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.

Hi! Sure I'll share! Thanks for the suggestion for another recipe, but I have an aversion to condensed or evaporated milk. I've felt this way since I was a child, and I can taste it in any thing it is a part of! Strange, huh? Anyway, here is the recipe, it came from a leaflet Diamond Walnuts put out for the holidays. It has a pure caramel taste, with notes of butter, vanilla and cream. Diamond Walnuts Heavenly Caramels 1 cup sugar 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup light corn syrup 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups walnuts -- chopped In a 2 quart glass measuring cup with handle, combine sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup and butter. Microwave at high 5 minutes. Stir well until sugar dissolves. Microwave at high 11 to 12 minutes or until mixture reaches 246F. Stir in vanilla and walnuts. Pour into buttered 8 inch square pan. Let stand until firm. Cut into squares and wrap individually in waxed paper. Makes 1 1/4 pounds You can of course, leave out the walnuts if you don't like nuts. One caveat: the cooking time is greatly dependant on the wattage of your microwave. I learned this when the microwave I had used for years pooped out and we bought a higher wattage model. What came out was a horrid black mess! The original recipe was written for a 600 - 650 watt microwave. If you are not sure of the wattage of your model, go slowly and carefully. Do the original 5 minute microwave, but test every few minutes with a candy thermometer or the firm ball test. Be sure to make notes on the time it takes to reach the done stage. Once you have completed the trial run successfully, this recipe is very simple! Another tip: Let the caramels cool for 5 minutes or so before pouring into the pan. If the mixture is poured too hot, it melts all the butter off the pan, and you'll have a dickens of a time getting it out!

I make a beeswax-based furniture polish. It just has 2 ingredients- beeswax & jojoba oil. Since I add no fragrance, it is also food-safe. The formula is 3 part jojoba oil to 1 part beeswax, by weight. They need to be melted over low heat, to mix and then allowed to cool.

Well, I have to say, I never stopped to think whether it was weight or volume. I used volume, but my wax came in little chips so it was easy to measure. I got mine at Michael's - probably more expensive than from a bee farmer (we have a honey distributer that sells beeswax products cheaper but it's harder to get to than Michael's). The consistency is really up to you, but I like mine to be like soft butter. If it's not the consistency you want, just heat it up again and add more of either ingredient. I stick mine in one of those ziplock containers and keep it in a drawer in the kitchen - I've never had a problem with it going bad. Hope this helps.