Candle making is a very popular hobby. Getting started is quite easy, and you can readily obtain the needed materials and start creating some candles in very short order. Like anything else, one needs to learn the ropes a bit, and if your mold isn’t clean, or if the temperature of the wax is too hot or cold, the candles won’t turn out just right. But with a little experience a person can be making very professional looking candles. One of the more popular types of candles these days are fragrant candles, and this article will discuss what types of materials are needed for making aromatic candles and where to acquire them.

Basic Equipment

The basic materials needed to make any candles include such things as a double boiler to melt wax, a metal pouring pot, candle molds and a mold sealer, primed wicks, wax, candle dyes, other basic household items like scissors, a tape measure, and measuring spoons. If you are just getting started, a book such as “Candle Making for the First Time” is a big help. Once you have the above equipment ready, it is not difficult to get started.

After making a few batches of candles and learning the various processes, you’ll soon want to start making some fragrant smelling candles as well. What types of aromas should you try, and how will you find them? Extensive lines of flavors made from both synthetic chemicals and also essential oils, which are derived by distilling natural plant material, are readily available. Check out the CandleChem Company. A quick glance at their web site reveals that they have everything one needs to make candles, including a extensive array of fragrances. Just to give an idea, here is a listing of the aromas they offer, and this is only a list of those starting with the letter “A”: African Violet, Allspice, Almond Cherry, Almond Coconut, Almond Cookie, Aloe Vera, Amaretto, Amaretto Chocolate, Amaretto Coffee, Amaretto Spice, Amaretto Vanilla, Amber Romance, Angel Food Cake, Angel Wings, Anise, Apple & Rose, Apple Blossom, Apple Cider, Apple Cinnamon, Apple, Apple Jack, Apple Peel, Apple Pie, Apple Spice, Apple Spice Cake, Apple Strudel, Apples & Berries, Apples & Oak, Apples & Oranges, Apricot, Apricot Brandy, and Apricot Azalea.

So it is clear that there are literally hundreds of possibilities. It only takes a few drops of an essential oil to add the necessary amount of fragrance when making a candle, so purchasing a few of your favorite aromas won’t cost too much and will last a long time.

If this company does not have exactly what you are looking for in terms of equipment or candle making fragrances, another possibility is Natures Garden which has a similar lengthy list of candle making scents.

Whether you are looking to make candles for your own living space, looking for a way to make creative gifts for your friends and family members, or even thinking about starting a small business, making fragrant candles is an excellent hobby that is easy to get into. And once you master the basics and get creative, you’ll be able to make all sorts of different candles that you and others will enjoy.



By: Walter Ballenberger

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Containers are so versatile – often we design with a combination of plants, however, to add special interest for an overall display, consider including some large plants or special plants and grow them in a single pot or garden planter.

Create a distinct break between your patio or terrace and turn this into an outdoor room.  This can be accomplished by incorporating large garden containers filled with just a single spectacular plant and then infilling with border plantings.  More than just providing a view, the design is provided from the inside out.

A number of shrub-sized plants, including most perennials, are effective when displayed along or surrounded by mixed containers.  This is especially true when trying to eliminate the expansiveness of a fence – mix those specimen large planters with your garden border to create interest instead of boredom along the fence line.

Like all good container plants, the best choices feature those plants that have long blooming periods or foliage that remains attractive throughout the summer.  Here are some good ideas.  Consider Angel’s trumpets (Brugmansia spp.) and Lantana (Lantana camara), just to name a couple.  One of the best uses for ornamental grasses is the large special container planting, purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum “Rubrum”) with its wonderful burgundy leaves and even consider using pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana),  Another great plants are the dwarf grasses such as “Pumila”.  These grasses are considered annuals in a lot of growing regions and can be taken indoors over the Winter.

Your large container pots also look great planted with a single, good sized clump of low growing plants.  Consider variegated society garlic (Tulbaghis violacea “Variegata” and variegated leaved geraniums (Pelargonium spp.).  Both are very effective displayed in a single garden planter or container.  Sedge grass is also one of those easy plants to have in your containers and can be combined with trailers to give a more finished look.  Although the low growing plants are not as spectacular, they do offer a contrast and are nice accents when included with your large container planters.

For shady conditions, there are a number of plants that look wonderful.  Consider caladiums (Caladium spp.) or begonias, both tuberous and Sutherland begonias are great options.  Other shade plants of course include the Coleus – they now have cultivars that are suitable for sun conditions too. Plectranthus is a great plant and excellent for partial shade.

Theme areas can be created using your specimen plants and other annuals.  Group one of your shrub-like specimen planters with a large group of pots containing annuals or perennials for an interesting look.  Ground cover plants are certainly effective when used around plants such as angel’s trumpet as the leaves fall off the base as they grow.  Don’t forget to add a low growing layer of trailing plants to add a splash of color into the container.  Superbells (Calibrachoa) go so well and one of our favorites, of course bacopas (Bacopa spp.) and licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare) are lovely too.

One of the most stunning combinations is using the braided hibiscus as the specimen plants and surrounding them with trailing variegated ivy and pink geraniums for that extra splash of color to soften the arrangement and balance the arrangement.



By: Marion Stewart

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Usually when someone is speaking about soap operas, what will come to mind are the daytime television dramas that have captivated many housewives for more than five decades, with new followers getting on board all the time.

Day time soaps are more popular than ever. Many women and even some men, have been following these never ending, never repeated shows for years almost religiously.

The newest soap operas are those that are aired during prime television viewing hours, somewhere between 7 and 9 p.m. at night. These night time soap operas came on the scene during the 1970′s. The first ones that were really big hits were Dallas and its spin off show, Knots Landing. These soaps were made a little differently than their day time counterparts.

Following the lead of these pioneering night time dramas in more recent years were shows like ER, The O.C., Desperate Housewives, and one of the latest hits, Grey’s Anatomy.

These new shows have an even bigger following than the first ones. Entire seasons of many of these prime time soaps can be purchased on DVD today and their reruns are already being broadcast on satellite and cable channels.

Evening shows such as those mentioned, were the catalyst that rocketed several of their actors and actresses to stardom. Brad Pitt for example, got one of his first significant roles on Dallas. Pitt also acted on the day time soap, Another World. Joan Collins had acted for years, but her fame only reached its peak after she starred on Dallas.

George Clooney, though he had been acting for a while, really became famous playing an emergency room doctor on ER in the 1990′s. Today Pitt and Clooney are two of the biggest stars around, as well as Demi Moore, who also got her start in daytime dramas.

On the hit show, Desperate Housewives, the actresses Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, and Terri Hatcher, all seem to be almost equally sharing the fame that the show has brought them. It has been on for several seasons and shows no signs of waning fans.

It must be that there are two elements that make prime time soap operas so appealing to such a broad and committed audience. The first reason being they often have such outlandish story lines that they could probably never be a situation in our own mundane lives.

The second reason being, that some story lines can hit us so close to home and pack such an emotional punch, that we begin to feel a real connection to the characters that we have come to love. These shows provide us with both sides of a coin, so to speak.



By: Dror Klar

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