clean sweeps

+ An advocate over on method's Facebook page recently asked if we (method's drooling fans!) should expect some new fall scents? And method's response was a big yes! So yay! Interestingly enough, the post has since been removed from their page, but this could be because A) method decided they wanted to keep it hush hush (in which case, oops! Ha!) or B) method changed their minds (I doubt this one) or C) Facebook is acting up again (this seems to happen a lot!) So who knows, but I'd say keep a lookout for some new scents coming from method this fall (more than likely they'll hit the hand wash and dish soap products.)

I'd been noticing Glade, Febreze, etc. have been releasing their new fall candles and aroma plug-ins. Makes me long for the days method released their own line of fall oriented scents for their aircare line (fig, gingerbread spice and pomegranate tea!) Ah, but, there I go longing for the good ole' days again!

+ Have you tried out any of method's new products? How about the lavender or clementine floor cleaner? pink grapefruit or red currant dish soap? Wood for good daily wood cleaning spray? If so, what are your thoughts? Lust'em? Let method lust know in the comments!

clean sweeps

Ah, spring time! What? It's still winter and frosty and cold and there are snowmen frolicking in your yard? Well, here in North Carolina it's a very springy week (so far!) And spring leads one to day dream about new method products! Really, it does. No, I'm being serious. Whatever, so I day dream about new method products all the time. I even come up with my own sometimes. And then I forget which are the real products, and which are the fake products, and then sometimes I'll have to go cry in a corner for a little bit because I need to mourn the product that I thought was real real but was really just fake real. You know what I mean? But don't worry, it's not a really bad crying jag. More of a whimper with some tears. Maybe the occassional wail, but nothing more. I promise...

So yeah, new products! Well, if you follow method over on their Facebook page, you notice every once in a while they'll pop something big in over there, just to see if people are paying attention. And trust me, I am. I am! How about these two goodies!

+ Looks like we'll be seeing new limited edition hand washes this April! So use up what you have left from the holiday line, and get ready for some delicious scented newbies to fill Target shelves! (And psst - just between you and me, we're talking not just one, but four new scents! 2 + 2 = four new scents! But that's all I can tell you now. More news the closer it gets to April... is it April yet? Oh, ok. Man, I got a while... argh.)

+ method also announced on their Facebook page that we should be seeing new dish soap refills hitting shelves this Spring! How cool is that! Hey, they might even have a new lemongrass dish soap refill out then, too! Wait, what? That's one of my pretend real products? Well, I refuse. method, get on it! (But uhm yay, dish soap refills!)

and lastly (not new product related, but still cool method product related)

+ method luster Jamison has let me know he's just found a new shipment of method candles showing up at his Big Lots store! Frosted fir, fig, cut grass, peppermint vanilla and more! So of course I leapt from my work chair, told them I had the flu suddenly, and ran to Big Lots to find... nothing. Yet! But I'm holding out they just haven't hit my store shelves yet! Cause frosted fir candles... oh yeah. Who needs Valentine's day 50% off candy when you got frosted fir candles. Who needs Valentines day 50% off candy when you have a date... oh but let's not go there, ok? I'm still mourning my method teeth whitening system. Yes! Yes, it's a real fake product. Hence the mourning! So let's leave dating out for the time being. I can only take one disappointment at a time... and you are a disappointment, Ted! A complete and total disappointment! Don't talk to me like that! Where were my roses, Ted? Hmm?... wait, is this thing off?...

...now, where is that ADD medication.

ebay holiday finds!

+ method hollyberry and snowy days candle and gel hand wash/lotion duo set - $10.00 (starting bid) + $10.79 shipping - Whoa! Did Santa not get you what you were wishing for this Christmas? Well, if so, perhaps this might make you ho ho happy! We're talking an old school (and that bold should be bolded!) package of hollyberry and snowy days candles snuggled warmly together with hollyberry hand wash and snowy days lotion (snowy days was one of method's very first holiday scents! It's really crisp, clean, and fresh smelling!) I haven't seen these in forever!

+ method hollyberry candle and gel hand wash set - $7.95 (Buy It Now price) + $7.15 shipping - Or if you just have an eternal lusting for hollyberry, and miss method's rad candles, you can pick up this (still old school!) holiday gift set!

Either way, don't miss out! (And don't you wonder sometimes where in the world the stuff from ebay comes from? I mean, seriously? Do people just keep this ancient stuff in their basement for a rainy ebay day? All the better for us, I say!)

holiday preview

While it's not going to be available at your local Target until early November, take a peek at what you can already find (and buy) at drugstore.com! method's holiday 2010 line of hand washes in hollyberry, cinnamon bark, and peppermint vanilla! Unfortunately that looks like all we'll be getting, as method pretty much slashed their holiday line last year (remember all those wonderful dish soaps, spray cleaners, candles and aroma sprays, as well as new scents each year... mmm!)

