Light of my life – We hear from Candle Collector Sharyn Denihan on her impressive Yankee Candle Collection
Have you ever entered into a home that didn’t have a candle? Candles are one of the most enjoyable and affordable luxury items available to everyone. They are not only beautiful, but magical in how they can infuse your home with colour and fragrance.
Candles coin a warmth and ambiance that can bring a specific sense of calm and well-being. They benefit us in so many ways and it is no wonder why so many of our customers in Ireland and across the EU are avid candle collectors!
We spoke with one of our customers Sharyn from Carlow, Ireland, who is one of our wonderful loyal customers who is also an enthusiastic Yankee Candle expert and collector. We couldn’t wait to hear her experience, what inspired her to collect Yankee Candles and about her favourite fragrances.
Photo - Instagram - "The gorgeous Black Cherry by Yankee Candle, I love this one..."
The first Yankee Candle Sharyn ever bought was Black Cherry on a trip to a local garden centre near her home Co. Carlow. Black Cherry has a strong scent throw of delicious & sweet ripe cherries, so no wonder this was the candle that had her hooked!
“ I always loved candles but once I starting buying Yankees I fell in love with them. I started off buying more than I was burning and the collection grew.”
Photo - Sharyns Candle Collection
Candles not only give our noses a treat, but they are a whole experience in terms of how they look, their colours & how they make us feel. When we asked Sharyn, why Yankee Candle is her favourite, she told us ”I love the style of the jar and think they set an atmosphere in a room when lighting. I also love to display them and when I buy one I absolutely love, I love it too much to burn it without having a second one to enjoy”
Certain scents can have a powerful effect on our memories and emotions. There have been scientific studies that prove memories from scents and smells tend to be stronger and more emotional. Just how the smell of cookies baking in the oven can bring back childhood memories of baking with your grandparents, so you will then cherish that scent bringing you a sense of warmth and comfort.
Sharyn’s favourite go to fragrances that evoke memories for her are fresh and florals such as Clean Cotton & Sea Breeze for the Summer months and scents that bring warmth for the colder months like After Sledding!
Photo Source: Instagram - "Couldn't wait for this delivery - who doesn't love candles - bought from @CandleWarehouse.ie of course!"
“I’m on Instagram and follow other collectors on there, I love having a snoop of other people’s candle collections and I’d have some great conversations with collectors all over the world. This was particularly good during lockdown as it gave me a great social outlet”
You can follow Sharyn's Candle journey over on Instagram - @CandleQueen83
Sharyn has an impressive collection of Yankees that any enthusiast would envy, which can be seen from the photos. Like any collector or even anyone who loves a certain hobby, collecting candles has opened Sharyn up to a community of people a like in which they can all share their appreciation for home, fragrance releases, candle accessories and rare fragrances through Instagram & Facebook. It is an amazing way to connect and create new friendships and we can totally relate
Photo Source: Instagram - "This is the returning favourite so making sure I still have the old verion"
We wanted to hear more about Sharyn’s amazing candle collection. She told us:
“I have been collecting for a good few years and I’ve over 750 large jars, about just 40 or so are doubles, so on a guess I’d say 700 different fragrances. Some are bought for me by friends who visited America and bring me back something unusual, but I reckon at least half the collection was bought from Candlewarehouse.ie or from your store in Naas. I also remember buying from a gift shop called Special Days in Liffey Valley many years ago – I never knew that was yours too.”
“I also love the new Elevation collection, this has its own display which is getting bigger every season. I really like the way they burn and how the light of the two wicks flicker though the glass.”
Photo Source - Instagram - "Another gorgoeus delivert from my fav CandleWarehouse.ie, always super fast delivery and so well packaged. Both smell amazing but the best label has to be Cactus Flower and Agave."
She spoke about some of her Top 4 favourites in this collection being Clean Cotton as her number 1, “I enjoy all year around and it never gets old for me.” She described her love for the label of Soft Blanket ranking in at number 2, After Sledding came in at number 3 as she explained she went through 2 jars last winter alone (but of course she has a back up for collecting!) and her number 4 is Cherry Lemonade “as its soo nice and u can almost smell the fizz . The smell of it reminds me of summer picnics in Oak Park just a few minutes away”
Finally, on the new Elevation collection, Sharyn’s favourite is Evening Star, with a “mesmerising fragrance that fills the house”
Photo - Sharyns Candle Collection
We asked Sharyn’s advice for anyone thinking of collecting and storing Yankee Candles in their home. She explained “ I recently moved house but my Yankee Candle collection is my pride and joy . I had billy bookcases to show them off and also had shelves put under my stairs to display them. Since moving I’m in the process of buying more bookcases as the layout of the new house is different“
… Sharyn’s 750 Yankees are currently renting out her attic space until her display cabinets are ready!
The new Yankee Candle Autumn/Winter 2021 Collection is so exciting, with new additions coming to CandleWarehouse.ie. We asked Sharyn which fragrances she is most anticipating for her collection and what you should add to your wish list this year –
“Reading up on the scent notes I’m thinking ‘Freshly Tapped maple ‘ is going to be the winner for me , sweet orange zest, whipped cream, salted caramel, vanilla bean – foodies Dream and sounds good enough to eat…. All the Christmas collection sounds good, but going by the beautiful picture/ label I’m thinking ‘Christmas eve cocoa'. Can’t beat a lovely Yankee candle at Christmas”
Freshly Tapped Maple Large Jar, Autumn 2021 Collection
New Winter 2021 Collection Fragrances
Read all about Yankee Candles new Autumn Woodland Roadtrip Collection here and Countdown to Christmas Collection here.
You can also be the first to know about the new Spring/Summer Collection 2022 - we'll post a link here in the next few days
The best advice Sharyn can give to anyone wanting to start a collection of Yankee Candles is
“Enjoy your candles and buy more …if they make u happy go for it. You can never have enough candles!”