Thursday, September 15, 2011

Holiday Swirl Candles!



Just a reminder to all our wonderful customers, busy season is here at Bitter Creek!

What does that mean to you? It means order processing that normally is same or next day can take a few extra days in house. We try our best to be as fast as we can be! It also means that although we do our very best to anticipate the needs of our customers sometimes with as much planning ahead as we do, an item will end up running out before we get our new supply in. I strongly recommend that everyone order extras when they order as to not be caught in the crunch if we happen to run out of your wax, wick or fragrance!

Remember it's busy here too, but like always we are here to help you, our customer! If you need assistance, please let us know! Our office hours are 9-5 Monday-Friday Central time. Our Tech Support hours are the same. We at Bitter Creek want to ensure that your Holiday season is as successful as it can be!

Now the fun stuff!!!

Because the Holidays are coming up fast, I thought it would be fun to do a few swirl candles! I made these years ago when I did craft shows and people just ate them up! They were always the first candles to sell out. There is a good reason, they are beautiful! I did these in a Ball Platinum canning jar but you can use any jar. I really love the look of the Mason Jars myself but these really look fantastic in just about any jar!

I recommend using either a single pour paraffin wax blend or a soy wax for these. The wax has to be a single pour to achieve this look.

~Figure out in weight how much wax you will need for each candle. I recommend adding just a little to this amount as some will stick to the side of the pouring pot because of the cool pour temp.
~Next split that amount between two pouring pots.
~Scent your wax and color one pot a dark color and either leave the second pot white or color a MUCH lighter color. Contrast here is Key. (on a side note, don't use red and green together for Christmas candles, you will end up with a very ugly brown! Brown candles for Christmas with red and green streaks will not be attractive. ;) )
~Allow your wax to cool until it starts to thicken a bit then position your pots, one on each side of your container and pour at the same time. The cool wax prevents it from completely mixing with the other color allowing for a "swirl" look. Varying temps will make your wax thicker or more fluid. The thicker it is the more definition, the thinner the less.
~Use either a standard wick or for extra fun, Try a Wood Wick!



Here are some ideas on scent and color combinations for upcoming Holiday sales!
*Mistletoe - Christmas Green and White
*Candy Cane - Red and White
*A Northwoods Christmas - Hunters Green and White
*Spiced Cranberry - Cranberry Red and Dark Brown or Black
*Old Fashioned Christmas - Deep Burgandy and Ivory
*Buttery Gingerbread - Dark Brown and Ivory or Tan
*Pumpkin Spice - Dark Rust with Ivory or a Light Tan

Have fun & Happy Candlemaking!
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