back to 496 emails (489 of them junk) and telephone calls from people wondering why I am not answering the phone. Anyway, will start to experiment in February with some new designs for the candles and hopefully come up with some more unusual items to add to the already burgeoning stock – watch this space!!

Went down this morning to put the OPEN sign out and nearly got blown off my feet – not an easy task for any wind as I am almost 16 stone! The rain is horizontal and the phone lines keep going on and off – that’s how we know winter has arrived up here. Anyway, it is Christmas Eve and the shop is open for last minute shoppers – there’s always the few who have forgotten someone. Can’t wait for 5pm as that means the shop is now closed until Easter – although the web site orders will still be active and going out all the time.

I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers over the years and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy and Peaceful New Year

After almost 2 weeks of glorious weather it suddenly changed with a vengeance. One day it was so hot everyone was walking about in shorts and t shirts, the next – up to our knees in rain – typical Skye weather. But that is the beauty of the island – it changes with the weather but never really for the worse. Got donated a huge box of candles from one of the churches in Portree, which was very nice of them but we never use any wax that we are not sure of its origin, so we melted them down and remade them into different candles for the church to sell at their welfare stall – with any luck will make them a few pennies. Boiler blew up – so had to stop making candles for a week until the new one arrived – still getting used to it as the temperatures are slightly different to the old one – but will get there. Lots of Christmas stock selling at the moment – see, it’s not only Harrods that open their Grotto in July! Anyway, off to start heating the wax up for today’s adventures – hope the weather stays dry.

Been a bit of time since I put a bvlog up here but the weather has been unbelievable – winds with gusts up to 100mph in Staffin. No electricity one day for over 6 hours – no problem for us – we had loads of candles at our disposal! Been busy with our new design SKYE STORM – been selling extremely well both in the shop and over the net. I don’t know where the time goes, though. One minute I’m up to my armpits in molten wax, the next I’m back up to my armpits in molten wax – don’t seem to be able to get any time off this year. Not complaining but would be nice to have a breather! Oh well, back out into the horizontal rain and wind