Features
All candles are hand poured in Key West, Florida and hand painted with love by owner and maker, Emily Shipman. All candles are made with all-natural US grown soybean wax, cotton wicks,and phalate free oils.
Story of Bella Laine
I worked at the most adorable boutique in Ocean Beach, San Diego where all of the jewelry and candles were locally-made and there was one particular candle I loved, the scent was nag champa. When I began working at this boutique, I began learning about the importance of soy wax candles versus the candles that are made with the chemically-infused paraffin wax. Although candles made with paraffin wax may be less expensive and can give off very strong aromas, the wax itself is not natural.
After my family and I made the move back to Key West, I wanted a constant supply of nag champa candles on hand, but knew that theory wouldn’t be feasible. So I began to think, “Why not learn how to make them myself?” At first I thought the only steps to making a candle were to melt the wax, add the oil, and pour it in a jar. Then ta-da! You have a candle. But oh was I wrong. It took a lot of trial and error, but what came to my surprise was that I loved the challenge. I loved the learning. And I loved the feeling that came along with figuring the process out.
I’ve always loved to paint, in fact I used to hoard my grandma’s acrylic paints when I was a little girl and camp out in her art room. So coming up with the idea to hand paint my labels was not hard. I feel it adds an extra special meaning to the candle and makes every candle unique. I also wanted my candles to be toxin free. Which is why I use only all natural soy wax from u.s. grown soy beans, the wicks are cotton with paper fibers, and all of the oils used are phthalate free.
How did the name Bella Laine come about? When thinking about my daughter, Isabella, she is the one I strive to be a “better me” for and to never let my dreams slip out of grasp. My grandma, Elaine, which my daughter and I also share as a middle name, is where my love for the arts came from. Stemming from half of my daughters name and half of my grandma’s name gives you, Bella Laine.
I hope you all enjoy my candles, my story, and thank you for reading.
Emily Shipman, Owner of Bella Laine