I'm Getting Better!

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you know I often lament about how I suck at pillar candle making. Well I'm happy to report that I'm improving-slightly. I ordered a new type of wax that I've never used before, and I'm quite pleased with it. I went to At Wix End to originally order a drill bit for my pillars, but I not only got that, I bought a 5 pound bag of this wax. I love it because it's a one pour wax, meaning you don't get those pesky sink holes. I hate those damn things! Secondly, the finished product yields this beautiful snowflake effect. I scented this candle in Blackberry Nectarine from Candle Science, but the color doesn't really reflect it. I was testing the wax after all! I give this wax 4.5 stars out of 5. Like all soy and palm waxes, you get that powdered fluff which gets all over the place. I wish they'd package these types of waxes in a container. Those plastic bags they pack them in aren't worth a damn. The tiniest little hole will get that powdered stuff all over the place. Looks like a huge bag of cocaine to me!

I'm off to make a few more candles. Stay tuned...

Flame Porn: Candle Confections

It's Monday, so I'm doing my regular, weekly feature. This week's Queen of Flame is the owner of Candle Confections. I met Sherry months ago thru an Etsy convo, and we've sort of lost touch, but I've never forgotten her or her scrumptious-looking flames. I told her how in awe of work I was, and that I was insanely jealous of her talent. Look at this delicious Strawberry Covered Chocolate Cake in a jar. Don't you just want to grab a spoon and dig in? Oh how I long for smell-o-vision! One day I'll try to make my own version of this decadent candle. Look for a tutorial soon. I think this would make a nice gift for the person who has it all

Pardon Me, But I Prefer Foodie To Glutton or Pig

Who am I kidding? I am a weekend glutton and a part-time pig-sometimes. I love the smell of food-particularly baked goods, and that translates into the scents I offer for my soaps and candles. For the life of me, I've tried to fall in love with florals, and orientals, and smoky scents, but I keep gravitating toward chocolate, cream, and vanilla-based scents. I find them comforting and appetite-suppressing. Weird, huh? When I burn my banana bread pillars, I don't feel the need to have a snack because I'm constantly inhaling the scent. It doesn't always work. When I want chocolate, I have to have chocolate!

So I'm off to make food-shaped candles while I burn my banana bread candle. They're always a big hit around the holidays, and of course, my family always waits til the last minute to order a bunch for their co-workers, friends, kids' teachers...

Flame Porn

No I aint talkin' about gay porn you pervs (smile), I'm talking about candles! Everyone in the soaping circle knows that soap porn is a popular feature, but dangit, I want some candle porn! I love candles, and I want to spread the love! First up, someone I consider the queen of flame, Misty-owner of Burnt Mill Candles and Soap. This gal's got skills! Check these candles out! I am so jealous right now I could scream! Look at the craftmanship and the color. These are awesome. I actually ordered some from her that are waiting for me at the post office (can't leave work earlier enough to pick them up-will get them this weekend for sure!)

I'm gonna make this a weekly feature. Chandlers need love too!

Like A Moth To A Flame...

burned by the fire. I love my candles, can't you see my desire? Okay, I stole that from Janet Jackson, but I've been on a candle kick lately. I made this strawberry shortcake one that I just listed on Etsy. I've been neglecting my flames, and I need to get back on track. I've been so consumed with soap lately, that I actually forgot how to make this friggin candle. Can you believe it? It's not rocket science, but I have my ways of doing things. The strawberries are made wax made just for embedding. I don't use soy wax for my embeds because its too soft, and I can't get it out of my molds. I just don't recommend soy wax for embedding. If you know of how to use soy wax to make embeds, let me know.

I'm off to make more candles. We're having a gift exchange next week, and I'm making a gift basket of my different offerings.

The Wax Woman Cometh

A few posts ago, I lamented how I frustrated I was that my pillar candles were not turning out the way I wanted. Well, I'm happy to say, that things are vastly improving. I still have issues with the bottom being un-leveled and perfecting the 2nd pour, but it's getting better. I've been combing the web for a professional leveler, and they want over $100 for a fancy plug-in hot plate. OH NO!!! One thing my mama always taught me was to be self-sufficient and creative-especially when dealing with a lack of funds. Guess what I used? An old sauce pan!!! I just put the setting on a low heat and rubbed the bottom around til it achieved a decent level. These flames are scented in Black Cherry and Red Currant and Raspberry. I love the color! The Red Currant & Raspberry will make a wonderful holiday candle-it just smells like Christmas to me!

Another quick tip: Use an old stocking to buff out fingerprints, smudges and other little imperfections.

I Still Love You Wax, But You're Killing Me

I haven't blogged about a candle in ages. When I become obsessed with something, I tend to neglect everything else. I had to step away from the candle making because I'm a little frustrated. I'm learning to make pillar candles, but I'm having the darnedest time evening out the bottom of the candle after my second pour hardens. The candle is gorgeous on the top, but lopsided and uneven on the bottom. They smell great, but they're not sell-able.

So, I've been reading and studying and stewing in my own frustrations trying to make this thing work! So, I'm back to the drawing board. I'll be in the lab (a/k/a my kitchen) making another batch of pillars. I'll post pics in my next post. Til then, it's happy soap making for me!

I'm A Busy, Crafty Chick!

Hello Decadent Subjects,

I usually go through periods of extreme creativtiy and low crafter's block. So what's my latest obsession? It's pillar candles! I've always been intimidated by them for some reason, but as anyone who wants to learn how to do something, you study, and you study hard. One of my favorite candle suppliers, Cierra Candles, sadly closed shop a few months ago, and everything was going at rock bottom prices, so I scooped up a few pillar molds to test the waters. My one beef with aluminum pillar molds: the hard, metal edges. I've cut myself numerous times on those damn things, but they make gorgeous candles!

