Thursday, December 1, 2016

relearing blogging -links and more


I'll leave a few links here that really helped me and maybe they can help others too.  As I delve deeper in to the blog 'verse I'm sure to find a slew of helpful posts.  Plus I may need to come back myself and reference them from time to time. :)


When you're trying to figure out how all those other cool bloggers have pinterest links on their images and posts..but blogger is mum on where to find the info, the link below was a huge helper!

http://www.codeitpretty.com/2014/03/how-to-use-official-pin-it-hover.html
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Here's a great post with helpful tips on naming your image files and why you should be more specific..  SEO is king it seems and having the right name for your pictures is the key that unlocks search engines finding you.

https://www.shopify.com/blog/7412852-10-must-know-image-optimization-tips
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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

A chunky stained glass candle making tutorial

in fish form




you can do this with pretty much any type or shape of mold. 


the technique would be the same regardless of what type of mold you use  

 choose a metal, plastic or silicone candle mold, or milk carton, cardboard tube..what have you

I started with a few chopped up bits of soy wax

you can use whatever you have on hand, I prefer the ease of cutting soy, but if you have paraffin use it.  

if you're starting with a plain paraffin add some vybar.

 to get this particular look for the candle you want your chunks opaque 



four colors in various shades of blues and teals (ok there's only three there, a lighter blue shade was added later)

this is scrap from wax melts, all mingled together and they smell divine

a mixture of beach daisies, summer sands and coconut milk


fill your mold with your wax bits, don't cram or squish just fill er up to the top of your mold

this particular mold has a little hole in the center that I can easily drop a wick in to

regardless of the type of mold your using, you want to make sure you aren't disturbing the placement of the wick when you add your wax chunks


remember before how I mentioned those wax bits being opaque? 

for your pour wax, you want it translucent, the only wax I know of that has a translucent-ness to it is paraffin

melt it, add a bit of blue dye, 

i'm using two different blues, a lighter one and a dark 

pouring melt point will vary depending on what type of material your mold is.

this mold is silicone, I poured at 190..ish  I like the higher temp, it helps to melt a bit of those chunk pieces, makes the edges softer and bleeds a bit of the color too.


since I only have two hands I couldn't take a proper picture of the next step

so read on

you need to pour both of the colors at the same time. 

yes, that's right dual wield those pour pots


the colors are going to bleed together, but that's the effect you want

now you have to wait

till it hardens

be patient

it'll be ready to de-mold soon

but first 

you want one last pour to make it flat


waiting...waiting....

and done


this style of candle making has a few different names

chunk candles

stained glass candles

crackle candles (although there is a whole different type of crackle candle finish)

call it what you want

the fun part is seeing how unique each candle is when it comes out of the mold

If you make your own candles and want to share your experiences please do,  I love hearing from other candle makers.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Poinsettia Candles


By this time next Friday I'll be in Bisbee walking off all the turkey I ate the day before.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and if you're spending next Friday in the chaos of Christmas shopping I wish you the best of luck and stay safe.

Friday, November 11, 2016

new mediums




so many new things


new learning experiences, techniques and raw materials

  
old favorites, looking a bit different


a whole lot different


in love with the simplicity of beeswax

the no fuss no muss way of it

Friday, September 30, 2016

candy corn and cauldron candles


Last batch of cauldrons.  Next week I get to work on pumpkins and sunflowers and candy corns.


Candy corns have been great sellers this year and I only have three left.

Friday, May 27, 2016

back to the buds


Roses are life.

When I'm not pouring floating roses I'm pouring pink and red wax in to rose buds molds.  I can't escape from roses.

Friday, May 13, 2016

I'm in a creative void


Keeping up with the demand of a home business often leaves me so tired that I don't have the desire to create anything new.

When I do try a new project I rarely compete it.  Half way through I give up either due to time constraints or lack of interest.  I find it hard to focus on new things when my mind is stuck in order mode or making sure I'm stocked up in roses and I'm constantly running through my mental email list.


I have several pieces on the back burner, tikis, fish and cacti.  I have new flower molds to play with and a whole slew of fun new fall candles to work on too.  No clue how to fit them in to my daily schedule.

I want to try new techniques and styles but business gets in the way of creative growth when you're a diy'er.  I know this may sound crazy but I feel like the business is consuming my candle making creativity.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Star wars candles


I made these for a friend who's a die hard star wars fan.  Not something I'm going to sell but I wanted to share how cute they turned out.  They are small but a great size for birthday candles, which is how she wanted to use them.

Friday, April 15, 2016

It's not always about spring


The skulls still need to be made.  This is the last of the stock I'll make for these guys until August. The end of summer is when I bring out all the Halloween molds.   I have a few new skull molds that I'm excited about but I'll share those later.





