Thanks for all of the compliments!! Also....thanks for being impressed by my carrot, but did you read it was "styrofoam?" Not too difficult to shape, other than static cling with all the little pieces, LOL I did know better than to use spray paint after the warnings on here!! Karen, we tried to play golf in Sedona after Christmas, but the snowstorm decided to visit the same time as we did, : ( We actually have had very little snow in Denver, just enough to keep the courses closed. Then it melts and the weather looks good, and whamo, another couple of inches! It is supposed to be back in the 50's tomorrow and Thurs., so maybe this weekend..... The mountains are a different story, they have had several feet of snow this winter!! Great for skiing, but I would rather play golf. It was a fun table to create. I have been planning it since I found the snowman mugs and the hat. I am using my wedding china more now for tablescapes, than when I was actually eating off of it!! Glad you enjoyed it. TTFN, Candy

Interesting topic Wanda and thanks for the instructions on how to carve out a pillar. I've usually just let them burn enough to make a well to hold a real tealight then messed around with a knife but your way sounds much neater. :-) I burn real tealights, votives, tapers, then pillars in that order of frequency but tealights the most. I have a bazillion tealight holders (ys finds) and feel they are safer than tapers with the cats. I like the beeswax or soya the best altho have a lifetime supply of paraffin ones but mostly use them outdoors in the summer. Ikea has the best quality paraffin tealights for the lowest price IMO and sell in bags of 100 for about $3 on sale ($4-something regular) and I've also bot them at YS's for even less. I do have some battery ones I got a few years ago for the RV (for safety) but wasn't impressed with the appearance of the flame altho I've been told they have improved so should give them a try again. I like the idea of remote control pillars as I have the same accessibility problem on my mantel. I'd like to use them as there are convection currents because of the stove and my beeswax tapers dripped on the silk poinsettias at Christmas.

Maybe I can help! I owned my candle making business for 5 years. I just sold it last month to my Sister-in-law. For container candles, it is best to let the wax melt all the way to the edges on the first burn. If not, you will have a tunneling effect with the outer edges of wax never melting down. A candle with a cotton core wick will burn faster than a zinc core wick (whether it be parafin or soy). Always trim your wick to 1/4" before lighting. I have always burned my candles for longer than 2-3 hours at a time. Sometimes I will notice that the wick will start putting off a little smoke after 3 hours, so I simply extinguish the flame with a wick dipper, trim it to 1/4", and then relight. The wick dipper is a little tool that is used to bend the burning wick over into the melted wax to extinguish the fire. Not only does it eliminate the smoking but it also re-waxes the wick making it easier to light the next time you burn your candle. I have found that the softer the wax, the more scent it will hold. To test this before buying, use your finger to gently push on the top of the candle (container candles only). If you leave a fingerprint, then it is a soft wax and can handle more scent. This doesn't ensure that the candlemaker put as much scent as the wax will hold, however! I don't have any experience in making the votive candles. That is a completely different kind of wax. I do decorate with votives and pillars, but rarely ever light them. HTH, Necia

I'd be really worried heating it would ruin the red portion of the holder??? Suggestion? Does it move at all if you gently put a tip of a knife inbetween the candle and holder? Believe it or not, most all pop out of my holders that way. I guess, If I heated it, I'd try to hold the bowl part over an open flame (obviously it can handle that as it's meant to hold one) a bit, until it moved? Maybe.