After Louis Catorze’s biopsy confirmed that his skin problems are due to an external allergen, I decided that beeswax candles should become a permanent fixture here at Le Château. Have a look at this link if you fancy finding out more about their air-purifying qualities: https://candles.lovetoknow.com/Beeswax_Candle_Health_Benefits
We usually get our beeswax candles from Cocoa the babysit cat’s mamma, but her beeswax is a very precious, seasonal, small-batch product. So, because her candles aren’t available all year round, we tend to save them for special days. And, after a number of hits and misses with other ready-made beeswax candles, I decided to have a go at making my own for everyday use.
Now, I had some reservations about doing this, for the following reasons: firstly, and most significantly, I don’t have a great record of handmade things turning out well. Secondly, many years ago, I had a horrible work colleague who made candles, and this was a hobby that the 25-year-old me regarded as deeply uncool. Whenever she was mean to me, my friend Jamie would attempt to cheer me up by saying, “Don’t be upset. She’s an idiot. Plus she makes candles for fun. FOR FUN.”
(Incidentally, karma gave her a hefty slap around the chops during one summer heatwave. All her carefully-crafted candles, stored away in her hot attic, melted together into one massive, waxy lump, resulting in inconvenience and mess for her, and the biggest laugh imaginable for me and Jamie. Revenge isn’t always a dish best served cold; sometimes searing heat will do just fine.)
Never before did I imagine I would now be doing that very same deeply uncool hobby. But here we are. And it’s all Catorze’s fault.
Cat Daddy: “You’re making candles? You used to ridicule your friend for doing that.”
Me: “SHE WAS NOT MY FRIEND.”
Cat Daddy: “And you laughed at her when she put her candles in the attic and they all melted.”
[Silence, tumbleweed, crickets, then giggles from me]
Oh, come on. Anyone who claims not to find that funny is either a liar or dead inside.
Anyway, pictured below is my first attempt at a rolled candle using a Lammasy harvest-coloured natural beeswax sheet. Also pictured are the ten wicks that I ordered, which I imagined would be, erm, approximately as long as an average candle, but each one turned out to be 5 METRES LONG. So everyone I know will be receiving handmade beeswax candles for birthdays and Christmas for the next 734 years. Whether they want them or not.
It’s hard to know whether Catorze approves, as his “I approve” face is the same as his “Just go away and die” face, but I shall assume the former even though it’s most likely the latter.
I know that you don’t need to be told about not leaving pets unsupervised with burning candles, but it’s worth repeating. Especially if you have a pet who is known for doing exactly the opposite of what you want.
jesuisleroisoleil 
So far no massive failure except you have a lot of wick!
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A LOT of wick. More wick than I can shake a stick at.
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Oh, you’re going to have wicked fun with all those🤣🤣. Sorry, couldn’t resist!
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Not sure what you mean! Are you referring to their long, phallic shape? Or am I thinking along completely the wrong lines here? 😱
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I think it was a pun on the word “wick”? (But that’s because I have clean, unsullied mind haha)
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Thing is, these aren’t dipped wicks. These are rolled wicks. 🤣🤣🤣
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Your last statemnt covered my concern – Catorze and any form of flame must be watched closely.
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Oh, totally. He would knock the candle over, then sit and wash his arse whilst the house burned down. 🔥
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That’s a beautiful candle. It’s your craft at last.
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I’m so sorry, I’ve only just seen this comment. Thank you so much. I’m mortified by my inefficiency! 😩
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Where can I buy essentials to make these???
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I got mine from this website. They are in the UK but I’m sure there are overseas equivalents should you need them:
https://www.thorne.co.uk
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Thanks 😊
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By the way, if you do choose to order from here, each 16” x 8” wax sheet is best used with the 3/4” wicks. EACH WICK IS 5 METRES LONG. Do not do what I did and order 10 of them (unless you really want wicking long enough to wrap around the Earth twice).
(It’s bugging me that I’ve mixed metric and imperial here, but this is how the measurements are given on the site!)
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Well, this doesn’t look like a failure at all! And, as it seems, you can make a lot of those candles. As long as Catorze does not disapprove, he approves 😉
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I have 50 metres of wicking. I am going to be making a lot of candles. I am going to be making candles until I die.
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You did a lovely job.They are very pretty. Do they take long to make? I store candles in the freezer as they last longer once lit. I’m sure Catorze helps (by supervising the process) 😹
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Thank you! They only take a couple of minutes to make although it’s quite hard to get an even roll, so sometimes you have to unroll and re-roll (and you can only do this so many times before the wax starts to crack). Also, if the first roll isn’t even, the rest of the candle won’t be. It’s hard to do a neat job in very hot weather; you’d think it would make the wax more pliable, but in fact it makes it TOO pliable, like floppy plasticine. (Is plasticine even a thing anymore?) 😐
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The uniform roll is the first thing I noticed 🙂 Have no idea what plasticene is, although I suspect the frozen entree I tried for lunch yesterday may qualify 😝
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The uniform roll is quite hit and miss. Sometimes it works perfectly first time, and at other times it just doesn’t. And rolling a completely identical pair is very difficult indeed. I’m probably showing my age mentioning plasticine! It’s a modelling putty similar to Play Doh. It was very popular in the 80s!
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It’s still around. My 4 year old niece loves it; so much so that when I babysit I end up scraping leftover bits off tables, floor,etc 🙄 Enjoyed it during my very long ago childhood though…🙂
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The candle looks good and Louis looks calm. Seems to be a success
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It did calm him down, for a short while. He’s back to his usual unhinged self now, of course.
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I remember making those as a young girl. I cut the sheets of was diagonally and slightly curved out the edge to form a spiral look. Alas, I’m afraid I quickly got bored and crawled back into a book.
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I’m still finding them quite therapeutic to make!
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And they are lovely. I’m afraid my attention span isn’t conducive to most crafts. I do enjoy painting in oils (I’m terrible at it but it’s fun) and am said to have a knack with yeast dough (self taught) but otherwise, it doesn’t work for me. C’est la vie! I don’t mind as I would go mad if everyone were the same.
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