Monday, December 27, 2010

Christmas Candle Crafts

Warm glow and fragrance of a beautiful candle sets everyone at ease, instantly. A Christmas tree, glowing in the light of brightly lit candles and sparkling lights, sets the mood of the party. You can contribute your part to the celebrations by displaying your best homemade candles in unique ways and passing them off as Christmas gifts to your loved ones. Apart from being decorative items, candles form an important part of the merrymaking of the festival. Traditionally, five candles are lit on Christmas wreath (also known as Advent Wreath), to mark the advent of the auspicious occasion. The candles can be made at home as well. In the article, we have given some bright ideas for Christmas candle crafts.


Homemade Christmas Candles
To make Christmas candles, you may make use of beeswax, as they mould very easily. However, the wax is very fragile, so you need to take special care while shaping it up into candles. Since the wax melts easily, you need to take precaution while burning it.
You may make decorative red pillar candles by rolling colorless beeswax square diagonally on a flat surface and then rolling up the wick in it. After doing so, wrap the pillar shaped candle with red velvet ribbon. Secure the ribbon with the help of a dab of glue.
You can make your simple round candles sparkle for the Christmas night, by using silver and gold-headed pins. With the pins, you can create different patterns on the candles. Just a line around the top and along the bottom may also make your candle look very attractive.
You can make your candles in different wax colors and decorate them with ribbon bows to give them as Christmas presents to your loved ones. A small holly wreath as a base with a cute gnome or elf toy can make your candle look even more special and truly a Christmas gift!
Attach small votives on top of decorated CDs for a holiday candle arrangement or make use of bamboo arch votive holders, if you want to provide an ethnic look to the decorative piece.
Candle accents can be made by gluing real pressed flowers and leaves, shells, marbles or berries for the centerpieces.
Make use of discarded greens to give a unique look to your candle decoration and use pines, tiny gold baubles and painted plastic balls in sparkling silver to give Christmas look to your candles.
In order to give the finishing touch to your Christmas candle, make use of a candle holder. You may opt for bronze or brass candle holders, if you want to give a vintage look to your decorative candle.

Christmas Candle

Christians world over light candles at Christmas as a symbol of the birth of Christ, and his renewing light force that guides his followers along the righteous path that has been chosen by them. People widely follow the tradition of lighting candles in the windows and lighting candles on the Christmas tree. Christmas candles are manufactured only out of the best waxes, dyes, fragrances essential oils, and lead free wicks. Manufacturers with their expertise on candle making, produce high quality candles that are slow burning and virtually dripless.
In today's Christmas ceremonies, candles can be found everywhere from the carolers who walk around and sing to us to many of the beautiful greeting cards we send to our friends and loved ones. Candles are a part of almost every culture's Christmas. Smooth and texture surfaced candles are available in a variety of sizes and fragrances as well as unscented for the festive occasion of Christmas.
Candles have been around for centuries and no one really knows who actually invented the candle. But, we do know that candles where replaced by oil lamps and that they were used by prehistoric people to make wall paintings deep inside caves. The candle continues to play an important role in many seasonal celebrations. In China, Christians celebrate by using paper lanterns to turn Christmas trees into trees of light. In parts of India, clay oil-burning lamps are used. In Sweden, many believers participate in what is known as Lucia. This is a celebration in which they give thanks to the Queen of Light for bringing hope during the darkest time of the year.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Color value Candles

