Recycling Candle Wax

Have you ever had a candle finish burning only to find that there's actually a lot of wax left over?

Whilst most candles I've used are very good burners, one I finished recently seemed to have more left over than had burnt! As it seemed such a waste to throw it away, I started thinking about recycling the wax - something I had heard of previously, but had put off as I worried that it would require a lot of specialist equipment and a time consuming process. However, in the spirit of trying to consume less,  I decided to try and reuse the wax in a way which required hardly any new costs, and a fairly simple process. The results? I'm kind of impressed, if I do say so myself! Some of you may have seen my Instagram stories from when I decided to make it up as I went along give it a go, and these are the details. The only new purchase I made was a couple of wood candle wicks from eBay (which came in at under £2 with free postage for the pair), and it only took me half an hour at the most!

So, here's the process and everything I used, yadda yadda...

- A container for your candle - 
This should be two things - watertight (or the melted wax will run through it) and heatproof (open flames + materials with a low melting point = bad accidents). Other than that, you can be pretty creative. I've seen images of old food containers - syrup tins and marmite or jam jars being used, and I also love the idea of using shells. One thing to remember is the ease at which you can light the candle - I was originally going to use a vintage milk bottle I usually use for plant cuttings, but the narrow opening would have made it difficult to light the candle once it had burnt further down. Instead I used this ceramic dish I picked up second hand, although you can of course always reuse the original candle container (just be sure to remove the old wick before pouring in the new candle).

-An old glass jug -
Specifically one you don't plan on using for food preparation. This will be used to melt the candle wax in, bain marie style. The process I used was this: place any loose parts of wax inside the empty jug. Fill a saucepan shallowly with boiling water, and place on the heat. Stand the jug in the water, and keep an eye on the wax as it melts. For the wax still in the original candle container, I placed the container in the water (again, in a bain marie style), and when enough of the wax had melted for it to become loose, I poured it into the main jug. I had a few candles I needed to do this with, and this was the most time consuming part, but it honestly wasn't that tedious. And my kitchen smelt like a Lush store, which was an added bonus ;)

- Candle Construction - 
When all the wax had melted down in the jug, I carefully removed anything left in the melted wax - e.g. burnt wicks - that I did not want in my 'new' candle. I then removed the jug from the bain marie, to let it cool a little before pouring (mainly because I was nervous about spilling it when it was piping hot). To keep the new wick stable, I dipped the wick base in the melted wax to act as a glue, and then positioned it in the centre of my new candle container. I left this to cool for a couple of minutes, just so that it was set before I poured in the rest of my candle wax. This meant that the wick stayed in place whilst I poured in the wax. It is worth having a second container ready, just in case you have more wax than you can fit in one candle! I'm not sure on the exact cooling times for candle wax, but I left mine at room temperature for 24 hours before I lit it.

- Considerations - 
One thing I haven't mentioned above is perhaps the most important - smell! When mixing different scented waxes together, things may get... interesting to say the least! I used two different scents in my candle, and whilst I was initially unsure about whether I needed to add more through essential oils, I would advise against it. There's already probably enough scent going on without any other additions! I hadn't though about it prior to this, and whilst the candle I ended up with smelt rather delicate and relaxing, I think it would be worth thinking about which scents should be combined. After all, there are bound to be certain combinations that are not going to be a good match. FYI, in this candle I also mixed wax types - soya and paraffin - and as far as I can tell it didn't make much of an impact on the burning process. Although, maybe in some circumstances it would?

Considering this is just an experiment I decided to do to see whether it could be worth while, I would 100% do this again. I'm still not entirely sure whether making candles from scratch is something that I want to do yet, however this was simple and means I can get more mileage from some of my favourite candles. Seeing as how I still have one of my two wicks left, there will definitely be a time in the near future where I repeat (and maybe improve upon!) this process.

So, do any of you make candles? I have to admit, I'm certainly curious about it now!