...which brings us to something interesting. Seems Mrs. Meyers has taken notice of the fact that a substantial holiday line is missing from the green cleaning products category once more, and started bulking up their own! This year brings us spray cleaner, dish soap, hand wash and a candle in orange clove! And you can also pick up last years Iowa pine, as well as new cranberry and snicker doodle scents - all in candles!

So while it's unfortunate method has decided to roll up their holiday line (and give us the same scents as last year) we can at least look forward to some great new environmentally friendly holiday products and scents from Mrs. Meyers this year! They'll probably hit stores at about the same time as method's holiday hand wash line. (But you can already purchase Mrs. Meyers online, as well!)

finds!

After spotting a quick note over on method's Facebook page, I did a snappy run over to Burlington Coat Factory, and tada, what did I find, but a few method candles! This method advocate posted that she'd found some sweet water candles, while I found pomegranate tea candles at my store! So it looks like it'll just be a surprise, method scent wise! Let method lust know if you find candles (or other method products!) at your local Burlington Coat Factory, or any other discount stores (Ross, Big Lots, Marshalls, etc!)

candle cuties!

method luster Kirby sent in this phone pic showcasing her recent adventure with method candle recycling! She made tealights in beach sage, lavender lemongrass, hazelnut, frosted fir, and hollyberry scents! So cute! Thanks for the photo!

Have you made your own candles lately using method candle leftovers? If so, take a snapshot and send it in to method lust!

projects - candle, candle

(Hey Kirby, I've finally done it!) Guess what I did this weekend? Make candles! Well, sort of. I remade candles! That's more like it! Let me explain...

Remember when method first introduced their candles in the new glass bowl? It was right around the holidays, and they had holiday candles, and their standard aircare candle line, and they'd even brought back gingerbread + spice! And you know what else? These candles sucked! The things just didn't burn properly. (And then method reworked the soy wax, made it perfect, and canned the entire candle line right after. Sigh.) Well, anyway. I'm working on all that in therapy. But the good thing is, instead of throwing out all that wax each burnt candle left behind (and it was a lot) I saved it. I'd just take a fork, break up the remaining wax (it's SO easy!) and place it in a small bowl. My plan for the longest time was to melt each scent down, and make "new" method candles! Recycle, recycle, recycle!

Fellow method luster Kirby (who I gave a shout out to at the beginning of this post) had done this ages ago with her frosted fir candle (please method bring back frosted fir this year for the holidays! Just the scent in the hand wash! Please, oh please please pretty please! I lust it so much and failed completely to stock up on that scent for some insane reason... oh my, but I'm so digressing...) And, focus. Kirby had taken her remaining frosted fir wax and made tea lights from it! Such a great idea! And she told me how to do it, and I told her I'd give it a try, and in the back of my mind I knew it would be so hard to do, and I didn't do it for a zillion years, and finally I got up the nerve to do it this weekend! And a) it was so ridiculously easy I can't even believe it; and b) now I'm sorta addicted! I want to make candles, like, all the time! Ha ha!

What you see in the photo at the very top are six candles I made this weekend! With leftover method candle wax! How frickin' cool is that?! I now have a frosted fir, a fig, two pomegranate tea, and a spiced pear. And I have some more leftover wax (as you can see on the left) from a hollyberry candle and lavender + lemongrass. As I use up my candles, I'll scrape out the remnants and save them for some more candle makin'! You would think "Eh, I wouldn't have enough wax to make a whole candle!" Well, all I'd do is scrape out a spoonful or so from each used up fig candle, and before you knew it, I had one whole candle! Yay!

What you see in the second photo is me melting some leftover apricot basil wax from method's premium candle line from oh so long ago. And a little white ceramic jar awaiting it's elixir!

It's all so easy to do it's quite maddening! Here are the steps:

1 + Run out to your local candle supply/craft/hobby shop (I went to Michael's) and pick up some wicks! Read the package carefully, as not all wicks will work with soy candles. I bought the extra-large (which sounds humongous, but really isn't) for these as I knew that was the size they used in the glass jars, BUT those didn't burn well; so I wanted to try the same size in the smaller ceramic jars - figuring it would burn better (obviously.)
2 + Wash out some old method ceramic candle jars (or other container if you so desire - I have about a zillion of these things though, so I thought I'd reuse them!) and grab a pot/saucepan, fill up with a little water and place on your stove; once it reaches boiling pop a metal mixing bowl (I found one for a buck at a thrift store!) over top of the pot/saucepan - and tada, you've just created a double boiler!
3 + Throw your wax in the metal mixing bowl, it will slowly melt over the boiling water (without burning cause it's not on direct heat! And the mixing bowl shouldn't be sitting IN the water, but on top of the pan. The wax will melt from the hot steam that's hitting the bowl.) and as that does it's thing, take one of your wicks, dip the metal end into the melting wax, and stick it to the bottom of your candle container (the wax will sorta hold it in place.) I also put a pencil on top of the container to help center the wick.
4 + Once the wax is melted, pour into your container, adjust the wick a bit if it moved around. And you're DONE! So (allow me to say it one more time!) easy peasy!