White - Spiritual Strength

Pink - Love, Morality, and Friendship

Red - Passionate Love, Good Health, and Strength

Orange - Encouragement, Concentration

Yellow - Attraction, Persuasion

Green - Money, Success, Luck

Purple - Ambition, Power

Black - Sadness, Loss

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Problems For Candle Making

Generating candles could be fantastic fun. It’s very thrilling to determine what type of candle to make and obtaining your supplies. Nevertheless, some people rapidly become disappointed and frustrated using the method and quit. You can find some prevalent problems that newbies knowledge with candle generating. Most of them have fast and easy options. It is recommended that all newbies begin with the fundamental candle generating procedure. This offers you the chance to discover the basics, then you’ll be able to transfer on to creating the kinds of candles you truly want to.
1 secret to producing fantastic candles would be to use top quality products. In basic, candle generating supplies are inexpensive. If the wax you purchase is of poor high quality, then it is never going to create quality candles. Heating the wax to the correct temperature is extremely essential. The temperature will change based on the type of candle you might be producing with it. If the wax is not scorching sufficient it will not type properly. Likewise, wax which is as well scorching will lose luster and won’t be as sturdy as soon as it cools.
Have you every single made a gorgeous candle, but when you lit it the area filled with smoke instead of the perfume with the candle? This issue has to do together with your wick, it’s too lengthy. Basically cut them shorter for long run candles. You can snip the suggestions from the candles you might have by now created and this really should remedy the scenario.
Some candles burn and odor wonderful, but they look ugly right after several makes use of having a crater inside the center with the candle although the edges of the candle jar haven’t even been touched. This will be the result of the wick that is not vast sufficient. There isn’t a lot you can do for candles you might have by now produced except melt the wax in them and commence about. It is possible to purchase a wider wick or braid 3 with each other to obtain a good thickness. The wider the candle jar, the wider you will need your wick to be for that candle to burn up evenly.
Cooling candles is an region of hassle for numerous newcomers. Don’t rush the cooling method or you’ll harm the hardness of your candle. Forcing the candle to cool will even result in bubbles forming inside the leading and middle with the candle. Although it will not be a bodily defect, the melting wax will go into these bubbles when you have the candle lit resulting within the wick heading out. Candles really should be allowed to cool in an region exactly where they won’t be moved till totally cool. The area wants to be flat and out of direct sunlight. You will also desire to ensure there are not any heating or cooling vents within the cooling region.
Should you recognize that your cooled candle isn’t as appealing as you’d like since the wax pulled away from your glass jar in some places, try heating your jars inside the microwave for any minute or two appropriate just before you fill them. This will assist the wax adhere to it appropriately with a quite easy look all of the way across the jar.
It is crucial to remember that candle producing entails some basic ideas. It will get a few tries to complete the actions properly, but give it a while. You will have to experiment to locate the strategies that work very best in your operate environment to create the candles you want. It’s suggested which you only make a couple of candles at a time to maintain from losing money on supplies although you’re learning. Make certain the completed product doesn’t have any burning problems using the wick or bubbles. If it does, basically melt the wax again and try it once more. As soon as you have mastered the fundamentals of candle creating, you can experiment with various kinds of candles. The internet is an excellent location to find candle generating ideas too as troubleshooting for your candle generating problems.
Looking for the right candle supplies vendor? If so then make sure to visit Author’s site right now!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

How to Make Vegetable Oil Candles

Vegetable oil candles are an inexpensive, attractive craft that creates a touch of elegance in your home. The ambiance of a flame floating above liquid sets a romantic mood for dinner or creates a sense of enchantment at nighttime garden parties. Making vegetable oil candles also taps into your creativity, as the candles can be made from glassware in almost any shape. Adding food coloring to the water beneath the floating oil lets you create candles of almost infinite variety. Follow these steps to make an easy and elegant craft.







Things You'll Need:
Hollow glassware in various shapes and sizes Floating plastic candlewick holders Spool of candlewick Vegetable oil Water Food coloring Glue gun Modeling clay.
   
    Instructions:
1. Fill a glass container with water to about one inch below the top of the glass. Add food coloring to the water, if desired.
2. Slowly pour vegetable oil on top of the water. Add about 1/2 inch of oil. Because oil is a different density, it will float on top of the water.
3. Cut a piece of candlewick about one inch long and insert it halfway into the center of a plastic wick holder.
4. Place the wick holder gently on top of the oil and allow to set for at least 30 minutes so the vegetable oil will absorb into the wick.
5. Light your candle and enjoy.
6. Empty and rinse the glass candle holder and replace it with fresh water and oil if not used for a week or more. Vegetable oil can become stale and emit odors.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Christmas Floating Candles

Christmas floating candles are perfect compliments to your holiday decorating. Floating candles are a must have accent for entertaining during the holiday season since most are unscented and made with food grade wax. They are a safe and practical way to add candlelight to all your Christmas festivities.

