Behind the scenes with Holland Scents
Hand Poured in Pella, Iowa
Our Home
It’s 2018. My husband and I purchased a fixer-upper in my hometown, a picturesque Dutch community. It was a project we were excited to take on together, but before the renovations began, we dreamed about the space we wanted to create. And more importantly, the feeling we wanted to share with others. We entered our home with intentionality to honor our families, friends and future loved ones.
Today, our home provides a space for so many. And in our kitchen is an island made to bring people together. Here, at this island, we’ve celebrated milestones, created traditions, welcomed and fed our twins, cried with friends, laughed til tears ran down our eyes and dreamed of tomorrow. Looking back, in the center of all this life around our island was a candle.
Just off the kitchen, on the mantle, sit my grandmother’s grandmother’s wooden shoes she wore when she immigrated to America in 1881. Our Dutch heritage grounds the memories that have made me who I am. And now, Holland Scents is my way to bring you light with a touch of Dutch as you set the tone in your home.
Foster Love
Our town’s name means City of Refuge. We were intentional that our home serve as a refuge too. The first time our charming, naughty, silly, loving, broken, beautiful almost-five year old foster child walked up to our door, he strutted up the sidewalk with the clothes on his back, scuffed-up blue Nike shoes on his feet and a brand-new duffle bag slung over his shoulder full of items - both daily necessities and comfort items - from Foster Love to help transition him with dignity. And boy did that boy have spirit. Thanks to Foster Love and their efforts to support and respect foster kids, his transition was just a bit better. And that bit means the world to me. In an effort to support them like they support so many, 10% of all profits are donated to Foster Love.
Learn more about Foster Love here.
Soy Candles
Standing in the farm fields of the Netherlands felt comfortably familiar to my family’s century farm I grew up nearby. Pride in what family and friends grow remains strong as our home state is the second largest producer of soy in the United States.
By using a soy-based wax, not only am I supporting local friends and family, the candles burn cleaner and longer. And if you know the Dutch, getting your money’s worth is an invaluable trait.