But first, make sure to check out the other girls in the series if you haven’t already!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished
Angela at Angela Kay
Jay at The Candle Enthusiast
Julie at The Redolent Mermaid
Sandra at Finger Candy

First and foremost, let’s discuss one of the larger retailers featured on my blog – Bath & Body Works. This company is usually the queen of fall yet this year they really let us down. Aside from the core White Barn candles, BBW only offered two small collections that both featured the same scents. There were only 3-4 new fragrances and they weren’t anything to go crazy over. Rather than giving us 4+ collections like they usually do, they decided to release an essential oil line and move straight into Winter at the beginning of October. This was a major mis-step, leading to hardly any purchases from me; I really hope they revert back to their traditional fall lineups going forward.

In terms of wax, I don’t tend to buy much from vendors and can’t speak for any of their small businesses. What I do tend to purchase quite often though is Scentsy, yet I haven’t done a single haul this fall. The company discontinued some of their best scents, didn’t release anything intriguing for the season, and honestly offers their festive fragrances a month too late in the year. Again, another letdown, especially for their prices and ship time.

Finally, we can’t forget to discuss Wal-Mart’s collection! This was probably the most vast on the mainstream market and had the most variety. At $2 a pop for clamshells, this is honestly the most affordable option, especially if you want to try multiple fragrances. The company really hit it out of the park this season and I found 3 brand new fragrances that quickly made it into my favorites! Harvest Moon, Moonlit Magic Pumpkin, and Pumpkin Patch Maze were absolutely incredible and I highly suggest checking them out while they’re still on the market!

Autumn 2017 may not have been the best year for buying candles or wax, but otherwise is was pretty great. I will always cherish this experience and hold other special memories close to my heart. If you’re new here, make sure to go check out the other posts from this series, here!

What did you think of the candles & wax offered this Fall? Share in the comments!

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Each and every year growing up, I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my parents while the aroma of dinner wafted throughout the house. Then, without fail, my Dad and I would sneak a flaky roll before dinner had even been served. It’s a simple tradition, but one that I hope to carry on as we start our own family in the years to come.

Thanksgiving weekend also marks the anniversary of when my husband and I started “officially” dating. It also marks the anniversary of when we got engaged! We’ve always celebrated those events by putting up the Christmas tree and beginning to decorate the rest of our home. If time allows, we also try to go out to a fancy dinner that Saturday night as well. While we now have a new anniversary to celebrate, we’re still planning on keeping this tradition alive too.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, it’s always been more about these little traditions that make the day special rather than decorations or special recipes. Down the line, I would like to amp up the decor for the holiday but now it’s not the top priority as we don’t host our own dinner yet. Nevertheless, I always look forward to this time of year and the symbolism is brings along with it.

Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions? Share in the comments!

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Cranberry Cookie Crumble from Better Homes and Gardens was released during the 2016 holiday season and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie is still on-shelves as it was released in the latest fall collection. The two definitely have have the same base with the slightest differences upon examination. The oatmeal version has a much sweeter cranberry note while the crumble has a tarter cranberry and prominent sugar cookie note.

Aside from cranberry scents, I always look forward to eating cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving and could always go for a glass of cranberry juice. I usually mix in a magnesium supplement to my cranberry drinks to sweeten it up a bit. Otherwise, I’m still looking for those cranberry items that’ll make it into my holy grail items for years to come!

What are your favorite cranberry fragrances and recipes? Share in the comments!

The post Fall Fun Series | Craving Cranberry appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

I’ve always correlated Harry Potter with this time of year, so it was absolutely incredible to walk around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. We were fortunate enough to spend 3 days in the parks and it only got better as the time went on.

Our first day was filled with overwhelming excitement. Witnessing Diagon Alley for the first time, just as Harry did, brought tears to my eyes. Everywhere you looked there was something to discover and we couldn’t take enough pictures. Actually, that’s pretty much all we did that day, aside from drinking butterbeer of course.

The second day, we were just as excited, but more so to be back in a place that felt like home. Rather than everything being new to us, we were able to appreciate the finely crafted details and really enjoy the ambiance. You truly feel like you’re in another world inside the park; I can never give enough praise to those who designed that space. By the end of the day, we had completed all of our spells and just relaxed by the The Hopping Pot as if we were another pair of wizards on the street.

