the spark of cozy candles and decorative matches

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In the midwest, February can be a dark and damp month. The warmth and cheer of the holidays is a distant memory, spirits are low—especially this year—and heating bills are still high. What better time to enjoy the soothing glow of scented candles in your winter sanctuary?

I light candles in my bedroom on cold nights when I’m practicing yoga or cozied up in bed under a velvet comforter with cats and a good book. In the living room, the flickering wicks join with my fieldstone fireplace to light the dark corners and chase away drafts. And in my snug study, I light them while I’m working to add a bit of warm ambience.

Scent is personal; I enjoy lightly spiced, homey scents or fresh florals. I prefer the fragrance to infuse the space but rest lightly; heavy, musky, strong, or fake-smelling scents are a no for me. With that in mind, here are some of my favorite candles—and fun decorative matches.

Warm and cozy

Cranberry Woods – Sugar Creek Candle Co.
Based not far from me—Illinois—this small company’s hand-poured soy candle features a warm fruity scent: cranberry tart with notes of pine, cinnamon, orange, and more. I just used this one up this week after purchasing it last year at a holiday craft show, and it’s on my list as a keeper.

Gingerbread Dreams – Midwest Glow
I burned down my locally made gingerbread candle last year, and this soy candle looks similar—and by another small midwest company. Highlights include spiced ginger and cinnamon with a touch of molasses and vanilla—just like the cookie. The full candle scent mix is complex and sounds delicious.

Farmhouse Collection Fireside and Kitchen Spice – Tuscany Candle
This supermarket soy blend favorite offers some delicious scents for a low price of $5-10. I’m currently burning the warm spice scent of Fireside (sadly not currently available) in the Farmhouse Collection; within that collection the Homemade Muffins scent is also yummy. The Kitchen Spice scent in the triple pour line combines cinnamon and five spices and currently lives in… you guessed it… my kitchen. GET 15% OFF ONLINE WITH EMAIL SIGNUP.

Woodland Witch – Fern & Nettle
This soy candle handmade in Milwaukee was a find from my first visit to the Indigo Plant Collective shop over the holidays (a unique spot with interesting gift items and plants), and I’m so delighted with it! The fragrance profile includes coriander, sage, nutmeg, balsam, cedar, and more. To me, it smells like clove, It's just delightful—warm and woodsy.

Merry & Bright – Sweet Water Décor, Amazon
I think we’re sensing a theme here that I like spice, and this classic soy candle doesn’t disappoint, with notes of bayberry, clove, nutmeg, and cedar. I just used mine up from last year and it will be going on my list again.

Pumpkin Spice – Jeco, Amazon
I took a chance on this low-cost but pleasing pillar last fall when looking for a non-jar pumpkin spice candle that I could place in my green iron holder. It’s paraffin (not my preference) but with a pure pumpkin spice scent and a lovely mottled marigold color.

Baltic Amber – Voluspa, Amazon
Amber is one of my favorite scents if it’s not overdone. Made with coconut wax, this warm and inviting scented candle has a slightly higher price but offers visual impact with beautiful Bloomsbury-inspired pressed glass holders. Larger and smaller versions are available, and the smallest ones, floral tins, are so cute.

Hints of spring

Pressed Flower – Kyra Handcrafted Goods, Etsy
You may know I’m an Etsy addict. The site is incomparable for finding unique, handmade items and supporting small businesses around the globe. These absolutely beautiful pressed flower candles at a reasonable price come unscented or in a wonderful floral fragrance, in eight different colors and options and sizes. I bought the purple and yellow options last year and it looks like it’s time to restock. These are lovely for spring and summer vibes even in the dead of winter. Etsy has a few pressed flower options from different vendors that look beautiful, including tapers, but I can recommend these ones without hesitation. EXCLUSIVE READER DISCOUNT OF 15% OFF IN STORE WITH CODE IVY15, NO END DATE.

