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Like many, this time of year is my absolute favorite! Decorating my home, as you know, is at the top of my list every holiday season. It’s our 3rd Christmas in our lovely abode and it still feels like the first. When decorating, I always place holiday candles throughout my home as the finishing touch to create a joyful atmosphere. Plus, it’s partially due to having so many memories growing up of my mom doing the same. 

Do you ever have that moment when you smell a fragrance and it instantly takes you back to a memory? Yankee Candle gets me every time. Probably because it’s my go to candle to gift to family and friends for their home. Can you blame me? Well, I fell into candle glory the other day when I was grabbing a few holiday decor pieces at Walmart. Did you know Walmart carries American Home™ by Yankee Candle® and in the fragrances that bring warm holiday cheer? This means we can buy our favorite holiday fragrance in a candle while shopping for groceries!

Here’s where I found them:

With such great quality, I also had to buy a few for my new neighbor. But just handing the new homeowners the American Home™ by Yankee Candle® fragrances wouldn’t do. There’s something special about decorating your home for the first time as the holidays arrive, so I decided to create a new homeowner holiday basket to celebrate their first Christmas in their new home. Get all of the details below: 

New Homeowner Holiday Basket

1. Watercolor Image of the New Home

I’ve always loved painted watercolor images of homes. I knew this would be perfect for the New Homeowner Holiday Basket. I snapped a picture of my neighbors home and created this picture. I hope this is something they’ll cherish for years to come of their first home.

2. DIY Ornament

Ever since my 1st Christmas (I won’t tell you how long ago that was), my family and I always get a new ornament on Christmas Eve. This ornament represents something that happened in that current year. I’ve decided to pass this tradition on to my neighbors by gifting them an ornament that reads “Our 1st Home”. What’s even better is that I have the full tutorial on how to create your own ornament later in the post. 

3. American Home™ by Yankee Candle® Products

Like I said before, holiday candles and fragrances set the mood for a holiday atmosphere instantly. The candle and wax cubes by American Home™ by Yankee Candle® are the whole inspiration behind this New Homeowner Holiday Basket. I grabbed the Sweet & Salty Caramel candle along with the Fresh Balsam Fir wax cubes during my recent trip. I feel like these are real-life fragrances we want in our home throughout the holiday season!

I’m so excited for my neighbors to use these products! American Home™ by Yankee Candle®  products have a rich fragrance that last a long time while providing a clean burn. I know that I’ll be making frequent stops at Walmart to take advantage of these candles being exclusively sold there!

But before we move on to the next item in the holiday basket, I learned a few awesome tips and tricks about American Home™ by Yankee Candle® products: 

|| Every single time you light your candle, allow the entire top layer to become a fragrant pool of liquid wax. Why? You’ll get the best possible fragrance for your home.

|| Cut your candle wick to 1/8 of an inch to ensure your flame isn’t too large. We don’t want to go through the candle too quickly!

|| When burning your candle, always place it on a heat resistance surface, keep it out of drafts (hello ac vent), and never leave it unattended while lit.

|| When only 1/2″ of the wax remains, it’s time to say goodbye to your candle but hello to a new one! 

|| As always, make sure to follow user instructions to a tee for American Home™ by Yankee Candle® products.

4. Indoor Plant

A home always needs a pop of greenery to place somewhere as home decor. I wrapped this plant in shipping paper, added red ribbon, and it was the perfect addition to this holiday basket.

5. Wooden Crate

The last thing you’ll need is a cute wooden crate or box to place your items in. I wrapped ribbon around mine and added letters that represent my neighbor’s names. Left over clay will go a long way! 

Place all of these items in your basket and you’ll have the perfect new homeowner gift. What’s wonderful about this basket, is that I would love to get all of these items for my home!  

In order to make your new homeowner basket unique, besides the amazing holiday candles, you’ll need to make your own custom ornaments for the recipient. Check out below how to do just that!

DIY Clay Ornament

Supplies:

Oven Bake Clay || Paint Pens || Rolling Pin || Twine || Glass Casserole Dish || Straw || Glass Cup

The How-To:

Step 1: Go ahead and heat your oven according to the instructions on the oven bake clay. My particular clay needed the oven set to 350 degrees. While your oven heats up, soften your clay by rolling it into a ball.

Step 2: Roll out your clay to your desired thickness using the rolling pin. Don’t make it too thin! Mine were almost a quarter of an inch thick.

Step 3: Using the rim of your glass cup, cut out a circle. If you have a circle cookie cutter, this will do the job also. I was also able to cut out a few smaller circles out of the leftover clay.

Step 4: Take the end of the straw and press down into the clay circle to create the hole for the twine to go through. 

Step 5: Place your circles in the glass casserole dish and place in the oven. Bake your clay according to the directions on the package. Be very careful with this step because you don’t want your ornaments to burn. For my ornaments, I had to bake them for 15 minutes for every quarter inch in thickness. 

Step 6: Once the ornaments have baked and cooled off, paint your designs using the paint pens. Then simply attach the twine so that the ornaments can be hung.

How will you welcome your new neighbors or your friends that just bought their new home this holiday season? Hopefully with an American Home™ by Yankee Candle® for instant holiday charm and a custom ornament made by you! If you don’t have time to put together a holiday basket, simply gifting one of these amazing candles would be the perfect gift! Seriously, have you ever met someone that didn’t love a great candle, especially one by American Home™ by Yankee Candle®? I didn’t think so! These candles meet all of your gifting needs with friends, family, and neighbors. Just pop a bow on top and you’re ready to gift as many candles as you’d like and even keep a few for yourself. I suggest the Fresh Balsam Fir for this time of year! 

Tell me in the comments below your favorite fragrance. Especially after you go exploring these candles at your local Walmart after reading this post. You know where I’ll be! Don’t have time to make it to Walmart? Don’t worry, you can purchase American Home™ by Yankee Candle® here. Need a little more inspiration? Get inspired by seeing what other bloggers are doing with their fragrances here.

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