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Soy wax candles- a sustainable, eco-friendly choice to light up our homes!

10/19/2021

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What are soy wax candles?

Soy wax, a 100% natural wax made from vegetable soybeans. After beans have been harvested, they are cleaned, cracked and de-hulled before being rolled into flakes. The flakes are then used to extract soybean oil and the rest is used as animal feed.

Soy wax is made of renewable and environmentally friendly resources, whereas traditional paraffin wax is made with petroleum and is not renewable. Soy wax is a more sustainable choice than other types of candle wax. It also burns slower than paraffin wax which means that your soy wax candle will last longer.
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Soy wax candles burn cleaner and produce less soot than candles made from other materials. Also, we find that Soy wax is an excellent carrier of scent and so we do not need to add any kind of chemical additives or amplifiers to enhance the scent. This also means that the soy wax candle will exhibit a ‘true scent’!
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​So, to sum up the main reasons... i.e. the many benefits of choosing soy wax candles are:

  1. ​They are 100% natural, as they are made from soybean wax. Soy candles have no intrinsic toxins, carcinogens, or pollutants so they are less likely trigger allergies.
  2. They burn cleaner and longer. Paraffin wax melts at a lower temperature than soy wax. Soy wax will burn cooler and last longer than paraffin candles. Candles with a longer life span allow you to enjoy delicious scents for longer.
  3. Soy wax is healthier for the environment and also us. This eco-friendly substance isn't harmful to the environment.
  4. The wax pool surrounding the wick is what emits a candle's fragrance into the air. Soy wax has a lower melting point than paraffin wax, which means there is more wax around the wick of soy wax candles, which results in stronger scents.
  5. Soybean wax, which is made from soybeans-a vegetable, is biodegradable. This makes it easier to clean up accidental spillages while making the candles and is also very environmentally friendly.
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Simple way to make your own soy wax candles:

There are many free resources on the internet, which clearly take you step by step thru the simple soy wax candle making process. I will suggest checking out some of those videos to gather all the finer, minute details of the process. But I do want to give you a simple gist of the soy wax candle making activities, so you know how easy it is to make your own soy wax candles and will investigate making your very own natural, eco-friendly creations!

So, for starters… melt the soy wax. Place soy wax flakes in a glass bowl and place the bowl on a saucepan about a third full of water, creating a double boiler. Stirring occasionally, heat the wax until it becomes soft and pourable. Allow the wax to cool slightly before adding fragrance. 

Also, do note that the fragrance oils are chemically made and will have more additives than essential oils. And even though you use essential oils, once they are heated and the oil is volatized, to give off the fragrance... they are still chemical components (though naturally occurring). The same goes for candle-colors. When you add candle colors, you are also adding more synthetic components to your natural candle soy wax, and those who are sensitive to chemical additives could react quite adversely to the volatile components that get generated when we light such a candle. 

It is ofcourse in a very small quantities and so is usually okay for most people (that is why we see all these perfumed- scented and colored candles being sold everywhere!). Most of those are made with the terribly toxic paraffin wax, atleast you are using natural, bio-degradable soy wax! Still... I have clarified this information about the fragrance,  essential oils and candle colors for those who are allergic or extremely sensitive to fragrance, or chemical additives in general, or have health conditions which need added consideration.

Now coming back to our soy wax candle-making… place your wick in the middle of the candle container. Then, pour the soy wax onto the candle container's center. If you find it difficult to hold the wick in the center of the candle container, then you can use wick holders or candle putty, which are usually available in craft stores.

Hold the wick in place until the wax hardens and then use either a clothespin, hairpin, or a wooden chopstick (like I have while making the soy candles in the image), to hold the wick centered and upright.

Now, is the most difficult part… to wait while the wax cools and solidifies to become an amazing soy wax candle!

As we approach the holiday season, I hope that you will choose these sustainable, earth friendly soy wax candles to light up your hearth and home.
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Read further:

  • ​​What is Green Living? What is a “Sustainable Lifestyle”?
  • Why 'sustainable lifestyle' is an important part of Conscious Living- living with awareness?
  • Reducing, Reusing & Recycling- Three key aspects of a Sustainable Lifestyle​​
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Bringing in your garden- dried lavender flower bouquet adds a fragrant, rustic touch to your space!

9/9/2021

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Lavender bouquets bring in the beauty and scent of the garden. You can enjoy the scent of a fragrant garden for a long time, by creating dried lavender arrangements. It is a very easy-to-grow herb, and it is also very easy to handle the cut flowers. 
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Lavender can be harvested fresh, dried and then used to make pretty lavender bouquets, wreaths or special potpourri mixes! Other garden bloomers such as coneflowers, bee balm, and roses can be incorporated into lavender bouquets. These strong vertical lines are a stark contrast to the more rounded forms of other summer blooms.
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In addition, you can also wrap stems in rubber bands and let them dry upside-down in a warm, dark place. After the stems have dried, you can arrange dried lavender bunches with other dried flowers or make a large display of dried lavender by combining several bunches. The color of dried lavender is affected by sunlight, so it is best to keep them out of direct sun.

There are many amazing psychological and physiological benefits that one can avail from the lavender flowers. They are a symbol of purity, love, and romance. A dried lavender bouquet like this can bring back great memories or awaken beautiful feelings. 