Friday, April 8, 2016

Hibiscus floating candles


Just in time for summer.

I've been making hibiscus and flipflop floating candles this week.  I'm really loving the soft colors and fresh summertime scent of Sun Kiss.  It's a lemony cocoa butter fragrance.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

throwback thursday candle edition




here's a fun blast from the past,

his goofy little eyes always put a smile on my face.


i really miss the elephant candles..but i don't miss all the work that went in to making them. lol

Friday, February 26, 2016

The birdies are chirping


The birds are outside my office window chirping, I think they're telling me it's time to take a break and come outside. 

In the studio I've spend most of Feb pouring little bird candles, crowns and Eiffel towers.  The wedding season will be starting soon.  


 When I'm outside I'm getting odd tan lines.

February has been such a gorgeous month, the sunshine feels amazing this time of year, the flowers are blooming and I could sit here for hours as the little butterflies flutter about.  (they're really moths, or so I've been told but I like to think of them as butterflies) 

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Its finally SPRING

spring time early summer is definitely being felt here in the valley of the sun

highs this week are in the 80s gasp...90 by wednesday. :(

yet still not quite pool weather

anyway...I sure hope your early spring weather is glorious and full of fun outdoor activities

i've been out in the garden for the past two weeks

trying to get things cleaned up and new seeds planted. 

and i'm so excited to see my first tulips of the season pushing through the soil


i planted these bulbs back in december along with a sprinkling of violas and asylum 

and our tomatoes are doing better now that the warm weather is here


 i had a broccoli plant that only produced a very tiny head 

it was kinda stunted and sad looking so i ignored the plant the whole season


who knew broccoli flowers could be so pretty!


Monday, February 8, 2016

happy valentine week!



I can't believe sunday is the big day already..


this year we added our new kiss floating candles to the site

super cute set of lip shaped floating candles



 and our rose bud votive candles are made in a soft light pink color..not just the red.

these are a bit larger than a standard votive


another new color for an old favorite.  

red pig shaped candles.


owls are just the cutest trend out there!

and you can get a set of 3 valentine inspired owl shaped candles...


I hope you have a wonderful valentines day filled with a ton of love and snuggles and kisses and a good book by the fire and long walks in the park and yummy food!

you can check out all of these candles and more valentine candles on our site glowlitecandles.com or in our etsy store.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

raspberry isn't red?

i hope you are all having a wonderful day

it's been a busy january in the candle making shop

figured i'd pop in and write up a blog post before things got too crazy here....

working on the new raspberry color 

which is strange for my color senses

 raspberry screams red-ish to me, 

 but alas....it's purple


and with valentines day sneaking up on us

we are super busy pouring all things red, pink and white


not just roses 


piggies too

we have a great selection of valentine candles this year

i can't wait to post more about them in the coming weeks

Friday, January 15, 2016

Making dye's



In between staying stocked up on Valentine candles and planning for the spring pouring schedule I have to make my dye chips for the year.

I was looking forward to sharing the process with you, but I got a new Iphone for Christmas and somehow wiped out my cloud account and every single thing in it. 

The sadness was overwhelming 

Instead, I suppose I'll be sharing some pictures with you from a few years back...circa 2014ish

These images are taken after the chips and dye blocks are made to check for proper formulation, the finished dye chips is matched against our current colors. 

Then the fun begins

I get to play around with all those different colored blocks and create whole new shades of blocks. Then I compared them to wedding catalogs, print magazine and samples that I purchase.  



I don't add the matches to our existing candle line right away though, I usually wait to see what the trends are before releasing anything. 

Occasionally I come across a color that is just a bit off, and then the guessing game begins.  What does it need to get a match? 





There are occasions where I can't tell which one it matches to because they appear so similar, 



Friday, January 1, 2016

welcome 2016


hello new year..you look fabulous already!!


i hope you had a wonderful new year celebration

we sure did, ringing in the new year with friends and family and lots and lots of dancing

i was so close to the hightop fitbit badge!  but we had to stop for the countdown and toast

aww shucks, maybe next year...oh wait it is the next year!!

so many fun plans and activities and adventures planned for 2016 i can't wait to get started on them all

the one weighing heavy on my mind for a while was the new website

yay!  it's up and running and even though there's some fine tuning (sizing is off on somethings)

...it's ready


you may..or may not have noticed that you needed to make a new account

if you're a returning customer.... sorry about that , its a whole new ball of wax

but she's looking good and runs really well

valentine is the theme for the next month or so....

really, it's a quick holiday that jumps out at you right after the new year

and if you are ordering candles for that someone special in your life

make sure you do it soon before we are sold out.
 
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