CANDLES THAT BUZZ

Who doesn't love a candle? There is nothing more enchanting than the glow of a candle. Candlelight. Every day, all year long. Memorable and elegant. In the past, I made candles to share as gifts, and even today the journey of candle making is just as fulfilling as striking the match to the flickering wick. By making your own beeswax candle, you are creating a very special, no two are alike, the most delightful candle around. It's a 'feels good' thing to do. Make a few for your most dear friends or woo someone special with the magic of a beeswax candle made by you. Very impressive. Sweet and simple. Ambiance guaranteed.

Natural beauty.

This is how my day started. An omen. The day I planned to start my yogurt jar candle blog, this was my greeting! How can that not be a good sign? A few of my little loves in one day, candles and small glass jars. 

This is what you will need-

Beeswax Pastilles...Link here.

Wicks ...Link here.

Glass Yogurt Jars

Hot Glue Gun

Coconut Oil

Bamboo Skewers

4-Cup Glass Measuring Cup

1-Cup Measuring Cup

8-Quart Pot (Pasta Pot)

Shallow Pan

Beeswax is a natural base for making candles. It is clean burning, pure, chemical free and there is less black smoke residue when extinguished. If you love candles like I do, your walls and ceilings will thank you.

Beeswax is made by bees, really. Here are photos from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s hives and bees. Of their many interest, one is raising bees and harvesting the honey. And, recently, my sister-in-law has discovered that beeswax is great for making lip balm and (wow) making candles. And yes, her candles are outstanding, most beautiful. Raw beeswax is purified in two steps, then when clean, is ready for making candles. It doesn’t get any more natural than that. But, because I’m a little more suburban, I must skip the raising, harvesting, stinging, purifying steps, so my beeswax comes from Amazon. Its on my doorstep the very next day.

This is beeswax I use, it comes in the form of small little pellets or pastilles. I love that they come in white or light yellow-gold, their natural color. Both make beautiful candles, but if you choose to tint you candles with color, white is the way to go.

One pound of beeswax will yield four (glass yogurt jars) candles. 

Prep-

Cut four bamboo skewers about 1" longer than the mouth of the jar.

Place a dot of hot glue on the bottom of the metal disk attached to the wick and press and hold in place in the center of the bottom of the glass jar.

Roll the end of the wick around the skewer to hold the wick in place and most importantly, centered.

Measure 1/2 cup of coconut oil into a measuring cup. Set aside. Coconut oil is added to the beeswax to lower the temperature of the melting beeswax so the candle will burn a bit more evenly. 

Fill a shallow pan with very warm water. This will become the “cooling bath” for the newly poured candles. The bath allows the candles to cool slowly and to prevent the beeswax from cracking as it hardens.

Melt the beeswax-

Use an 8-quart pot, or a pot with tall sides. Add a couple of inches of water and bring to boil. Adjust the heat to medium-low.

Pour all the pastilles into the 4-cup measuring cup and place carefully into the boiling pot of water. Take great care not to get any water in your beeswax.

Use a skewer to stir the beeswax while it is melting. Do not walk away.

Once the beeswax is completely melted, add the coconut oil and quickly mix until it is completely dissolved. If you choose to tint your candle or add fragrance, this is the time to do so. I prefer my candles sent-free, the beeswax has its own soft sent and the color is perfect just as is. Pure and natural.

Carefully remove from the pot and pour the beeswax/coconut oil into the prepped jars, one at a time.

Gently place the jars into the water bath. Check to make sure the wick is in the center of the candle, you have a few seconds to adjust the wick before the wax hardens on the surface.

Let the jars cool several hours. Remove from the bath and set on counter overnight. The next day cut wick to ½” long.

Set a holiday table...

Or make for gifts...

Or light a few just because...

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ROSE GOLD PUMPKINS

Mini pumpkins + rose gold is the look. Rose gold is one of the fasting growing, quickly becoming an all time favorite color. Perfect for fall decorating. And capturing that look is on every one's to do list. Here is my take on adding this pretty color to your fall. So simple, spray painting your pumpkins. The easiest way to add a soft metallic color to any room, inside and out. 15 minutes and under ten dollars. Beautiful. You will have the prettiest pumpkins of all, and, most importantly, your pumpkins will be head turners. Success guaranteed.

This is what you will need-

White Pumpkins

Rose Gold Spray Paint

Painters’ Tape

  

I tested several rose gold paint colors, this was my favorite…Link here. It is the PERFECT metallic rose gold color. It is soft, shinny, not harsh. A little different. Different is unique, and unique is good. This color is very good.

Paint in a well-ventilated space, outside is best.

Cover the stems with painters’ tape.

Place the pumpkins in the lid of a cardboard box. Turn the pumpkins on their sides and LIGHTLY spray the bottoms. Hold the can about 8-10 inches from the pumpkins. Let dry about 15 minutes, or when no longer tacky to touch.

Flip the pumpkins onto their bottoms and lightly spray the sides. If your paint is running down the side of the pumpkin, the spray can is either too close to the pumpkin or you are trying to cover the pumpkin with too much paint too quickly. Just use a paper towel and wipe off paint and start over. Spray lightly.

Let sit for a couple of minutes, then lightly spray the pumpkin from the top (stem) down.

This paint covers a white pumpkin easily with one light coat of paint. Add a second layer of paint if needed or if you are painting over traditional orange pumpkins.

Let dry completely before moving. This could take several hours or over night, depending the temperature where you are working. Warmer temps, paint will dry faster, cooler, paint will take longer to dry. 

Remove painter's tape.

And the winner of the prettiest pumpkin of 2018 is…

 Just the perfect soft gold to start the season...

From my house to yours...

... Happy (have the prettiest) Fall!

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INSTANT VINTAGE

I am smitten. I have fallen in love with those beautiful time weathered gray vintage French baskets you see everywhere! I want, no, correct, I need to have them everywhere. More is better. They are beautiful. Quiet. Elegant on their own or stuffed full of fluffy soft pillows. Or in the garden, as a planter for your lavender. A basket with a story. A quick trip to Provence is out of the question, no problem. You can make a few of your own vintage baskets in less that 20 minutes. Yes, you can.

You know all those dark brown baskets we purchased years ago? Well, they are dark. And I’m tired of them. So….

This is what you will need-

One Dark Basket

Rust-Oleum Chalked Spray Paint-Aged Gray

Chalk Style Paint

Paint Brush

Paper Towels

I love the ease and the color of this spray paint. Perfect. You can substitute the white with any white flat paint, so little of it is used, it is just an accent.

Spray paint your baskets in a ventilated space, outside is best. Start inside the basket.

Then the outside. Hold the can about 10” to 12” from the basket. Use long sweeping passes. It is best to do a light coat of paint, you can add a little more later if you like.

I wanted to have a natural look, so I tried to leave a little of the natural dark stain peeking through. Spraying the basket took about 5 minutes.

Let the basket dry.

I used a “dry brush” technique to layer a touch of white. Dip the paint brush into the paint and blot most of the paint off the brush onto a paper towel.

Use sparingly. Long diagonal sweeps up the sides.

Lengthwise across the reeds.

Create a stippled effect by dotting just the tips of the brush along the reeds to achieve a “speckled” look randomly around the basket. You don’t need much, but the white blends the gray and the stain together to give the basket that seasoned textured look. Adding the white took about 15 minutes. Certainly, much faster than letting it age on its own.

Beautiful in pairs...

Add a French cat...

Instant vintage...

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