adventures in candle making.

this year for thanksgiving, i had a little get together with some of my friends from highschool.

we don't get a chance all that often to get together, and so i thought thanksgiving would be the perfect time!

 

 

whenever i have a little party, i always make party favours. i think it's just because i loved getting them so much as a kid, i feel like, us adults should have some fun too :)

so! i wanted to give gifts that were cozy, and would help keep them warm for fall & the coming winter.

i wanted to try to use hand made things, because handmade is always better.

i opted to have my grandma knit a few pairs of slippers for me in fall colours,

i cannot knit. (yet!)

and so i decided to make some candles to go in the boxes too.

 

i've seen so many times tea light candles, and have always wanted to do something like that,

but alas. on a recent trip to the reuse centre

(in burlington, if you don't know it - find it. it's a gold mine)

i couldn't find any fall coloured tea cups, or mason jars, but what i did find i think was even better.

fall mugs!

 

originially i had wanted to use beeswax, but since i was on a tight timeline,

i didn't have time to find a good source, and michael's is just too pricey sometimes.

so i opted for soy wax. and it worked wonderfully.

 

 

even though it was microwaveable, i didn't want to melt the wax like that.

most of what i remember from watching my mom make candles when i was a kid,

is standing around watching the wax melt on the stove.

i'm a sucker for tradition, and sometimes i feel like doing things the old fashioned way,

makes the end result better.

 i used a make-shift double boiler with a fireking bowl i picked up at a thrift store.

 

it was a slow, slow melting process.

 

 

once the temperature reaches 165 (follow package directions) the wax is melted, and you can add your colouring. since it was my first time, i opted not to use any colouring.

i poured a small amount of wax into each mug to set the wick in the bottom,

and waited for the rest to cool before i could add the scent.

 

 

i chose vanilla, because i figured it was a safe bet. if i get into the habbit of making candles,

i will probably experiment with different scents. :)

once the scent was added, it was time to fill the mugs!

in hindsight, i should have bought one of the pouring containers... 

will make sure i have one next time! likely so much easier!

 

 

after that, it was just a matter of waiting for the wax to cool and harden.

i left mine for over twenty-four hours before i trimmed the wick and took off the tape.

and viola!

 

 

i'm so happy with the way they turned out :)

it was super easy to do, and they smelled so good!

will definitely be making some more soon!

 

until next time.