+ Keep in mind you're dealing with hot steam, boiling water, and hot melted wax, so safety first as they'd say in first grade!

Now here's the hard part, the waiting. I wanted to burn them right away! But patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue, Nathan. Just let it sit. I actually let mine sit over night, and it had hardened completely by morning. Then just grab some scissors, snip the wick to it's proper size (as you'll have leftover, I actually had enough leftover for more candles! I just have to go buy some more of those metal thingies. And yes, they have a name, I just don't know what it is. LOL)

What you see in this photo are my spiced berry and apricot basil candles from the premium line. I didn't have enough to make an entire candle, but I'm just excited I get to enjoy them a little bit longer now, since I've made half a candle each out of the old wax! And I've been burning the pomegranate tea all evening long and it's working great! So give it a try, send in your pics, and let us know how it works out! Have fun!

arrivederci, aircare

I so called it. Sad face.

From method's official people against dirty blog:

"it’s time to come clean. today we say ‘bon voyage!’ to a good friend — air care.

our ‘people against dirty’ have been asking for a few months now, “what's happening with method aircare (i.e., air enhancers, aroma rings, plug ins, soy candles and aroma sticks)?” we're sorry we haven’t been able to give you the whole air care story until now.

as many of you have guessed, air care will no longer be part of the method line, but you'll still be able to find our air care products online and at a few retail partners. if you love our air care products, BUY THEM NOW because we don’t have any plans to reintroduce them.

it was a really, really tough decision to exit out of air care. after all, we’re the little guy who brought innovation and heavenly smells to a world of fake pine and aerosol orange. we’re so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together with our people against dirty in this space. given the size and budgets of bigger companies making similar products, with not-so similar ingredients, we’ve decided to focus on leading the home revolution in areas where we can continue to make a difference — under the counter, in the loo, on the floor, in the sink…well, you get the idea.

we’re really proud of all the air care products we made and are sorry if this news is disappointing. if you're one of the loyal people against dirty who love our air care products, the best places to find them are: methodhome.com, drugstore.com, amazon.com, lowes home improvement centers and duane reade (nyc).

feel free to share your favorite air care memories and scents in the comments below — mine was vanilla apple. thanks for hangin' in there with us."

+

Thoughts? (I personally think this is a REALLY bad move on method's part. But I guess only time will tell.)

This is my favorite quote so far from over on the method Facebook page (where they also posted this news):

"I'm sorry but don't a TON of people make similar natural cleaning products while pretty much NOBODY makes natural air care products?" - I completely agree.

holiday gone?

So I'm noticing something troublesome this weekend while strolling through two Target stores. It appears the method holiday line we've received in the stores MIGHT (and that's a big might, as I don't have any official word yet) be it. No additional shipments?

Upon sniffing around the first Target store, I noticed all the cinnamon bark candles were gone, AND the price tag had been flipped over, so it was just a white tag. method hand wash had been put in place of the candles. And at the second store, I noticed not only was the cinnamon bark candles gone, but the tag was gone as well. All that remained were the hollyberry and peppermint vanilla tags. and even the hollyberry candles were gone! So it looks like this might be a case of stock up while you can, because usually Target will just keep restocking when they sell out (especially since uhm, it's not even December yet?) but they're doing some weird things here this year.

Grab it while you can, advocates! I'll let you know if I can get more information on this!

holiday is really real here?!

method lust reader Tracy says in her email to me she practically ran home to tell me the big news! (Which is so sweet of her! Thanks Tracy!) While roaming the aisles of her local metro Atlanta Target last night, she actually stumbled upon a brand spankin' new holiday sparklin' method endcap chock full of holiday candles in frosted bowls and hand soap! In all the 2009 (2007) holiday scents: cinnamon bark, hollyberry, and peppermint vanilla!

Looks like this might just be a case of one Target store getting a bit prematurely excited; but it is supposed to hit at the end of October/early November! So if you happen to see holiday method hit your Target stores (or any stores for that matter, as I believe that hand wash is available to all stores, while the candles are a Target exclusive. Yeah, I could go back and re-read my previous post, but I'm sorta lazy tonight!) drop me an email or leave a comment and let method lust know what you found!

(Karin, you're just going to love this! Ha ha!)

method quickies

Some quickies here! (Mind. out. of. the. gutter, people.)

