Monday, December 21, 2015

Making Beeswax Candles

Seasons Greetings, my friends!  I have read recently about those who are trying to keep the holidays more "green" and less commercial, and I like that idea.  I decided to give gifts to my family and friends that I made myself using natural things.  So, I went to Ruhl Bee Supply (you can click on the link and order supplies if you'd like) - a company where I've purchased beeswax sheets for years to make candles.  I bought 10 sheets of red and 30 of natural color.  These sheets are used in beehives for the bees to deposit their honey on.  I got some wicking too.  You need to get the right size of wick for slim candles.  If you get too thick of wick it will burn too fast.  I used #4 square braid wick.  Here is my Appalachian basket full of candles and greens that Dayle cut for me from our Holly and Cedar trees.


The first thing you do is cut the long sheets in half using an Xacto knife, I use a T-square to keep the angles correct.  Then you cut the wick leaving 1/2 inch longer so it sticks out over the top.



(Editor's note: I had this whole post done and ready to upload when the electricity went out for over 3 hours.. I lost all the text from here down in the outage and am starting over.  ARGH!)  OK.. so you bend up the end and lay your wick down and fold it over the wick and then start to roll.  Make sure you are rolling from the cut end and not the side as it rolls better when the cells are off-set than in a long line.  


The wax is just sticky enough that it sticks together.. keep rolling nice and tightly but not too hard.  Lay all your fingers across the candle as you roll so it rolls straight and doesn't go off crooked.


Roll until the end.. 


Where the flap ends, with your warm fingers, gently press it into the candle so it stays rolled, but don't over do it and mis-shape the round candle.


If you want to give them as gifts, you can take a bit of leftover gift wrap and make a wrap and tape it shut and tie it with raffia, yarn or ribbon.  You can stick anything behind the tie for decoration, I put holly and cedar.  My dear hubby went out to cut some for me.


My gifts ready to wrap in tissue for the party.


I enjoyed placing them in my Appalachian basket with the leftover cedar and holly.


Love love!


I rolled some red candles for the holiday table.. you can get any color of wax you want!  But my favorite is the natural honey colored wax.


Here they are in my holders on the table.  I hope you enjoyed my candle-making tutorial!


Kristi came home with a big white orchid the other day, isn't it pretty?  I hope it does as well as my little tiny orchid, which has sent out it's 3rd re-bloom since I got it!


Kristi borrowed my camera to get a few shots of the center of the orchid.  Amazing.


So exotic!


I want to introduce you to a new family member, Periwinkle.  :-)


My daughter that lives far far away in Ohio packaged up a gift for me and before it was sent my littlest granddaughter Paige said she wanted to decorate the box.  Isn't this adorable?  That's her on the left, a little doll, and me on the right with a bun on my head with curly hair sticking out.  LOL!  


Lastly, Kristi got a snapshot of Simba, our adopted feral cat, while he was sitting in the sunshine we had over the weekend.  He's furring out really well, thank goodness.


Well.. as the internet finally came back on I can post this.. nice and late.  Argh.  I had to re-type most of it too.. I think it was more clever earlier.  LOL!  I hope you're taking time to enjoy the season.  Today was a bust as we had to stay home from a last minute shopping trip due to the power outage and running the generator.. but we will be back at it tomorrow.  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

21 comments:

  1. Fabulous candles Teresa, so clever of you and thank you for sharing to us all too ♥ Simba sure is looking mighty fine and more relaxed now ☺☺ Got to love a box arriving in the mail with grand girls drawings xoxo

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  2. I low yr post Teresa and can't wait to make some of those candles myself ( I can't part with burning mine quiet yet)... I just love them so much😍 Love your granddaughter's drawing. How sweet of her. It looks like she does have your gens and will be an artist also 😍😍😍 I'm glad you are enjoying he season. Sim a is absolutely adorable πŸŽ„πŸŽ…πŸŽ„πŸŽ…πŸŽ„

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  3. I always wondered how those candles are made and you did a fantastic tutorial on it. Thank you so much Teresa. Everything looks so pretty and Christmasy at your house. We're getting more snow tonight and there are some power outages but so far we're okay. I'm glad yours wasn't off long. :-)
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  4. I am going to give candle making a go in the new year. I loved the ones you put together and the way you embellished them is so pretty. Beautiful artistry from your Grandaughter, I bet that made you smile. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas and everything that you wish for yourselves for the New Year.

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  5. I wondered where your candle post was! Sorry you had problems. I always have the feeling my earlier writing was better when I lose something as well. So frustrating isn't it. Your candles are fantastic, and so beautifully packaged with the foliage. Beeswax is the very best candle material I think. You're lucky to have such a good shop to find the sheets in. CJ xx

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  6. This is a lovely post! Your candles are gorgeous, and I love the look of natural beeswax, though the red ones are beautiful too. Your cedar and holly in the pretty basket make such a festive display with the candles.....and your tutorial was very inspiring, thank you for sharing dear Teresa.
    Helen xox

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  7. Thanks for the candle tutorial - I'm going to have to see if I can find a supplier here so I can give that a try. The candles look beautiful. Kristi took some lovely photos of the orchid. Is Simba getting any more friendly? He looks very well looked after and quite content. Such a pretty colour too. Enjoy your shopping. xox

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  8. Beautiful candles. Love the Holly.

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  9. Hi Teresa, your candles are lovely; especially the way you decorated them. Sorry I didn't reply to your comment on my blog. We don't have a boat but we used to when we lived in Gig Harbor. My husband says it was the best day for him when the boat sold, haha. I am so happy to be following your blog. I wish you and your dear family a blessed Christmas holiday, Pat

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  10. They candles are such a nice gift, beautiful and thoughtful. Simba is looking so handsome and healthy. What a sweet face he has! Merry Christmas, Lisa

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  11. Now if I had just had this good tutorial 18 years ago, my beeswax candles would have been more properly made. :) The candles you gave me burned perfectly and are just two inches tall now. We loved the way you wrapped them and appreciated the beautiful light they provided. Thank you, again. Hope you have a Happy Day! xx

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  12. Your candles are beautiful! Thanks for the instructions.

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  13. Your candles are so pretty! Love how your granddaughter decorated the box, and Periwinkle is so cute! :)

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  14. Teresa - Your candles are so pretty and what a great gift for friends. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

    Judy

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  15. These candles are so beautiful and amazing. Not sure that I can get those sheets of wax here in N.Z. but will do some researching. Merry Christmas and best wishes.Shirley N.Z.

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  16. It seems like Simba is n a really good hands now. He looks like a very happy cat)All my co-workers at http://stilusessaywriting.com/ agreed that decorations of the bow from your grand daughter are really adorable!

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  17. You make the candle making look easy. I love beeswax and the light it generates. I often have to rewrite a post and it usually isn't as fun as the first post!! Merry Christmas **********

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  18. The candles look so beautiful. I treasure all the sweet drawings etc my grandchildren have done for me. Hugs Anne x

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  19. I made beeswax candles years ago for gifts and I just loved them. Yours are beautiful especially with that Holly on them. Merry Christmas Teresa, to you and your entire family,
    Meredith

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  20. I didn't realize the beeswax candles are so easy to make.. I'm inspired to make some and I do love the red ones.. and love how they are all dressed up with the cedar and holly and pretty shiny paper! Sorry you've lost your power! that's kind of fun at first, but not when it starts getting too cold in the house and no fireplace!

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  21. Periwinkle is absolutely adorable Teresa and I loved your candle tutorial! I am pretty sure I have some beeswax sheets in my craft/exercise/filled to the ceiling storage room--guess what one of my new year's resolutions is? LOL
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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