February 2, 2012 at 18:16 (Basics, Candlemaking, Herbalism, Uncategorized)
Tags: Book, Books of Shadows, Candle, Candlemaking, Cheese, Cleaning, Cooking, Cooking tips, Equinox, Hand-crafted, Herbs, Imbolc, Incense, Magic, Music, Recipe, Red wine, Salad, Solstice, Spell, White wine, Wine, Witchcraft
It seems my displeasure with the weather was taken into account – it’s even colder today. But we Witches know that the year is round, and the frost has the promise of fire deep within it, as a great author once wrote. So we wait, and do our best to pass the time reasonably and wisely. And we make candles, eat cheese and celebrate the day of Imbolc.
The recipe for the mulled wine will come up in the next few days, although to be honest You already have it all on the greeting card.
Blessings!
October 6, 2011 at 15:56 (Basics, Candlemaking)
Tags: Candle, Candlemaking, Cooking, Equinox, Hand-crafted, Imbolc, Magic, Recipe, Solstice, Witchcraft
The weather is lovely and the sun is so beautifully warm You’d hardly believe its Autumn here on the Northern Hemisphere. But it is, and soon, days will get short and light will be grey and cold. There are many ways to counter that, of course, such as tea, music, cocoa or cooking. And candles.
If You haven’t noticed already, I like making candles. Shops nowadays can offer really great candles, with lovely, steady light and practically all colours, but my favourite pillar candles always leave a shell of wax behind that just begs to be used again. And who am I to refuse them? Making Your own candles allows You to add all sorts of fragrances and herbs to them, not to mention the additional advantage of having made something with Your own hands. It’s important, at least for me, to know that I can make things, not just use them.
I’ve already shown how to roll something that resembles the usual table candle. But, as a friend of mine remarked recently, it’s damn hard to make them look good and usually their appearance can’t rival the nice, straight shop candles. So, in order to please her aesthetic sense, we’ve worked out an easy way to make votive and pillar candles without specialised equipment, using… Well, garbage, actually.
What we did was take those cardboard tubes that You get from using up a roll of paper towels or toilet paper, scotch tape and some additional cardboard scraps. Here’s how we went about it :
Home-made cardboard candle mold
We cut a circle of cardboard to close the tube from one end and made a hole in the middle to pass the wick through it. We attached it to the tube using a generous portion of scotch tape to make it as impregnable as possible, since we’d be pouring liquid wax into it. After putting the string in, we tried to seal the hole with scotch tape too, but, as You will see, we sort of failed. Still, some other material such as plasticine or chewing gum should do nicely in this case.
Getting the wick just right
We then cut another piece of cardboard into a cross and made another hole through it. This was used to keep the wick straight and centered from the other end. It’s important, as the wick has to run straight through the middle of the candle or it won’t burn properly and might be dangerous. The wick is put through the hole and the cross arms are folded to keep it all in place.
Like this.
Candle sets in the mold. Note the spilled wax which drips from the wick hole in the bottom.
Once all that is done, the makeshift mold should be put on a safe surface (I used my cooking grate, because it won’t stand straight on a flat space since the wick comes out from the bottom) and the wax, molten in the double boiler, can be poured in. Because I didn’t get the bottom hole sealed properly, I put a piece of paper to protect the table from spilling wax. Far more of it poured out than I’d hoped, but after tearing the cardboard away I still got a nifty little candle.
The homemade mold prototype
If You have it all glued up properly and use a tube from paper towels, for example, You can make lovely, tall pillar candles, straight and smooth. Shorter tubes result in nice stubby fellows that can be used as votives. Of course, You are limited by the tube’s diameter, but this way You can make Your own pillar candles out of practically nothing. (The little “crater” around the wick is normal and the result of setting wax losing its volume and can be filled with a new portion of wax easily but I was too lazy.)
October 25, 2010 at 19:04 (Basics, Candlemaking)
Tags: Candle, Candlemaking, Herbs, Magic, Witchcraft
How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.
- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice.