+ No, nathan (oh wait, that's me, so perhaps I shouldn't speak in third person to you, like I did the other day to the woman at the Panda Express restaurant. Yeah, I'm thinking when the person in front of you (oh, that'd be me in the role of "person in front of you") says "And I should probably stop speaking to you in third person." You more than likely smile politely (as she did), while reaching for the red panic button underneath the counter in order to silently notify the police, hoping that Sybil doesn't appear. But hey, what can I say? I like to shake things up! And so do I! Ha ha! Get it, get it, oh, just don't get it. It's better that way.) Anywho, no I haven't left you, dear readers! Life has once more taken ahold of me, shaken me left, right, up and down, and otherwise kept me from frolicking in the land of blogging, cause I just haven't had the time! But never fear, I'm still here!

+ Winners of the advocacy kit contest, and the u review contest are: (Drumroll please...) Brandon Makrides and Kirby! Congrats! Kirby has been really lucky here, as she also won the previous mandarin mango hand wash contest! (And all winners are chosen at random, unless othewise specified; so I'm not playing favorites here! Ha ha!) AND poor Kirby (if you're reading this) has still not even received her hand wash, cause I'm a slacker! (I'm HORRIBLE at sending out contest winner packages! Mind you, you WILL get them, as everyone who's won a contest on method lust will attest to; it JUST might take a bit to get it out to you. I'm working on that! Ok? Less slack, more attack!)

+ The method lust Q+A is now closed, and I'll be sending off your selected questions to the method team very soon! Look for answers to be posted in an upcoming well, post!

+ method lust reader Jamison wanted me to let everyone know he found a slew of method candles (but he hasn't told me where, hmm...) in all sorts of scents! So if there is something you're looking for, he can probably get it for you! Just drop him a comment in this post if you're looking for a candle scent, and want him to pick it up and send it to you, if he finds it; and he'll get back with you! He also wanted me to tell you he has Paypal, so it'll be easy, too!

+ method luster Jean is SO freakin' sweet to me! She has (get this) a small amount of bamboo (oh yes, bam- oh my word -boo!) multi-surface spray cleaner which she has been hording forever, cause she loves the scent so much! Bamboo was one of the very first fragrances method put out in their spray cleaner line, way back when! And she so nicely sent me an email, wanting to see if I'd like a small spray bottle worth to try out, since it's one of my three remaining Holy Grail method scents I've never tried (pumpkin spice and coral being the other two.) She just let me know it's in the mail, and I can't wait! Yes, I'm insane like that. Giant thanks, Jean! Giant! I'm giddy!

holiday sneak peek!

Yeah, yeah, you read right lusters! We're being treated to a method holiday sneak peek! (I mean, can you believe the holidays are almost upon us? Geesh! I still haven't finished eating all of last year's Christmas candy! Oh right, I should probably just uh, throw that away now, shouldn't I? Ok. Goodbye candy canes. So long peppermint bark. Oh, look, now I can buy new holiday candy! Yay!)

So, without delay, some good news, and some (bad?) news!

+ The good! method holiday 2009 will see three big returns! This year's scents will be hollyberry, peppermint vanilla, and cinnamon bark! Can you believe peppermint vanilla is making a return? I know there are a lot of peppermint vanilla fans who have been waiting for this! And all three scents come back to us from their previous 2007 visit!

These scents will be available in soy candles, and our ever faithful gel hand wash! (Are you not just lusting after those colored soy candle bowls! I can't wait to pick some up! Drool!) Look for them to hit stores in late October/early November. The hand wash will actually be available to any retail stores that carry method products; while the candles are a Target exclusive!

+ And (the bad?) No new scents this year! And the product line has been slashed! We're talking no dish soap, no aroma sticks, aroma rings, pills, sprays, spray cleaners, or limited edition products! Nada! I'm really surprised at this, as I always thought these products (at least dish soap, and spray cleaners) were always big sellers during the holidays! I know method said they wanted to return to some of their product roots; and their original line usually only consisted of hand wash, maybe lotion, and candles. But over the last few years we've been treated to quite a grand expansion of the holiday products, and I couldn't wait to fill my house with all the wonderful goodies!

What do you think of this? Excited! Drooling with anticipation! Disappointed that there are no new scents this year? Gonna miss your favorite holiday products? Comment away! And let the holiday countdown... begin! (Wait, it's not even Halloween yet? What'evah!)

lil' more speculation!

Looks like Target has moved the method aircare aroma rings and candles off their designated shelves, and onto the clearance end caps (the ends of the aisles where they always put the clearance/discontinued stuff. I know them so well.) LOL At least they've done this at my Target, so I'm sure yours will happen soon, if not yet.

