A Cozy Conversation with Ed & Kelly from Dusty Studios

This month's Candle Club box, Winter Road Trip, was inspired by slow weekends on the road.

The kind where you take the scenic route, stop for a hot coffee and arrive at a cozy cabin just before dark. It's a reminder that sometimes the best part of the journey is slowing down enough to actually enjoy it.

Alongside your candle, you'll find a "Take It Slow" mini pennant, created by New Zealand makers Dusty Studios.

As soon as we came across Dusty's work, we knew it was the perfect fit for this month's collection. Their nostalgic pennants capture everything we wanted this box to represent—adventure, meaningful moments and gentle reminders to slow the pace of everyday life.

We asked Ed and Kelly a few questions about the story behind Dusty Studios, where they find inspiration and what "taking it slow" looks like for them.

From Side Project to Spreading Happiness

Q: For those discovering Dusty Studios for the first time, can you tell us a little about who you are and how Dusty began?

A: We are Ed and Kelly the small but mighty team behind Dusty Studios.

Honestly, it all started when Dusty Studios randomly popped up for sale online in 2024. At the time, we were on the hunt for our ultimate dream side project—something outside of our day jobs that would totally fuel our creative fires and let us build something beautiful together. We already loved working together and knew we made an awesome team, so we jumped in a van, travelled the length of NZ, learnt the business and relocated Dusty to Christchurch.

At the end of the day, we just want to create things that bring genuine joy and huge smiles to people's faces. That's what Dusty is all about for us now: keeping it growing with lots of love, pure creativity, and a massive desire to spread some happiness!

Inspired by Road Trips & Nostalgia

Q: Many of your designs feel nostalgic and adventure-inspired. Where do you find inspiration for the messages and places you create around?

A: We are totally obsessed with that warm, fuzzy feeling of nostalgia.

A lot of it comes from Ed's childhood memories of collecting car aerial pennants on classic family road trips. We also draw a ton of inspiration from vintage Americana—our trusty '83 Bronco company car is a major muse, and it definitely fits since about 90% of our orders actually head out to the USA!

Beyond that, our biggest inspiration is day to day life!

We're always keeping our eyes and ears open for great sayings, witty lines from friends, or song lyrics (we love live music) and some just hit right.

We love crafting custom banners, hearing the back stories to the messages and seeing them in their new, happy homes!

For us, it's all about sparking feelings of encouragement, support, or a bit of nostalgia. We're all about spreading love, so we strictly keep things positive—no hate, no politics, just good vibes!

Dusty is such a happy business ✨

Taking It Slow

Q: What are a few things helping you slow down and enjoy the season at the moment?

A: Finding time to slow down can definitely be a beautiful challenge, but it is so worth it!

While the world around us can feel a bit fast-paced and overwhelming at times, it really just anchors us in deep gratitude.

We are trying to consciously remind ourselves to pause, look around, and appreciate how incredibly lucky we are.

Practicing thankfulness for us is about being consciously aware of the gift of today and celebrating the wonderful people we get to surround ourselves and share this life with!

We are blessed with 4 children between us, our fur baby Buddy and a home and business that we love to spend time in. How lucky are we (that's even on a framed banner hanging in our living room!)

Why We Chose Dusty Studios

One of my favourite parts of Candle Club is introducing you to New Zealand makers whose work complements the feeling behind each month's collection.

For Winter Road Trip, I wanted to include something that would last long after the candle had been burned—a little reminder to carry with you.

The Take It Slow pennant felt like exactly that.

Whether it's hung in your home, office, caravan or tucked into your favourite little corner, I hope it reminds you to slow down, enjoy the journey and find joy in the everyday.

A huge thank you to Ed and Kelly for sharing their story and creating something so special for our Candle Club community.

If you'd like to explore more of Dusty Studios' beautiful pennants, be sure to check them out online.

P.S. Stay tuned! Dusty Studios and Little Batch Wax Co. have something exciting planned together very soon... we'll be announcing a giveaway over on Instagram. 🤎

Closing

Each month brings a new seasonal candle, a thoughtfully chosen cozy extra and an introduction to another New Zealand maker or small business we love.

If you'd like to join us for next month's box, we'd love to have you.

Subscribe to the Candle Club here!