Where to Find Christmas Floating Candles 
Floating candles may be purchased at specialty candle shops and, during the holiday season, at Christmas stores. Many party stores also carry floating candles year round. Floating candles can also be found online at:
Candle Styx has holly floating candles that can be displayed singly or as a group. They work perfectly in a center dish on your holiday table and have a 12 hour burn time.
Christmas People sells personalized holiday floating candles that make a great remembrance of the Christmas season. Each candle is engraved with the family name or your choice of words along with the year and the word Christmas. The personalized candle can be accented with a variety of holiday embellishments, such as holly wreaths, floating glitter and miniature Christmas ornaments. They make great hostess and family gifts that will surely be treasured.
Candle Boutique offers a large selection of Christmas floating candles. They have designs such as peppermints, poinsettias, snowflakes, holly, Christmas trees, wreaths, snowmen and polar bears.
Crafted Candles has a unique selection of holiday floating candles. They feature designs such as chestnut leaves, snowflake, snowman, Santa, Christmas cookie, gingerbread man, holly leaf, holly wreath, poinsettia and holiday tree.
Wedding Flower and More sells floating candles in shapes such as stars, poinsettias and snowmen. They sell them separately or as part of a kit.

Uses for Christmas Candles 
There are endless possibilities for decorating with floating candles. Most commonly, floating candles will be used as part of a holiday table centerpiece. Creating a floating candle centerpiece for your Christmas table is quite simple. All you need to do is place a decorative bowl on a mirrored base in the center of your table. Add water and your candles then accent with festive touches such as candy, ribbon or glitter. Light the candles before your guests arrive.Floating candles can be used in wine glasses or any other decorative container you choose. Place a few around the room to cast light and add ambiance to your party. Why not wrap up a floating candle in netting and tie with a Christmas bow to use as a place setting on your holiday table? Add your guests' names to a tag and they will not only have a festive place setting but a fun gift to take home with them.
Candles make a quick and easy Christmas gift. They are perfect to give a hostess or use for a Secret Santa exchange. With all the designs available, you will be able to give a gift that is fun and festive and sure to be enjoyed during the holiday season. Wrap up floating candles as a group and give with a decorative bowl or throw some in to accent another gift you are giving.
No matter how you choose to decorate with your Christmas floating candles, they will add a special touch to any table or room.

Final Thoughts 
Since many floating candles come in shapes that appeal to children such as snowmen and Christmas cookie designs, pay close attention when you have lit candles around younger children. They may be attracted to the fun shapes and not realize that they are not meant to be played with. As with any candle, do not leave them unattended.

Make a Christmas Centerpiece with Candles

To create a festive mood for your home during the busy holiday season, make a Christmas centerpiece with candles. Making your own Christmas decorations is a wonderful way to add a personal touch to your holiday décor.
With the many different colors, sizes, and fragrances of candles available, you're sure to find something that suits your tastes.

How to Make a Christmas Centerpiece with Candles 
When making a Christmas centerpiece with candles, you're limited only by your imagination. Here are a few design ideas you can use as the basis for your project:
Stack candles next to tall vases filled with assorted Christmas ball ornaments. Glittery ornaments in silver, gold, red, or green look especially pretty with this type of Christmas centerpiece.
As an alternative, you could fill the vases with jingle bells.
Combine candles with pinecones and red velvet bows for a traditional, yet very festive, centerpiece.
Decorate the candles by stringing beads onto wire and wrapping the wire around the base of the candle. Sprinkle artificial snow on a large tray, then arrange the candles as desired.
Spread fresh cranberries on a silver serving tray, then place an arrangement of white votive candles in the middle for a simple and elegant centerpiece.
Use faux greenery to make candle rings for pillar candles. Arrange the candles with framed photos of loved ones celebrating Christmas.
Glue candy canes around clean tin cans to use as candle holders for your Christmas centerpiece. Surround them with holiday greenery for a festive look.
Alternate candles in frosted glass votive holders with stacks of miniature wrapped gifts to make an interesting Christmas centerpiece.
Surround a bowl of floating candles with Christmas tinsel.
Make ribbon bows with faux poinsettias in the center. Attach the bows to your favorite candle holders for an instant Christmas centerpiece.
Do you have more candle holders than candles? One interesting twist on the Christmas centerpiece with candles theme is to use your favorite candlesticks and candle holders as display bases for Christmas ornaments.