Finally, our third and last day within the park was a bittersweet one. Knowing this would be the last time we’d be here for years, we again just found a place to sit with our drinks for the majority of the day to soak it all in. We adored watching people practice their spells and witness others see Hogwarts for the very first time. We even saw a marriage ceremony in front of the castle! But our favorite place in the busy village of Hogsmeade was the sitting area behind The Hogs Head. It didn’t seem like many people noticed the area and you get a gorgeous view of the castle; it was perfection.

While this isn’t your typical fall outdoor adventure, it was an incredible one that I’ll never forget. This season is so much more special to me now and we are so happy to have chosen Harry Potter’s world as our honeymoon destination. While most people relax in a tropical setting, we relaxed in one of the most magical settings there is, surrounded by happiness and excitement. The rest of our stay at Portofino Bay was also beautiful, but I’ll save that for another day.

Have you had any great outdoor adventures yet this fall? If so, share in the comments!

The post Fall Fun Series | A Magical Time of Year appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

It’s beginning to look a lot like, Halloween!

My husband and I are currently enjoying the last couple days of our honeymoon and we should be getting home just in time to celebrate Halloween. To get in the spirit, I figured I’d share some of my decorations (that I’m currently missing here in Florida) and our traditions that we’ll hopefully be able to still enjoy in the midst of our crazy schedules!

Being the first year in our new home, we haven’t fully furnished the space and just decorated where we could. Using little knick-knacks and pumpkins that I’ve collected over the years, I tend to put together little vignettes as feature pieces. I’m also a huge fan of decorating with candles (obviously) and am obsessed with the dreadful drips from Yankee Candle; such a creepy addition to your decor! Finally, I enjoy sprinkling little statement pieces around the house like the towels seen above.

We’ve unfortunately never lived in a community that has any trick-or-treaters, so we’ve had to make some of our own traditions. Usually the weekend leading up to the holiday, we put on our favorite Halloween movies, have a marathon, and carve pumpkins in front of the TV. It’s so simple yet we look forward to it during the entire month of October.

I’m excited to expand our Halloween traditions in years to come so we have something in place to share with our future kids when the time arrives. I know when I was a child, I always looked forward to my mom getting out her decorations and feeling the spooky vibes in the weeks leading up to the big day!

What are some of your Halloween traditions? Share in the comments!

The post Fall Fun Series | Halloween Vibes appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

I’ve gone through many phases of pumpkin candles; my original favorite was Pumpkin Cupcake which is just a vanilla scent with a hint of spice. As I’ve refined my palette and discovered what true pumpkin smells like, the only fragrance that I can appreciate now is Pumpkin Pie from Bath & Body Works. You get a realistic pumpkin note, mellow spices, and a pie crust. It’s divine and BBW is crazy for not brining it back this year!

While most people love the PSL, my pumpkin drink of choice is Maine Root’s delicious Pumpkin Pie Soda. You may think this is strange, but let me assure you, if you enjoy pumpkin pie you will love this. Upon first sip you get an authentic pumpkin flavor and then after a moment you get the pie spices; it’s delicious. I discovered this soda six years ago and now fall officially begins for me once it’s back in stock at Whole Foods.

If you asked me five years ago what my favorite pumpkin items were, I would have given you a list longer than my wedding vows. I still enjoy pumpkin things, but only when they’re done right. I predict in the next several years, pumpkin spice everything will begin going out of style – Bath & Body works is proving that this by not even doing a pumpkin collection for the first time in over six years!

What are your favorite pumpkin items? Share in the comments!

The post Fall Fun Series | Plethora of Pumpkin appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

In 7 hours exactly I will be walking down the aisle and marrying my best friend. To be honest, it feels absolutely surreal. We’ve been planning this wedding for almost 2 years and it just never felt like this day would actually come. As we organized our event we quickly realized that to stay within budget we’d have to DIY almost all of our decor. So, for today’s Fall Fun post, I figured I’d give you a little sneak peek of our centerpieces!

Anyone that has ever planned a wedding or another event knows how expensive flowers can be. To get around that cost, I decided to use an artificial Autumnal candle wreath from Hobby Lobby that would sit at the base of a vase. I ended up thrifting the vases for 25 cents each! Being a candle enthusiast, I knew I had to put an LED pillar inside but wasn’t sure how to elevate it. I wanted the overall look to be natural and did a lot of trial and error with a variety of fillers. The end result was actually using a bag of dry beans that matched the leaves perfectly.

