Hi, I'm Paula — and if you've ever walked past a bakery and wished you could bottle that smell, you get it.  You get me.

​​

​For over a decade, I ran a home bakery right here in Phoenix, making everything from birthday cupcakes to multi-tiered wedding cakes.  Baking wasn't just something I did, it was how I showed love.  Then the pandemic showed up uninvited, and like so many small businesses, mine didn't survive it.

​​

That was a hard season.  But somewhere in the middle of it, I found my way back to the kitchen, this time with fragrance oils and soy wax instead of butter and flour.  What started as a creative outlet became something I couldn't stop thinking about.  I'd stay up late experimenting with scents, trying to capture the exact feeling of pulling something warm and sweet out of the oven.  My family has thoughts about how many candles currently live in our home.  I choose not to engage with those thoughts. 

​​​

And just like that, Baking Bliss Candles & Gifts was born. 

​​

Every candle is hand-poured in small batches right here in Phoenix, using 100% organic soy wax, phthalate-free fragrance oils, and cotton wicks — because what goes into my candles matters as much to me as what went into my baked goods.  No shortcuts, no toxins.  Just good-smelling, feel-good candles made with real care.    ​

​​​​

A little more about me:  I am a proud Phoenician who grew up here as a teenager, graduated from Sunnyslope High School, and earned my degree from ASUs Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  The Valley is home, and this community means everything to me.  When I am not pouring candles, you'll find me traveling, cooking, or pretending I don't already have a new scent idea forming in the back of my mind. (I always do.)

​​

I started Baking Bliss because I needed a way to keep creating. Now I get to share that with you — and honestly, that's the sweetest part of all.