Tips for Designing a Pretty Centerpiece 
Making a centerpiece doesn't have to be a difficult task, even if you don't normally consider yourself a "crafty" sort of person. Here are a few tips to help you get started on your project:
When creating your centerpiece arrangement, keep in mind that an odd number of elements generally is more pleasing to the eye than an even number. So, instead of two or four candles, choose three or five to use in your centerpiece.
If your centerpiece will be placed in the middle of a room, make sure it looks nice from all sides. Save the designs with an obvious "front" for the corner areas.
If you're on a tight budget, check out your local dollar store for materials to make a Christmas centerpiece with candles. In addition to finding budget priced votive, tea light, taper, and pillar candles, you can also find very cheap silk flowers, pinecones, and seasonal elements to add to your holiday décor projects.
Don't use scented candles in areas where food will be served. You don't want the fragrance from the burning candles to interfere with your guests' enjoyment of their meal.
If you're hosting an event that will be attended by small children, use flameless candles to make your Christmas centerpiece. Flameless candles provide the ambience of candle light without the safety risks associated with an open flame.

For more tips on creating a special Christmas centerpiece, check out the following helpful articles from LoveToKnow Candles: 
Candle Centerpiece Ideas
Floating Candle Centerpieces
How to Design and Decorate with Candles
Decorating with Faux Holiday Greens and Flameless Candles

You may also wish to visit LoveToKnow Christmas to learn more about getting your home ready for the holidays.

Recommendations for use Richly Scented Candles

Rigaud candles have strong scenting powers because the fragrance concentration is higher than that of an eau de toilette.

The ideal location for your Rigaud candle is at half-height, for optimum diffusion of the fragrance into the room.

Do not let your Rigaud candle burn too long. Two to three hours is sufficient for getting the full enjoyment of its fragrance. The soft wax liquefies rapidly and permits optimum diffusion of the fragrance it contains.

Avoid placing the candle in a draft, since the wax could melt unevenly and the wick could move from off center.

Never leave a lighted candle unattended or near an inflammable surface. Remember to extinguish it when you leave the house and keep it out of reach of children and animals.

To extinguish your Rigaud candle, do not blow on it; simply cover it with its snuffer cap so that the wick does not smoke. This elegant gesture extinguishes the flame and avoids excessive combustion.

To avoid black smoke, regularly trim and clean the wick before lighting it. It should never be longer than 5 mm.

After solidification of the wax, leave the snuffer cap on your Rigaud candle to preserve all the richness of the fragrance contained in the wax.

In addition to the subtle elegance Rigaud candles lend to your dinners and receptions, they also eliminate all pervasive, unpleasant traces of tobacco smoke.

The Rigaud fragrance spray contains an alcohol-based composition that can be vaporized simply by pressing the pump at a distance of approximately one meter from textiles such as drapes, cushions, curtains, rugs and carpets. The living space will gradually be impregnated with the fragrance.

The principle of Rigaud diffusers is that of subtly scenting the living space via a system of natural capillarity. The plant stalks absorb the scented solution and subtly diffuse it. Turn the stalks from time to time to renew the diffusion process.

Place your Rigaud diffuser near a window or in a draft to beautify the atmosphere with a delicate fragrance that seems to waft in from a faraway place.