I'll be curious to see what happens next. The rest of the aircare line is still on the shelves; I guess we'll have to see if it gets consolidated, or if the clearance items are replaced with something new; or if they're discontinuing the line in sections. OH the world of speculation!

+

In other sorta but not really related news, I got a new car two days ago! Yay! (Uh, first time I've ever bought a new car. I think I've gained like, eight ulcers. Gah!) But I believe I must be about one of the only people in the world that really dislikes "new car scent." I mean, people buy things to MAKE their car smell like this?! Wha? And as we know, it's mostly just off gassing and other horrid things occurring in your car that are really bad for you. So I needed a scent enhancer! Cue the aroma ring (and for the record, I'm pretty anti-aroma ring. The rooms in my duplex are just too big for them to work properly for me.) Ages ago fellow advocates had a great idea to place aroma ring refills in your car, to get that wonderful scent! I did this with lavender lemongrass, and WHEW! It was way too strong. That had to go!

But this time around I'm trying out some eucalyptus mint, and you know what, it's working. It actually sorta mingles "well" with the new car smell, while giving it this burst of minty freshness! I like it a lot! So now my new goal is to run around to Big Lots and purchase all those eucalyptus mint aroma ring refills I've seen in there forever, but had no desire to buy at the time! And... go! Do you use an aroma ring refill in your car? What scent?

blown out?

UPDATED UPDATE to my UPDATE method lust reader Karin says "when you say "aircare" line - are you talking about the candles, sprays, pills, aroma rings and oil diffusers? I mean, what the heck is left? Not that I don't like some of their other products (I heart the shower spray, lil bowl blu and le scrub)...but seriously, I feel like that is half their line!

Honestly though, I have always had an issue with the price of their aircare line - a little on the pricey side. So if aircare wasn't selling well, I would venture to guess that other people thought they were a little pricey too. Ok, sorry for the rambling rant - i'm just a little shocked."

Karin, those are indeed all the products I'm talking about when I say aircare line. And I agree, I think it's a big part of their line. And, (PS. - Nathan needs a life) I was thinking about this last night (see, I told you he did) and I've sorta taken a step back here. I think the CURRENT version of aircare will be discontinued. BUT I have a feeling (some little voice in the back of my head, it's hard to keep him quiet sometimes. Shh, I'm trying to think! Quiet, I say! Quiet!...) saying method would be really stupid to cut the entire line; so I'm now going with it being rebooted/revised/revamped. In the end, we'll see.

Now I do have a couple small comments that I've heard here and there that make me feel otherwise, but I'm sticking with the aircare line staying/returning in SOME form. But no matter, I still say stock up, because not only do I bet many of these product versions won't be back; but I'm also betting all the scents will be replaced (which might actually be a great thing!) So grab your favorites while you can! (So much speculation, so little time! Ha ha!)

+

UPDATED UPDATE Ok, folks. The method aircare aroma ring refills have all gone on clearance. That's it, I'm callin' it! The aircare line is being discontinued. You know how there are those people that tell you they're totally innocent, but won't actually let you see the evidence for yourself, to easily prove their innocence. Like they actually have something to hide, and uh, aren't really innocent? (Uh, what the heck, Nathan?) What I mean is, method is being really hush hush over this one; and that can only mean one thing, the aircare line IS being discontinued (cause otherwise it's pretty easy to just say "Uh, no, it's not being discontinued." Know what I mean?) So, again, I'm callin' it! Is it being replaced out with a new, rebooted aircare line? There might be a teeny, tiny small chance there, but honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath. Run out and stock up, cause it's happening people!

I'm sorta surprised at the total lack of comments concerning this news? Are you gonna miss the aircare line? Should we work up a petition (seriously!)? Are you glad to see it go? Are you sobbing uncontrollably? Let us know! (And if you're sobbing uncontrollably, tissues are in the bathroom. There's a fresh box.)

+

UPDATE Alright, so uhm, a sorta update here. Now let me just tell you, usually, method is really great about providing me with news, announcements, and the such. But this time around, mum's the word! No one is cracking, no matter how much chocolate, Metromint water (mmm! Minty water!) and cash I sling their way. And honestly, I'd heard some weird extremely cryptic rumblings a few months ago; but I kept still. Quiet as a mouse. Hush hush, you know? Cause I'm all about playing fair! Nice and easy! You scratch my back, I'll scratch your back. Penny for your thoughts? Who's on first? What's on second? No wait, where was I?

But now with what looks like the aircare candles actually being discontinued at Target, I think my horrible no-no-please-no! hunches were correct. While everyone is staying zipped up tight at method, and I've asked, OH have I asked, after seeing the candles hit clearance (but not before, because well, you know, all that mum's the word and fair play stuff and oh uh, I'm sorta lost? Anyone have some bread crumbs?) So here goes nothing. This is NOT official (but sorta the word is "stock up on aircare.") I think the aircare line is about to go bye-bye! SO, I'll keep chipping away, and trying to find out more information; but until then, I highly recommend you start stocking up on some method aircare. It just might be your last chance!

