Soy Candles

If you’re planning your wedding and wondering how to decorate tables at the reception, consider adding romantic ambiance with candles. A dim room that’s glowing with candles seems extra special and will carry over the romance from the wedding ceremony to the wedding reception. You can also supplement the scent of your decorative flowers with scented candles that smell like flowers or spices, like Lily of the Valley or sage. For a green wedding, be sure to use soy candles rather than paraffin wax candles.

Soy candles are made from all-natural soy wax, which is hydrogenated soybean oil. Paraffin candles are made with petroleum and increase the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. Soy candles are clean-burning, produce less soot and can last up to 50% longer than paraffin. Aside from using them to decorate your wedding, consider giving them out as “thank you” gifts to your guests. A scented soy candle makes a great little keepsake for your guests to remember your wedding and create a relaxing environment in their homes.

Well, we finally got around to making our soy candles. I never knew this could be so much fun, and so much mess!! .

As it turns out, my granddaughter that is 10 came to stay with me for about 4 days. So, we got into the thick of it. We read and re-read the instructions after watching the video.

We had our candle making kit and other supplies,  covered the Island with newspaper for catching the mess. Then we put the water on to boil, as we chose which fragrance and color to start with. And we began very methodically, reviewing all the steps as we went along.

Well, we forgot that we would be on the other side of the kitchen with the double boiler,(no newspaper) so had a grand mess to clean up.  Then we couldn’t get the wicks to stay put. We dipped the ends with the little metal things in the wax, and let them stand for about 30 seconds. They still wouldn’t sit still, and when we poured the wax into the jar, they swam all around. We stood there for a while, holding the wicks, until we couldn’t anymore. We laid two pencils across the jar and went out to lunch.

When the first one dried, it was perfect, although the wicks were too close together the fragrance was yummy too.  It was Fresh Cut Grass. The next two had little craters in them,. I called my supplier, and asked about the problems I was having. We decided that my thermometer didn’t work right, because he said the wax was too hot, so bought another one today. Remember you have to cool it down to 120 degrees to pour. That is what is so critical for a perfect candle.

I really enjoyed myself, though, and so glad to have worked out some of the mistakes. Can’t wait to do this again with one of the grandchildren.

Oh! also, to cure the crater attack, I melted the top of the candles with a hair dryer on low heat,  For those who will be trying this for the first time, don’t try using the dryer on high, unless you want wax all over the place. I should know, cause I did that too. The candles turned out beautiful. One candle fragrance was Mom’s Lilac Bush in our version of purple, and the other was Annie’s Spring Rain, in sort of blue-green, some of my favorites.

As soon as I get the wax off the counter, I’ll be even happier. I’m just kidding. Thank Heaven this was soy, and not paraffin. It was so easy to clean up. Just use really hot water. Oh, and put hot pads between you and the hot water. You said it, I did that without hot pads. It’s o.k. My burns are much better, now.

Have Fun out there!!

When I moved my family into a new neighborhood, I noticed that our next-door neighbor had an incredible collection of wind chimes hanging on his front porch. There were wind chimes of every size, shape, color and sound. The sound of them all chiming in the wind was incredible, but a little too much for my taste. Luckily, his house is far enough away from ours that we only hear them chiming while we are outside doing yard work. Some people enjoy the sound of many chimes at once, but I prefer the beautiful sound of a single wind chime swaying in the wind.

One day not long after we first moved in, I came home from work to find a gift-wrapped box on my front porch. A note attached to the gift read, “Welcome to the neighborhood!” It was from the neighbor next door with the impressive wind chime collection. Lo and behold, the gift turned out to be beautiful, unique wind chimes. I went next door to thank my neighbor, then hung the wind chimes on my back porch. That was several years ago, and now I am used to the peaceful sound of wind chimes while I garden or just relax. They really do make great housewarming gifts, as my very nice neighbor proved.

A deck is often the most visited place at home, in the summer, spring and fall. Is your deck what you would like it to be? Do you enjoy it as much as you want? The problem with some decks is that they are too hot during the day, or maybe the seating isn’t comfortable.

Some ways to really enjoy this area, is to have some things out there to bring you out. If the patio is too hot, add an umbrella, or build a small covered area, like a pagoda. Hang some bird’s nests and feeders. This will give you some day time enjoyment. Some green plants setting around are always enjoyable.

Be sure the seating is comfortable. No one wants to go somewhere to relax, if they are not comfortable.

What has become extremely popular to hang in the yard, and on the deck are some  outdoor windchimes. We’re not talking about the clanging type, you’ll want musical wind chimes, with a melody.Some melodies are so irresistable, like Isand Melody, Summer daydream, or Sunrise Serenade, and really take your cares away.Now that makes it so much better. All you need now is some cold beverage, iced tea, lemonade or your favorite cocktail.

Add some scented soy candles, scents like fresh cut grass or annie’s spring rain are especially nice for outdoors, They are more robust, and are real outdoor fragrances. I would put them out as the sun goes down.

There are many sensory indicators that put us in mind of a warm summer day. The smell of barbecue chicken, for instance, will call up memories of many cookouts past. The mere sight of roadside vendors with their hand-scrawled signs often reminds us of stopping along the shoulder to taste a few seasonal berries. But some of the most distinct summer signals come in the form of auditory cues.

Birdsongs are an obvious example; the melodious cry of a bluebird makes waking up early on a summer morning a bit more tolerable. And, of course, who could forget the faint clamor of metal wind chimes as they are slowly manipulated in the afternoon breeze? When these sounds and many others culminate in one pleasant soundtrack, you know the lazy days of summer are here.