I broke the mold!

And re-shaped it to my liking! 

My favorite scented candle is one I purchased from Target a couple of years ago.  The scent is of sandalwood.  On one of my trips to Target to my surprise my beloved sandalwood was on clearance and the store only had a few items left.  I purchased what I could gather and was reluctant to use the candles out of fear that they were the last of the lot.  They were scented so that you could just walk by and could smell the scent.  I love, love the scent of sandalwood!  I love any scent that is earthy, warm and sensual.  These types of scents usually soothe and help me to relax. They put me in a good mood that my husband absolutely adores.  I also love warm, earthy colors and hues. 

I have a few sandalwood candles that I use strictly for decoration, but I wanted to salvage the ones I had already begun burning.  What to do, what to do? 

In attempt to salvage what I already had, I began to gather all of my old candles regardless of color and scent.   The CF candle above was my least favorite, thus I really wanted to upgrade it and the candle I use in my wall sconce was ready for a makeover.  Some containers I'll reuse, like the CF container, my votive above and the votive for my wall sconce.  However, I think I'll use a metal tin and decorate it in an effort to create something new and different for my bathroom.  It is time to break these molds and start again.

 Here are the steps I made:

1.  Use the double boiler method to melt my salvaged candles.  Stirring frequently as the wax melted.
2.  Gathered my container of choice (a clean and dry canning jar), an old birthday candle and melted wax. Placed all items together on protective mat.
3.  Poured melted wax poured into the canning jar.  You can see that the wax is beginning to harden upon contact.
4.  Once wax begins to film over on the top, I then dipped the birthday candle into the wax to coat it a bit to see if the middle section of the wax was beginning to harden. 
5.  After several dipping tests, I then pierced a small hold into a plastic Ziploc and pushed the birthday candle through it.  I then taped the top of the wick to the plastic bag to keep it from falling and getting lost in the wax. 
6.  Several hours later the wax has completely hardened and I removed the plastic covering.
7.  I now have a new scented candle to burn!

It just that simple!  I think what I will do from now on is purchased the cheap candles you find at the everything's a dollar store and create my own candles at home with whatever scent I so choose.  You can find wonderful jars, bowls, etc...at the same dollar store or at your local thrift store!

For more ideas or a different approach to recycling your old candles, check out this link from Lifestyle,  How to recycle your old candles.

Happy creations!