Waste Not Want Not!

Hi there,

And a Happy Sunday to you all. I've spent the day doing nothing much, and to be quite honest I like yet loathe days like this. I like the relaxed feeling 'nothing much' gives, although I loathe the feeling on non-achievement. I'm definitely a do-er and to do nothing seems alien.

So this afternoon I decided to so something I have been meaning to do for ages. I hate any waste, and get great satisfaction from completely using up the last of things.  I also got Joseph involved, but he got bored quickly as they do at this age and went off to play at being the 'Gas Man' - don't ask.

I'd got some Yankee Candles that hadn't burned away completely, so after removing the old metal plate for the wick and any debris, I broke them up and put them in a sealable bag. I added to the bag any time I had spare wax from the same fragrance candle.

I bought some paraffin votive wicks from candleiciouscandles on ebay, they were very reasonable so make it worthwhile buying some to use over time.

I was going to buy some votive moulds, but I could only find them in fours at the store I went to and they were so expensive for the amount of times I will use them. So I bought these votive holders from a candle suppliers for 99p each and these will do the job perfectly. The only downside is that once they're moulded in there, they stay there, unlike if I'd used a mould.

I used a makeshift Bain Marie from a Pyrex jug {other heatproof jugs are available!} and a saucepan full of water. to melt the leftover wax from my Yankee Candles, this fragrance being my favourite, Creme Brulee. I waited until all the wax had melted before pouring. You can speed up melting time by breaking up the wax into smaller pieces to increase surface area. You see, I did listen in Physics!

Then as soon as the wax was completely melted I poured into the holders. The wick might move around a little but once poured you do have a few seconds to make sure it is centralised. The jug can be easily cleaned by putting it back into the Bain Marie and wiping round with kitchen towel. Make sure you don't burn your hands! End of patronising warning!

Finally, here is one {creamy caramel} which is nearly solidified, and the other {creme brulee} has just been poured. Can you see how the one on the left has dipped a little in the middle? This is what happens when they set, so it's a good idea to leave a little wax to reheat and pour to get a flat, perfect candle. I don't know if they may have lost some of their fragrance, but they smell good to me!

Thanks for coming to visit! Don't forget there's another Freebie Digi Monday tomorrow!