Giant Sunflowers and Soy

These are the big mommas to the smaller sunflower floating candles that I've shared in previous posts.  Come to think of it, I think I did share these back in the candle making blog days.. jeesh that has to be 10 years ago or so. 

I decided to dust off the, well, dust from the molds that have been living on a shelf, forgotten, ignored.  Their immense size use to put me off.  They are more costly to make being that they weigh close to a pound.  Over the years I've shelved a lot of the bigger molds opting for the smaller more manageable pieces.

But I've been rethinking the larger candles recently and with summer approaching faster than I can say, grab the sunblock, lets hit the pool, I've decided to give them another go.

Lets face it, summer is pool time centric in the Valley of the Sun and there's no better way to spend those too warm evening bbq's than pool side, lit by candle light.

I've been playing with soy wax the past few weeks and even though I enjoy the soft creamy ease of it, I have huge reservations on how well it can stand up to the upcoming summer heat.  I swear, sometimes I think soy wax can melt at the slightest touch, I can't imagine what it'll be like when summer actually comes.  Mixing it with paraffin has yielded better results and burn tests have been amazing too.  Pool testing is next on the list...long lazy days of floaties and sunblock are next....

As I'm typing this post the temp outside is an irrupting 103 degrees.  Yesterday it was only in the 80's, so I'm gonna grab my towel and floatie and head out with thoughts of soy melting in my head and as I bob along through the rest of my afternoon maybe I'll come up with a way to ship soy wax during the summer.

circus roses

On occasion I feel restricted in my craft. The size, shape and materials of certain molds don't often allow for much creativity.

a rose is a rose is a rose

Occasionally I am able to play with color to create subtle differences.

Varying dye amounts and temperatures to achieve something a bit different.

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.

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

Happy Halloween

hope you are having a wonderfully frightful day 

want a sneak peak at next years candles

floating skeleton hand candles...ooooo spooky

not sure which way to finish them

extra dark or more on the lighter side

whatcha think?

yes, they float.  i like how they look out of water too

black skulls

i'm loving that deep black color

look at these cute little floating candles

that little bat is my favorite

ok, so these next ones aren't new

but i love burning these cauldron candles throughout october

figured i'd take another picture

happy halloween to you

It's national coffee day!

Oh my goodness!  

So sit back and sip on that pumpkin spice latte, you deserve it!

Enjoy your day!

I'm on cup 4 

It's the first day of fall.

I hope you are having a wonderful day!

golden honey

wheat

crisp rustic golden hue

call it what you ever you like

it is a beautiful color

and it's a new one,

did my monthly rounds at the craft stores today

I try to stay on top of trends I really really do but I'll fully admit,  it's all lost on me. 

I walked in to Hobby Lobby this afternoon and was greeted by a display of 4 foot tall stemmed giant faux daisy's in a florescent purple color.   In the center was giant rhinestone.   The petals where a thick velvety material.

My 8 year old Lisa Frank loving self was enamored, but my 30 something grown woman brain said. WTF.

picked up the usual supplies

brushes, paints, stamps, burlap

burlap??

here's some sunflowers to brighten your day or head over to the craft store and pick up some mutant daisy flowers, I'd love to see what they are used for. 

It's just too early...

When you're in retail the holidays come up faster than you're ready for.  

Take Fall for instance:  it's June.  And while I'm waiting for the wax to melt I'm in the pool sipping on a gin cocktail and planning fall candles.

It's hard to get those creative juices flowing when it's a 114 degrees outside.

I don't want to think about fall colors or maple leaves or pumpkins

I want to plan a BBQ or go on a road trip. 

Enjoy your summer folks, it goes by too fast.

seafoam is that one word or two?

seafoam  :  sea foam

hmmm..

Who cares how it's spelled its a lovely color. 

One of several new additions to the color chart this year and a new shape too.

This is the spa color, 

Who comes up with these names?

begonia

it's a very bright pink color

Brides are loving it and I really love it too, how could one not, look at that bright happy pink.

Snowflake candles

Now that the office is finished I've been sitting back here building a new site and organizing computer files.  

Those are two projects in my planner that I've ignoring for months.

What I haven't ignored was the need for snowflake candles. 

