You need this waffle iron. That is really all there is to say. This photo of leftover garlic bread with cheese and ham should pretty much confirm that fact.

As promised, I am going to be dedicating several posts to finds from small-production companies that I am #dbsobsessed with! It is so great to come across a unique find like this one, and I am thrilled to be sharing with you!

As you may know by now, I am totally obsessed with candles. I do not think any room is complete without one, and I am always looking for new ones! Sadly, it seems that for the most part, you can either spend A TON of money or choose from cheesy options in the grocery store that are overpowering and smell pretty gross. It is not always easy to find high quality candles for under $30. Enter GulfStream Candle Co., and their fairly priced line of incredible quality, natural soy wax candles!

Made in Florida by native Floridian Carrie, the candles were born out of the familiar plight of not being able to find candles that Carrie liked. She was sick of getting headaches from the many synthetics used in most candles, and decided to create a 'pure' line of candles. 

All of her candles are 100% soy, made in small batches in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. The scents are coastal-inspired, made with natural essential oils and fragrances, made using U.S grown soybeans, have no dyes added, use natural wicks and all recycled packaging! Another fun fact: The octopus on the label is Carrie's own original art, done in watercolor!

Carrie lives with her husband (a fishing captain for 18 years) and her 2 girls (12 and 8). She says she 'wanted to show them that they can start their own business one day, from scratch; it just takes some determination.' As a female business owner myself, I LOVE this, and it makes me like the product that much more!

The  candles arrived in these great, natural-looking boxes, complete with a wax stamp. They look beautiful, and are perfect as a gift or as a treat for yourself! I sampled 'Grapefruit + Mangosteen', 'Oakmoss + Amber' and 'Currant'.
​Time to open these babies up:

• It is true that because of the natural ingredients, you do not get the overwhelming and sometimes even sickening feeling that heavily scented candles so often come with. However, that does not mean they are not heavily scented, because they are!
• While all of the scents are beautiful, I particularly love the 'Oakmoss + Amber'. It is a rich and unique scent that I have been enjoying in any room of my home!
• Love the scents so much you want more of them? Don't worry--- Carrie also sells the scents as room sprays!
• They last! These bad boys have a long burning time, and you will not feel like you have wasted money on candle purchases (which I have to say, happens all too often)!

As you know well by now, I love to share things I find and am #dbsobsessed with, here on this blog. While I do share some things that are mass-produced, I especially love to find and share unique things for the home, for yourself, and to give as gifts! 

There is no bigger bummer than seeing some article you treasure as part of your decor, style or otherwise, on someone else! Who wants to share their chic stylings with one million other people?! For this reason, I have decided to spend some time focusing on the wonderful world of Etsy, and highlighting some of the many incredible artisans who sell through the site.
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Not only are these items unique, but they each have a story, which makes them all that much more amazing. I hope you enjoy these products as much as I do! 

There's nothing like a visit to New England to motivate me to share some of my favorite obsessions with all of you. Due to a wonderful turn of events that included me having the opportunity to work in the Boston area from time to time, along with a wonderfully beautiful wedding I was invited to, I had the pleasure of recently taking a trip to Massachusetts and visiting some wonderful places along the way.

Of course, I thoroughly documented the experience so that I could share it with all of you! So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride as I tell you about some of my favorite parts of a summer trip to New England. Warning: while I usually try to keep things all about the obsessions and strictly positive, there are a few items of note from my experience that I felt compelled to share with you, regardless of the fact that they were less than positive. I can't be sending you a way to Boston all willy-nilly with these horrible experiences lurking for you to potentially stumble upon, can I?! I think not.​

First of all the trip started with a bang. Virgin America had made a mistake and accidentally refunded my entire ticket, unbeknownst to me, rather than just the portion that I had canceled due to some travel changes. While this resulted in me having to wait around and twiddle my thumbs for a while, it all paid off. For my nonstop flight to Boston I was upgraded to first class and starting things off just as DBS likes to, in the lap of luxury.

