Candlemaking - The Results

One day later and we have four green candles that are better than store-bought. Well, Riley and I think so anyway. Yes, I know, all the materials were store-bought so it's pretty much, um, store-bought but we're pretty pleased, nonetheless. I wasn't sure how they'd come out of the molds but with a little tug on the wick, they fell out easily. There don't appear to be any noxious fumes or odours but I suppose time will tell ;o) (the wax, wicks and dye were all made in the US so I'm not really concerned about that).

We use candles at the supper table during the fall and winter. There's a lamp on the old sideboard but it's not quite enough light for the eating area and the light above the table is too bright (alright, so I'm a little picky about my lighting). And that's where the candles come in. I think they'd also make a nice gift.

The results: Two thumbs up! This is a pretty simple project. Putting together a kit from a store was an easy way to try it out. Now that we've done it once, I'd like to find a more local source for wax - beeswax would be a nice option.

~Liz

The Candle-Stick Maker

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! It's been busy around here - brother Enos was with us Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, had a bit of a break on Boxing Day and then Dad, Elizabeth and Enos were out yesterday. Elizabeth kindly cooked the turkey at home and brought it out. We had a nice visit and the meal was delicious.

Yesterday warmed up to about 10 above and we had heavy heavy rain, some of which found its way into our basement. Ugh. Not sure if the dogs dug this particular hole that Paul found under the front porch - they like to lie in the cool dirt in the summer - or if the soil has sunk over the years. Either way, we ended up with a bit of a pool and it slowly made its way in where the pipe goes out to the septic tank. Looks like it's under control now and drying up. No rain so far today and the snow's all but gone but we're having fierce winds. Tonight the weather is supposed to start dipping down again with a forecast low of -21 by Thursday. I suspect we'll have an awesome rink forming in the next few days out in the back forty. Guess that means we better dig out the skates and see who fits into what.

Since today turned into a wind-down day and there wasn't much going on, I asked Riley if she wanted to give candle-making a try. It's something she's been wanting to do for some time now. And, who am I kidding, I wanted to give it a go too. I had found info on the net awhile back and picked up supplies at Michael's and, well, today was as good a day as any.

First, I told Riley to put her helmet on as you never know how it'll go. She declined. (Okay, here's the thing - I really wanted a picture of her pouring the wax while wearing her ski helmet. We could use it on her wedding day. She wouldn't even put a bonnet on. Stick in the mud. :o)) I cut the wax out of the package and together, we melted it in a double boiler. We brought it to a temperature of 180 degrees, added green candle dye and poured it into our candle molds. After about five minutes, Riley set the wicks in place and we waited another 30 minutes. She poked air holes around the wicking and filled in the holes with remelted wax. Now it sits for several hours and then, somehow, we remove the candles from the molds. I'll post on that later and let you know how it goes.

Now I'm going to sit down and relax with a cup of coffee and read. I started the book "Affluenza" a couple of nights ago and am finding it really good reading. Probably should have read it before Christmas, though. ;-)

~Liz