Bird-a Deep V Blouse

It's me! Hello! Apparently, flicking through the archives, my last post here was six months ago, so it's definitely been a while. The truth is, lately it's been hard finding the right time to post here, because this all seems so trivial whilst there are real problems out there in the world. When it boils down to it though, posting here makes me happy, and fulfills some of the creativity that I like to keep as a part of my life, so it's something I'd definitely like to start doing again. I've been feeling a need to return to the roots of my blog too, which was all about making stuff, so whilst I'll probably still do random posts, I think I want to focus most of my time here talking about making.

 It's quite interesting to look at how far I've come; in the beginning here I was definitely looking for quick, easy projects that required minimal effort and lots of glue gun action. Now however, I enjoy things a little more involved and time consuming. The one thing I like my projects to be now is useful. I want to make things that will see a lot of use, rather than making lots of small knick-knacky things, because it's kind of rewarding to repetitively use something that you made yourself. I've kind of gotten more aware of my personal style too; I like plainer designs with interesting detail, feminine styles that aren't too girlish, and elegant things that can be worn on the daily (read: fancy, but not too fancy).

So, I've got a lot of things that need to be blogged - the longer I haven't been blogging, the more I've been making it seems! It is also the case that I've got a little quicker at sewing (I'll never consider myself to be a speed sewer, but things definitely don't take as long as they did in the early days). There's a few previews of these projects on my instagram feed: these trousers that met a tragic end (that I will need therapy in order to discuss in full detail), this jacket which is now my most beloved possession, and these socks (which I still need to finish, but eh). And here I am, about to blog about the most recent thing I've made. But I have just thought up a superbly punny title, so I cannot miss such an opportunity.

This is the Burda "Deep V Blouse" (see what I did, see what I did??) - you can have a look see at the pattern here - made up in this rather lovely cotton lawn from Textile Express. When I first saw it, my instant thought was of canadian geese, although Textile Express seem to be upselling it as swan print. The navy version definitely makes me thinks of flamingos though, and I do believe there to be a light blue and yellow version of the print on the Fabric Godmother site. Do I have shares in this fabric? No, but I wish I did. Now, I know I just said I prefer plainer clothes at the moment, but for me this is quite a neutral print. Those of you who wear actually neutral clothing now are probably snickering behind your screens, but hey I'm a recovering print addict, and for me this is actually very wearable. It ticked the boxes in quite a few ways - firstly it was a bird print, which I am very partial to (as you shall see from some things which shall be blogged in the near future). Secondly it was MILLENIAL PINK. Very important. Perhaps most importantly, it was a pattern and fabric which looks great with denim. Denim is like, half of my wardrobe. I bought a metre and a half with not many plans except that I knew I wanted to make a top or a blouse of some type.

Which is where this Burda pattern came in. It's been on my to do list for actual years (since whenever that issue of the magazine came out), and seeing Sophie's version as part of me-made-may gave me the push. As a totally unrelated side, I am in love with Sophie's handmade wardrobe and want, like, one of everything. In a moment of decisive haste, as I was supposed to be working on a large assignment, I traced and cut out the pattern. Properly. In the past, when I traced out Burda patterns I was really lazy with adding seam allowance, and thought that if I just traced out a bigger size than needed I wouldn't need to add seam allowance? Because that makes sense? Oh 2015 me, you were so clever. This led to me learning several things - A- Burda patterns come out h u g e, B - just cut out the size you need and add seam allowance C - no really, it's actually worth it.

So this is the size 34-36". It's a style that's supposed to be oversized, so I don't think you have to be too particular about the sizing. But it's Burda, so if you're in doubt, I'd advise you to cut out a size down. A couple of things initially concerned me about the design - the lack of bust darts can be quite unflattering on me, and the armscye seemed really low. I therefore altered the design very, very slightly - raised the armscye by one inch, and also made the plunging neckline less dramatic. I do love the neckline on the original, but I wanted this to be wearable on the daily, and for me, that means a slightly higher neckline.