What are your thoughts? Can you live without the aircare line? What if they replace if with some dandy awesome new (non-aircare) line? Would that heal your wounds? No? Yes? Seriously, we might have to start an online petition if this happens. Because I'm not sure about YOU, but I don't think ole' Nathan can live without his method aircare. So. Serious.

+

...Sniff. So folks, I return (slightly tanned/burned and in vacation withdrawal already!) with some (possibly) bad news. Target has just started putting the method aircare candles on clearance. And while I (currently) have no official information on this, I do believe this might be the end for our belusted aircare candles! I really don't believe they're reworking the containers again, and would bet money the candles are being discontinued (with possibly their only return being during the holidays?) NOW, like I said, I should have some officially official word here in no time, and I'll update everyone!

For the moment, I'd run out and start stocking up on your favorite aircare candles (and maybe all your favorite products from the entire aircare line, JUST in case?) Hysterics exit left, sobbers exit right! Needless to say, to be continued!

great smellin' deals!

And off I went to Big Lots today, to of course pick one thing up, and walked out with way more than that! (Isn't this what always happens?!? And you'd think I'd be all frugal today. During an outing with some of my friends last night, I ended up losing $20. from my wallet! I'd just made that at a yard sale a week earlier... sniff. Ok, I don't even want to talk about it. Let's just put a positive spin on things and think that whoever found my lost $20. must have needed it more than me! Wait, where was I besides lamenting about my poorness... Oh, right! method stuff!)

So Big Lots must have gotten a (slight) new shipment of method candles, in the old school ceramic jars, in stock recently! They've carried some of these for a while, but a couple scents that haven't popped up lately make me believe this was a new shipment. And the really great deal at the moment is they're on sale for only $3.00 (normally $3.50. Ok, not a huge sale, but WAY better than the Target price of $7.99, don't you think?) I found all these scents at my local Big Lots:

Grapefruit pear (when is the last time you've seen that method scent?! This was an old aircare line scent that was discontinued ages and ages ago), beach sage, citrus cilantro, lavender + lemongrass, sweet water, eucalyptus mint, vanilla apple, gingerbread + spice, hollyberry, cinnamon bark, peppermint vanilla, and fresh lychee. Run out and pick some up while the sale is happening (not sure when it's over!) and uh, even when the sale isn't happening, cause I bet these will sell out! Mmm, method candles...

what's your idea?

...And my latest empty candle bowl idea? A cat's food dish! This is Bruiser (he's really sweet, I promise. His name is all talk, no action.) A couple of weeks ago his sister had to be put to sleep due to kidney failure (they're both 16 years old.) Well, he's sort of finally caught on that she's not coming home, and he's not doing that well at the moment; so I decided to cheer him up a little with some wet cat food (they didn't get this often, so it's a treat!) And I went to open the cabinet, and right there staring at me were my small stack of empty candle bowls. Ding ding! Wet cat food dish.

He'll be fine after a while. (I've read that pets can mourn anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks, sometimes longer.)

In more cheerful news, what was the latest thing you've done with an empty method candle bowl? Let us know! (See, method really is pet friendly!)

aha!

I finally managed to put two and two together, and figure out the whole "why are the pomegranate + tea and citrus cilantro candles being clearanced, while the rest of the items in these scents (currently) remain in the aircare line?" question? (And whew, that was a long question, wasn't it?!) Well, I (duh!) figured it out!

The reason is, method just went and reworked their candle line, with the new soy wax formula; but realized these two scents were going to be discontinued, to be replaced with the upcoming spring editions line; so they couldn't redo them with the new soy wax, and instead just clearanced them out; while keeping the rest of the line around in those two scents (for a short time.) Make sense?

I went into my nearest Target this weekend, and they've had three pom + tea candles sitting there forever, on clearance, but without any actually clearance stickers on them. And this weekend they were listed as "item not found" which in Target terms means, over and out. So I checked at the customer service counter (just in case they'd gone lower than $3.98) to see if they could look up a price on them. They said with "item not found" products, it was hit or miss. But these did come up (still at the $3.98 price, so I just bought one.) But this is the last chance to pick the candles up, as Target will be shipping them out soon (more than likely to Goodwill.)

target trippin'

(aka, Nathan's ADD trip to Target. Ready? Set? Go!) Ok, so I decided to head over to Target today during lunch to check out these really great Merona suit vests they've just gotten in for men that look so cool and stylish, and come in three different patterns, and I was all like "Oh, I could look mucho cool and stylish!" except I haven't looked cool and stylish in years, mainly cause I just let myself go, you know? We'll blame it on the depression, but oh, that's another story. (I jest, I jest. I think...) But alas, these vests were definitely going to bring me back into cool and stylish mode, so off I went!