A candle is one of the basic components not only for spellcasting, but also for a romantic meal. There is no better way to create an atmosphere of safety and relaxation than to light a room with candles, and of course everyone looks more attractive in candlelight. But candles are so much more than just a flattering light source : they are a decorative element in their own right, with a variety of shapes, colours and ornaments, they can act as incense if scented, they can even serve as an auxiliary heat source.
All this can be obtained from a ready-made candle, but candlemaking is still popular enough to warrant an industry, supplying home manufacturers with necessary equipment and materials. Candle molds, pre-made wicks and all sorts of tools can be bought to aid in hand-crafting candles, and the results will often astonish even Yourself.
However, this semi-professional approach is not the one I wish to present today. Being a practical, down-to-Earth Kitchen Witch, I am against cluttering my kitchen with gadgetry that will most likely stand unused for long periods of time. Usually I am content with what I can buy, but still, there are moments when I just have to make a candle myself. A spell will sometimes call for a specific candle : white or green for protection, red or pink for love spells. Those, too, can be bought, and making one would require a specific wax dye anyway, so usually I don’t bother.
But there might come a moment when You need a candle with more properties than just a pretty shape. As I’ve mentioned when writing about garlic, many of the spellcasting ingredients can be used in hand-made candles to give them additional use. Today I want to share my simple technique : it allows for easy making of a spell-specific candle, imbued with herbs that You need.
This specific candle is made for a prosperity charm, so it uses cinnamon and nutmeg. Of course, the herbs have to match the purpose.
Ingredients :
Tools :
Preparation :
The wax must be melted in the double boiler, so pour some water into the larger pot, and put the wax in the smaller one. Place the water on the stove over medium heat and put the saucepan containing wax into the water. As the water heats, it will pass the heat onto the other pot and melt the wax, but without the risk of burning it. You can also leave it simmering over a small fire and the wax won’t set. This is actually the best way for melting anything solid in the kitchen, be it paraffin or chocolate.
Meanwhile, powder the herbs You want to use in the candle and keep them ready. Line a flat surface with old newspapers to prevent wax stains, and get a clean paper sheet. Fold each of the edges to form an oblong shape limited on every side. The candle will be made by rolling up the wax spilled onto the paper, so take a moment to think about its dimensions : they determine how long and how thick the candle will be. (Of course, if the amount of wax is limited, it will influence the dimensions as well, so this takes some trial and error. But don’t worry.)
When the wax is ready, add the chosen herbs and stir it rapidly (a thin, metal object is best for that) so that they don’t all end up at the bottom. Pour the wax onto the paper sheet. Now, take the wick string and soak it in the molten wax. As You wait for it to set on the paper, mold the wick so that it is straight and stiff. When the paraffin on the paper is set, but soft – You can tell by the way it becomes opaque, but still warm and supple – place the wick at one end and start rolling up the wax, peeling off the paper in the process. This takes some practice, but is actually easier than it sounds.
Proceed delicately, taking care not to tear up the wax layer and evening out the candle, since the thickness of the wax will probably vary. If You made the layer too thick, the wax inside might still be liquid and spill at this point, but that’s no disaster. However, a thin layer is better than a thick one, and if You have some wax left over, all the better, because it can be used for finishing.
Once You have rolled the wax up, give the candle a few finishing touches : even up the thickness, set the wick straight and generally try to make it look pleasing. If You have some wax left over, stand the candle on a flat surface, hold it by the wick and pour the rest of it over the wick into the center of the candle, filling any loose space that might have been created during the rolling. Of course, it will never be as perfect a shape as obtained from the mold, but it is an object of Craft created by You for Your own purpose and suited to Your needs.
Additional Crafty Observations :
Dried herbs are best for adding to molten paraffin, and the smaller the particles, the better their diffusion in the liquid. If You are using oils, it’s better to soak the wick in it.Remember to focus on Your desire when making the candle. Visualize the goal You wish to achieve by the spell, and remember that You need to work on it like You worked on the candle.
***
P.S. I apologize for the week-long hiatus, but my camera was on strike. I had to bribe the little devil with a new charger.
