Kev and I recycle and reuse whenever possible . We take our reusable shopping bags to the supermarket with us. We have a drawer full of food storage boxes in the kitchen and we stopped using plastic bags in the fridge and freezer a long time ago – although it’s difficult to find a flat wide food box for opened bacon and sliced meat, I’m still searching!! We recycle our food waste in the compost bin on Kev’s allotment. We have reusable water bottles and bamboo coffee cups for when we’re out and about in the caravan and on trips. We are still using plastic straws but I wash them and use them ag ..read more

We’re currently expanding our range of candle making fragrances and this week we have a fabulous new fragrance for you! Get Fresh! http://makingyourowncandles.co.uk/get-fresh-odour-eliminating-scent-50ml/ This is the most amazing scent I have ever used, with a slightly spicy smell to the unlit candle it is a fairly unremarkable scent when in the bottle. But in a lit candle, this scent really comes into its own. It has a unique ability to devour other scents including smoke, fried onions, and smelly shoes! I have this candle lit in my kitchen whenever I’m cooking and lingering cooking smells ar ..read more

We were in a store recently and always like to check out the candles on sale wherever we go, to see if there is anything new trending, to look at labelling, pricing etc. We spotted a range of candles in glass jars that were mimicking the very popular, well crafted Wood Wick Candles that you can buy in many garden centres and from Amazon or Boots for around £20. These cheap copycat candles should be avoided at all costs though, retailing around £9 and so poorly made, they are definitely not worth the spend. In most cases the single, flat wood wick was offset considerably, to within a couple of ..read more

We’re delighted to announce the immediate availability of our new book Your Candle Business: A Step by Step Guide. Based on almost a decade’s experience running candle retailers MakingYourOwnCandles.co.uk and CracklewoodCandles.co.uk, as well as nearly twenty years as an entrepreneur, this book contains everything you need to know to plan, setup and run your own profitable candle making business. Available in both paperback and ebook format, you can order it now using the links below: Paperback Your Candle Business: Paperback (Amazon) Buy your copy from Amazon and they’ll ship it d ..read more

We are very excited to announce the availability of our brand-new range of wood wick candles. After scouring the world, and uncovering many duds, we finally found the perfect wood wick – the chimney wick. Not only does our chimney wick give a naturally shaped flame, it also has, in our view, a superior scent throw compared with flat wood wicks. We’ve combined these chimney wicks with our range of tins, our best performing container wax and most delicious scents to produce what we think are the best candles of any type on the market today. We produce both kits and finished candles, ma ..read more

Yes, this really is a candle! Made with EcoSoya Pillar Blend wax, this candle uses a brand new mould and gives excellent results time after time. This particular project is for making a decorated egg – in this case the central stripe is printed, cut and stuck in place (it must be removed before lighting!) Here’s what you need: Egg mould 80g Soy Pillar Blend Wax Wick Blob of blutac Wick holder Decoration You can buy this as a kit to make 6 eggs at MakingYourOwnCandles.co.uk You’ll also need at least two saucepans, one bigger than the other, so you can make a water bath. Method Make sure th ..read more

You might imagine that not much changes in the very traditional industry of candle making but you’d be wrong. The first great revolution in candle making was the development, in the mid 1800s of paraffin wax which is, today, a by-product of the lubricating oil industry. For 150 years, paraffin was the only choice but, back in the 1990s, NGI developed the first waxes based on soy-beans. Now, I’m not going to get into the arguments about whether, overall, soy waxes are more environmentally friendly than paraffin (they’re not, in my view) but they provide a welcome choice in the marketplace and ..read more

One of the most common questions we get asked is: How do I improve the scent throw of my candles? I want to begin by suggesting that a strong scent throw isn’t always desirable. By “strong” we’re referring to the impact the scent has on our nose and, through it, our brain – the bigger the sensory “hit”, the stronger the throw is perceived to be. Sometimes, you want that hit; sometimes you might want a more subtle effect- particularly when using floral or fruit scents.  However, assuming you do want the strongest possible scent throw, these are the four main factors that affect it. T ..read more

This fantastically creepy Witch’s Hat is very easy to make and an extremely effective centrepiece to your Halloween decorations. It burns nicely but is equally happy as an ornament to be used each year. The candle is 11cm tall and 10cm across the base. Here’s what you need: Pyramid Mould 200g Soy Pillar Blend wax 5g dye (black, red or purple are great) Wick (LX20) Blob of blutac Wick holder A self-centering tab 10-20ml of fragrance (optional) – Pumpkin is great Waterslide transfers You can buy this as a kit at MakingYourOwnCandles.co.uk. You’ll also need at least two saucepans, one bigger t ..read more

Click here to learn how to make gorgeous candles the easy way. In this project, I filled a terracotta flower pot with scented container wax- in 5 minutes from start to finish! Terracotta/clay flower pot (mine was 7cm diameter at the top) 80g Soy container blend wax (can also be made with paraffin container blend) 8ml scent (I used lavender essential oil scent) ECO4 wick and tab Blutac/putty Stirrer and wick stick/pencil Means of melting wax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsn7Sjf4vEU The post 5 Minute Soy Flower Pot Container Candle first appeared on Making Your Own Candles ..read more