Don’t Can the Candle
I love candles. And I especially love my own candles, of course (available by clicking on the SHOP icon on my website), because they are 100% natural with a cotton wick and essential oils.
Before I begin, here are two sMARt tips regarding candles. Did you know that you should trim the wick before each and every time you light the candle? This controls the height of the flame and thereby how fast your candle will burn. Also, it’s a good idea to let your candle burn for at least one hour each time. This way your candle will burn evenly, maximizing its burn time.
Here are a few facts about candles: candle sales in the US alone are estimated to be approximately $2 billion annually and seven out of 10 households use candles. That said, candles come in all kinds of reusable containers. In a world of disposable everything, old candle holders can be reused, redesigned and repurposed for a multitude of creative functional solutions. Case in point, the most common use of an old candle container is a pencil holder. I have one on my desk right now, as its decorative wallpaper cover provides fun visual interest and compliments the colors of my office. It holds my scissors, highlighters and a plethora of pens and pencils. I hate losing good pens and this allows me to be organized in a fashionable and functional way. I’ve come along way since the tin can in grammar school and the coffee mug in college! But that same mindset of yesteryear abides in me today.
My girlfriends are now using their once old candleholders in the bathroom to hold things like makeup brushes, eye and lip pencils, cotton swabs, toothbrushes and other small bathroom necessities. In fact, some candleholders are nice enough to use as a bathroom water glass, as I learned when I saw my very own vessel at a hotel in New York City being used for this purpose.
Some vessels are perfect for holding fireplace matches while others can be used for collecting spare change or as a candy dish.
Now would be a good time to discuss cleaning old candleholders. Here is an easy trick that will make it simpler than you thought possible. Once most of the wax has been burned, simply put the container in the freezer overnight. In the morning you’ll be able to pop out the old wax and wicking with a blunt knife. A butter knife works perfectly. Then, if it’s glass just pop it in the dishwasher and you’re good to go.
Candles that come in decorative glass can be reused for their original purpose as well. Use them to hold votive candles or tea lights. You can simply pop them in the bottom of the vessel, however if the vessel is clear you might want to make it look a bit more “done.” I like to nestle tea lights in black lentils—it acts as an anchor for the tea light—and place them in the bathroom, on a windowsill or on the mantle. Of course, any color lentil will do.
Glass candleholders also make great little vases for holding small flower arrangements. Sometimes a few small arrangements on a dinner table are more intimate and casually elegant than one large arrangement in the middle of the table.
If the candleholder is small enough it can used to hold toothpicks. Metal works as well as glass in this instance.
Having a party? Use old glass candleholders for cut lemons and limes instead of dishes. They can also hold swizzle sticks, celery, cherries, onions or other cocktail condiments.
You can see that ,with a little ingenuity, there are an unlimited number of ways a candleholder can be repurposed.
So the next time you light up a candle, don’t make light of the vessel. Don’t “can the candle’ now that you have seen the light!
And there you have it!
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