As you can see from the above photo, the armscye still turned out really, really low, and this troubled me, because I wanted to be able to move my arms! However, when wearing this top, I actually haven't found arm movement that tricky. I guess it's because the rest of the blouse is quite loose fitting, so it moves with you, rather than holding you in place. The sleeves are definitely my favourite part of this design, as they are quite dramatic. Each sleeve is constructed out of three sections - a middle, and a front and a back, with curved seams which creates a lovely, curved, voluminous design. The back has a yoke with two pleats either side, which creates more volume in the back. In this cotton fabric, it's definitely got a lot of body, but I'd be interested in seeing how it would look in a drapey fabric. Looking at these photos, the hem looks pretty uneven when it's on the hanger, but it's actually not. Having so much volume, it was a bit of a nightmare to get it to sit nice!

Here's some photos of the insides. I french seamed everything, because I am a masochist. Even though I am now firm friends with my overlocker, I still prefer to do nice seam finishes on projects like this as I think it's a bit more luxurious! If I'm taking the time to make something, I may as well put in the extra time to make it a bit more long lasting and tidy. The pattern calls for a neck facing, but I decided to use a bias tape instead, simply out of personal preference. I got halfway through making matching bias tape, before having had enough masochism on this particular day, and used a pink bias tape I already had in my supplies. Yup, it shows through slightly but I don't really care enough to put myself through bias binding hell.

As for the construction, I don't think there's that much of interest. I did what I always do with Burda instructions: read them through once, just to check if there's anything important I might miss, before abandoning them completely and making up my own thing. I deviated from the pattern and cut two yoke pieces so that seams were hidden inside, which again is just a personal preference. I also sewed in the sleeves in the flat, as I hadn't done this before and was a little bit curious as to what it was like. It seemed to work ok, and I think I would do it again. It definitely makes gathering and easing easier, although luckily the sleeves on this pattern seemed to fit really well.

Although I had a moment towards the end of this project, before hemming the sleeves and bottom edge, where I was worried I wasn't going to like the end result, I actually do really like it. Yes, it's rather ridiculously oversized which does give me 80s vibes, but I actually really love pretty much everything about 80s fashion, and I don't care what you think. I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it too, particularly if this heat wave we've been having continues. Every summer I always try to experiment with sleeveless styles, and always come back to loose, more covered up tops. They're just breezier to me somehow, and don't make me feel paranoid about burning my skin.

With the scraps, I made myself a matching neckerchief. Why am I so extra?

So, would I make it again, and any changes etc etc? Actually, yep, I've already got my next version kind of planned out. I want to use this pattern to try and recreate Lorde's dress/coat/thing here. Although I think this Guy Laroche pattern would be a more accurate recreation, I'm only using influences from this look. A Victorian style double breasted button plate though.... now that would be extra! For wearability though, I'm thinking a black cotton version of the Burda Deep V Blouse would actually work really well, if I added some sleeve ties and perhaps drafted a waistband and skirt so it was a dress. Or maybe I could just make a separate a-line skirt, to be worn with the top in order to give the illusion of a dress. It would also give me the option of wearing the two pieces separately, and I want to get the most mileage out of my handmade wardrobe. However, before this plan goes ahead I want to try and use up more of my fabric in my stash. Actually, don't hold me to that.

So, that was a bit wordier than I originally intended, but thanks for making it this far! I've got a few more sewing related things I want to blog, but I might try and mix it up a bit because I've got a few photos from places I've been that I want to make posts from, and I recently ordered some candle wicks, because I want to experiment with recycling some candles. Oooh, and also something involving espadrilles but I'll keep that under locks for now! Enjoy your week all!

SNAPSHOT: Hay-on-Wye and Tretower

Writing travel posts is something I love doing, but is also something I've been wanting to switch up for a while now. I've always felt like travel posts should be comprehensive pieces, with a lot of writing and recommendations, however lately I've been wanting to make travel posts a little lighter and more fun to create (and read!). Enter SNAPSHOT, a new series I'm starting in order to share my travel photos from the last year, with a little writing and recommendations, but with more focus on the images (an image is, after all, worth a thousand words).