I'm searching for them, and what do you know, the Target near my home has all of them, this Target (same size as the one at home, but noticeably sucking in merchandise carrying) has... one style. So I grab a small (my usual size) run to the fitting room, try it on, and it won't even wrap all the way around my body, let alone button! Ha ha, ok. So apparently I don't wear smalls in suit vests. (Shush!) So I leave the fitting room, go to try on a medium, deciding to forgo the fitting room again and use their mirror they have out on the floor; and it fits great! Yay, but then I notice, the little belt thing that's on the back of vests (what is that called?) isn't well, belted. And I go to do it, and it's made rather poorly. The two pieces won't stay connected. Well, how lame!

So I decide to leave the clothing area and walk past the baby area, where there is a woman looking at baby washes, and I immediately think "Run over and exclaim to her how much you lust method squeaky green baby wash! And that she simply must buy it, buy it, buy it! Go green apple! Purchase the peach! Ransack the rice milk + mallow!" but I decide not to scare the poor woman and just keep walking.

To the kitchen aisle. Ohh, look, they have that small Preserve recycled cutting board in bright green I've been eyeing, and I got a little extra in my paycheck from the tax break stimulus thingy! Oh, I should get it! But but, I'll... wait. Ok, off we go...

To the method (Wait, did he just say method?) aircare section! I gotta see if they have the new candles in, cause I had to buy the sweetwater candles the other day while they were still on sale, because they were all out of the lavender + lemongrass; and now the sale is over, but when they get the l+l candles I'll just bring the other ones back for exchange (yes, it's a tad sneaky, I'm sorry; but still totally legit, don't you agree? Sometimes ya gotta play their game, people!); since my Targets aren't quite as nice as method lust reader Jamison's, and they wouldn't give me any rain checks for the candles.

Oh look, nothing. Hmm, the rest of the line is fairly full, but the candles are empty. Three old soy formula l+l candles sitting there, nothing else... Wait, what is this? The shelf stickers for the other candles, they're gone? What's going on here? It's like they've removed them from the shelf, permanently. WHAT. is. going. on. here? (Let's just chalk it up to the aircare line's big spring edition boost that HAS to be coming up this month, and not get all hysterical here right yet! Ok? I'll check this out, and get back with everyone!) Hmm... I'm worried (all appears fine, as I stumbled into my other Target this evening (don't even) and they had just gotten a brand spankin' new shipment of candles in. So don't ask me what was up with the shelf stickers thing, I ain't got a clue)... as I walk to the checkout line, to grab a pack of...

cupcakes. Yep, you read right. (Get in shape, size medium? What are you talking about.) And there is this woman in front of me, and she's buying oh oh, yes, it's method french lavender hand wash! And and, next to it, two bottles of red Dawn dish detergent?? What is that all about? So what do I do, I say (in as whimsical a way as I can...) "Well, if you're going to buy the method hand wash, why in the world wouldn't you buy their dish soap too?" And smile at her (secretly demanding she return the Dawn and go get the method, all with my eyes. My eyes say A LOT, let me tell you.) But alas, she says surprisingly "Well, I didn't know they made dish soap!" to which I replied "Oh, they sure do! And it's super!" Ok, well, maybe I didn't say the super part. And she says "well, I'm trying to buy red dish soap, to match my new red kitchen." to which I thought of saying "But, but, they make pink." but really, it wouldn't have helped. If only it had been the holidays, I could have thrown her the winterberry bone. Oh well!

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And with that, I walked out of Target. Without my vest. Worried about my method candles. And with two cupcakes too many for my body. (And it only came with two, you know. Get it... oh, whatever.)

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PS - method, you need to put a little cute tag, sorta like the house tags you had a while back, letting people know about all the products you sell! Cause this woman had no clue, because Target puts some method products by themselves, and others with the full line. And obviously she must have picked it up by itself. But if it had a tag telling her about all the wonderfuls method makes, she's know! And I wouldn't have to hunt her down. Suggestion!

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PPS - Yeah, this post was all over the place, ok? Just a Target day in the life for Nathan... sweet mercy, he needs some help.

one man review - soy candles

Review time! Ding ding ding! Ok, so method has recently had some little ole' troubles with their candle line. Just a little background, for those of you that may be a tad confused (which is what I'm hearing from some comments here on method lust.)

