A couple years ago, I got the most amazing candle on clearance at Pottery Barn for all of like two dollars. Unlike most candles its size, it had only one wick, which burned straight down and left a large amount of wax unused. It smelled fantastic and I kept it for all this time, certain that I’d use it for… well, something. The other day I decided I was going to pour my own candles using the leftover wax. I’d never made candles before, knew nothing about it, but a short conversation with my mother (who has candlemaking experience) set me on the right path.

Here’s a basic tutorial on how to make some of your own.

Supplies needed:
Leftover candle wax, or new wax for making your own scents
Glass votive holders or small jars
Wicks (If you can’t find somewhere to buy them, use birthday candles!)
An old knife or cheese grater
A small container or dish to hold wax pieces
A crock pot
Essential oils or fragrances (optional)

Step 1.
Start by making sure your candle holders are clean and empty. Mine wouldn’t come perfectly clean, but no big deal! They’re just for me to use. If you’re having trouble getting old wax out of votive glasses, pop them in the freezer for half an hour or so. When you take them out, the leftover wax should pop right out when you press the edge with a knife.

Step 2.
Cut or grate up your wax and fill your containers to the brim, packing it down as you go. It’ll melt down to about half to 2/3 full, so make sure you have plenty more wax to top the containers off.

Step 3.
Set your filled containers in the crock pot, cover, and turn it on high. You don’t need to put any water in the crock pot. It’ll take half an hour to 45 minutes for the wax to melt fully. Add more wax shavings or chips as it melts and the wax level in the glasses drops. If you’re adding fragrance, this is when you’d add a few drops to each candle. Using a wooden skewer or popsicle stick to stir it up works great.

Step 4.
Once the wax is all melted and your candles are the depth you want them, turn off the crock pot and carefully drop the wicks into the middle of the melted wax. Let cool.
I removed mine from the crock pot to cool, but you can leave them in if you want – It might work better if you do. The wax shrinks as it cools, causing it to sink in the middle around the wicks. The faster the wax cools, the deeper it will sink.

It doesn’t hurt the usability of the candles, but if you want them to look store-bought, you may want to let them cool slowly in the covered crock pot, melt a little wax in a separate container and pour it into each after they’ve cooled and become sunken, or melt the top with a hair dryer to get the wax to even back out. Once they’re completely cooled, you can wipe or scrape any stray wax from the glass to give it a neat and polished look. Which I did not.
Either way, all done!

At the beginning of the year, I turned my Valentine’s roses into potpourri.

It’s no secret that roses are my favorite flower. I normally dry the flowers my husband gives me, but with a new baby in the house, I was too distracted to do it and they started drooping and dropping petals before I had a chance to hang them for drying. So they became potpourri instead, and the process was really simple.

I did some reading online about potpourris, and learned that they’re best with a fixative. Everywhere suggested using orris root powder as a fixative. I spent the whole time thinking, what the devil is an orris?
Turns out they mean iris root. I know what irises are, but I don’t have any and I couldn’t find anywhere to buy powdered iris bulbs, so I used the next best thing: Lavender.

So, here’s the basic rundown!

Supplies needed:

Roses
Paper towels
Rose oil
Dried lavender
Container with lid, large enough to hold all the petals

I got the rose oil and lavender at Michaels. They’re kept with the candle and soapmaking supplies. I used coupons, so it cost me under $5 for both.

Step 1.
Once your roses are all wilted and dead-looking, gently pluck all the petals off and lay them on the paper towels to dry. Depending on where you live, it may only take a few days or it could take a week. Either way, make sure they’re all nice and crispy dry before moving on. Be sure to stir them every day so that the petals on the bottom have a chance to air out and dry thoroughly.

Step 2.
Dump all your dried, crispy rose petals into a container. I used a mixing bowl with a lid. Add some dried lavender. I read that a tablespoon was plenty, but I didn’t feel like measuring, so I just dumped in about a quarter of the package. The purpose of the fixative, by the way, is to absorb any unpleasant odors the other contents might put off. Rose petals get a funny smell to them when they dry, sometimes, especially store-bought roses. The fixatives also hold the added fragrance longer.
 

Step 3.
Add a few drops of rose scented oil to the container. I used about 10 drops, when ended up being WAY more than was necessary, making my potpourri very strong. I’d suggest using about 5 or 6 drops instead. Once that’s added, put the lid on, shake it up, and put it away! You’ll want it to sit and soak up the fragrance for a few days, so keep the lid on and store it in a cool, dark place for about a week.

Step 4.
Put it out in a container in your house and enjoy your work! The fragrance should last for a few weeks. Heat makes the fragrance stronger, so if you put it near a heat vent, your house will smell fantastic through the chilliest weeks of winter.

As an afterword, be sure to keep your bottle of rose oil in a cool, dark storage place to keep it from weakening. Whenever your potpourri begins to lose its scent, just add a few more drops of oil to freshen it up!