Soy Candles

Home decorations tend to be geared first and foremost toward the eye. It’s no secret that visual appeal makes a huge difference from the moment one enters a room. A large couch or chair might catch your eye as the centerpiece of the space, or perhaps a hearth or entertainment center draws the most attention. Then there are the small touches – the vases, paintings, books and figurines that serve as stylish accents, complementing the whole.

Few people take the time to consider a room’s aural appeal. Just think of all the pleasant, reassuring sounds you might associate with a safe, secure home. Maybe it’s the barely noticeable drone of chirping crickets or the occasional car passing on a distant highway. Near the beach, gentle waves sooth families to sleep. Table chimes allow you to add a charming contribution to the home’s natural array of sounds.

When I was young, my grandmother was active on the local craft fair circuit. As a cute kid with missing front teeth, I would come along as a means to sell more crafts and also as the person who would help her to pitch the tent. I can still remember so many of the specifics of those works of art, most of which were made painstakingly in grandma’s garage. The hand-painted wooden snowmen were big sellers in the fall.

But above all I remember the sonorous tones of her handcrafted wind chimes, which were fashioned out of dining utensils. The forks, spoons and knives each made a distinctive sound as they clattered together in the summer breeze. These days I’ve found a way to replicate that nostalgic sound: a solarchime that works year round and even indoors. It doesn’t even need any wind to function perfectly.