tiny treasures...lucky strike

well, i'm sure i don't have to tell you how much i love candles and what serenity and loveliness they can bring to any room. that conversation is just old hat, don't you think? (for a review, check out this candle post, and this one).

but you know what i think just seals the deal? these large matchboxes that i've been mildly obsessed with since last winter. i first received one from my mom as a yankee swap gift with a $5 limit, and she got them at pier 1. but they're totally the kind of item that you have to always be on the lookout for because pier 1 no longer has them, and neither does anthro.

i've been told kate's paperie in new york has them from time to time, and a very special store in port washington i plan on introducing you to soon has a very healthy collection. but they're the type of item that rotates in and our of inventory, so you have to just always be mildly looking for them.

and what's nice about that is that when you know what you're looking for, you find yourself well positioned to seize the opportunity when presented... a few weeks ago i found myself at the christmas tree shop and found a whole display of these, all with birds, butterflies and flowers, for $1 each. in tiny treasure speak, that means 5 of them! the truth is, you could never have too many of these because you can have one with each candle at home and they're perfect as gifts too - alone as a little token, or with a candle as the little detail that makes the gift.

one thing i've found is that in a lot of grocery stores, you can find boxes of four inch matches (albeit more generically packaged) which can come in handy when you need a refill, since it's such a shame to throw out the pretty box.

of course if all else fails, you could always use the boxes this way - just remove the flammable part, obvi.

and if you really fall in love with this idea and want to go the personalized route, check out for your party, where you can order custom matchboxes for your home, for gifts, for parties, etc.

despite the difficulty in finding them, i have no choice but to designate these a tiny treasure because to me, they totally enhance my enjoyment of all the candles i already love. it feels special to strike up a nice, long match on a pretty matchbox...it feels literary, in a way, more dramatic than using a bic or a little nothing matchbook. it makes the very lighting of the candle more of a ritual and an experience, which is really what tiny treasures is about.

so tuck away this week's $5 and save it for when you find this treasure in your travels. besides, it can be kind of fun to always be on the lookout for a little treasure, don't you agree?