Honoring Family Memories Through New Candle Collection

The Garden Collection is no exception. This week, Erin released six fragrances that remind her of her father's fresh tomato pickings each summer, her mother's fig preserves, her grandmother's rose garden on warm afternoons, and a pear cake that she made in celebration of her best friend's first baby. 

Erin says, "I have a really sensitive nose, and I can smell things from a mile away. I have really strong attachments to scents, memories and people. I can remember exactly what my mother's perfume smelled like in 1991 when I was six years old; I guess that's the earliest memory that I have."

She continues, "I can remember the smell of syrup and waffles that I had for breakfast every single day. There was my grandfather's aftershave and the pink Extra bubblegum that he kept in his pocket so he could give it out to people that he met throughout the day. Those are such comforting memories, and they flood you when you smell it. I can walk past an older man in church and smell that aftershave that my grandfather wore, and I feel like he's there. It's an important part of who I am as a person and the things that make me happy and that make me feel good." 

In the Scotsman collection that released last year, Erin recreated her grandfather's aftershave in the candle lovingly named, Ralph. To recreate a scent helps her relish the past and remember things that might otherwise be forgotten.

"I want my home to always have some nostalgic smell that comes from a very happy time and place. I've been saving samples of perfumes, candles, potpourris, lotions, bubble baths, and bath salts since seventh grade. I have hundreds and hundreds of these bottles that the tiniest bit left so we can develop these fragrances. Once a smell is gone, is it gone forever? I hope not, because that's what these candles are for. They are to honor memories. That's really what a great fragrance does."

The Garden Collection Line-Up

Ouida's Garden