Hay-on-Wye, situated on the perimeter of the Anglo-Welsh border, is the National Book Town of Wales. As such it features numerous charming little book shops, some general, some specific, but all housed in sweet old country shops and decorated in a very individualistic manner. Having lived and grown up on the English side of the border, Hay-on-Wye certainly had a familiarity to it which I always feel upon visiting border-towns, but had a charming higgledy-piggledy nature of its own.

//SHOP//

Richard Booth's Bookshop: One of the most famous (and oldest) bookshops in Hay-on-Wye, selling a selection of the latest titles and well chosen second-hand books, with a good balance between fiction and non-fiction. There's a lovely cafe downstairs, and a cinema too, all housed in a gorgeous tile-fronted building, with plenty of windows for natural lighting, and the cosiest armchairs for a spot of reading before you buy.

Addyman Books: A maze of bookish delights, with rooms dedicated to genres all decorated in a befitting way. This shop was truly awe-inspiring, and wandering from room to room made me excited about what was to be found around the corner.

Murder & Mayhem: One of Hay's specialist booksellers, dedicated to (you guessed it!) murder mysteries. Owned by Addyman Books, this is decorated in the same manner and as you step through the door you feel instantly transported to the eerie passages of Poe or perhaps the study of Sherlock Holmes. If you love a good whodunnit, this is a must visit.

Bartrums: If you love stationery, than Bartrums is right up your street - a well stocked stationery shop with big brands, and some independent brands too, making it the perfect place to buy a gift, or maybe something for yourself...

The Old Electric Shop: An eclectic and changing mix of vintage clothes and furniture, paired with independent companies and brands makes The Old Electric Shop a truly quirky shop that you won't forget. There's also a cafe, so it would naturally be rude not to visit.

The small village of Tretower is a short drive away, nestled in the stunning scenery of the Brecon Beacons. It's a jumble of slate and large stones which feels like it hasn't changed for at least 50 years, with a few small houses and a farm or two all watched over by the remains of a castle. It's a rather small, rather rugged place, that won me over as an idyllic, isolated Welsh gem. Being in the heart of the Brecon Beacons makes it a great place to go on a walk from, but during a fleeting visit I personally just enjoyed walking along a few of the village lanes seeing where they led to. It's quite a jumbled little place, but I think rather charmingly so!

-Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post. I'm excited about working on this series, as I have got so many unpublished photographs on my camera that I want to look over, some from almost a year ago!- 

What is it Like to Study With the Open University?

This is one of those posts that I've been sat on for a while, trying to post it at a seasonal time. However, I'm so out of touch with UCAS deadlines and school leaving times that I haven't been sure when to post it! Seeing as I've just completed my first week of my third year of study though, there seems no time better than the present. Read on to find out the basics of studying with the Open University, how it compares to a bricks-and-mortar university, and my general thoughts on the whole process...

A 5 Book Review

After finishing exams for the academic year a couple of months ago, I told myself I was going to get back into reading. It took a while, but hey, that's alright, I was practically living with my head in a book of some sort for months beforehand anyway. Allowing myself a bit of time off gave me the space to enjoy reading for reading's sake again, rather than reading for a strict purpose. I thought I'd group the past 5 books I read together and write kind of mini-reviews for them, just as a way to document what I liked and didn't like about them (I'm awful at updating Goodreads!). So, here they are. I'm going to try to avoid spoiling anything major about the plots, but there may be some slight spoilers ahead, so tread carefully if you haven't read any of these yet.

Penrhyn Castle and the Problem with Material Culture

Since the beginning of the year, I've been making an effort to travel to places that aren't that far away yet I've never actually visited. Therefore, I've accumulated quite a collection of snaps that I'm intending to share here at some point, and I was going to do so in date order because I'm a bit of a stickler for chronological order. However today I'm going to talk about a more recent trip to Penrhyn Castle in Bangor, North Wales. This one is playing heavy on my mind at the moment, particularly because I went the day after 'b-day' and I was naturally feeling devastated by the result, and also troubled about the future of the UK.

