Small Ways | Candlelight
Simple. Reachable. Doable. Small ways. They pack enough punch to change your world, or your day. Or maybe, simply and gloriously, they’ll change your moment. Small Ways is a series about small objects, small gestures, small touches. Small ways for living well.
It’s one of the first things I do in the morning, touch a flaming match to the wick of the candle in the kitchen window. A soft pool of light spreads into the still, dark morning. I light the candle sconces above the window seat, then, and the candle on the end table, and the one in the bookcase. I fill the kettle, brew the tea, tuck under a warm blanket, and, for a few moments, I’m there, held by gentle light. Not for reading by, this light is for thinking by, for listening by, for knowing by.
Because of this early morning practice, I’ve thought a lot about candles and sourcing and stewardship and ethics and ingredients and health and wellness. It’s a lot to consider. Beeswax? Paraffin? Vegetable wax? (What’s even in paraffin and vegetable wax?) Synthetic wicks? Cotton wicks (lead free)? Poured? Dipped? Tapers, pillars, tea lights, or votives? Scented or unscented? Do I prefer translucent containers or opaque? Should I purchase candles, or should I make my own? See? It’s a lot. I’ve been inspired over the years to research, to learn, to trial, and then to simplify what sometimes feels overwhelming down to something that’s doable, beneficial, and right for us. I thought I’d share.
Mostly, we burn 100% beeswax candles, and mostly tapers. All natural, and non-toxic, beeswax candles actually clean the air by releasing negative ions which bind with toxins and help remove them from the air. Beeswax candles also burn slower and emit the brightest flame. Their raw color is a pale golden yellow that I am especially fond of.
I find that tapers use the wax most efficiently, leaving very little waste after the candle has burned down. I consider them our everyday, always-on-hand candles. I like knowing that, if nothing else, I have tapers. A new development in my candle inventory is to have a larger pillar candle (so pretty in a glass hurricane) and some small pillar candles on hand (more on this in a minute). I may buy votives for outdoor ice lanterns in winter, but I don’t tend to use votives or tea lights indoors, as I find that they burn too quickly. I’ve sourced most of my beeswax taper candles over the years from Bluecorn Beeswax, a small company in Colorado. I appreciate their quality, prices, and bulk option. The tapers from Forest Bound are also a top favorite and come packaged perfectly for gift giving.
As for poured candles, I’ve recently realized that I prefer opaque glass containers to translucent. I appreciate not seeing from the outside, the wax residue that lines the inside of the glass as the candle burns down. My favorite containers are simple glass cylindrical jars in frosted white…which brings me to scented candles.
Although I’ve tried quite a few others, I keep coming back to Linnea. Their story, their ingredients, their standards, their product, their price - all so compelling. It was two or three years ago in summer that I first purchased their Heirloom Tomato candle. It’s amazing and without a doubt one of the most beautiful scents I’ve experienced - perfect for mid to late summer. I’ve burned Forest Fir over the past couple holiday seasons and it was another immediate favorite, as it captures so well the authentic smell of fresh evergreen. This year, I wanted to find an autumn scent that didn’t smell like sweet pumpkin and spice (not for me), but was more earthy, woodsy, and rustic, yet mellow and warm. I chose two, Embers and Gather, and have layered them together by burning them at the same time. The scent is just what I was hoping for (and each is just lovely on its own).
Aside from the scents, it’s the jars that hold the Linnea candles that I find so understated and beautiful. They are simple white frosted glass that seems to glow from within when lit. And? When the candles have burned out, I’ve cleaned the jars to use again for other candles. Recently, I found the 3x3 beeswax pillar from Bluecorn to be a perfect fit, giving me a wonderful way to burn more beeswax, reuse my favorite candle jars, and have a glowy fragrance-free option for use on the dining table in lieu of tapers, should I take a fancy.
One day I may make my own candles, but right now, I appreciate how these small companies are keeping us in soft light.
P.S. This post is not sponsored or affiliated. The candle sea is vast, and these are sources that I use and love and wanted to share, since you may be needing some this season, too. (And, yes, those are tomatoes from my friend’s garden, slowly ripening on the vine over the last few weeks!)