I get the blues now and then, like most people. But I can usually shake them off by remembering how truly rich I am. Money? Nope..by American standards, I'm not very wealthy at all. But I am an oil baron in terms of intangibles - things that can't be evaluated in terms of dollars. I have the freedom and the mobility to plant flowers in my own yard, and healthy vision so I can admire the beauty of the blossoms. I can eat twice a day or five times if I'm so inclined. My home is warm in the winter and cool in summertime. My family is supportive and loving. I have a network of friends who would give me their last dollar if I were in need. I am rich in faith.
Nobody's life is free from suffering. We all carry hidden heartaches. But when I look at the big picture, I've got the world by the tail. "Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred." So very true.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
WIN A FREE BAR OF SOAP FROM ME!
The KC Etsy Team is sponsoring "COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS," an 18-week long blog giveaway! For more details, and to enter for your chance to win your choice of a free bar of soap from me, go here! http://kcetsy.blogspot.com/Sunday, August 9, 2009
Votive Tutorial, Part 2
Step 1: On your scale, weigh out ½ lb. of the wax and put into your melting pot or coffee can. Always weigh your wax when making candles. If using a coffee can, bend a small pouring spout into the top.
Step 2: (Optional) Weigh out ½ oz. of candle making fragrance oil into a small glass container and set aside. Always weigh your fragrance oil when making candles. Do not exceed this amount; the wax will not be able to hold excess fragrance oil.
Step 3: If using new votive molds, you may want to spray candle mold release into the cups. Gently wipe excess off with paper towel. If votive molds have been used before, this step is probably not necessary; just make sure the molds are clean of wax from previous pours.
Step 4: (Optional) If using wick pins, place these into the molds. If they are new, spray them with candle mold release and wipe off excess with paper towel before inserting into molds.
Step 5: Cover your work surface with newspapers in case of spills. Place prepared votive cups onto the newspaper. Keep paper towels handy for wiping up spills and drips.
Step 6: Place water in double boiler and set wax pot gently into water to melt. IMPORTANT: DO NOT LEAVE MELTING WAX UNATTENDED! Watch it like a hawk; wax can heat to dangerously high temperatures in a short amount of time. Once you have a little liquefied wax in the pot, place the candy thermometer into the melted wax, taking care that the bulb is not touching the melting pot. Heat wax to 175-180 degrees F, taking care that no water from the double boiler splashes into the melting wax.
Step 7: If you’re using a coffee can, use pot holders for this step! Remove melted wax from heat and place on heat-safe surface. With your wooden craft stick, stir fragrance oil thoroughly into melted wax. I use a small whisk to make sure all oil is thoroughly incorporated, but take care not to agitate so much that you are adding air bubbles to the wax. Always add fragrance oil BEFORE adding color so that you can see that the oil is fully incorporated before the dye obscures your clear view.
Step 8: (Optional) Add a drop or two of liquid candle dye, if desired. Stir gently but thoroughly with your stick.
Step 9: Have paper towels handy for drips and spills. Pour wax carefully into molds all the way to the tip top. Avoid incorporating air into the molds while pouring. You will notice that not all the wax in your pouring pot will be used; this is what you want. You want to reserve a small amount of wax (about 1/5 of the total) for the second pour, when we will be topping off the candles. (Wax shrinks as it cools, leaving a sunken area in the middle.) Do not touch molds
after pouring, as they will be very HOT.
Step 10: If not using wick pins, wait a few minutes until the wax is starting to set up (congeal) on the sides of the mold tops. (The time this takes will vary according to the ambient temperature.) Now there will be a bit of congealed wax at the bottom of the mold as well, so you can insert your pre-tabbed wicks and they will stay in place. Gently place these wicks into the middle of the votives. Do not worry about marring the surface of the candle if the wax has a thin skin; we will fix that later on the second pour. If not using wick pins, check the wicks periodically as the candle cools; the cooling, shrinking wax may pull wicks slightly off center. Just gently push them back into place if needed. Sometimes I use strategically-placed craft sticks to keep the wick more centered as the candle cools.
