One mum’s journey to find her passion!
Tell us who you are personally?
I’m a happily married mum of 3 kids and I’m passionate about smells (good ones, obviously!), animals (particularly dogs and particularly rescues) and I’m also very passionate about wine
I love routine and don’t cope so well with the unexpected! I also love a long chat with other like minded, genuine people.
What is your story?
Blushing Ivy officially began in 2018, but I started making candles on my kitchen bench after the birth of my third baby in 2011.
I’ve always been obsessed with candles and we just couldn’t justify me spending as much as I was on them so I taught myself how to do it!
Needless to say, this involved a lot of trial and error (and some pretty horrific scent combinations), before I was offered a small retail space and decided to take my hobby seriously.
Blushing Ivy comes from my deep love of everything pink and my beautiful daughter Ivy.
How do you start your mornings?
Up at 5am - hit the gym for a circuit class or go for a walk with hubby before wrangling all the children and chaos!
I find exercising first thing is really important to manage my anxiety and overall happiness. Also green tea - lots of green tea!
What is your product or service? How does it help others?
I make candles and home fragrance products at an affordable price point to bring a little bit of happiness to my customers’ every day lives.
I know it’s not brain surgery, but I think if we can all find a little bit of joy in the hum drum of our daily lives, it can really help maintain a positive outlook.
Scent and aromatherapy is a proven mood booster and I aim to bring that to people in quality, eco friendly products that don’t break the bank.
If you could meet one person in this world, dead or alive, who would it be? And why? And what would you ask them?
Ooh this is a tough one! It’s cheating a bit because I’ve already met her, but I’d have my Nanna back. I was raised by her and my Mum and I would love to ask her opinion and ideas about my business - she was always a big inspiration to me and I think she would have some amazing insights!
Who is on this journey with you?
My lovely, forever patient and always encouraging husband, Mark, my 3 kids Caleb (17),Ivy (14) and Heath (11) and my amazing mum, Marianne who continues to have my back no matter what.
If you were face-to-face with a mumma who is struggling, what would be your message to her?
First and foremost, don’t worry about how you are perceived by others.
Everyone is so busy and wrapped up in their own lives that you are being judged much less than you think!
Make decisions based on what is best for you and your children and its cliche, but be kind to yourself.
As mums we get bombarded with so many “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” when the reality is we are all doing our best, and that IS actually enough.
What is your favourite fragrance and why?
As hard as choosing a favourite child!! My tastes change depending on the season but I never tire of Lazy Sundays (honeysuckle & cedar wood) and Sneaky Treat (salted caramel & sneaky vanilla)
How did you find the right fragrance?
A lottttt of testing! It took me 2 years to finalise our fragrance range and I’m always finding more I love!
I like to base all my fragrances off feelings of nostalgia and happiness, so anything that reminds me of something good!
What product do you use the most of?
With three teenagers and a lot of pets I go through a fair amount of room spray!!
Also I love our car diffusers - perfect to get rid of musty feet and left over food smells!
Where can we go for more information?
Our website www.blushingvyhf.com or Instagram @blushingivy_hf or Facebook - Blushing Ivy Home Fragrance
We also have a permanent retail space in Whitepepper Homewares at 26 Bulcock St, Caloundra.