Another favorite at this year’s Christmas Open House was our wonderful friend Cathy Lawrence’s Toffee Pieces. Thanks so much to her for sharing her recipe with us.

Toffee Pieces

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup fine chopped walnuts
graham crackers
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place graham crackers in battered 9×13 pan.

In saucepan, cook butter and brown sugar until bubbly. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in nuts.

Pour syrup over crackers, smoothing over all. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. When chips are soft spread evenly over top. cool or chill until set. Break into pieces and enjoy.

This was one of the favorites at this year’s Christmas Open House. The cookies were gone before the second day of Open House so here is the recipe for you to try at home. Thanks so much to our dear friend Susan Weitzel for making the cookies and sharing the following recipe.

Salty Sweet Butter Pecan Cookies

Dough:
1 1/3 cups pecan halves
2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder,(optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon butterscotch, vanilla-butternut, or butter-rum flavor
1 teaspoon vinegar, cider or white
1 large egg
2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/3 cups butterscotch chips

Coating:
1/3 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt for topping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

Place the pecans in a single layer in a pan and bake until they’ve darkened a bit and smell toasty, about 8 to 9 minutes. Set them aside.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, butter, shortening, salt, espresso powder, baking soda, vanilla flavor, and vinegar, beating until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, again beating until smooth. Mix in the flour then the chips and toasted nuts.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight (up to 20 hours).

Scoop 1 1/4″ balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2″ between them on all sides; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Bake the cookies for about 11 to 12 minutes, until their edges are chestnut brown and their tops a light golden brown. remove them from the oven and cool on the pan.

Yield: About 4 dozen 3″ cookies.

We hope you enjoy this great recipe.

As a Real Estate Professional, or even just a homeowner ready to sell, you are more aware than the average person about the slowdown in the economy.  Once you are introduced to the great idea below you’ll realize that you can give your Real Estate listings an edge over the competition. We were all taught early in our lives that first impressions last forever. This is especially true when shopping for a new home.

It is reported that the sense of smell is tied more closely with memory than any other human sense and certain fragrances can help people recall past events and emotions. What if the first impression a potential buyer has of a listing is that of a musty, closed up house? They will be reminded of an old basement or maybe something worse and will have a poor impression of the property. Now, what if the same property smelled like fresh baked oatmeal cookies or freshly brewed mocha latte, or maybe even butter rum or fresh apples? A much better first impression, quite possibly memories of holidays with family or visiting grandparents in the summertime might make the property feel more like “home” and create a better sales opportunity for you.

Right now you’re probably thinking, I know, light a candle to cover up the bad odors. That is one way. Unfortunately, with candles you have to show up to the showing early to light it and of course there is always the danger of the flame. Also, if another agent is showing your listing can you really trust them to light a candle and create a warm home environment? The solution to this is simple. Use one of the many electric tart warmers that are available to use in listing after listing, closed sale after closed sale. These electric lights create enough heat to melt high quality and highly scented wax chips and they can be left on 24 hours a day. Your listings can smell fresh and clean, or like someone’s been baking all of the time. Just change out the wax every four to seven days and all of your prospects will leave your listing with a positive scent impression.

Electric Tart Warmers are the perfect solution to give your listings a boost in this tough market. Let your prospects experience what a fresh cake or cinnamon buns would smell like in their new home.

Tags: Candle, Real Estate, Scented Wax, Tart Burner, Wax Melter

Tart Warmer and Wax Melter Tips from

Hearts and flowers Primitives

 We all know that the fragrance of a burning candle can soothe the soul, inspire the mind, and create a warm and inviting home environment.  Many times though, burning a candle is not really an option.  For example children and pets can cause safety issues, and quite frankly, some of us forget to blow out the candles once the are lit, another safety issue.  Plus, most of us want to enjoy the fragrance right when we come home after a long day at work.  Sometimes it may take up to an hour for the fragrance of a candle to permeate the entire home. 

 If any of these describe your situation a Tart Warmer or Wax Melter will solve your problem and help you create that great smelling home you’ve always wanted, safely 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Here are some great tips for using your Candle Warmer or Wax Melter.

Choosing the right Melter/Warmer:  There are so many tart warmers, candle warmers, and wax melters available it is sometimes hard to choose.  Hearts and Flowers Primitives sells two great tart/candle warmers.  Both of the melters we sell are electric so they can be safely left on all the time.  Our tart and candle warmer will melt wax pieces, chips, and tarts as well as votive candles and small jar candles.  We also offer the simple tart warmer that will melt just the right amount of wax chips, pieces and tarts.  Both options will add great fragrance to your room or entire house. 

Location:  First things first, you will probably want to leave your tart warmer on all the time so pick a location in your home that could use a night light such as the kitchen.  It is also a good idea to keep it on a high counter if you have children or pets so they aren’t tempted by the melting wax.   

Changing the Wax: Just because there is still melted wax in your warmer doesn’t necessarily mean that the fragrance is still there.  The scented oil from the wax will eventually dissipate from the wax so it is important to keep the wax fresh.  Every few days it is a good idea to change the wax.  There are two ways to change the wax.  The easiest is to turn off your warmer and let the wax cool.  Once the wax is cool it should pop out of the warming plate, if it doesn’t just stick it in the freezer for a few minutes and it will shrink enough to pop out easily.  The second and quickest way to change the wax is to just pour it into a disposable, heat resistant cup or bag.  Warning this option can get messy; be sure the wax won’t melt your cup or bag.

Choosing the right wax:  As you know, Hearts and Flowers Primitives sells all sorts of wax pieces for your warmer.  From scented wax snowballs to wax crumbles, and wax chips, all are great in your warmer. The main thing when selecting wax for your warmer is to make sure you use an appropriate amount of wax for your particular warmer.  Remember that when the wax melts it acts like a liquid and if you over fill your warmer the wax may overflow the warming plate and make a mess.  Just use common sense when filling your warming plate. 