Step 11: When the candles have completely cooled, it’s time to re-melt your leftover wax. This time you want to heat to a temperature of 185-190 degreesF in your double boiler. Pouring about 10 degrees hotter the second time will ensure your layers will adhere and not come apart when the candles are fully cooled. Again, pour to the tip top to ensure you don’t have seam line where the two layers met.
Step 12: When candles are completely cooled, they should slide from the molds. If using wick pins, I gently tug those straight up and out to release the candle. If your candles refuse to release, chances are they are not fully and completely cool. Be patient! If they are fully cool and won’t budge, try putting the mold into the freezer for a short time. (Just a few minutes though, or the candle may crack.) This brief freezer time usually does the trick. If using wick pins, remove pins and insert wick assembly from the bottom of the candle.
Step 13: If there are surface irregularities on the candles, you may want to buff gently with pantyhose.
Step 14: Trim your wicks and enjoy burning your votives! If you used scent, you may want to wait a day or two for the candle to cure. Remember, votives are not meant to be free-standing candles. They are meant to completely liquefy and must be burned in a snug votive holder. They should burn completely up (or nearly so) and take about 15 hours to finish burning. If your candle does not burn well, make sure it's burning out of a draft and that the wick is trimmed. If you still don't get a good burn, you may need to experiment with adjusting the size of your wick on the next batch. Certain scents may need a slightly different size of wick.
Step 2: (Optional) Weigh out ½ oz. of candle making fragrance oil into a small glass container and set aside. Always weigh your fragrance oil when making candles. Do not exceed this amount; the wax will not be able to hold excess fragrance oil.
Step 3: If using new votive molds, you may want to spray candle mold release into the cups. Gently wipe excess off with paper towel. If votive molds have been used before, this step is probably not necessary; just make sure the molds are clean of wax from previous pours.
Step 4: (Optional) If using wick pins, place these into the molds. If they are new, spray them with candle mold release and wipe off excess with paper towel before inserting into molds.
Step 5: Cover your work surface with newspapers in case of spills. Place prepared votive cups onto the newspaper. Keep paper towels handy for wiping up spills and drips.
Step 6: Place water in double boiler and set wax pot gently into water to melt. IMPORTANT: DO NOT LEAVE MELTING WAX UNATTENDED! Watch it like a hawk; wax can heat to dangerously high temperatures in a short amount of time. Once you have a little liquefied wax in the pot, place the candy thermometer into the melted wax, taking care that the bulb is not touching the melting pot. Heat wax to 175-180 degrees F, taking care that no water from the double boiler splashes into the melting wax.
Step 7: If you’re using a coffee can, use pot holders for this step! Remove melted wax from heat and place on heat-safe surface. With your wooden craft stick, stir fragrance oil thoroughly into melted wax. I use a small whisk to make sure all oil is thoroughly incorporated, but take care not to agitate so much that you are adding air bubbles to the wax. Always add fragrance oil BEFORE adding color so that you can see that the oil is fully incorporated before the dye obscures your clear view.
Step 8: (Optional) Add a drop or two of liquid candle dye, if desired. Stir gently but thoroughly with your stick.
Step 9: Have paper towels handy for drips and spills. Pour wax carefully into molds all the way to the tip top. Avoid incorporating air into the molds while pouring. You will notice that not all the wax in your pouring pot will be used; this is what you want. You want to reserve a small amount of wax (about 1/5 of the total) for the second pour, when we will be topping off the candles. (Wax shrinks as it cools, leaving a sunken area in the middle.) Do not touch molds
after pouring, as they will be very HOT.
Step 10: If not using wick pins, wait a few minutes until the wax is starting to set up (congeal) on the sides of the mold tops. (The time this takes will vary according to the ambient temperature.) Now there will be a bit of congealed wax at the bottom of the mold as well, so you can insert your pre-tabbed wicks and they will stay in place. Gently place these wicks into the middle of the votives. Do not worry about marring the surface of the candle if the wax has a thin skin; we will fix that later on the second pour. If not using wick pins, check the wicks periodically as the candle cools; the cooling, shrinking wax may pull wicks slightly off center. Just gently push them back into place if needed. Sometimes I use strategically-placed craft sticks to keep the wick more centered as the candle cools.