To give the centerpiece a little more texture, I tied a bit of twine around the top of the vase which helped make it feel slightly more rustic too. Overall, these DIY centerpieces only cost $8 each to make! Personally, I think a simple fall DIY like this would look beautiful in anybody’s home and I can’t wait to use them in my dining room after today!

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I am not one for seriously frightening movies. Come to think of it, my favorite Halloween films are all made for kids. I really enjoy the spooky vibes of The Little Vampire and the magical feel of the first 3 Harry Potter movies. However, Halloweentown and Hocus Pocus are my absolute favorite holiday movies. Like most people, I could watch Hocus Pocus all month long without getting sick of it. Have you heard Freeform is going to have it playing ALL DAY on October 31st?!

When it comes to TV shows, I tend to really enjoy the specially made Halloween specials of all my favorites. Grey’s Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars are just a couple that had really well done episodes. Otherwise, the only spooky series I watch is Ghost Adventures because I find it absolutely fascinating, even if I have to watch it in the daytime.

In terms of books, my mind immediately goes to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone & Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I first read both of these books in late September/early October, so I’ll always correlate them to this time of year. Two other extremely atmospheric books that I highly recommend are The Raven Boys and The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding.

Just like I am a seasonal burner, I am also a seasonal reader. Considering I am getting married and going on my honeymoon in the next few weeks, I have a pretty decent sized TBR for the month. Spooky books that I’m hoping to read before Halloween are The Merciless, Our Dark Duet, Through the Woods, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and The Wood.

No matter what form of entertainment I am enjoying during the Halloween season, I always like to have some sort of pumpkin candle burning. Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake especially makes me nostalgic for the Harry Potter series in both it’s forms. I’m definitely excited to check off some of these spooky books from my TBR and re-watch my favorite movies this month as I finish getting everything ready for my wedding!

What are your favorite Halloween movies & books? Share in the comments!

The post Fall Fun Series | Let’s Get Spooky appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

My most-loved Autumn candles are primarily apple and pumpkin scents which is no surprise. If I’m really trying to narrow it down though, I’d have to admit I prefer the apple fragrances over pumpkin because they can be so much more versatile based on what notes they’re mixed with. Out of all the apple wax in my collection, the best has to be Cider Lane from Bath & Body Works.

With notes of caramel, granny smith apple, and brown sugar it is such a comforting fragrance that can be enjoyed from September through November.

Other noteworthy fragrances that just about made the cut are Leaves from Bath & Body Works and Harvest Moon from Scentsationals. Really though, any candles or wax that appeared in my fall collection were runners up!

One fall fragrance I’ve never been able to fully appreciate though is Autumn from Bath & Body Works. It smells of fresh apples and pine trees; in theory this should smell like a crisp day. However, it airs too much on the side of a cologne scent and reminds me too much of Christmas. It’s definitely one of my least favorite candles that returns every year and the only reason I have one is for the beautiful packaging.

One of the main reasons I love candles so much is because of the memories they invoke. Whenever I burn Cider Lane, I am brought back to the first months of dating my fiancé. It is a happy place that reminds me of simpler times and really helps me to relax. I hope you all are able to bring this sort of Autumn aroma into your home this season too!

What is your favorite Autumn candle? Share in the comments!

The post Fall Fun Series | Autumn Aromas appeared first on Melting With Michelle.

As the temperature drops I always seem to gravitate towards the same items which I consider to be my fall staples. First, we of course have cozy sweaters and flannels in every warm color you can imagine. Then we have riding boots in multiple colors to compliment any outfit and to keep your legs toasty. We also can’t forget accessories such as scarves and fuzzy socks to finish off any look!

Now that you’ve seen some of my personal fashion favorites, it’s time to give you a quick glimpse of some of my OOTD’s using these pieces. I usually dress up my sweaters with a chunky necklace and some sort of booties to go for that casual chic look. If it’s really cold outside, usually in the morning, it’s always great to have a go-to jacket. My hunter green one is the perfect weight for fall and has the cutest gold accents. My personal style is definitely more about comfort though which is pretty obvious by my last outfit. I am sort of a graphic tee hoarder and love pairing them with cute plaids!

While I have many reasons to adore Autumn, the comfy clothing makes it even more special. There’s nothing better than putting an extra-large sweater on, lighting a candle, and cuddling up with a book. I may not be the most fashionable but I like to think I have a decent style, even if it is super casual!

What is your favorite item to wear in the fall? Share in the comments!

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