Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice! | The Inspiration Behind Tie-Dye & Chai Home Candle Fragrance

When I was a little girl, I often dreamt of the ability to transport myself through the television screen. I wished so badly to be able to immerse myself into the magic of movies and experience the scenes as real-life moments. The closest I ever came was India.

My boyfriend surprised me one Christmas with two plane tickets to the Golden Triangle of northern India: Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. We went in March, during the Holi Festival, with a visit to the breathtaking Taj Mahal. Although the Taj is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent feats of architecture to behold, it was the small, quiet moments in-between that remain tucked into the corners of my memory as real-life movie moments.

Like being chased by a ghostly-white bull through the narrow streets of a rural village. Or daydreaming through the tour bus window as we passed by the beautifully adorned women working in sunlit fields, glittering like their gold bracelets and scintillating jewels. Like walking under a dramatic sandstone archway while rose petals flittered down to greet our tour group while the singing shehnai and melodic beat of drums welcomed us through the gateway into an ancient noble fort. Or the first night of Holi, when a monk bestowed each of us with a blessing, chanting in Sanskrit, as we sat around a giant bonfire watching its starry embers fizzle their way into the dark sky. Like visiting a pink-washed city sprinkled with an endless array of tie-dye fabrics and sipping chai in a gleaming palace courtyard with a royal historian as he imparted his wisdom and knowledge upon us.

These are the magical moments I’d like to capture in a jar and hold tight to my heart forever. These are the moments I use to draw inspiration for ScentScapes Candles when I’m designing a new fragrance. I love capturing these “movie moments” to share with you through the art of scent and storytelling. Perhaps we will never be able to transport ourselves through the television screen, but we can certainly transform our spaces with a little spark of imagination.

Tie-Dye & Chai is a new fragrance I have coming this fall (2025). It was inspired by this trip to India. Specifically, Jaipur, and the memory I have of enjoying tea and a chat with the historian. In the short story I wrote that’s included with the candle, I really wanted to capture his wise, but at the same time playful, almost childlike essence. I had a lot of fun creating this one! The notes I included are “sugar, spice and everything nice”. ...Everything nice is my secret ingredient!

I hope you like it!

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Warmest Wishes,

Amy