Fun With Wax
Posted by terrepruitt on June 13, 2013
I have been teaching Nia in San Jose for four and a half years. I have been teaching Nia in the same studio in Willow Glen. I drive down Lincoln about twice a week. There are many stores and businesses on the street. There are also many pedestrians. For those of you that don’t know, Lincoln Avenue is very pretty. They have trees and bushes and flowers . . . very nice landscaping, however, the lovely foliage HIDES the pedestrians and those flashing lights (the ones that flash to call attention to pedestrians crossing the street). So you have to really pay attention. Sometimes people just dart out from the bushes. I am always concentrating on the pedestrians so I don’t notice all the stores that come and go. When I do walk down the street I am always amazed at a new shop that has popped up or one that has closed. One of the new ones is Glow. It is a build-a-candle candle shop. When I first saw it I was so excited. I kept squealing with each new thing I saw as I walked through. There are colors and fragrances and little trinkets you can add to the candle. I couldn’t wait to go!
This week I have my niece visiting and I thought it would be fun for us to go make a candle. It is something we can do and visit at the same time. Plus it is creative and then we will have a candle to show for it. First you choose your mold. What size and shape you want. Then you choose your colors, any pips, and if you want any trinkets. Then you choose the scent you want to have. Then you set about putting it all together.
The pips are plastic pieces that you stick to the side of the mold. They have all different kinds of pips: butterflies, birds, flowers, stars, guitars, martini glasses, crosses, letters, lipstick, dresses, shoes, you name it, they probably have it. After you stick the pips to the side, then you break up the sheets of wax. You get to choose from a variety of colors. Once the candle is poured and set, the pips show through on the sides of the candle.
When you are done filling the mold with the pieces the shop keep pours hot melted wax into the mold over the broken pieces. Then it sets. The store keep puts a wick in it and polishes it and you have a cool candle that you made.
There is “studio fee” of $9.95 and then the cost of the candle which is determined by the size and shape you choose. All pips are included as well as the poured wax and fragrance. The little charms and other things are priced per piece and the costs vary from less than a dollar all the way to at least $4.00. I believe there might be ones that cost more than $4.00 but that was the one I saw.
The day we went back to pick up our candle we were being helped by the assistant manager, Laura, and she was a wealth of information. She shared some tips and tricks that my niece and I wished we had been privy to the day before when we were making our candles. But now we know and we are anxious to go back again to make more candles.
The experience is not an inexpensive one, but as I said, it is an EXPERIENCE. It is an activity. It is a fun thing to do with people who you want to be with. Once you pay the studio fee you can buy as many candles as you want to make. So it could be a great way to kick out some gifts for Christmas. Pay the studio fee then make a few candles. Do it with friends and you have a great time. I think an activity that results in a wonderful smelling candle makes for a great day. My niece and I had a great time.
I thought it was great fun to build a candle. I also thought is was pretty exciting to wait for the candle to be ready for pick up the next day. I really love this activity and can’t wait to go back. The candles we made, while not perfect, look pretty nice, smell great, and burn well. This was definitely a fun time with wax.
Do you like candles? What color candle would you make?
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Terre Pruitt's Blog 
Michele said
Beautiful! Your niece and the candles 🙂 How fun!!!!!! I love candles, and it would be red for sure.
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terrepruitt said
Thanks. 🙂
Well, I don’t know. You might make a Santa Cruz one! It was blue like the ocean with sand and sea shells on top. And it said “Santa Cruz” in it. It was cool. I thought of you when I saw it! See if this works: Santa Cruz candle on Glow’s website (click)
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Michele said
I could not see it from that link, but did find their facebook page and saw it…that would look good in the kids bathroom – it has blue walls! Or mine, it is sand colored 🙂 I guess, my house does not have much red, needs more!
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terrepruitt said
Well, since it is your house you can make it have red. Yipee! 🙂
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Sarah's Attic of Treasures said
I use to make candles. I would love to visit.
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terrepruitt said
It is fun. My dad used to make candles, too. I have found some recently. I made some once with a friend. It is fun!
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Sarah's Attic of Treasures said
It’s is fun.
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