We advise you to place your Rigaud diffuser in smaller spaces around the house – corridors, entryway, dressing rooms – to get the full effect of the rich fragrance it diffuses.

Always keep the Rigaud candle in a vertical position, and preferably in its original container, so that the soft wax does not lose its shape, especially if kept in a warm environment.

For a bedroom with a feminine, romantic décor, discover the soft sweetness of Angiris, the tenderness of Lilas or the freshness of Santifolia.

The exotic warmth of Bois Précieux and the strong personality of Cuir de Kyara befit a modern, elegant living room with a masculine bent.

To lighten your living rooms with a touch of freshness, give in to the bracing scent of Tournesol. It evokes Spring and Summer in a country house.

The dark, masculine color of the Cyprès candle sets off the larger volumes of a home. And it is especially effective for removing tobacco odors.

Choose the more richly colored fragrances, like Cythère or Cariacou, to enliven your holiday meals. Their scents have a touch of exoticism and escape.

Light your jasmine candles as the sun is going down in summertime to rediscover the natural scent of jasmine petals on a summer evening.

Can Rigaud fragrances be associated? Of course! Blend the generosity of Gardénia with the magic of Jardin d’Orient and infuse charm into your living room or a bedroom draped with taffetas and silks.

Associate two Rigaud fragrances. Escape to far-off places with a blend of Cariacou and Bois Précieux, ideal in an interior decorated with furniture in exotic woods.

In your country house, associate the strong character of Cyprès with the green notes of Tournesol and enliven the atmosphere of your interior or the ambiance of your garden terrace.

With its silver snuffer cap, zebra slip case, and satin ribbon, the Rigaud candle is a true decorator object that brings life and warmth into a house.

Best Candle Scents for Winter

Candle scents vary from one company to another as well as from season to season. Some businesses only run certain smells at a particular time of year. This is because you can count on some to be super popular when the air starts to become cooler and the days begin to shorten. This is partially marketing and the demand for different candle scents when the fall and winter seasons come.
One of the best ways to get your house and family in the mood for fall and winter festivities is to use some of these particular smells to get them in the mood. But what candle scents really go with fall and winter? It is quite simple to get a couple of the biggest and best that companies have to offer and get your house ready for the cooler seasons.






Candle Scents Number One: Apple Cinnamon
Apple cinnamon is one of the first candle scents that you will see hit the store shelves as the children get ready to go back to school. You can think of the days that you used to take an apple into your teacher. It will also remind you or get you into thinking about picking apples out in the orchard. This is one of the basic fall and winter candle scents that everyone should have.

Candle Scents Number Two: Gingerbread
There is something soothing about the smell of fresh gingerbread. You may be able to bake these tasty treats at any time of year, but their fragrance of those spices is something that really goes great with the fall and winter. You can easily make your family think that you have spent all day baking when you choose this one.

Candle Scents Number Three: Pumpkin Pie
You may start to notice that a lot of the best candle scents for fall and winter have to do with baking. That is probably because most people do not want to turn on their ovens in the hot summer weather. They wait until that first crisp autumn day to get out their favorite recipes and get to baking. Pumpkin pie is one of those great baked goods. You never see a Thanksgiving table without a pumpkin pie on it. Capture that image by burning this fragrance.

Candle Scents Number Four: Pine
As the fall weather starts to become colder, you will see more places starting to sell fresh pine wreaths and other decorations. This is because everyone loves to get the smell of fresh pine through out their home. You can accomplish this same task by choosing this candle scents for your home. All the smell without the mess of fresh pine needles on your floor.

Candle Scents Number Five: Autumn Leaves
Now this is a smell that you can not get into your house in many ways. Autumn leaves is that great smell that you get when you are out raking or walking past a field of fallen leaves. The best way to bring this festive fall feeling into your home is with a candle.