I made a few pillars today, and I don't think they look bad for a first effort. I love heart-shaped molds. I've sort of adopted hearts as my signature theme. Hearts mean so much to me for so many reasons (another day, another post.) Here are two that I've made-Pumpkin Mousse and Cherry Cola. I don't have any pillar wax right now (I've ordered some from Candle Science today) so I'm using palm wax that's actually formulated for containers. These didn't turn out too badly. I used a cool water bath to give them a shiny-like finish. Palm wax really holds scent nicely. It also gives a slightly mottled or crackled appearance which I really like. The two candles above are scented in Pumpkin Mousse and Cherry Cola (an actual mix of cherry and cola). I got those from Candles and Supplies. I'm going to give these to a couple of friends to test because they really aren't fit to sell.

It's Baaaaaaack!!!!

It kept calling me like. I was like an addict searching for her next hit. I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I literally dreamed about it. "What is it?" you're asking. Okay, I won't keep you in suspense any longer: It's The Decadent Flame!!!!!

I told myself I would concentrate on my soap making and possibly pick the candles back up in the fall, but I missed my wicked babes. I re-launched my Etsy shop today. For those of you who don't know, you better ask somebody! Just kidding. The Decadent Flame is my shop dedicated to my love of all things sweet. I make dessert-inspired candles scented and shaped like pies, cakes, sundaes, etc. The photos really don't do these candles justice. Whenever I do a show, people are just in awe that it's actually a candle. They sell like hotcakes. I'm hoping to get selected for an outdoor craft festival here in DC called Crafty Bastards. I bet when I lay these candles out next to my soaps, the soaps will get no love. I won't be surprised though. It never fails. Anyway, I'm happy that The Decadent Flame is back, and I'll be doing more candle projects really soon.

The Big Reveal! Ok, Maybe Not So Big

Hey Ya'll,

My "alkie" candles are finished, and while I'm not completely happy with the results, I'm not unhappy either. I know I'm going to catch HELL for this, but I'm not a big fan of pure soy and that's what these candles are made of. Yes, soy is cleaner and supposedly better for the environment, yadda, yadda, but I can't get past the pastel colors they produce no matter how much dye or color chips I use. If any soy experts out there know of a way for me to produce a richer, bolder color in soy wax, please let me know. Also, when the soy hardens, it's still really soft, and they make a little crease around my wick. Ok, I'm being picky, but I like paraffin. There, I said it. I LIKE PARAFFIN!!!! Enough of my bitching, here's the finished product. I'm going to next make a batch with a soy/paraffin blend to see if I notice any difference. Oh, the fragrances I used for my alkie candles: the pink one is called Daiquiri Luxe, the brownish-gray one is called Flaming Black Russian, the brownish-yellow one is called Southern Iced Tea (for those who don't imbibe), and lastly, the mint colored one is called Watermelon Martini.

Something New

Hey My Lovelies,

Most of my candles, as you've seen, have been shaped like some kind of cake or pastry or scrumptious dessert item. I've decided to try making a "regular" container candle. I've done them before, but it's been a good 5 or 6 months. To keep my theme going, all the scents of course, will be "edible," but with a twist. I haven't decided on a name for this line yet, but all the scents will be based on either some of my favorite drinks or those of my friends. But there's one more catch: All the scents will be "alcoholic." I found these cool jars over at Candles and Supplies. I think they're elegant without breaking my budget. I've got a few tasty cordials I'm preparing now. I'll have some pics tomorrow. Oh, guess what I'm watching? The Lost Boys. Oh my goodness, I'm really old now:-D Smooches!

New Product Alert and Candle Making Tutorial

Good Afternoon Everyone,

As I stated in my previous post, I was going to be making either soap or candles, and I decided on candles since I haven't talked about them much since I started blogging. Candles in themselves are pretty simple to make, but I'm having difficulties personally with choosing the right wick size. Why is that important you may ask? The wick really is the most important part of the candle. It will ultimately determine the performance of your candle in terms of burn time, burn capacity, flame capacity, and scent throw to name a few. If the wick is too small, the melted wax around the wick will extinguish the flame. If the wick is too large on the other hand, then it will shorten your burn time, create a really high and dangerous flame, and you'll get that ugly black soot around your candle container. Okay, that's your quick tip of the day, now on to the good stuff. My beverage candles which I currently sell on Etsy inspired me to make a new candle with the same jars. I call these Decadent Sundaes, and yes, I will be selling these on Etsy.


Decadent Sundaes are just that: I took strawberry scented gel wax and hot fudge scented soy/paraffin wax and drizzled them along the insides of a 7 oz fountain soda jar. Then I heated some soy/paraffin blend wax (it's not too hard and not too soft), scented with either Strawberry Jam fragrance or Vanilla Bean fragrance then let cool for about 15 minutes until it formed a slight skin. I next took my battery-operated drink mixer and whipped the wax for about five minutes until it began to appear whipped in texture and appearance. I did not want the wax to harden, but stay pourable. Once I poured the whipped concoction, I set a waxed ice cream scoop on top. For the Strawberry Sundae, I placed two waxed strawberries on the side, then I drizzled some more gel wax over the ice cream and the strawberries to set them. For the Hot Fudge Sundae, I placed a wax cherry on top of the ice cream scoop, then drizzled more hot fudge wax over them. Check out the set up through the finish.