In keeping with the luxurious morning, I stopped by Cat Cora's airport bar for Mimosa and some early-morning pre-vacation work. Things were looking great!

My flight was delayed which ended up meaning that original dinner plans did not work out as planned, but everything went perfectly. I had noticed in some recent news stories that the Boston Park Plaza Hotel had just, and I mean just, completed a  $100,000,000 major renovation that had been in the works for some time. Loving its location, I looked at what their rates were and was thrilled to see that there were some incredible deals for the hotel. So, I decided to stay there for the first two nights of my trip.

As my friend Sue so aptly pointed out, the new Boston Park Plaza vibe is a very Las Vegas. It smells like Vegas, in a good way, it's lively, very open and bright. I was greeted at the check-in desk by a lovely man named Peter. Yes, lovely… As in good looking. However, he was also a pleasure to speak with, incredibly helpful and professional.

While many city rooms can be very closet-like, I was thrilled to see that I had a corner room with a king bed, a small but effective bathroom space, and a large closet. Even better, views out of both windows, including one of the Smith & Wollensky castle, a restaurant with which I have many fond memories.

Everything is so new in the hotel that you get a clean feeling unlike most hotel experiences. I'm sorry, but regardless of how nice a hotel is, there's no avoiding the fact that many many people have been in your room and in your bed prior to you. It was a real treat to be in a newly renovated  room. On top of that, the service was impeccable. That first evening a cheese plate and a bottle of chilled white wine were sent up to my room. What a kind gesture from the front desk, having heard about how excited I was to return to Boston after five years away and how my dinner plans had fallen through due to a delay.

Now, when I arrived I asked Peter at the front desk where a good place would be for me to meet with my friends and not be the only person above 30 years old. He recommended STRIP by Strega, within the hotel itself. I was less than thrilled at the idea but ultimately decided that proximity was key, due to a long day of travel.

I'm so glad that I listened to Peter because that place was awesome! I ended up meeting with two friends there on Friday evening and returning again the following evening with a group of friends. It was lively with fun 90's and 2000's music playing, good food, even better drinks, and a truly delightful staff. I spoke with many people who worked there during the time that I was there and each one was nicer than the last. Not only that, but the decor was on point! As you may have seen in past posts of mine, I love me a picture of a 90's-era supermodel. Well, they're all over the place here. Most notably, a three-piece series of giant black-and-white photos of I believe Christy Turlington, Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell acting out the 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' signs. Legitimately could not be more #dbsobsessed with that.

Oh, being that this was Fourth of July weekend, I don't want to say too much about the crowds that were out because I don't think that they were indicative of what a regular Friday night in the city would look like. It was probably a little less crowded, probably a more random mix of people, and undoubtedly fewer locals.

Up next, Colleen and I headed to an old haunt of ours, Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square. While I can't say I love it anymore, because I was so disappointed in the attitude of the staff and a complete holier-than-thou vibe coming from every employee, it cannot be denied that they have amazing drinks and food. So, here are some favorites.

The Boston Park Plaza did an amazing job of helping me recover from jet lag and too many cocktails, with this killer breakfast, which I enjoyed before taking off to Newbury Street... Stay tuned for more from the trip!

If you like to camp, and love cool stuff, then you need to get down with the Cairn Subscription Box!

To begin, here is how the company describes itself:

"Cairn was built by a group of passionate outdoor enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. We saw an opportunity to bring positive disruption to the industry we love. We left successful careers around the country and congregated in Bend, Oregon, because living our passion is important to us. Our first “board meetings” were conducted on paddleboards. We are committed to fostering outdoor community by facilitating relationships and Inspiring people to get out and adventure."

There are so many camping items and accessories out there, that I personally find it overwhelming to even attempt to try out new gadgets. With this subscription, you get goodies like snacks, organization tools for outdoors, tools for things like building a fire, and even dog-specific camping items (if you ask)! I am totally #dbsobsessed and want you to try this out ASAP.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP WITH A SPECIAL OFFER!!