Soy Pillar Candles Vs. Paraffin Pillar Candles

It used to be that you had one choice when it came to pillar candles; that choice being paraffin. However, in the past decade, more choices have emerged. Beeswax candles have been around even longer than paraffin candles, but generally take the form of taper candles and are very expensive. It is also difficult to scent a beeswax candle since its natural scent is too strong. Since the 90’s, two more affordable choices have emerged: soy pillar candles and palm wax pillar candles. Today we will compare soy pillar candles to paraffin pillar candles.

Pros of soy pillar candles & cons of paraffin pillar candles:
Firstly, some characteristics that apply to soy wax candles are that they burn cleaner, cooler and longer than paraffin candles. Soy wax has a better scent throw than paraffin and can hold up to twice as much fragrance.
More specifically to soy pillar candles, and probably most notably, they tend to hold their shape very well. When you burn a soy pillar candle correctly, the exterior will hold its shape right up until it burns away. Now just to be clear, soy pillar candles are actually not made from 100% soy wax. The higher quality soy wax pillar blends contain a vast majority of soy wax blended with botanical oils to help the wax hold its shape.
When you burn a paraffin pillar candle – even when you burn it correctly – it will mushroom at the top because the wax is oilier and does not hold its shape as well as soy wax. You will very often have to hug the top of a paraffin candle when the wax is soft to keep the wax from bulging out so much that it falls off the candle.
Another characteristic that is specific to soy pillar candles is that they produce environmentally friendly waste. You will always have a bit of leftover wax when the candle has burned all the way down. The soy wax used is biodegradable and will not pollute the earth. When you dispose of the remains of a paraffin candle, you are throwing something away that is not biodegradable.

Pros of paraffin pillar candles & cons of soy pillar candles:
One benefit of a paraffin candle over a soy candle is that the color of the candle is more vibrant, and it takes less dye to color a paraffin candle as opposed to soy. If your interest is in colorful, vibrant candles, you might prefer paraffin over soy wax. On the same note, soy pillar candles cannot produce the “mottling” effect that can be produced by paraffin candles. Mottled candles have a rustic appearance and have a “snowflake” or crackled type finish that has grown in popularity over the past decade.
Another factor in favor of paraffin over soy has to do with scent throw. Although soy wax is known to have a better scent throw in that the scent lasts longer, paraffin candles burn hotter and can therefore release fragrance into the air more quickly than soy pillar candles. This is more of a trade off though, rather than a pro in favor of paraffin.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Pillar candles

Pillar candles are candles which are extremely wide, allowing them to be burned for an extended period of time, since they have more wax available to fuel the flame. There are a variety of ways to use pillar candles, and they come in an assortment of shapes and sizes. Most stores which stock candles carry pillar candles, along with accessories which are designed to accommodate them, and they can be very useful to keep around the house, in the event of a power outage or simply to dress up the table for entertaining.
The defining characteristic of the pillar candle is its width, which separates it from tapers and other, narrower candles. Pillar candles also tend to be fairly tall, and they are most commonly square or round. However, pillar candles can be cast in a variety of shapes, including custom shapes for special events. These candles can be burned in a number of ways.

The use of a candleholder is highly recommended to catch wax, stabilize the candle, and reduce the risk of fire while the candle burns. Some people simply burn pillar candles on plates or trays, but there are also candle holders specifically designed for pillar candles. Some of these candle holders use deep bowls to firmly seat the candle, while others are flat, with spikes which are designed to impale the candle, holding it in place.
Like other candles, pillar candles can be made from a wide variety of wax types, from paraffin to soy, and they may be dyed or left plain. They are also available in scented and unscented versions to cater to individual tastes. Some companies sell their pillar candles loose, while others use packaging to contain the candles for sale; for people who are concerned about the environmental impacts of packaging, it is possible to find pillar candles with no packaging, or with easily recycled packaging.
In addition to being purchased in stores, pillar candles are also easy to make at home. Candle wax and wicks are available at many craft stores. To make a pillar candle, the wax is melted and poured into a mold, with the wick held firmly in place. Crafters can make their own pillar candle molds, purchase molds, or use various objects as molds to create unusual shapes and textures. Molds can also be lined with artifacts like dried flowers and leaves to add visual interest to the candle.