Blossom & Ivy: An Introduction

With today's blog I'll be looking back at how Blossom & Ivy began and what the business means to me now. I hope you enjoy reading it!

WHERE IT BEGAN

Twenty-two year old me would never have envisioned herself having a home fragrance business. Freshly graduated from university after studying Primary Education for four years, I didn't want to see beyond the excitement of travelling to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa. Back then, I knew deep down that teaching wasn't really for me; all of my peers were excitedly talking about having their own class, whilst I was feeling nothing but relief that I had a one-way ticket to Australia booked.

I was very aware that I'd wracked up a huge student debt though, and began supply work after returning to the UK, finally getting a full-time position in 2019.  I've always been creative and a huge fan of a D-I-Y project; I see something and immediately want to know how to make it myself, and that's pretty much how I started with wax melts; pure intrigue and interest into the craft. It started as a hobby whilst working full-time and turned into a business!

The first wax melt I ever made was a cupcake scented snap bar. I shudder thinking about it now, but I actually used real sprinkles in the recipe (don't try this at home) and whilst I loved the way the bar looked (white, super shiny, bright pops of colour from the sprinkles) I wasn't loving the smell. But that just made me want to experiment with other fragrances! At first I tried smells like lemon drizzle, pear drops and cherry Bakewell; as you can tell, very food-orientated, and whilst I'm still quite partial to a bakery-scented wax melt, my taste has changed from those initial fragrances, which is definitely reflected in my branding; I've gone from bright colours and glitters and no clear direction, to a clear focus on botanicals and floral scents.

I've always found that floral smells have a bad rep, but since selling both online and at various markets and fairs, one of the most common remarks I get from people is the quality of our fragrances; we've definitely already had lots of floral coverts, and I'll always swoon over the beauty of white wax with beautiful pops! of colour from the dried botanicals.

EXCITING NEWS: Snap bars are making their return at the end of this month! Yes, we're going back to where we started, and re-introducing our snap bars. You'll be able to purchase your favourite scents in larger quantities.

WHAT DOES BLOSSOM & IVY MEAN TO ME?

For me, happiness is key. And this business brings me so much of that; every time I see a review or post from customers receiving their products it puts the biggest smile on my face. It really is true what they say; every time you purchase with a small business, there's someone somewhere doing a happy jiggle! But the most important thing is the joy it brings to our customers; because that's what this is all about! From the initial action of receiving and opening a beautifully curated parcel to lighting and smelling the fragrance, our products can brighten somebody's day; that's why we place so much emphasis into our packaging and branding.

I also really wanted our products to be inclusive; affordable without compromising on quality, which is why we offer products for all kinds of budgets.

FUN FACT: My niece inspired part of the brand name! Whilst I knew I wanted the name to be botanical themed, I wasn't sure which botanicals to use. 'Ivy' was a great fit!

If you've been following our Instagram (@blossomandivybotanicals) you'll have read that there will be lots of changes over the upcoming weeks/months, starting with our branding. You can expect a change of colour to more relaxed, earthy tones; think beige, browns and pinks.

Some exciting things coming soon:

• The return of snap bars!
• New products such as pillow mists and room sprays
• The Gift-Box builder that will allow you to create your own gift box
• We're also working on a new range of botanical brittle in our new earthy tones!

 Some of the things that are important to us:

• We're making a monthly donation to our local wildlife rescue.
• We have a focus on being planet-friendly with our products and packaging.
• We've also got plans this month to prioritise climate action by subscribing to a carbon-offset company that will help by planting trees and reducing carbon around the world. Watch this space for more information!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog post! I hope you've enjoyed it and will be back for more!

Laura