Jan 2, 2009

Bossy’s Favorite Things.

Votive candles.

This particular set of votive candles were on Bossy’s friend Martha’s table during New Year’s Eve — and Bossy certainly hopes those of you with an apostrophe fetish have been well served by that sentence.

Bossy and her friend Martha have become quite the votive connoisseurs. The first rule is they can’t be stinky. The second rule is they have to be white. OK, Bossy just made up that last rule, but white votives seem to be the only candles that are odorless, while the others are all reminiscent of the pies we should be baking.

Bossy and her friend Martha typically buy their votive candles at Ikea, but boy does Bossy have a Geraldo Rivera exposé to share about this.

You see, for precisely forever and ever, Ikea made their candles like this:

They cost just pennies a piece and were sold in enormous bags and once lit, would last until the neighborhood burned down, or even longer.

And then one day Bossy went to Ikea and the votive candles were all different:

The candles featured an almost imperceptible divot that surrounded the wax and abutted the metal holder and has this much effort ever been put to writing about a votive candle?

Anyway, this almost imperceptible divot interfered with the burning technology and resulted in candles that were spent before you could say, “Surely there’s a blog post you could be reading more entertaining than this?”

Well. The last time Bossy and her friend Martha went to Ikea, they noticed that the original votives are back, and they are divot-less. Definitely divot-less.

Bossy bought a bag and tried them out over the holidays and was not disappointed. In fact, Bossy is determined to drive back to the store and purchase $200 worth of these Glimmas — not be confused with Ektorp, which is a sofa, or Laxvik, which are shelves.

Who loves speaking Swedish more than Bossy?

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19 comments

1. 1
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
   corrie said:

   I am glad to hear that the votives have been returned to their divotless state, since I would be once again disillusioned to learn a trusted store is cutting corners on quality !


2. 2
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 10:31 am
   Blog Princess G said:

   I love IKEA! Bring on more Billy bookcases, I’m a book junkie.


3. 3
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 10:36 am
   Debbie said:

   I love me some Bossy graphix!


4. 4
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 10:58 am
   so NOT cool said:

   Jag älskar att tala svenska och faktiskt vet hur … eftersom jag är svensk.

   Dessutom tror jag att IKEA-namn är bara designerns efternamn.


5. 5
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 11:21 am
   Lizzy said:

   Uh… Swedish meatballs?


6. 6
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
   Reese said:

   Those are tealights. Votives are taller.

   I wouldn’t know this (or care) but I just started working at Pier One and have been edumacated in the land of candles. Oh, so many candles…


7. 7
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
   Jenn @ Juggling Life said:

   I think Reese is right–they are tealights, but I too put them in votive holders. I missed the whole change because I still have a few left from my several hundred purchased before the change. I shall go back for more before they decide to monkey around with them again.


8. 8
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
   Ms. Cranky Pants said:

   ok, while we’re “shedding some light” here (hahaha), what’s up with the 10000 emails from Oprah about the “Best Life Week” series? Oprah must equal SPAMMER in another language. Geesh. (Ms. Cranky Pants is in her full glory today.)


9. 9
   on January 2nd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
   Reeb said:

   I like the idea of putting votives in clear holders on a silver tray. Very shiny.


10. 10
    on January 2nd, 2009 at 3:58 pm
    Amanda said:

    I’ve been working on a bag of those Ikea candles for YEARS. I keep marveling (marveling?) at the fact that there are ALWAYS more in the bag. I think they’re reproducing in there.


11. 11
    on January 2nd, 2009 at 4:03 pm
    Gigi said:

    Gray sushi sounds not so great. Glad they changed the candles back.

    Okay, true story. This fall I noticed these random clumps of dried grass on my front walk. Were chipmunks making nests? Was the wind blowing grass into bunches? Mini crop circles? Strangers leaving offerings of grass on my walk while I slept? It was creeping me out. After several weeks of wondering, I told my husband about the weird mini-haystacks on the front walk. Intrigued, he went to investigate and came back laughing. Our teenage son had been hitting golf balls in the front yard, sending divots flying into the air and onto the brick walkway. Mystery solved! And that’s MY divot story.


12. 12
    on January 2nd, 2009 at 8:42 pm
    Stephanie said:

    Bossy,
    You have made my day. I have been most disheartened at the previous divot-style candles Ikea was passing off as their Votive. Our Ikea is a solid hour-hour and a half drive from us and is the only one in the REGION, (and by region, I mean the STATES of Washington, Idaho & Montana;) thus, going to IKEA means girding one’s loins, strapping on a flask (or two) and preparing to be surrounded by millions of cranky and disorganized shoppers with cart rage, (including my husband.)
    We try to limit our trips to once every six months, and when we go, we have a compiled list of goods needed.
    So, when I made my semi-annual trip this summer for candles, I was most annoyed only to discover that they previous jumbo-sized bag of votives was no more.
    And thus, we come to Bossy, making my day. The discovery that the votive candles in the jumbo bag lives again gives me the fortitude to make the long trek back to Ikea once more.
    Thank you Bossy, Thank you.


13. 13
    on January 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 pm
    Mr Farty said:

    Tea lights. Even I knew that. And yes, it’s almost impossible to find the odourless ones. Unless you order them from the pharmacy at the end of the street.

    Who loves speaking Swedish more than Bossy? You know who. Bork bork bork.
    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sY_Yf4zz-yo


14. 14
    on January 2nd, 2009 at 11:43 pm
    Amanda said:

    What a beautiful tea light set! Did Bossy’s friend Martha put it together herself or did she buy them together? If she did it herself, good for her, it’s stunning. If she bought them as a set, I need the name of that store because I want it!!


15. 15
    on January 3rd, 2009 at 2:40 am
    natalie said:

    we went to ikea on wednesday then went back again on thursday. i bought candles…the smelly kind. i had to find something to go with the blue platter my mother-in-law gave me for christmas. it’s the only blue thing in my house! i had to figure out how to tie it in. enter dark blue, light blue, and white stinky candles from ikea! that platter never looked so good in that brown room!


16. 16
    on January 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 pm
    islaygirl said:

    rofl at gigi #11.


17. 17
    on January 3rd, 2009 at 9:59 pm
    kim at alllconsuming said:

    Our house is a shrine to Ikea.

    Our 11 year old (Ikea) sofas were recently made new thanks to the purchase of Ektorp WASHABLE covers. New lounge? $350. Mwhahahahaha.


18. 18
    on January 4th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
    liza said:

    The prayer candles, sold in the grocery store near the Ethnic foods burn forever and don’t smell. Plus they aren’t spendy. I love them! AND if you don’t like the images on the candle… they peel right off.

    Here’s a random picture.
    http://www.toddicus.com/a%20prayer%20candles.jpg


19. 19
    on January 5th, 2009 at 12:16 am
    tj said:

    …Hello Bossy! I dunno about you but I’m lovin’ the drawing of the divot! I say that your drawing should be right next to the word “divot” in the dictionary… Yep’m, that’s the Rolls Royce of divot drawings! )

    …Blessings o’ Divot Drawing Master…