Meg and I share an addiction to these wonderful candles from Wal-Mart. We had a great laugh when my grand-daughter, Heather, admitted that she loved them too. It seems that her budget conscious fellow tried to discourage her from purchasing one by saying "You don't "need" that." She had to tell him while putting it back into the cart " Oh yes I do!" We know what she means. These candles are of terrific quality, yet cost only five dollars. Their competitor, Yankee Candles, cost over 25 dollars for almost the same thing! I love Yankee Candles but can't afford them. These Wal-Mart Candles bring so much warm, scented joy and make us ladies feel a sense of "Home".
Before lighting the candle for the day, I "trim the wick" by using my fingers to "pinch" the old black wick off leaving 1/3 inch to light. I remove that long piece of wick and throw it away so that 1) it doesn't drop into the candle wax and make it black and ugly and 2) The flame will be smaller and under better control. It won't burn crazy.
I keep a box of wooden kitchen matches in a high cabinet and Juby is allowed to light the candle which she enjoys. Matches are a lot more fun than a lighter and easier to deal with.
We bought this metal candle "topper" from the Yankee Candle store but saw them at Michaels Crafts as well. This lid fits all the jarred candles well and creates some protection around the flame. We keep our daily newspaper in this same area and I think the "lid" (with a hole in the middle of it) makes things safer. This lid gets hot, so I use a butter knife to hook inside the top edge to remove it before the flame is extinguished.
To protect our countertop, we burn our candle on a small placemat the kids made on a plastic loom. I LOVE to light a candle when I am cooking or when we are doing our schoolwork. Meg lights hers when she is cleaning the house. Here is a hint: The first time you light your candle- make sure that you will be home for three hours while it burns. It seems that the FIRST time a candle is lit, the future burn pattern is set up. If you have to blow it out after only an hour or so, it may burn down into a skinny tube to the bottom when lit for all future times. You want it to turn to liquid across the entire top layer before you blow it out.
We use the lid to help snuff the candle out. It keeps all the smoke inside which dissipates without making the house smell bad. Every season brings its own colors and scents for these economical candles. We look forward to enjoying each one while it burns. Mine last for two weeks to a month depending on how much I am using it. They are particularly nice on grey days and in the evenings, but not needed at all when it is 95 degrees out! The fall colors and scents are wonderful. Enjoy!
