Burning a candle is one of those small pleasures in life. For many of us, they bring us so many moments of joy. Burning a candle can provide the atmospheric light to a dinner table. It can softly scent a room, uplifting or relaxing your mood. It can provide a focus for a meditation session. In fact, a candle has so many uses, and they just make life more beautiful.
So, with our candle habit not likely to end anytime soon, what can we do with all of the empty vessels that the candles come in? If you are on a quest to be more sustainable in your life, you may already know that reusing something is always a more favourable option that recycling. With that in mind, I thought I would offer you some ideas for repurposing your candle jars.
Repurpose your Whist Candle Jars
First thing you would need to do, is clean out your jar. The wax in a Whist candle is fully biodegradable, but you should still clean your candle jar out with caution. You do not want melted wax going down your drain and solidifying in your drainage system.......
Pour some hot water into a bowl, and stand your candle in the water for a few moments. Quite quickly, the wax left in the jar will soften. Simply scoop that out with a piece of kitchen roll, and wipe the glass round well. Then, pop a tiny bit of washing up liquid into the glass, and wash well with warm water. Simply rinse and dry, and you are ready to repurpose your candle jar.
Ten Repurpose ideas for your candle jar;
Loose coin jar - My son has a jar on his desk in his bedroom that he puts the loose change from his pocket into. You will be surprised how much it holds!
Use as seedling jars - Last year, my Whist jars came in very handy to start my vegetable seedlings off in. I tend to grow courgettes and butternut squash in raised beds. The seeds are pretty big but I can put at least two in each jar. They sit nicely on my windowsill until they are ready to be re-potted.
Kitchen herb garden - Still on the same theme, pop a plant of your most used herbs in your empty candle jars. Basil and Mint adorned my kitchen windowsill last summer. My kitchen smelt amazing.
Fun fact - Some of the mint left over from last year I dried, and is still being used in my botanical wax melt truffles.
Bathroom Storage - The signature frosted glasses are a great size for cotton pads, make up brushes, nail files, toothbrush holding etc. The cut glass mini moments glasses are just beautiful on any bathroom shelf or dressing table.
Desk tidy - A great size glass for pens, pencils, paper clips etc.
Tablescape Posies - At Christmas, I planted three up with little miniature Christmas trees that I purchased from Asda. I tied a length of fern green velvet ribbon around each glass, and set them along the middle of my table. They looked so simple, but pretty. You could do the same with any seasonal plants as pretty table decor.
Wild Flower Vase - In the Summer, there is a field on the way to my Sister in Law's home, that is abundant in wild flowers. I love foraging a few and mixing with a few branches of foliage. The little glasses are perfect as a simple, understated vase.
Kitchen Storage - The perfect size for mixed seeds, stock cubes, or even dried herbs. Just order some labels and give your kitchen cupboards a gorgeous aesthetic with the frosted glasses and their bamboo lids.
Candle Lantern - Why not pop a tea light in your empty candle jar, and use like a little candle lantern. Great for outside as the glass will help protect the the light from drafts. Citronella tea lights could work well in the summer for those balmy evenings in the garden.
Dried Flower Display - Place a circle of florists oasis in the base of the jar. Grab some inexpensive dried or faux flora and fauna, and let your creativity flow. You can create a seasonal dried flower display, that can be changed with the season.
I hope I have given you 10 ideas how you can repurpose your Whist candle jars. Reusing items really is the most sustainable way to live a more eco friendly life. There are a million more things you could do with these little glasses, let you mind run free! For those of you that love the opulence of the cut glass mini moments candles, a little bird tells me that there may be candle refills available for those very soon................
Enjoy the rest of January my friends,
Kerry x