Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Candle Making


I love candles and have a large rustic tin that I refill every time it gets low. I bought the candle 6+ years ago and have it burning frequently. It's large as I said. Holds three wicks easily.

Little stars are punched randomly across the top, so when it's lit, there are sparkles of candlelight that dance around the room.

I would be no expert at making them, but have read a few books and checked on the Internet on what size wicks to use and how many for the proper
burn ratio. Don't want to get stuck with a lot of extra wax around the outside while the inside burns down to quickly.

Somewhere in the back of my memory, I remember making them by digging a hole in wet sand and pouring layers of wax into the hole. It would set up with these lovely coloured stripes. We also did them in paper milk cartoons. Must have been at a camp. It's just not that hard!


Orange, what can I say, I love it! The scent by no means matches the colour. Sleigh Ride would be the smell of choice for the last few years. Minty, woodsy, balsam kind of whiff. Hard to describe, but I still like it a lot after all this time. I picked it up from a girl I met many years ago when I was doing bath fizzies, lip balms, lotion bars and all sorts of other body gifts. I really haven't check to see it she's still in business.

The melting pan I have is small, so I have to melt the wax in batches. It really doesn't have time to set before the next bit is ready. I've been doing it that way for a while and really haven't noticed that it makes any difference.

The hardest part is getting the wicks placed right and waiting for the wax to melt. I try not to mess with it to much, but patience is tough for me on crafting, so sometimes I give it a little poke with a long skewers.

Finally the next day, I can light it and enjoy the scent that is lovely year round.

2 comments:

Turtle said...

Sleigh sounds like a wonderful scent!

Anonymous said...

You always seem to bring back such wonderful memories. Candles made in sand and the milk cartons. We did have fun. Always something new in our young lives and you are continuing the traditions in a large scale way.
Love ya, Mom