Soy Candles in an Upcycled Jar

As promised, I have part two of my tutorial for making soy candles in upcycled jars to share with you.  If you missed my recent post on all of the benefits of soy vs. other candle waxes or part one of this tutorial please be sure to take a look before you begin. And the disclaimer:  I am a crafter who loves to play with trash, I am not a expert candle maker so please do your research before attempting to make your own candles :)

When I first started to experiment with different ways to incorporate upcycling in the candle making process, this is what my set up looked liked: 

This make shift double boiler set up worked and is fine if you're making a few candles for yourself or friends. Each of the tin cans is intended to hold a different scent wax.  I've since ditched the double boiler setup and opted for the microwave.  SO much easier!  We'll still use the individual cans when it comes time to add scent, but the wax will be melted in a larger quantities in the microwave first.

Now that you've gathered all of your supplies listed in Part 1 of this tutorial we are ready to begin:

1.  Grab all of your upcycled containers and start attaching the wick/tab assembly (be sure to read the wick instructions for choosing the right size) to the inside of your containers.  You can use hot glue to do this or glue dots work pretty great, too! If you have a tall jar that is too narrow to reach inside to secure the wick, I found a wooden skewer works well.

2.  Start melting your wax:  Simply fill your glass measuring cup (you could use a glass bowl, however, the cup comes ready to pour without making a mess) and pop it in the microwave.  "Cook" it at 50% power at two minute intervals, stirring each time.  It usually only takes me 4-5 minutes to melt a completely packed 4 cup measure.  NOTE:  Do not be tempted to melt it quicker by microwaving on full power.  Soy has a low melting point and therefore flash point (the point at which your wax could ignite).  My soy wax is about 150 degrees when it comes out of the microwave, different sources quote the flash point between 395 and 500.

3.  If you don't intend to add scent to your candles, skip down to #5.  If you do plan to add essential oils you'll want to start dividing up your melted wax into your tin cans.  Keep in mind that you'll need to add 1 oz. of scent to each 16 oz of wax so measuring out by the pound might be easiest.  Fill enough cans for all the scents that you intend to use and let them cool.

4. When the wax cools to about 100/110 degrees add the essential oils.  You don't want to add it when your wax is too hot or it will burn off some of the oils and weaken the scent of your candles.

5. When your wax starts to look grainy (at about 95 degrees) start pouring the wax into your containers.  If your wicks haven't been pre-dipped in wax you'll need to center them and keep them from falling back into the melted wax.  Toothpicks and skewers work well for me:

6.  Now just wait for your candles to cool, I like to leave them overnight for safe measure.  If there are any imperfections in the tops of the candles you can heat it up with hair dryer and let it cool again.

7.  Clean up is a cinch with soy wax.  Just use some hot soapy water to clean everything out.  Just be sure to dump any large amounts of wax in the trash, don't pour it down the drain.  Then you can snip your wicks down to 1/4" - 1/2" and you're ready to enjoy! 

June - the Month of Weddings

As the days turn longer and air warms, many busy brides to be have finished the planning stages of their weddings and are just wrapping up the final details.  This is not the case for my brother and soon to be sister-in-law, they are just barely beginning to plan their wedding.  You can imagine that I was THILLED to hear that they would be planning a green wedding.  In fact, Melissa will be blogging about her experiences for the Green Bride Guide.  Her first blog was posted last week and I certainly plan to follow along and use her experiences for inspiration.

Let's face it weddings are inherently wasteful.  I know, it's hard to look at one of the biggest days of your life in such a way but we all know it's true.  From the invitations, overwhelming use of flowers, robust menus and take home tchotchkes weddings create an enormous amount of waste.  So what's a bride to do?  I've never been a big fan of all or nothing conservation messages. I have a really bad tendency of throwing my hands up in the air when things become overwhelming and I'm sure others do to.  So instead of fretting over every little detail of her upcoming green wedding, I believe a bride should - well, just do what she can!  If you're plans for your wedding are all set, congratulations!  If they aren't, here are a few tips for getting started on your wedding:

1.  Kick things off with digital wedding invitations.  If you're the type who really likes to hold those beautifully designed paper invitations in your have, choose recycled or natural fibers paper.
2.  Do they still throw rice at weddings?  If you must throw something, bird seed is a better option.  Bubbles are okay but be sure to save those bottles.  Cut off the wand and use the container to store small items (of course, my mind automatically goes to beads!)
3.  What's a wedding without gifts?  You could go the royal route and ask that your guests make a donation to a charity in your name.  But if you're not quite living like royalty, make sure your list includes household goods that are made locally to reduce the impact that shipping your gifts over long distances will create. 

Be sure to check back often, you can be sure that there will be more wedding blogs to follow.  And in the meantime, hop over to the Green Bride Guide for more tips.  And if you've tried your hand at a green wedding, post below and tell us what worked, what didn't and what you wished you had tried.