Final Product: Lavender Pearberry Soy Wax Candle

“A thousand candles can be lighted from the flame of one candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness can be spread without diminishing that of yourself.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

 Somewhere between the warm, inviting aromas and the twinkles of light that haphazardly stretch across the room – I’ve fallen in love with candles of all sizes, shapes, colors and scents.  Being a natural pack-rat, I kept most of the empty glassware and converted them into useful, household items like storage for makeup brushes or loose granola or rice from the market.  A few months ago when the Holiday Season was hot on our tails, I got my D-I-Y on and turned some of the empty mason jars into sparkling candles to use with tea lights and I absolutely loved the effect it had on the ambiance of my apartment.  The other week as I was deep in the throws of another internet binge I had another ah-ha! moment for the mason jars.  Instead of using them to house candles, I could literally reuse old glass containers for new candles with handpicked aromas and unique colors; genius!

If you’re like me and you’re a candle fanatic that’s willing to spend over $10 for a gloriously scented Yankee candle.  From Cupcake to Pumpkin, Fresh Rain to Clean Laundry – I swear there’s a candle scent for literally everyone on this planet.  But then I got to thinking, why keep spending an absorbatent amount of money when I could simply make them myself from the old glassware! The great thing about homemade candles is that they make excellent giftables – from stocking stuffers to birthday presents right on down to personalized bridal shower favors; you name it, there’s a great occasion for candles.  And, to boot – it’s an incredibly fun, inexpensive hobby – especially if you have a healthy collection of reusable glassware that you don’t feel like drinking out of.  If not, pop your head into a flea market or vintage store and hunt through their glassware – old glass comes in beautifully opaque colors and all shapes and sizes, perfect for custom candles!

There are many ways to compile a complete candle-making set; my preferred method for most things employs the GTS attitude.  So, after some searching I found a few websites for the individual pieces that go into candle making (e.g. a wick, the metal clips that attach to the bottom of your container, soy wax, color chips  and fragrances).  Hands down, my favorite site to use is  Candle Science – they have any and everything you need to DIY your own candles, including a vast array of delicious scents; finally, aromas like Pumpkin Spice and Candy Cane can be within reach even during Summer!  Or, if you want to go down a little easier path for your first time to make sure you get the essentials,  hunt for a great starter package like this one I found on Amazon from Country Lane.

Soundtrack

Because I’ll be repurposing old objects tonight, I thought getting some Do Lab into my life would be an excellent move; they always inspire me to achieve greater, do more and become the best version of myself – which, with a stellar soundtrack, is more than possible.

Supplies

– 5 Lbs of Soy Wax Flakes (they go fast!)

-Metal Pouring Pot or Coffee Canister

–Wicks with metal bottom (individually or as a set)

–Mason Jars or Reusable Glassware

-30 ml Candle Fragrance

–Double Boiler System

–Stirring stick or spoon

–Color Dye Chips (Optional and Awesome)

–Wick Stickum to set the wicks to the bottom of the glassware (Optional and Awesome)

–Candle Thermometer (Optional and Awesome)

Instructions

-Last night, I got to try something new as I set up the double boiler system in my kitchen – but it’s easy as pie and such a good trick: take your large saucepan and fill it with water and set it on the stove; fill your metal can or pouring pot with a few pounds of wax flakes and turn the dial to medium heat. 

-A watched pot never boils, but watched soy wax melts pretty quick so make sure you have your stirring spoon handy.  Before you move on, you’ll want to have all the wax melted and at about 185°

-To add color, wait until the wax has completely melted then add one or two dye chips depending on how rich you prefer your color

-When was is all melted and at the appropriate temperature, add 4mL of fragrance and take off of double boiler – the fragrance will burn off it you heat it! 

– To ensure that the soy wax fills the glassware completely, submerge the glass for a minute or two in hot water and bring the temperature closer to that of the wax

– Get your wick out and attach it to the bottom of your glassware

– Once the wax has reached 125°, slowly pour into desired glass and let cool overnight