Candle Mania

I made several batches of candles recently, including some really nice holiday candles with a gingerbread scent. I used all the glass pieces I picked up at yard sales during Summerette. Some of the containers have already come back around for a second or third pouring. The liquid scent seems to throw a stronger aroma around the room than the scent blocks, so I want to order more of those. I got the gingerbread scent and 10 pounds of container wax blend from Lone Star. The wax I used -- container blend 4633 -- dried to a nice silky finish. You can see it in the purple and reddish candles from this batch. The greener looking ones -- e.g., the large glass pitcher, the Altoid votive, and the wide bottom -- used soy wax. I also ordered a variety of wooden wicks from Lone Star, which I used in the holiday candles. I gave a several of them out as gifts.

 I love the way this one turned out. I kept it for myself to test the wooden wick, which crackles nicely. The stone container, which came from a yard sale, obviously doesn't toss much light, but I think it looks awesome.

I poured this one into a mini Altoid container that I happened to have sitting around. This actually looks like a marketable product to me. I want to find more free, reusable tin containers to make unique ones like this...

This one looks like a piece of salt water taffy to me. I used all three colors that I ended up pouring with that day, and stuck a penny in between the layers. I started referring to it as a commemorative 2013 coin ;-) Sounds like another big seller. This container came from a yard sale.

Candles with Tricia

A few weeks ago I made candles with Tricia (and watched the Scripps National Spelling Bee). She had these colorful little "tasting dishes," which didn't really serve much of a purpose, and she had the great idea to make candles with them. We chose a nice bright blue color and honeysuckle scent. They came out really well!!! Some of the best yet... Then this girl just dumped me like a jump for no reason with no warning. Lame.

Candles Burning

I have a couple of my candles burning nicely today around the house. Neither has any wax left unmelted along the side.

soy wax, honeysuckle, triple wick

paraffin wax, not sure of the scent, double wick

iPod Pictures of Candles

I want to upload these pictures of my candles that I have on my iPod....

A Photo Essay of My First Candle

Making Candles

"My obvious conclusion was, Fuck Etsy! I'll make this shit myself!" 

-- Joe Valeri 

One night I lay in bed shopping online -- browsing I should say. Someone had posted a link on Facebook to their friend's Etsy site, and I had started browsing around for various things. Eventually I concluded that I wanted to buy something local, something affordable, something practical. Maybe candles... 

My first ever candle - with homemade hemp wick

I clicked around for awhile, checking the prices of various candles and vendors, until I saw one person selling these mismatched, unmelted "candles" made in salsa jars. She had merely collected all the leftover chunks of wax from the other candles she made and tossed the chunks into her husband's used salsa jars. Each "candle" had several chunks -- of different colors and scents -- piled into the jar, with a wick in the middle. But then she didn't even re-melt them. It would be like dropping a bunch of crayons into a juice glass, sticking a wick in it, and selling it online for 6 bucks (plus shipping :O).

My obvious conclusion was, Fuck Etsy! I'll make this shit myself! 

... Candle making ensued ... 

I really enjoyed it, and now I have a dozen candles around the house. I can burn candles constantly and it's basically free. Any color, any scent, any size ... it's very cool -- definitely a hobby I will return to. (Click here to see a photo essay of my first candle.)

My first set of candles in progress - I even decoupaged the glass on some of them.

I'll do more candle making posts to show all the pictures I have. I think I should do one post with all the supplies and instructions for how to make them as a reminder to myself. And then another post with some of the finished the products -- although several of them have been burned by now.