A dried lavender flower bouquet can be used as a rustic decoration to beautify your space and to infuse your home with a soothing scent. Profound and yet, the relaxing scent of lavender can help you to rest and relax. Ofcourse, dried lavender flowers make for an amazing tea that will help you to get deep rejuvenating rest. But more on that in another post… 
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Read further:

  • How to ensure that your living and work space is optimally energized... (Comfortable Living & Life Management series)
  • 5 Simple Vaastu tips to attract abundance and money luck into your life
  • ​Feng Shui Incense (Comfortable Living & Life Management series)
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How simple needle crafts can help to reduce stress and aid with Earth Friendly- Green Sustainable Living

6/4/2020

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Categories: Arts And Crafts, DIY Lifestyle, Green Living, Wellness and Relationships

​I just thought of this funny incident that had happened to me some time ago. Back when I used to visit client sites in person, one of the Mondays, I decided to wear this beautiful grey crocheted shawl that I had created over the weekend. Now as we know, most Management Consultants are expected to be ‘totally business savvy’ and that too when you are in the technology area, people tend to view folks like myself as if we are AI incarnate (AI stands for Artificial Intelligence- read that as innovative, intelligent machines)!! 

So, one of the client personnel commented on the shawl and complimented me on how beautiful it looked, and I thanked him and said that I am even more happy to hear his compliment, considering I had made it myself!! He was quite taken aback!! He almost blurted out- “you mean made, like actually make it”- making a knitting gesture. I smiled and said yes, except it is crocheted and not knitted. 

Now with this being within the IT (Information Technology) division of the organization; his reaction was not surprising.
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In the photos above- 
1. Cotton dish cloths- some are crocheted and some knitted. When I started, it would take me close to an hour to knit one. 
2. It is a simple triangular shawl, almost like a prayer shawl that I made over the weekend. 
As I reflected about it later in the day, I realized that- not many people realize the importance of hobbies and crafts. In today’s day and age where machine produced items are sold at such cheap price, it is almost impossible to think of specially crafted items. Back in India, when I was growing up, we got our clothes tailor-made. That was the norm  and now, tailor-made seems like a luxury which only the uber-rich can afford (particularly here is North America)!

​Hobbies such as knitting, sewing, embroidery, quilt-making and so on, not only help us to create beautiful, unique items- they also allow us to live a sustainable green life. Because the more we make at home (and it does take some time to make one), we get out of the rut of consumerism- “buy at first glance and dump at first fade” viewpoint.

​The few items we make, we take good care of them. If they fade a little or get a little tear- we fix it. We truly utilize the garment for its entire lifecycle and not garbage it as soon as a new sale starts, or it shows the first signs of wear or tear.
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Taking the time and effort to make something of good quality allows us to be our own designer- it feels great to wear our creation with joy and pride. It also helps to improve our mood and self-image; as we are wearing a truly unique (one of its kind) item. AND to top it, most of these crafts are great at relieving stress.
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​Crafts like knitting are high on the list of natural stressbusters. I for one, can surely vouch for their great emotional benefits.   The repetitive action of creating the knits (or crochet stiches) makes it a great meditation tool. Many people who are not able to do traditional meditation of sitting still in one place for a certain length of time, find great benefit in taking up one of these crafts- particularly knitting- as it rhythmically engages both the hands.

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There is something calming, almost serene, maybe even romantic about knitting, particularly on a cold winter evening by the fireplace. Beautiful music in the background just adds to this ambience. And the end product is something that you can enjoy, not only for its beauty, but also for its utility! Each time, you use it, it helps you to relive your calm and joyful experience of artistic creativity.

And don’t think that this is only for women. Many men knit and sew- particularly for its meditative and health benefits and/or for its contribution towards living an earth-friendly green lifestyle.

So, maybe this holiday season, make it a decision to learn a new needle craft and give your dear ones, something that you have created, with lot of thought, caring and love- especially created- just for them.
​If you are wondering on how to get started, then there are many instructional videos that are freely available online. This is how I learnt this skill. Even though I have artistic inclinations; knitting and crochet used to 'scare' me… but once I got the hang of it, I now find that there is nothing which can take its place to help me to relax and feel at ease- particularly after a ludicrous meeting with the clients or after a nerve-jittering day in the financial markets. 

Try it for yourself and see how easy it is to meditate, create something beautiful (and useful) and also relax- all in the same go…
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Getting ready for Spring...

3/17/2020

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Whenever we start to write or jot down our thoughts, the first thing we see is the front of our book. Even though we get some really beautiful book-covers, they never seem to exhibit our uniqueness- after all they are mass-produced!!

So, I decided to re-create my book cover by painting it’s cover in my own unique style and colors! A green alternative to the usual store-bought-mass produced books. That is what typically happens- we tend to buy new items to match our varying and developing taste.
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But, I wanted to repurpose something I already owned. To modify an existing book to suit my need as well as appeal to my artistic sense. Did not want to buy more items!!

This modified and stylized book cover is made with original art that is painted directly on the existing mass printed boring cover!  It is made with mixed media colors and in a throw and drip paint-style. 

This art work is titled 'Phoenix' indicating it is time to rise again from the ashes.

Something that says- I am ready for Spring     :-)
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