Another attempt at being a domestic goddess...

Every couple weeks, I try to be like Martha Stewart. Whether it's scrapbooking with my cricut, making elaborate from-scratch meals, or last week's candle making, there's always something new I want to attempt to prove I can do it all. I've found that I always take it a bit farther than I should (did I really need to buy four boxes of Mason jars and go to three Hobby Lobby's?!)... so it isn't until I have a few days to reflect on the project/meal that I realize that I really enjoyed it.

The candle making was an attempt to prove that making candles would be saving me money in the long run and that they would be personalized. The Mason jar candle also has a vintage feel that I love.

I decided on using white soy wax and just used the directions on the wax, wicks, and a DIY blog that my best friend Gwen wrote a couple years ago when she worked for KC Star. Here's a link to that: http://www.kcweddings.com/blogs/topic.php?t=6

I decided to make some of the candles with coffee beans in them, but decided I may have dumped too many beans in them (something I'll perfect if I make these again) for them to burn without crackling. I used mostly vanilla scent but a few have guava mango or a pina colada scent.

Overall, the project was fun, but I honestly don't know if I'll be dying to do it again. I will eventually need to do another session to use up the extra wicks. It ended up being more money than I thought, and I have a lot of Mason jars left. Putting in only the recommended amount of scent isn't enough if you are used to very fragrant candles like I am. They are really cute though, and they are making good gifts for friends staying with me the next couple weekends or hostess gifts when people have me over. It's a homemade gift that people can actually use. I bought two big bags of soy wax and it made about 15 candles (in four different sizes). The plus of soy wax is that it will burn for a very long time, so I made high quality candles. I'm sure I could make them cheaper next time!

I would recommend making the candles if you already have the jars or if you are just wanting to make a handful of candles. Also, if you like fragrant candles that reach an entire room, put in double the recommended amount of frangrance.