Watch the Video 

Enjoy our mini-documentary of the Leather Patch Candle.

The Dream 

Coleen is to thank for our beautiful new line of wheel-thrown candles. She has always loved the uniqueness of handcrafted pottery and it is her dream to have all handcrafted pieces on her table one day. This limited quantity of candles is the first piece to come from our pottery studio. When these are gone we plan to come out with another unique piece of wheel-thrown pottery slowly fulfilling Coleen’s dream. 

The Process Behind Each Unique Piece 

Our entire family helped pitch in, from carefully selecting each scent to learning how to make pottery, and even thoughtfully naming each candle. Faith (our second oldest) really took on getting to know the science behind making the candle itself. Our youngest daughter, Gabriella, (age 6) took an interest in the art of pottery. She got a play potters wheel for Christmas last year and says she wants to be a potter when she grows up. The whole process has been a blessing and it is amazing to see how each piece has its own story and is carefully crafted to take on a life of its own.

It was with the help of our Master Potter, Ashlyn, that this dream became a reality.  Ashlyn is a native of Carolina and is an amazing potter.  She is truly an artisan! She has been so gracious and kind to share her knowledge with everyone who asks of her. Through this time of working together, we have established a relationship of friendship and family.Here’s a little more about the process.

Ashlyn begins her process with aspeckled brown, stoneware clay and each one is wheel-thrown individually, carefully considering form and shape and the life it will take on. Traces of her tools and motion are left behind in each one. Every piece then goes through two firings and each one is glazed by hand. Our glazes are all locally sourced. Each glaze possesses natural oxides, which give way to organic variation and color. Making each piece unique. The last stage of the process is to smooth out any rough granules that may scratch the surfaces of their new homes. We inspect each one for quality while keeping those handmade nuances that add to their charm. 

Ashlyn believes that “Pottery is an art of embracing imperfection as perfection. Every vessel is just a little different. Some might be a darker shade, a little taller, fatter, or even have an interesting wonkiness but it’s these ‘imperfections’ that make them PERFECT!! She carefully designed the form for each piece to be unique yet versatile enough to become something new after the life of the candle is over. It could become a wine glass, a bowl, a planter, something that you can pass down that no one else has one just like. Her hope is that the uniqueness of each vessel would be embraced as it carries the stories of your life for years to come.

We spent months testing different waxes, wicks, and scents.  We carefully considered the quality and burn life. Each candle has been hand-poured.  At one time, we had 10+ candles on our kitchen table trying to select our favorite smells. It was important to us that the scents were reflective of our lives and our community. There is something so simple, yet magical, about the ability of certain scents to evoke particular memories and emotions. The discussion of which scents to choose always seemed to bring up recollections of people and past-times in our lives that are close to our hearts. 

We can’t go back in time, but we CAN reconnect with times gone by and ignite memories, reminiscing and retelling stories to pass on a little piece of history, from one generation to the next. Our hope is that these scents will take you back to a place in time that is close to your heart as well. 

The leather patch is the perfect final touch for us because our leather is so much of who we are. We have been so blessed at Holtz Leather to be surrounded with some of the most amazing people. People who we rub shoulders with every day. We are so grateful to walk with them and to show our children that with a little hard work, dreams really can come true and the everyday mundane things of life become magical. 

Thank You 

Thank you for making our Pottery Studio's first release a success! We have sold out of the limited quantity of these style candles. Please stay tuned for more one-of-a-kind pieces from our pottery studio.