Candles | Auntie B's Wax

Archive for the ‘Candles’ Category

Where’s Robert?

Posted in Candles, Craft Business, tagged candle, Chateau St. Croix, chocolate, craft show, Olde Ellison Bay Days on June 14, 2012| 2 Comments »

One of the best things about doing the same craft show every year is seeing repeat customers. Even those who visit every year but don’t buy anything become familiar and are worthy of a Hello! Good to see you again!

Robert and his friend have been repeat visitors and buyers at my booth at the Chateau St. Croix festivals (spring show and fall show) for several years. They love my candles and bought some every time they stop by. A couple of shows ago Robert said he was looking for a chocolate candle like the one he bought the previous year. He ranted and raved about how it made his bathroom smell like a candy store. I was sorry to tell him I stopped making chocolate-scented candles. People loved the scent, but would usually just comment instead of buy. “Ooh, that smells wonderful! But if I burn it I’ll just get hungry.” Robert was sad to hear of the discontinuation and settled for another fragrance.

During the down season, between January and May, I received a small complimentary sample of fragrance oil with an order I placed with my supplier. The fragrance? Fudge Brownie.

Of course I thought about Robert right away. The sample bottle of fragrance oil was enough to scent only two candles. I decided I’d make them up and when I returned to The Chateau I’d keep them behind the display and pull them out as a surprise for Robert.

Fall, 2011 ~ no Robert.

Spring, 2012 ~ no Robert.

Where are you Robert? I have the candles of your dreams!

With the disappearance of Robert I have to grapple with the decision of whether or not to try to sell these two chocolate-scented candles at my upcoming shows. What do you think? Hang onto the candles until the Fall Festival at the Chateau St. Croix with the hope that Robert not only shows up but actually buys the candles? Or take them along with me to the Olde Ellison Bay Days show next week with hopes to entice another chocolate candle lover?

What would you do?

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Wax Lace

Posted in Candles, tagged candle, candle burning tips on April 19, 2012| 2 Comments »

I like making candles. In fact, I have big plans to create a few this coming weekend. I think the fragrances will be Sandalwood, Cinnamon, and some kind of floral or fruit aroma like Sweet Pea or Mandarin Plum.

One of the perks of being a candle maker is I get to keep all of the shop-worn candles that aren’t suitable for sale anymore. Don’t be sad for me getting “dregs.” They burn perfectly fine and of course they smell divine.

A Gingerbread votive was burning in my powder room a few evenings ago. Instead of putting it in a votive cup (which you should always do with votives to increase the burning longevity) I put it in a shallow bowl-like container. The candle was made of palm wax. That, along with the circumstances of my burning it in a less-confining holder resulted in this:

Because palm wax is a very hard wax it doesn’t soften when heated by the flame like paraffin, soy or beeswax would. Palm wax is either solid or liquid, which accounts for the lacy prettiness created after this votive was burning for a few hours.

Don’t expect this effect with a palm wax pillar though. Had this votive been in a cup (like it should have been) the melted wax would have been contained and would have continued to melt the small lace patterns where the candle wall blew out. Pillars are made in a way which prevents candle wall blow-out. However, anything is possible, and in the event a hole does form and the wax spills out, always put a plate or bowl or other such candle holder under pillars before you burn them.

For me, a super-duper expert pro at candle burning, this was a lovely occurance, but also a lesson in the importance of using votive cups with votive candles. You can see at the base of the candle how much wax had poured out of the holes created by the heat of the flame. Had this been in a cup the wax would have remained liquid, more fragrant, and the candle would have burned much longer than it actually did.

If you have any questions about candles, what goes into making them or how to burn them properly, please let me know in the comments. I’d like to hear what your experiences have been with candles. Do you hate them? Do you love them? Do you buy they by the dozen but never burn them? Tell me your candle stories.

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My Latest Project

Posted in Candles, tagged candles, crochet, doily, recycle, repurpose on March 29, 2012| 2 Comments »

In the still of the night is there anything more cozy than a flickering candle? Even better, a flickering candle in a delicate little container? A while ago I wrote about a project I was starting and am now ready to unveil it to the world. If you know how to crochet you can make one too!

I used a recycled glass baby food jar and looked for an intricate doily pattern that would let the light of a candle shine through (but not too much) and cast lovely shadows. Most doilies are larger than I needed for a petit project like this, so I just crocheted part of the doily. In this case I completed thirteen rounds of a doily pattern of over fifty rounds.

To cover a baby food jar my doily had to be about 5 1/2 inches in diameter.

Center the jar on the doily, pull up the sides and tie with a ribbon or string. I wove some trussing string in and out of the holes of the doily before tying for a simple, wholesome look. A baby food jar is the perfect size for a little t-lite candle.

The best thing about the end product is that it’s multi-functional. 1) Use as a t-lite holder for a pretty flicker in a dark corner. 2) Without a t-lite this little jar can be used as a gift container for treats or small trinkets. 3) Remove the doily and use for a small accent piece on a dresser or end table.

What a fun project! I’ve enjoyed getting my crocheting fingers back in shape. I’ve got about a dozen jars so I think I’ll doily them all up. Now to decide if I should keep them myself or give them away. Maybe sell them at my next craft show? Oh, the hard decisions of a crafty girl!

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Is It Live, Or Is It Memorex?

Posted in Candles, Craft Business, Etsy, tagged Auntie B's Wax, candles, crafty biz, Etsy, magnets, video on February 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Show of hands, how may of you remember this commercial?

Afraid to admit you’re that old? That’s okay, your secret is safe with me. Thirty-some years ago Memorex ran commercials claiming you couldn’t tell the difference between a live performance and a recording on one of their tapes. Great marketing, but really, is anything better than the real thing?

I was doing some research the other day and came across some things that kind of disturbed me. Not that I didn’t know these things existed before now, but I never really gave them a second thought before my research.

So, in the spirit of Memorex cassette tapes I’ll ask you, which are real candles?

Similarly, which is the real bottle cap?

Plastic candles? Chrome bottle caps? You can totally tell which is real and which is fake. Why would you buy fake when the real thing is so much better, and so much more…real?

I’m sure people have their reasons for going fake, but at Auntie B’s Wax I make candles out of real wax and drink charms and magnets made with real bottle caps.