Guess what? I'm back..and with crafts! After multiple months, moving, going to Mexico, breaking up with people and having it snow a million times, I finally have a camera and a sunny living room in which to take pictures. I could not be happier. There are so many pretty things I want to share with you!
As a child I was slightly a bit of a pyro, mainly in the area of candles. Bonfires were fun, but candles, candles were so awesome!! (This probably has something to do with me being a child of the 90's, I can't help it.) There were candle making parties; where if you had a hair dryer, sheets of coloured beeswax - and if you were lucky, some glitter - you could amuse yourself for hours rolling candle after candle. And then there were the
charm candles! Layers of different coloured wax, each containing a different charm that held a different meaning. I would sit in my room burning multiple charm candles willing them to melt faster so that I could have whatever pretty thing lay inside..and then would promptly lose the tiny plastic object five minutes later. I was a fire hazard. My mum was not into charm candles.
While I no longer spend hours watching wax melt, I still love candles, especially beeswax ones. They smell amazing and are naturally pretty, without the glitter. and the fake fragrances & colours. and the charms...
They are also super easy to make! All you need is beeswax, wick and some jars. The trickiest part is tracking down the wax, we are lucky enough to have a honey factory here in Winnipeg that also supplies wax. But if you can't find it locally, then there are lots of sources online...and of course there is always etsy.
Beeswax Candles.
Note: I bought 2 pounds and made 4 candles, of varying size (the largest is 500 ml.) But you can make as many as your heart desires.
You need:
_glass jam jars in vary sizes. check thrift stores for cheap vintage ones!
_wick. (mine is a roll from Michaels.)
_beeswax. check out the Bee Maid website
here. We have a factory here in Winnipeg, but you can also order their wax online!
_a old glass bowl.
_a hammer and a chisel. I'm serious.
1. break your giant chunks of beeswax into smaller pieces so that they melt properly. This is where the hammer and chisel comes in. I tried it with a knife, it sucked. The chisel is the way to go. If you don't have a chisel you can also use a flat head screw driver. Break the wax into roughly 1" pieces.
2. melt the wax in a double boiler. This is where the old glass bowl comes in, since after it's covered in wax it will forever be a bowl for wax and not a bowl for food. stir occasionally.
3. prepare your candle. cut a length of wick about an inch longer than your jar. wrap the extra inch around a pencil. set aside.
4. using a measuring cup (again, once you use it, it is forever a craft project measuring cup and not a food measuring cup) fill your jar with wax. I filled mine to the base of the rim. insert the wick into the centre of your candle while the wax is still liquid. I find it helpful to dip it once, lift it out, let the wax harden on the wick and then put it back in. it stays straighter this way.
5. the wax will go from a golden brown colour, to a light yellow, to a more golden yellow when it's finally cooled. When your candle is hardened and cool to the touch trim your wick, light, and enjoy! And repeat until you have a happy group of candles!
My house smells so wonderful now! And these little projects help distract me from the fact that it is still winter here. With signs of more snow. Lame. But at least the spring flowers are starting to come into the flower shops! yay tulips!
I can't wait to share more pretty things with you. xo. T.
