Pouring Your Own Beeswax Candles

I'm totally into making candles right now, it is so simple and fulfilling!  I love the idea that I am creating something from basic, natural materials that will bring light and warmth into our home.  Pure beeswax candles are quite expensive, so if that is what you are used to buying then you will probably save significantly by making them yourself.  The raw materials, however, are not cheap.  So, if you've been buying cheap candles made from synthetic materials then you might be spending more to make your own beeswax candles, but perhaps it will inspire you to know how beautiful, clean-burning, and sweet-smelling beeswax is.

Beeswax is a beautiful, natural material for candle-making it has it's own unique honey-like scent and color.  You can buy natural (yellow) beeswax or white beeswax.  The white beeswax may say that it is "bleached" but don't let this put you off.  The process for bleaching beeswax simply involves exposing thin sheets of wax to air, moisture, and sunlight.  I find it easiest to melt and use for candles and beauty products when bought in the pastille form.

You can mix white and yellow beeswax to achieve different shades of yellow or cream.  You can also add pure essential oils to lightly scent your candles, naturally.

Here's what you will need:

Beeswax Pastilles
Double Boiler
100% Cotton Wicks (Square braided are designed for beeswax candles, it's extra easy if you buy wicks that are already waxed and in holders)
Glass jar or container
Essential Oils (optional)

Fill a pot with a few inches of water and fit your double boiler into it.  Place over medium heat.  Add your beeswax pastilles.  If I need 1/2 cup of liquid to fill the container I want my candle in, then I find I need about 1 cup of pastilles in order to fill the container once melted.  Now sit at your kitchen table and read a book or magazine and be patient while your wax melts.

Once melted you can add essential oils if so desired.  Pour a little wax into your container.  Place your wick in your container with the metal tab resting on the bottom of the container and allow the wax to set enough to hold your wick in place.  Wrap excess wicking around a pencil and lay the pencil across the top of your container to make sure your wick stays centered.

Pour the rest of your wax into your container to fill it to about 1/2 or 1/4 inch from the top.

Now just let your candle harden/cool/cure on your counter and then clip your wick and you're all set!  If you want to turn your candle into a gift print up a pretty little tag and tie it with a bit of twine or hemp.

Sources for beeswax, wicks, essential oils, and containers:

www.brambleberry.com
www.mountainroseherbs.com


If you're ready for more of a challenge I'll be posting again soon about making hand-dipped beeswax candles.

Hello, it's been awhile...

It has been awhile since I have posted here!  So long in fact that there is nothing on the blog announcing the fact that we are expecting the arrival of bundle-of-sunshine #3 this fall.  We have been busily preparing for baby, beginning our homeschool curriculum, surviving the outrageous heat wave (105-ish for weeks on end), and harvesting gobs of peppers and tomatoes and learning to can them.  I am still doing my birth doula work through the end of this month, as well as photography (www.life-in-bloom.com), graphic design projects, teaching childbirth education and VBAC classes, midwifery school, and this week I get to start nannying two other sweet little girls during the daytime.

Sometime soon I will be posting pictures of some of our canned (jarred) vegetables as well as a bit about my hubby's new passion-barbeque and smoking all sorts of tasty things.  I am also working on sewing diapers for baby #3 and hope to get some pics and maybe even some tutorials up in the coming weeks.

Fresh from the Garden: Sunshine Quiche

I concocted this quiche recipe in order to make a meal entirely from fresh produce and eggs from our garden. Yay!  It makes a delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner.


Pie Crust : 1 store-bought pie crust or use the crisco pie crust recipe here

Filling:
6 eggs
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp milk
4 small/medium potatoes, shredded
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
handful of fresh spinach
2 Tbsp fresh basil
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
2 Tbsp fresh pineapple sage
salt and pepper to taste

Press pie crust into 9" pie plate.  Beat eggs together with flour and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Shred potatoes (you can peel them if they have thick skins).  Fold in shredded potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, and fresh herbs.  Pour into prepared pie crust and bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers with Heirloom Tomatoes, Avacado, and Roasted Red Peppers on a Kaiser Bun

I need a little break from cleaning, sewing, and my graphic design work right now so I thought I would share what we made last Saturday for my husband's birthday dinner.  He requested "gourmet burgers" for his birthday so we took a trip to our favorite grocery store and got a whole bunch of goodies that we could really get creative with.  We grilled out, enjoyed these amazing burgers, and then roasted marshmallows with the kids in front of the chiminea and camped out in a tent in our living room!  By the way, the kids wanted to "take daddy camping" for his birthday. :)



For the patties:
1.5 lbs. ground premium sirloin
2 Eggs
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
Splash of Worchestershire Sauce
1/2-1 tsp. dried Mediterranean Basil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 ball FRESH mozzarella


Toppings:
6 Kaiser rolls
1 large avacado
1-2 heirloom tomatoes
1 jar roasted red peppers
1 head fresh lettuce (we used red leaf lettuce)
Your favorite condiments

Mix ground sirloin, eggs, shallot, and garlic in a large bowl.  Add Worchestershire sauce, basil, salt and pepper to taste and combine well.  Shape into twelve 4" patties.  Slice fresh mozzarella ball into 6 slices.  Top six patties with slices of mozzarella, then top with another patty.  Gently pinch together sides of burger to seal in the mozzarella.

Slice kaiser buns in half.  Slice avacado and tomatoes.  Clean enough lettuce leaves to top your burgers.  Arrange toppings on a plate.

Grill burgers over a hot charcoal grill and serve with toppings and condiments.  Allow everyone to build their own burger!

My husband upon biting into his burger: "This is the best burger I've ever tasted, this is exactly what I wanted for my birthday."

Happy 30th honey!