Burning the Midnight Wax

I always notice that I light candles more during the fall and winter than any other time during the year. Maybe I crave the extra warmth or the faux scents of sugar cookies and pine, but nonetheless, I usually have three burning strong. And most of them are in jars or other ceramic containers to enclose the flame so my cats don't walk by and go up in smoke.

This particular candle just burned out before Christmas and I was said to see it go because it fit perfectly in the color decor of my family room. As you can see, it was in a glass jar that gradated from frosted clear to frosted yellow. Since I received it as a gift, I wasn't sure where to buy a replacement so, I used a little trick to remove the remnant wax so that I can reuse it in the room.

First, I made sure that I burnt the candle down as far as possible. (The larger black spot is where the wick used to be.)

Then I stuck that baby in our freezer for two days. Other people say only a couple hours in a freezer are needed but since this was a large candle and the container was an odd shape I wanted to be sure it was completely frozen. By freezing the candle, the wax will shrink leaving a little gap between it and the container.

Then I grabbed my least favorite kitchen knife and attacked it Michael Myers style. Stabbing the wax creates cracks and slowly chips away at the remaining solid mass.

Once the chunks were small enough, I dug them out, leaving a wax free jar.

After removing the labels and a good washing, this puppy can be repurposed as a vase, candy dish, or possibly another candle holder. The possibilities are endless and I kept one more thing from being casted off.