Don’t think your candle has a memory?  When we were selling our former home before I started candle making; the real estate agent arranged for a photographer to visit to take photos of our home for advertising.   That day I (seriously) spent hours cleaning and styling the house so it would look picture perfect! In fact, it looked so good I had misgivings – “...

Students ask me, "how can I get a solid [often black or gold] coloured candle", and my answer is that you need to over dip. Overdipping is a candle technique that involves the use of adding pigment dyes to high quality high melt-point waxes [usually paraffin wax]. By dipping a candle into a pigment dye mix, you can quickly transform the candle. The most common reasons...

The Chandelle Galerie cupcakes are aromatic, delicious looking, melt-in-your-mouth delights. And, clients drooled in anticipation of their first bite, until told it’s a candle! It’s the delightful aroma and the visually enticing layer of rich frosted icing and sparkle that tricks them!  The thing is some sparkles (glitters) are unsuitable for use i...

When you light a candle, the heat of the flame melts the wax nearest the base of the candle wick, the wax is drawn up the candle wick (by capillary action), and the heat of the flame turns the melted wax into a vapour, which starts the breakdown of hydrocarbons into molecules of hydrogen and carbon.  Carbon Cap (often referred to as "mushrooming") is a candle-making t...

Pillar Candles are designed to tunnel leaving a rigid outer wall - and if you hug your candle, you'll extend its life. Here's why? Often the feature of a pillar candle is the design of its rigid outer wall. Most often the flames dance through the outer wall, throwing beautiful shadows around the room. BUT if the candle burns for too long, the rigid outer wall sof...

We all want our candles to look stunning, perform well, and burn safely - I have heard many stories of grief in my years as a professional candle maker and trainer, and I cannot overestimate how important it is to conduct test burning on your candles before selling them.  When things go wrong, its a fact they can go VERY wrong! I used to share this story with my candl...

Let's focus on the science of burning candles! A burning candle is a classic example of a chemical reaction between three elements: oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. The wax in a candle is composed of atoms of hydrogen and carbon. When the wick is lit, wax begins to melt, and the carbon and hydrogen atoms move up the wick to react with the oxygen atoms in the fl...

A candle is an open flame capable of igniting anything that can burn, and its one of the most common and preventable causes of house fires.  The effects of fire are devastating. Physical injury, damage to property and the loss of valuables might be the consequences that first spring to mind, however, the interruption to daily life, the loss of significant assets and t...

Wax Can Damage ! Wax can damage a surface, but often it is your efforts to remove the wax that causes the most damage, so make every effort to avoid spills. If in doubt, please call a professional for assistance. Wax On Carpet Let the wax harden, then break up and remove as much as possible. Place paper towels over the wax.  Using a hot steam iron, lightly place above...

I am often asked if its OK to add fresh blooms (or greenery) to candles – and the answer is, sadly, NO! Nothing looks more attractive than a newly made candle with fresh colourful blooms on the outside or surface of a candle, but within a few days your blooms will die, turning black or brown and the sap from the blooms will ooze into the candle, making it moldy. That doesn...