Hello friends. Let me start by apologizing for the lack of product photos in this post. I had every intention of taking glorious photos for you, to tell you which LUSH bath products I was most #dbsobsessed with. However, I must say that one thing I have learned in researching for this post is that while LUSH is an amazing brand with incredible products and excellent customer service, they do not make a product that is meant to be shipped. So for that reason, the products that I have access to as I am writing this post, would not do justice to the beauty of their products, if I were to take photos.

The first box that I ordered arrived damaged (not by LUSH, but obviously had suffered some sort of terrible tragedy along the way from LUSH to my apartment). So, I contacted LUSH and let them know what had happened, sending them photos of each of the damaged products. I was completely and thoroughly impressed by their customer service. They sent me replacements for everything that was damaged, including several items that I had missed an online warning about, regarding the fact that they may melt during shipping in summer months.

Additionally, they took quite a lot of time to explain things and communicate with me, which was a pleasant change from typical large business customer service. The best part was that after having tried one of the damaged products (Too Drunk Emotibomb), I decided I did not like it, so I let them know that and they were happy to replace it with something new that I requested, in the replacement shipment. While the replacement shipment did arrive without any damage to the box, the reality is that items like bath bombs are very delicate and are going to experience some jostling in transit. As a result, they do end up somewhat damaged, albeit still totally fine for personal use.

So, now that we have established shipping vs. in-store purchasing, let's talk about LUSH bath products!

• Guardian of the Forest Bath Bomb: See with eyes uncovered as you find the spirit of the forest, dappled with mossy greens and soft with the shimmer of luster. Prickly on the senses at first, the calming cypress and mystical oakmoss absolute will embrace you, drawing you into the bright, sunlit heart of this woodland bomb. It's packed with its very own forest protector: sustainably-sourced and seriously intoxicating rosewood oil.
• MMMelting Marshmallow Moment Luxury Bath Oil: Mmmelt into a pink, sweet and silky retreat and leave your troubles far behind. Creamy fair trade cocoa butter and coconut oil create a gently bobbing, slowly melting oil that goes the distance for luxuriously long soaks. Watch as the two-toned vivid pink and golden yellow halves unfurl to paint a dreamy sunset swirl on the water, and take in its nostalgic cotton candy scent. When you're ready to face reality again, it'll be with luxuriously soft and sweetly scented skin.
• Yoga Bath Bomb: Designed to be slow-frothing, with a meditative blend of color and earthy, grounding oils, this bomb creates a sanctuary of calm in the tub. Drop this seemingly simple orange bomb into a warm bath and watch as it froths up in slow fizzing layers of mesmerizing color. Inhale the deeply relaxing scents of sandalwood, olibanum and ho wood oils and take a journey of the self.
• Sex Bomb Bath Bomb: What’s in a name? When it comes to the Sex Bomb we take the moniker seriously. A must for any romantic bath, our world famous sphere of sex appeal contains all of Nature’s most potent and seductive ingredients to get you in the mood for a good… bath. Scintillating jasmine, clary sage and ylang ylang are powerful aphrodisiacs that are known to relax you as they warm your heart, and other body parts too. Soya milk makes the water milky, softening your entire body as you enjoy a luxurious soak with our best-selling Bath Bomb. Consider yourself warned.
• Twilight Bath Bomb:  Recreate the magic of a starry night in your bath water with clouds of lavender and tonka absolute to fight the demons of insomnia and soothe your stressed out body and mind. Our most relaxing Bath Bomb yet, Twilight is our gentle, reassuring hug for the bath to transform you from worn out to warm and fuzzy. It changes color like the sky at dusk, from pinks to purples and darker still. Lay back in the comforting herbal waters to soak your troubles far, far away.
• Milky Bath Bubble Bar: Don't cry over spilled milk - bathe in it! This comforting milk bottle bubbler is filled with moisturizing cocoa butter, skimmed milk and olive oil for supremely soft skin, and the delicate scent of orange oil to soothe your mind and let your troubles float away.