Making changes

The first change is one no one noticed. I like it that way, it makes for a smooth transitions.

I think it was good call too as I'm sold out of cauldrons.  Last year I was left with a few dozen orange and green cauldrons while purples enjoyed all the glory so the purples are here to stay and the other colors are a thing of the past.

I really love the new pumpkins and they making for great floating candles too.  Look for these in bulk sets soon. 

An old friend who may see retirement is the floating moon candles, or I may bring them out in limited quantities.  I think I mentioned before how I feel stretch thin making all these different candles, I really love making them too, but time isn't always on my side. and I'm starting feel the weight of it all.

At some point in 2013 we will have to close for a short time as our planning for the studio remodel is completed and although I'm eager for it to be underway I absolutely loathe having to close the shop.

There are a few things we are able to accomplish in the mean time.

The first set of upper cabinets are in and a welcome addition.  They replace several rows of shelves that always appeared cluttered no matter how tidy I tried to keep them.

The next project is the office, which can be done easily with no interference in production.  I do most computer work from the couch anyway.  I tried to get away with not having an office at all, but file cabinets and printers and paper cutters don't go with our living room decor.

tropical fish candles

I get a lot of requests from customers looking for unique shapes, like lobsters, sand dollars, star fish.... trout.

I make notes and do a few searches to locate molds for their desires but I often come up empty.

Last year I was able to pull out my fish molds and start pouring them by request of someone who needed "a few tropical fish, nothing fancy"  She was delighted with them and I enjoyed making them so much I added them to my pour rotation for summer.

I love the soft beachy colors and the rustic finish.

mustache candles

I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't spend the month of February blogging about Valentines day.

My goal for the blog is to be more personable and share my wax creations without it seeming like a marketing campaign, it's been an odd line to walk.

I'm still learning and trying new things and I suppose the blog will be a reflection of that.

Can I float candles in my pool?

YES.....but.....

Any candle that is designed to float, can and will float in a pool, pond or water fountain regardless of it's size.   But, here are a few things to consider before you light that wick.  

Pool pump off
Make sure your pool pump is off and any water features such as a water fall or mister system are off as well.  You want to prevent as much water movement as possible.  Hopefully mother nature is going to be on the lighter side too as wind and even a light breeze can affect how well the candles work in larger bodies of water.

Candles will gravitate toward edges or corners.
You'll need to come to terms with the fact that where you place your candle won't be where it stays for any length of time.  Floating candles may start the evening in the middle of the pool but you'll notice the little buggers bobbing along toward the sides or a corner only to rest there for the remainder of the night.

Coping
If your floating candle isn't specifically made for pools, you could end up with a blackened underside to your coping.
Candles 5-6 inches in diameter are a good size for most pools.

Clean up
If any water seeps in to the candle it may weigh the down the wax shell and sink a little in the water, making for irritating clean up as they could be hard to see.   They will not sink to the bottom as wax naturally floats but the weight of the water inside the shell will hold it suspended just below the surface.
Finding ways to anchor the candles is possible and luckily we have Pinterest to help with us that.

I now have floating rose candles available that are the perfect size for pools and spas.  They measure 5 1/2 inches in diameter with an 8 hour burn time.

NEW Star of David Candles

These are stunning aren't they?

Each Star of David candle will burn for 7 hours.  You can use them as floating candles or place them on a candle safe plate and use like a pillar candle.

I tried to get these released back in November, but I was so busy with those wine cork candles that I couldn't get them on the site.  I made a note to work on them at the end of September but I woke up this morning and said no way I don't want wait anymore, they just too beautiful. 

Glowlite Candles online
Glowlite Candles on Etsy

New Floating Moon Candles

I've had blast making these slumbering moon floating candles.

I released them last summer for a short time in lighter shades of yellow and blue but I really love the depth of the darker colors.  So now I've been making them in both and you can now purchase them in bulk sets of a dozen.

These burn for a whopping 6 hours and would perfect matched with our floating star candles.
Great for those midsummer night weddings or events and baby showers.

Glowlite Candles online
Glowlite Candles on Etsy

Butterfly Floating Candles

It's time to give the butterflies some love.

  Especially since spring has sprung and the flutterbies have been bobbing along our gardens,