Petrichor

It's something of a stereotypical cliche that when us Brits don't know what to talk about, or have run out of conversation, we always bring up the weather. And so here I am, talking about the weather. It's officially been summer for a while now, but the heat and sunshine arrived a couple of weeks ago, casting everything in that hazy golden light that makes the world appear so still it might as well be a painting. At first it was nice to feel the sun on my skin, but after a few days even self-professed 'summer-people' began to tire of the uphill battle against the lazy heat. Life felt that much slower, like everything was coated in honey and wading through it was so much effort that it was easier to give in to the desire to do nothing. This being Britain, the sunshine eventually broke and we had heavy thundershowers arrive without notice. I don't consider myself to be much of a pluviophile, but I have to admit that the sound of the rain against the windows was a much needed reprise from the still silence of the heat. The world suddenly seemed awake again.

It's All In The Process

So, here's the story. Recently I was knitting a hat following a pattern which was a little more complex than those I usually reach for, and this naturally took a lot more concentration (and patience!) than I'm used to. I actually surprised myself with how much I enjoyed stretching my skills, and how instead of dreading working a tangled mess, I actually came to enjoy the level of concentration that this project required. The reason? Concentrating on this knitting project kept me in the moment, because I was so absorbed in the process.  I really slowed down towards the end of that project, because I didn't want the absorption to end, and I liked that after a busy day I could sit so consumed by my knitting that nothing else other than wrapping wool around needles entered my train of thought.

Why I Love Voluntary Work

It's no secret that voluntary work does wonders for your career and job prospects, whether you're a recent graduate or someone looking to change career path. However, as a long time volunteer I believe the benefits of a little volunteering lie far beyond that of furthering your career, so I thought I'd talk today about the few of the reasons why I love my voluntary positions.

THE KNIT FILES: Repeated Cables

One thing I don't do very often is knit the same thing more than once. I'm not sure why, perhaps a little boredom (although most knitting projects have some aspect that keep them interesting, like cabling or colour-work), but I think the real issue is that I'm always too eager to start something new. When I'm halfway through knitting one thing, I'm always thinking about what I'm going to cast on next, and possible ideas for other things I want to knit. However, recently I knit up the same hat a few times, and learnt quite a lot from the process.

Goals for 2016

So, we're now a few weeks into February and here I am writing about what it is I'm hoping to achieve in 2016 (a little late to the party I know!). The truth is, I'm not a big believer in New Year's Resolutions, instead thinking that a healthier way to make a change is to do so organically and when you feel like you need to. So this is more like a general list of things I'm hoping to do, rather than a must-stick-to-it-resolution, mostly because it feels like a good place to start after a little blogging break.

SOCKS!

As a somewhat seasonal knitter, socks are something that I've been working my way up to this winter - I mean, what could be more practical to wear with ankle boots or with pyjamas? I've always been intimidated by a few things - the use of double pointed needles, the shaping for the heel and toes, and the fact that sock yarn is usually very delicate has put me off for so long. However, a quiet few days over Christmas and New Year have been just what I needed to dedicate a bit of time into working it out, so I thought I'd collect a few of my early thoughts on sock knitting here...

Last Minute DIY Gift: Nutella Fudge

No intention to panic anyone, but Christmas is this Friday and I find myself thinking about a few last minute gifts I need to get. As much as I love making presents for people, this year I feel I've lacked enough time in order to plan what I'm going to make (and make it of course!). Which is where this recipe for fudge comes in. It's really simple, only requiring three ingredients, and takes 45 minutes to make, tops. Last minute gifts don't come as easy or yummy as this!

