The Warmth of Candlelight - The long, dark nights of winter make me long for evenings spent in front of the fire with a hot cup of cocoa. Alas, it is not to be! I have the cocoa but, the crackling flames are missing. Without a fireplace in my home, I make do with a “candle-place”. They add warm ambiance to the home and quickly lift my spirits. Even with a fireplace, you may want to set up a candle-place in your home. Just be safe and keep flammable items away. If there are small children in your home, consider using flameless battery opted candles.
I’ll share my tips for setting up the perfect candle-place
1) Choose long lasting, dripless and smokeless candles. The higher the quality of wax, the longer they will burn
2) Clip the wicks to 1/4” before lighting. The shorter wick will burn with a smaller flame allowing the candles to last longer.
3) Place your candles with plenty of space between each. 3 fingers width or more is best. This will keep the heat from combined candles from building up and causing them to burn to fast.
4) With pillar candles, you need to “prime” them. Light them the first time and let them burn for one hour per inch of width. Then, extinguish and let them cool. This will start the hollowed center and let them burn cleaner without drips and leaks.
5) To keep votive cup holders clean, fill the cup with a bit of water before placing the candle inside. When it has burned down, the water will extinguish the flame and the wax remnants will easily clean out.
The romance of candlelight, cocoa, a good book and my knitting…bliss! Now, if I could just plan more of these cozy nights at home. (MORE BLOGS)