The Loser's Guide to Life

     I've just been in a DIY mood lately, folks. I am actually in love with the product I made today, and as a bonus, my entire house smells wonderful. I honestly have no idea where this concept stemmed from, but I am quite proud of the end result. If you have been reading my blog for a while now, you may know that I am a candle fanatic. Well today I came up with the cutest way possible to recycle old candles.

     The first step in this project is to melt your old candles. (As a word of advice, you will probably want to pick candles that will smell nice together. The ones I chose were vanilla and fresh linen scented.) To do this, you will need a contraption called a double boiler, or you can try my improvised version using pots. First fill the larger of the two pots with about 2-3 inches of water. You can then place the smaller pot inside the larger pot, and place them both on the stove. I used a low stove setting for this process. While the water is heating up, you should start breaking up your old candles. You can see what I used in the picture above. I had to remove the old wicks and the plastic containers. (Note: if you don't have a brand new wick, then save the most salvageable one from your old candles during this step.) Place the scraps in the smaller pot. They should start to melt almost immediately. 

     Make sure you have enough wax to fill your container before you actually to fill it. When the wax is completely melted, pour it all into your chosen container, but first make sure that the handle to the smaller pot isn't scalding hot due to sitting atop the larger pot. If you don't like the color the candles are blending into, then dump the first batch of wax into the container, let it harden, and melt an additional candle to add as a top layer. This will allow to you to know exactly what color your candle will be in the end, and it will probably be more aesthetically pleasing. I melted the orange soy beads and used those as a top layer. Wait till the candle is close to solid before adding the decorations and wick. If it hardens all the way, you will not be able to insert the wick. For this reason, it is important to keep an eye on your creation while it is forming.

If you try out this project, I'd love to see your candle. You can email me a picture at esmith55987@gmail.com or post it on instagram and tag me in the comments (@elainalosersmith). xoxo