Knits for Winter

Perhaps the title of this post is a little ambiguous - I mean, what are knits for if not for winter? I'm typically a seasonal knitter, and all thoughts of knitting disappear from my mind when the temperatures soar, returning only when there's a distinct chill in the air. So, when my thoughts do turn to knitting, I let my list of patterns grow, and one of my favourite things to do is to leaf through a few of my knitting books to gather inspiration. I thought I'd compile a post of a few of my favourite patterns and books - I doubt I'll get the chance to knit up everything I want to, but when I find some swoon worthy knitting patterns, it seems a shame not to share them!

AWAKE: Thoughts on Giving Up

"I won't give up, this won't be the last you'll hear from me," sobs the contestant just voted off a televised talent show. "Don't give up, you can do it!" Shout the people on the sidelines of the London Marathon, cheering on the runners. "Never gonna give you up!" Sang Rick Astley (truly deeply sorry about this reference).

Here's the thing though - I think we should cut 'giving up' a bit of slack. Sure there's a lot to be said about perseverance, and there are a lot of things that I didn't think I would ever manage to do, but got there in the end after a lot of blood, sweat and tears. However, there are also things that I've given up on that I do not regret at all. In fact, I want to reclaim the territory of 'giving up' - I believe it's important to know when to call time on things, especially when they are no longer bringing you joy and you don't want to do them anymore.

So, read on to find a few things that I gave up on (big things and little things) and couldn't be happier about...

AWAKE: Dinas Bran in Autumn

Last weekend I finally got around to making my way up to Dinas Bran, a ruined Norman castle in North Wales, and although it was something I was thinking I would do this summer, I'm really pleased I did the walk in autumn. This past week has seen the trees start to change colour, and it was great to be able to see nature do its work from up high. Here are a few photos of the walk, and I'll let them do the talking before I start rambling on about jumpers and candles and pumpkin spiced lattes and all thing autumn :)

Slow Fashion October II: Quality vs Quantity

Buying and making things that are higher in quality, rather than having a lot of lower quality items is something that I've been thinking over a lot lately. And seeing as my recent thoughts on this tie in nicely with #slowfashionoctober I thought I would dedicate a post to my thoughts on this. I'm not promising any conclusions, because it's just a jumble in my head at the moment! Although usually getting things down on paper (or, er, the web) organises my thoughts a little better, so here goes!

Slow Fashion October I: My Slow Fashion Story

When I first heard the concept of Slow Fashion October over on Fringe Association, I was really excited by the idea of a month that celebrated individual takes on slow fashion. What I love in particular about Karen's idea is that it's inclusive of all - whether you're a thrifter, a maker, a mender, a minimalist, or just interested in supporting local, or sustainable, fair-trade companies, you can take part. It just so happens that with a quirk of coincidence, I was already planning a couple of posts touching on some of the issues connected with slow fashion, so thought I might as well tie them in with everyone else in October. Here's a quick introduction of how I got interested in slow fashion, and where I am today with my consumer habits...

KNIT: Fairisle Stripe

Hats are definitely my knitting comfort zone. I like the fact that they knit up super quickly, are pretty easy shaping wise, yet there's still enough details to keep me interested. They also require very little wool, so there's also that (however, if I saved up all the wool I used in hats, I think I'd easily have enough for a jumper!). One thing I keep challenging myself with (in both knitting and sewing) is to try new things however, so I find if I am knitting a hat, I do try to stretch myself in some form or another. In this case, it was knitting in the round (you can see this hat in progress on that post), and I have to say that I'm a definite convert. So, here's how this little hat went, and my final thoughts on knitting in the round!

SEWN: Vintage Pledge 1 - Cartoon Flowers

Does anyone remember when I wrote out my Vintage Pledge for the year? Yeah, I had to reread that post too just to remind myself of what I'd written! But the truth is that whilst I haven't been blogging much of my sewing of late, I have actually been sewing more than ever, so there's a little bit of a backlog. Naturally, a good blogger would start in order and blog older things first, so here I am blogging the latest thing I've made. Somehow it's just always more exciting to write about things that are fresh off of the sewing machine!

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