Around August of last year method introduced a new and "improved" (and we all know why THAT'S in quotes, right?) soy candle for their aircare line. Gone was the ceramic container, in it's place was a new sleek (and 100% recyclable! Which was the reason they moved away from the non-recyclable ceramic) glass bowl! It was all held nice and tidy by a paper wrapper that said in big type "SOY". And it brought us new and returning scents in the form of gingerbread + spice, frosted fir, winterberry, spiced pear, and toasted hazelnut; and all our favorite mainstays! And we were so excited, and ran home to light them up, and watched them burn, and realized...

they sucked. (With honest apologies to poor Ryan Williams, and the rest of the wonderful green chef method team!)

(These, are actually burnt out.)

They burnt - poorly. Like, not a little poorly, but moreso, really, badly poorly. (Ok, ok, I know, enough salt in the wounds! Ha ha!)

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So, method has just released a new soy wax formula for their candles, and it debuted this month! Now, in order to make sure you're picking up the new soy candles, look for the paper wrap that says "BREATHE EASY" on it. I think there has been some slight confusion here. These are the new candles! Nothing else has changed about them, the glass container is still the same, etc. Though they do also have a sticker or two on them that says: "New Wax Formula, Now Burns Even Better."

Well, I picked myself up a new soy lavender + lemongrass candle (my favorite scent of the main three!) to test! Would it indeed burn better? Or would I be doomed?

I have to say, I'm impressed! Now, here's the thing. When you first light them, they do this burn tease that says "I'm just like the old soy candles!" and you're all like, no! This was evident when a fellow reader commented:

"I bought one when I saw my local target carrying them last week. Around the outer edge, there's a strange soft ring of wax. Actually it's kinda the consistancy of butter or old cold grease. It's still super soft some 24 hours after being blown out. I'm curious if I'm supposed to scoop that bit away or if it's actually going to burn because it doesn't seem like it."

And I saw this, too. It was just like the previous version, where the outer edge wasn't burning, and I was all like "Man!" But, I continued to burn the candle, because I was determined to give it a thorough testing. And it appears that the new consistency is a lot softer, so that as the candle continues to melt down through multiple burnings, the sides will start to melt down, also. (Which was the problem with the previous candles, as a hole would burn straight down, and you'd end up with all this wax on the sides that never burned.)

On these new candles I didn't push the wax down, or touch it in any way. The only thing I did do on occasion (but I do this with all my candles, method or not) is if I'd noticed the wax melting more on one side over another; I'll usually take the end of a pair of scissors, or a knife, or my burnt match, and just push the wick over a little, so it's centered better, etc. (Make sense? Sometime they can get a tad off center, which I think is just what happens when you burn a candle.)

In the end, it burnt all the way down! Barely any wax remained, save for a small puddle once the wick finally burnt out (which is normal for most candles.) And I was so excited! We finally got our great method candles back! I definitely recommend the new candles (remember, with the "Breathe Easy" paper wrap!) Run out and pick up your favorite scent today (or hold out, and pick up some beach sage, coming soon!)

I'm giving it a 4.5 out of five! I think the new soy wax formula works great (though personally, I still think it could use a slightly larger wick. But hey, that's just me!) I'd like to know how your experiences with the new soy candles are going! Leave your thoughts in the comments!

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Also, from the upcoming polls roundup, I'm shocked at how many method fans have yet to try out their candles (60% of method lust readers!) I'm curious why this is? Are you not a candle fan? Afraid you'll burn down your house? Simply prefer one of their other aircare products instead? I'd love to know! So tell me why you haven't tried their soy candles yet! Thanks!

clean sweeps

+ A couple bits of interest! First up, the pomegranate + tea and citrus cilantro candles seem to have hit $3.98 at most Targets! The catch? There is currently only one Target store near me that's actually caught onto this, and priced them accordingly! Every other store has them out with the updated wax formula candles, at apparently normal price. BUT run them under the price check machine...

interlude - (don't you just LUST those at Target! And you can actually find them easily, unlike at Walmart, where I'm huntin' and peckin' for a price machine for fifteen minutes?!? What the heck. I actually had someone working at Walmart tell me to go to a different price machine in the electronics section "because the ones on the floor don't always show you the right prices." As in, the ones put out there for the customers, right? Ok, makes sense to me! (Well, Walmart sense!) Whew, but do I digress...) - over!

So do a quick check on the pomegranate + tea/citrus cilantro candles, and snatch some up! (So far it's only the candles in these two fragrances that are being discontinued.)

+ method lust reader Jamison has passed along a great idea I hadn't even thought of! If you happen to notice your local Target is out of method candles (or at least your favorite scent! Some stores are running low!) Head on over to customer service, and get a rain check! That way, when the price goes back up, you'll still have some rain checks to use for $4.99! (Especially when the candles get restocked!) I'm not sure of the specifics, including how long rain checks are valid, but I thought I'd share the news! Thanks Jamison!

+ I've almost finished off my first new wax formula method candle, and will have a review up very soon! As well as a roundup of our latest method lust polls!