Bonus Tip:  Many people become used to the fragrance after a couple of days in their warmer.  To get the most out of your wax and your warmer find two or three fragrances that you like and alternate between them so you and your house guests will always enjoy a great fragrance. 

Bonus Tip # 2:  Another great thing to use your warmer for is to get the most out of your candles.  When your candles burn down to that last little bit that won’t burn anymore just cut up the wax and use it in your warmer or melter!  Enjoy!

Combining these tips along with your wax melter or tart warmer will help provide your home with a wonderful fragrance all the time. 

Tags: Candle, Fragrance, Tart Burner, Tarts, Wax Melter, Wax Melts, Wax Pieces

Let’s have a little fun and enjoy some good food too!  Use this post to share your favorite recipes.  We’ll share some of ours too!  Just comment on this post to get the ball (or the dough) rolling!  Enjoy!

Tags: Casserole, Dessert, Food, Gourmet, Recipe

  Hearts and Flowers Candle Burning Tips

  Candles from Hearts and Flowers Primitives help create a warm and inviting atmosphere in many homes, offices, and even some  high school classrooms.   Candles are a joy to burn, and many families use the lighting of the candles in their homes as an end of the work/school day ritual.  For these families the lighting of the candle symbolizes the beginning of their time together for the day and a time to forget the stress and the hassle from work or school. 

  Few things make a home as cozy as a burning candle, and even fewer things can make a home smell as wonderful as our candles.  Whether you are burning a Juicy Apple jar candle, an Evening Mocha cake candle, or any of our other great candles, there are several things you should consider when lighting the candle to ensure it is a safe and enjoyable experience. 

  First things first.  Be sure to place your candle (even jar candles) on a heat resistant surface, such as a metal candle pan, away from curtains, gas stoves, and other flammable materials.  It is highly recommended that you place your candle where pets and children cannot be hurt by it or knock it over.  One of the biggest problems people face with candles is a draft.  Try to keep your candles away from opening and closing doors and ceiling fans because a draft can cause your candle to burn unevenly and inefficiently. 

  All of our candles are made in the United States, and most of them are hand poured.  Because the workers need to hold on to the long wicks during the pouring process the wick of the candle needs to be cut to 1/4″ before the candle is lit.  This wick length should be maintained throughout the life of the candle.  Many scented candles will form mushroom type shapes of soot on the end of the wick.  If this happens, cut these forms from the wick.  Also make sure that none of the particles fall into the pool of wax.  If they fall in try to get them out before the wax hardens around the pieces.

  It is a good idea to keep the flame of the candle at a maximum of 3/4″  all the time and to burn the candle evenly each time you light it.  It is recommended that you burn the candle for one hour for each inch of diameter of the candle.  So if you have a 4″ diameter candle you would want to burn it for about 4 hours each time you light it so that you maximize the burn-time of the candle. 

  If you are burning a jar candle that came with a lid do not use the lid to snuff out the candle.  The lids are primarily decorative and are not made to withstand the heat of a burning candle.  It is always best to gently blow out your candles; just don’t blow too hard and splatter the melted wax!   

  You should discard your candle when there is one inch of wax remaining.  Here is another great tip.  You don’t have to throw that candle shell or leftover wax in the trash.  You can use the shell of the candle or the leftover wax in one of our great tart warmers.  This way you get to use all of the scented wax and have little or no waste from your candle.   

The most important thing to remember when burning a candle is to use common sense.  If you think it isn’t in a safe spot, move it.  If you don’t think you’ll remember to blow it out, leave yourself a note by your bed.  Never leave a burning candle unattended, and always remember safety first. 

  Now you know how to get the most out of your candles so you can enjoy every hour of glow, scent, and pleasure from our high quality candles.

Tags: Candles, Helpful Hints, Tips

The History of Hearts and Flowers

 Primitives

From humble beginnings – Hearts and Flowers opened its doors in July, 1986 in a very small building behind a barbeque restaurant at a crossroads known as Turner’s Corner.  The building had been previously used as a motor-inn room in the early days of automobiles.  Turner’s Corner caters to campers and was a weekend/seasonal location.  In March of 1989 we moved to our present location on Highway 115 just off the Cleveland Square and just within the city limits of Cleveland, Georgia.  While still relatively small in size, the new location was large in comparison to the original location.

The current location of Hearts and Flowers Primitives is a turn-of –the –century farmhouse located on a small creek.  While not very big in size, it houses a large inventory of primitive accessories.  Still on the property is a building that originally housed a grist mill.  While the equipment that ran the mill has been gone for many years, the building is unique in that it is an octagon shape with log siding.

Through the years we have been here we have heard many stories from people who lived in the house or visited others who lived here.  Several times a year a local church, Mt. View Baptist, damned the creek and baptized parishioners in front of the house.  Photos support these accounts.       Also, although there are no photos or evidence, rumor has it that moonshine was made in a house up on the hill behind the shop.  As the story goes, there was one policeman and they would wait in a truck camouflaged with tree branches until he had passed over the two bridges and then they followed him toward town, selling their product and returning home before he turned around to complete his watch.  In the 115 years this building has seen many families pass through, babies were born here and people passed away here.  In the early 1980s the building was used as an antique store and for a short time after that it housed a bait and tackle shop. 

On March 17, 1989 this charming little property became Hearts and Flowers Country Crafts and a few years later the name changed to its current name of Hearts and Flowers Primitives.  Although it may seem at odds with the appearance and location of the business, since it does not enjoy  running water, heat or air conditioning, it does boast a website!! 

Tags: Baptism, History, Old Building