Family Fun

Home Made Candles

We heard a funny crackling noise outside last night. My son looked outside and said, "It sounds like rain but it's not raining." Meanwhile the house grew colder so I turned up the heat and piled on the blankets.

We woke up to whiteness with a heavy damp atmosphere. No longer could we feel the crispness of Fall or see the beautiful orange, red and yellow leaves against the blue sky. Regardless of the calendar we feel we have entered winter. Winter weather signals the need for warmth
and light.

The candle supply has run low so I
gather some bits and ends of used candles and dump them in an old coffee tin, peel the paper off a few broken crayons and throw them in too. Orange will do for the season but crayons don't smell good so I go to the cabinet for spices, throw in some clove and cinnamon and a few star anise for decoration. 

While the candles and crayons melt I prepare a wick; just happened to have wick string in the drawer from last winter. Knot the end, make it straight, and secure it above the candle jar with a bag clip. When the wax has melted I pour it in, wait for it to cool a bit, drop in the star anise, and wait for it to finish cooling.

The whole process from gathering my old candle bits to pouring in the melted wax took about a half hour. There's more wax melting on the stove and I'm thinking about what to do different for the next one; what color and what smell do I want to brighten this dreary day. Already I feel better about winter just by making something that will give warmth and light.

It's a fun an easy craft you can share with your kids on a rainy, snowy or gloomy day. Have you tried it? Share what you've made to brighten up winter days!