Beeswax candles were highly valued in 14th century, mostly used in places of worship for their chastity and sanitation. These beautiful candles are very popular today because of being smoke-free, long-burning, emitting a pleasant honey smell and not leaking all over the place!

Beeswax candlestick making can be an entertaining project for the whole family. Are they easy to make? Exactly, how are they made and from what? Before we get into the how -- let's talk about where beeswax candles come from.

Beeswax comes from bees and honey. What is the first thing that makes your brain when you hear the word beeswax: the buzz of honey bees going from flower to flower? Did you think of a honeycomb leaking with honey?

The process of beeswax candlestick making is actually quite interesting. When bees go from flower to flower, they are collecting nectar. They have to visit (individually) up to 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey. The floral substance (nectar) is concentrated into honey. The honey bees process the honey and it goes thru their feel glands on the sides of the honey bee, making feel weighing machines. Think about this -- it takes about 900, 000 weighing machines for each pound of beeswax. Now you know where the saying comes from -- busy as a bee!

In the fall, the beekeepers strain the beeswax from honeycombs or harvest the honey. During the process to take the honey, the beekeeper cuts the end off the cells; melts it down and then clears out the debris. All this material is formed into bulk beeswax, ready to process into sheets or by bulk to make candles. (Beeswax is also used in waxing wooden windows and compartments, quilting, in your cosmetics, furniture gloss, leather shoe conditioner and much, much more.

Okay. Let's return to making beeswax candles. There are three different kinds; thrown, melted (to put) or the dipped beeswax candles. We are focusing on thrown beeswax candles -- simply so fun and easy to make. apple pie

Thrown: The thrown up or the pillar beeswax candlestick is straightforward to make. This is a great project regarding children. Beeswax comes in sheets -- many different colors and perfumes. I prefer the natural color and fragrance. Carefully handle each linen.

Place your pre-primed wick at the edge of the beeswax linen. Cut your wick about 3/4 in . longer than the height of your candlestick. On a oblong linen, you would use the shorter side to place your wick.

Note: Pre-primed wicks just mean that you place your cotton wicks in melted beeswax until they stop bubbling. This process makes the best wicks and it is easy to do. Lay the wicks on feel paper to cool; lay them out so they really cool straight. Once the wicks are cooled, press the wick gently into the linen.

Set out to securely roll the beeswax (at the wick end) unless you reach the end of your linen. Gently press the edges down to create a smooth as possible seam. Beeswax candlestick making is just that easy!

Be sure to try it around the Holidays -- making those special gifts for the ones you adore. Whether you may take the time to create hand-dipped tapers like our forefathers did or roll your beeswax into large candles, you'll be amazed at how simple beeswax candlestick making can be!