Step 11: When the candles have completely cooled, it’s time to re-melt your leftover wax. This time you want to heat to a temperature of 185-190 degreesF in your double boiler. Pouring about 10 degrees hotter the second time will ensure your layers will adhere and not come apart when the candles are fully cooled. Again, pour to the tip top to ensure you don’t have seam line where the two layers met.
Step 12: When candles are completely cooled, they should slide from the molds. If using wick pins, I gently tug those straight up and out to release the candle. If your candles refuse to release, chances are they are not fully and completely cool. Be patient! If they are fully cool and won’t budge, try putting the mold into the freezer for a short time. (Just a few minutes though, or the candle may crack.) This brief freezer time usually does the trick. If using wick pins, remove pins and insert wick assembly from the bottom of the candle.
Step 13: If there are surface irregularities on the candles, you may want to buff gently with pantyhose.
Step 14: Trim your wicks and enjoy burning your votives! If you used scent, you may want to wait a day or two for the candle to cure. Remember, votives are not meant to be free-standing candles. They are meant to completely liquefy and must be burned in a snug votive holder. They should burn completely up (or nearly so) and take about 15 hours to finish burning. If your candle does not burn well, make sure it's burning out of a draft and that the wick is trimmed. If you still don't get a good burn, you may need to experiment with adjusting the size of your wick on the next batch. Certain scents may need a slightly different size of wick.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Tutorial: How to Make Votive Candles
Today I will post the items you will need for this project so you can begin collecting what you need. Then the directions for making the candles will follow in a few days! To make your own votive candles, you will need the following items.
- Four 2-ounce (15 hour) votive molds
- Four votive wick pins (optional)
- Double boiler
- Candle pouring pot or clean, empty coffee can with a pouring spout bent into the top
- Stove
- Kitchen scale
- Candy thermometer
- 1/2 pound paraffin votive/pillar wax
- Four 36-24-24 zinc core wick assemblies (pre-tabbed)
- 1/2 oz. candle fragrance oil (optional)
- Candle dye (optional)
- Candle mold release, if using new molds
- Small glass container
- Craft sticks for stirring wax
- Newspapers
- Paper towels
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
GOT FALL?
I know I'm pushing it a bit, but I LOVE FALL! The weather is cooler and drier. Nights are mellow. And here is another one of the reasons why autumn is my favorite season - I adore the scents associated with fall. I just added this to my fall line-up, and it's strong, juicy, and tart! Just like fresh, crisp Bartlett pears. See it here! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28854851
Saturday, August 1, 2009
NEW and YUMMY FOR FALL!
I'm so excited about these wonderful new soy candle scents! I could eat them! (Well, almost!!)
This luscious Pumpkin Creme Brulee soy candle features notes of creamy pumpkin puree along with French vanilla, freshly-ground spices like cinnamon and cardamom, rum, maple, and caramelized sugar. TO. DIE. FOR!! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28672505
Or how about a fresh, pure, sweet, Wild Honey soy candle? The name says it all! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28696715
Anyone who has known me for longer than 2 minutes realizes I'm a real scent junkie, and I couldn't be more happy than when I'm enjoying new fragrances. *SWOON!*
Thursday, July 30, 2009
I GOT THE PERFECT GIFT!
At our KC Etsy Street Team Meeting this week, we celebrated our 2nd birthday with a gift exchange. I got the PERFECT gift! I was so excited to get this wonderful handcrafted hand towel from Shelli at Monde Design http://mondedesign.etsy.com/ . Isn't it cute? And so appropriate for me, as I am most certainly a craft ninja armed with pointy objects! I love to knit. Thanks, Shelli! If you'd like a similar design embroidered for you or a friend, just convo Shelli on Etsy. This would make an awesome gift for a knitter or crafty loved one.
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