Pottery Holder with Candle – RL Nicholas Art, Etsy
I first saw these at a local Milwaukee craft fair and had to limit myself to two—the beautiful green and blue glazes in “my” colors had me instantly hooked. The candle is just barely scented with bergamot, and I’m still burning one, but the best thing about these is you can reuse the beautiful pottery candle holder! Such a deal for the price. CURRENTLY 20% OFF THROUGH MID-FEBRUARY.

Sonoma Goods for Life Lilac Fields – Kohl’s
I don’t often buy candles at box stores, but the deep periwinkle color of my version caught my eye last year, and the scent perfectly captures the smell of lilacs, not fake like others. The periwinkle version is no longer available, but this design offers even more of a charming cottagecore/grandma chic vibe. CURRENTLY 15% OFF ONLINE WITH CODE GET15

Frosted Glass – Patina Vie
I’ll admit I bought my Patina Vie candle at a farmhouse craft stall two years ago simply because of its stunning glass container frosted with 24k gold. This blinged up option is no longer available, and it looks like the company has scaled down the décor decadence a bit (most likely due to increased costs). But it offers several beautiful options, including a French songbird glass candle in the very light scent I have, French white—featuring linen, mimosa, violet, coconut milk, warm sand, soft musk and vanilla. This three candle set is pretty and comes in a more colorful version. Plus, check out this beautiful baroque candelabra. EXCLUSIVE READER DISCOUNT OF 10% OFF ALL ITEMS ONLINE WITH CODE IVY&ARTIFACT, NO END DATE.

Etched Glass Carnations - Greenrow
The beauty of these is the exquisite etched recycled pot; the candle itself is unscented. I first saved this to my Pinterest board over two years ago, so it's probably time to just get one. It also comes in a lovely amber colorway and different design. Here's another beautiful hand-painted option from Greenrow.

Witchy dark academia

Tarot – The Enchanted Forest
I picked up my Tarot candle a few years ago at the charming witchy store Quartz & Clover in Fort Myers, Florida. Unscented, the colors are vibrant, and each candle comes with a matching Tarot silver pendant that you can place on a chain. I keep my enchanting deep periwinkle Magician candle for decoration and am not burning it (burning it would wreck the Tarot label), but I did burn The Sun version I had.

Moth – Primitives by Kathy
This is my newest purchase from a local garden store when I was buying plants (as one does in the dead of winter), and I was pretty much just sucked in by the gothy goblincore/dark academia black container and moth sticker… like a moth to the flame. The three-wick candle is soy-based and the barely-there scent is vetiver.

As moths are my thing, I also love the look of this moth ritual candle by Winslow Naturals, but I don’t own it myself. It looks to be unscented. CURRENTLY 25% OFF, LIMITED TIME SALE.

And can we chat about this mystical carved moth candle by BabaYaga Magick on Etsy? I don’t own one—yet! But I’m tempted. I also love this beeswax moon phases candle by Eden Waxworks as well as the moon mushroom option. The colors are saturated and the carvings are striking. The artist offers several beautiful options. ALL CURRENTLY 10% OFF, ENDING 2/25.

Here is a beautiful similar item and another from artist Nemesis Boutique. EXCLUSIVE READER DISCOUNT OF 10% OFF IN STORE WITH CODE IVY10, NO END DATE.

Decorative matches

I love using decorative match containers with my candles: it’s practical décor, much like candles. I’ve been disappointed with some brands, as they’re difficult to strike and light! (They had one job, just one job.) I’ve been happy with the HomArt and Generic brands from Amazon in cottagecore designs: butterfly, lily of the valley, and monarchs. And I always have a soft spot for a great vintage man in the moon la luna and sol design.

Creative Co-Op also makes some cute designs for tube/canister matches, available at gift stores if you can find them, or buy them online from these small businesses. Designs include this three leaf print, insects, and Orla Kiely-inspired scandi florals times two. If I saw these at a boutique, I wouldn’t be able to resist. There are also some tarot and witchy Ouija board match options on Etsy.

If you’re not too hard on the striking plate over time, you can buy less expensive replacement matches for the decorative cartons.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy hygge-ing your home with these small flames of warmth.

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