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Friday, November 12, 2010

Henna Candles

This post is for you, Mariem!
I was asked a couple of days ago to henna a Unity candle for a fantastic couple I had done some pre-wedding henna on a couple of weeks ago.   Amy and Robyn, you are AWESOME!

I have never hennaed a candle before, so this required some research.
I am certainly no expert so take this advice with a grain of salt and please post any comments, suggestions, or corrections you may have.

I was given a standard white pillar candle.  Since I have never applied henna to a candle before, we decided that I would first draw the design with a Sharpie so that if the henna flaked off in the future, the couple could re-henna by tracing the Sharpie drawing.
Drawing with the sharpie on the candle...Easy.

Drawing with henna on the the candle...Challenging!

You have to be quite careful about where you can touch without smearing your henna.  Takes a little getting used to, but not so bad.



The issue is how to avoid having the henna flake off the candle.  Upon doing research I found two main ways to do this.  Applying a spray candle gloss such as Candle Kote or Candle Luster, or dipping the candle in a candle sealer.

Having never made candles before or dipped candles in wax, I opted to not try it for my first attempt with one one day to figure it out and get it done.  The gloss sprays were not available at local craft store and we didn't have time to order it online, so a clear hard-coat acrylic spray is what we decided to use.

I sprayed 5 very light coats of the spray over the entire candle after the henna was completely dry.  Super easy and the henna seem fairly strong on the candle...for now.  I don't think the clear acrylic will be a good long term solution.

The next time, I will use one of the other sealing methods.  You know, Modge Podge  may work as well. Hmmm...

I toyed with the idea of not using henna, but I love the energy of henna and felt is was more important to have the positive energy part of the wedding than a perfect candle.

I won't have time to henna more candles anytime soon, but I plan on learning the ins and outs of this when I do have time. I will, of course, share!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Beachcombers Holiday Calender

With so many holidays coming up, our hours are going to be a bit erratic.  So you can plan in advance this is what you can expect of the store and shipping delays...

Thanksgiving
Closed November 24-29

Christmas
Closed December 24-27

New Years
Closed December 31-January 3


I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.  We are a small family business.  For the most part it is just myself and Asad so we need some family time!

Thanks for understanding!
Jody