Pretty Things: 10 Summer Candles Moms Swear By

You’re trapped spending a lot of quality time in the house with your children these days, and that kind of family closeness doesn’t always keep the living room smelling fresh. Enter candles with bright, crisp smells that cut right through the dirt, sweat, snail, Go-Gurt, chlorine, banana love fog that has a stranglehold on your home.

Here are 10 tried-and-true summer candles that get the job done:

1. NEST “Bamboo” (white florals, green notes, citrus)

2. Tyler Candles “Diva” (fruits, florals, chocolate, amber)

3. White Rock Soap Gallery “Lemon Verbena” (a bright, citrus scent with notes of lemon and crushed verbena with undertones of vanilla, bergamot, violet and musk)

4. NEST “Grapefruit” (pink pomelo grapefruit, green notes, lily of the valley, coriander blossom)

5. Voluspa “Prosecco Bellini” (peaches, apricots, sugar, prosecco)

6. Capri BLUE “Volcano” (exotic citrus, sugar, tropical notes)

7. Candles by Camie “The Hagler,” a blend of red currant (tart red currants, citrus notes, undertones of vanilla and raspberry) and lemongrass (uplifting and refreshing fragrance)

8. LAFCO “Marine” (marine notes, bergamot, vetiver, water lily, sea jasmine, rose)

9. TOCCA “Florence” (bergamot, pear, gardenia)

10. Tyler Candles “French Market” (florals, gardenia, tuberose)

More Pretty Things:

• Gorgeous lipstick and earrings pairings
  
• Beautiful, custom watercolor portraits and house paintings
• Bright, colorful abstract paintings
  

 

Pretty Things: Rylie Caldwell Art

Artist Rylie Caldwell has never met a color she didn’t like.

Inspired by the purity, flow and energy of water, Houston-based Caldwell uses acrylic as her medium to create vast movements of color. From cheerful rainbows to moody greens and blues, Caldwell experiments with color combinations and an understanding of color psychology to breathe life into rooms through her art.

Each year Caldwell, a Cattle Baron’s Ball “Featured Artist,” donates a portion of her earnings to organizations like Charity Water and Living Water International that help build wells all over the world. “Water is such a source of life, redemption and renewal throughout history and all over the world. I find it endlessly inspiring,” says Caldwell.

First learning how to paint at her grandmother’s kitchen table, Caldwell has been a lifelong artist. “I painted a gloriously embarrassing ‘Bambi’ mural on my bedroom walls as a kid,” Caldwell recalls. She received a Bachelor’s of Architecture and a Minor in Art History from Texas A&M University and credits her architectural training with sharpening her eye and developing her aesthetic.

Today, this mom of three works out of her Houston studio to create inspired paintings for individuals, designers and businesses alike. Visit ryliecaldwell.com to learn more and to purchase.

See another super-talented, artistic mom here!

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Our Utopian Summer Schedule

I’m just going to leave this here so history may show that the Riney Summer of 2020 began with unwavering optimism on behalf of its production manager. Stay tuned …

I love using Canva (FREE!) to design my schedules, chore charts, etc. I find the process helps organize my thoughts and proves to be therapeutic. Do you enjoy creating schedules for your family, or do you prefer spontaneity? I prefer the idea of spontaneity, but, also, experience has taught me that I’ll probably end up spontaneously throwing in the towel if I don’t have a schedule.

What works well in your home during the summer?

Pretty Things: Becky Haas Watercolors

Personal gifts are always best, and there’s nothing more precious or personal than your home and your children. Dallas interior designer, artist and proud boy mom, Becky Haas, recently rediscovered her love of rendering, and we are all the lucky recipients of her creative gift.

After spending nine years working as a healthcare interior designer, Becky chose to stay at home when her oldest son was one-year-old. Raising her sons and watching them grow has been the greatest joy of her life.

When Covid-19 changed our “normal” this March, Becky found herself searching for ways to alleviate the stress and have some fun. She decided to take a moment to watercolor with her boys, and Becky Haas Watercolors was born.

It began as a hobby, morphed into a kind of therapy and then grew into much more. She began creating watercolor portraits of homes and children for friends and family. The response was huge.

Custom watercolor portraits are available with a two-to-three-week lead time. Home renderings range in price based on size (i.e. $200 for a 9×12). Family and children portraits cost $150 for an 8×10 and $200 for a 9×12. Order by emailing Becky at beckybhaas@gmail.com.