Soul Dust 79

09/01/2026

😂 Apparently Max the Mitigation Manager has expanded his duties to include interior design.

I had a friend ask me this weekend if I ever have to worry about Max chewing up boxes or products in the candle room.

Nope. He’s actually very respectful of the inventory. After all, mitigation and security are his responsibility. 🫡🐾

What I do have to worry about is the fact that Max considers this HIS ROOM, and apparently believes his position gives him full creative control over the layout.

Every now and then I’ll come in and find a small candle that has mysteriously relocated itself to the floor. Never chewed. Never damaged. Just… moved. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This morning’s redecorating project was particularly impressive.

He removed the blankets from his bed, relocated them closer to my computer so he could better supervise operations, and then selected a small candle to complete the space. (I have to admit Gentleman’s Library was a great choice)

Because apparently mitigation requires ambiance. 😂🐾🕯️

Soul Dust 79: handcrafted candles, spaces of peace… and one Mitigation Manager with completely unauthorized interior design ideas and absolutely no respect for the established floor plan. 😂

08/30/2026

If you guessed Mysterious Waters… you guessed correctly! 💙🌿

Those blue jars from earlier have officially been refilled.

✨ 24 10 oz. Mysterious Waters candles
✨ 12 8 oz. Mysterious Waters Room + Linen Sprays

For most of Soul Dust 79’s journey, a “small batch” has meant 12 candles at a time. As we head into our busy season, we’re making a little adjustment around here and doubling those batches to 24—especially for the scents you all seem determined to sell out faster than I can make. 😂

And Mysterious Waters has definitely earned a spot on that list.

If you’re new here, Mysterious Waters was inspired by the Wakulla River—the clear water, towering cypress trees, and that quiet sense of mystery that comes from a place where you can see deep beneath the surface but still never quite know what might be hiding below.

And of course, you can’t tell the story of the Wakulla River without mentioning the manatees that roam its waters, which is why every Mysterious Waters candle carries its little manatee charm. 💙

With notes of dark musk, amber, vetiver, cedar and sandalwood, it’s earthy, deep and a little mysterious—just like the river that inspired it.

There’s something pretty special about watching a scent inspired by a place I’ve known my whole life become one that you all keep coming back for.

So this time, I made 24. 😁

We’ll see how long that lasts. 😂💙

08/30/2026

Something refreshing about opening up a new 45lb box of wax and a fresh shipment of jars!

Do you know what these blue jars will restock??

08/30/2026

If you haven’t tried Wild Ox Coffee Co in Panacea yet you really need to check it out! I think everyone knows Jennifer Nagy is a coffee lover and Scott Nagy isn’t too far behind in the need for coffee and caffeine. So when we decided we needed some fuel this morning before a day of candle making. We thought why not check them out. They have now added Alex in the kitchen cooking and the food and coffee did not disappoint! We are already trying to figure out when we can plan our next breakfast date!

Picture of our selection in the comments!

The perfect Saturday morning combo 😍😍

08/22/2026

Guess what’s pouring??

08/18/2026

We heard a rumor that oakmenscountrygoods sold out of your favorite Mysterious Waters Room & Linen Spray… 👀

Don’t worry, we’re on it! We’re burning the midnight oil tonight getting a fresh batch ready to restock. 🌙🕯️

Apparently y’all really like this one. 💙

Mysterious Waters
Dark Musk • Amber • Vetiver • Cedar • Sandalwood

08/14/2026

What’s in a name? Part 2: Why 79?

When I finally decided to turn Soul Dust into an actual business, I did what I usually do when I have an idea and don't entirely know where I'm going with it. I started researching. And praying. A lot.
One thing I knew from the beginning was that I wanted a core Bible verse for the business.
Since candles had become a big part of what I was creating, I initially went looking for something connected to light. Matthew 5:15–16, the passage about not hiding a lamp under a basket and letting your light shine, was an obvious choice. It's beautiful, it's fitting, and there's a reason so many Christian candle businesses use it.
But it just didn't feel like mine.
I kept searching, but nothing gave me that “This is it” feeling.
So eventually, I stopped looking and moved on to something completely different.
I was researching industrial-style lettering and numbers for the look I wanted for Soul Dust when one number seemed to keep showing up: 79.
Now, numbers have always been one of those little things that stick with me. 7 has always been my favorite number, and I was born in 1979, so maybe that explains why 79 caught my attention in the first place.
But something about seeing it over and over kept nagging at me.
Eventually, after a few extra nudges because I can be a little skeptical about these things, I followed the nudge to type 79 into my Bible app.
And Luke 1:79 came up:
“To shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
There it was.
The light I had been looking for was there—but so was something more.
Guidance.
Peace.
Light in darkness.
And when I read the verses surrounding it, the whole passage felt right in a way nothing else had.
So the name that had been sitting with me since that day in the garage finally became:
Soul Dust 79.
Luke 1:79 became the verse at the heart of the business, and today you'll find it printed on every candle care card I send out.
At the time, I thought I had finally found the verse that fit what I wanted Soul Dust to represent.
Looking back now, I think I was still discovering just how well it fit.
And apparently, that part of the story wasn't finished either. 😊

08/12/2026

What’s in a name? Part 1

Before there was Soul Dust 79, there was just Soul Dust.
And it started with this picture.
In 2019, I was in my garage cutting wooden angels for Christmas gifts. When I picked one up from my workbench, I noticed that the sawdust had settled around it, leaving the outline of the angel behind.
Something about it stopped me.
I took this picture, and almost immediately two words came to mind: Soul Dust
I love creating things with my hands, especially things connected to my faith that I can give to other people. Looking at that angel surrounded by the remnants of what I had just created, the name just fit.
Part of it was simply a play on sawdust.
But it was more than that.
The things I was creating came from a very personal part of me—my creativity, my faith, and the joy I found in making something meaningful for someone else.
That sawdust felt a little like my Soul Dust.
I wasn't sure yet what I was supposed to do with that.
But I felt a nudge that I was supposed to do something.
Maybe even build a business around it.
There was only one problem: At the time I had absolutely no idea what that business was supposed to be.
There were no candles. No 79. No carefully written mission statement or business plan.
Just an angel-shaped outline in a pile of sawdust, two words I couldn't quite shake, and a feeling that maybe I should hang onto them….So I did.
The rest of the story took a few years to find its way.

08/01/2026

Confession…

Yes, I packed a basket of lemons, limes, and a candle before dawn this morning.

Yes, Scott and I stood in the Wakulla Beach marsh at sunrise taking product photos.

Yes, I’m pretty sure the fishermen thought I was a little crazy. 🤣

But this is exactly where Citrus Sunrise was born, so it only seemed right to bring it back home.

07/30/2026

There’s something about a good thunderstorm that has always brought me peace.

I can sit for hours listening to the rain and watching the lightning.

Max, on the other hand, is convinced thunderstorms are one of life’s greatest emergencies.

So tonight, “Mitigation Manager Max” clocked out for a little while. He needed his bed, a few extra hugs, and someone to remind him everything was okay until the storm passed.

Sometimes, peace isn’t found in the absence of the storm. Sometimes it’s simply found beside someone you trust. ❤️