Recycling Yankee Candles

Yankee Candles are something I have been obsessed with for years now. I don't often use the word 'obsessed' as it's quite extreme but it's a fair assessment in this case. I have them in my kitchen, my bathroom and about 12 in my lounge. Not including the 14 in the cupboard in the event of a Yankee Candle based apocalypse which will result in me being candle-rich when that's all that's left to barter with. Because, y'know, there can never be too much ridiculous hypothetical forward planning.

The thing that annoys me about them though, is that despite their fairly hefty price tag, there's always half an inch of wax at the bottom that you just can't burn. Once the wick is done, it's done and you're left with a significant quantity of waxy wastage which just seems a crying shame to throw away.

In this instance, I've come up with a thrifty solution. Recycling! We can recycle almost anything in the modern age, why not Yankee Candles?!

All you need is a spent candle, a clean, empty jam jar, a heat proof pan and a new wick (you can buy them inexpensively from Hobbycraft).

• 1. Fill the pan halfway with water and bring to the boil. 
• 2. Pop the candle in the middle, minus the lid.
• 3. Wait until the wax has melted then use a fork to remove the spent wick at the bottom.
• 4. Use a dab of melted wax to fix the new wick to the bottom of the empty jam jar.
• 5. Using oven mitts, pour the melted wax from the Yankee Candle into the new jam jar.
• 6. Wait until it's completely set and repeat.

You'll also need something to anchor the wick to the top, whilst you're building up your layers. I used two plastic lolly sticks taped together, with the wick in the middle, so that the sticks rest on the rim of the jam jar. It's also a good idea to pick complementary scents to go next to one another as they merge slightly when they're burnt.

I've done two now and they've both turned out really well. It's a nice way of saving some money, making the most of your candles and trying your hand at something crafty to boot :)

xxx

OOTD : Lilac, Ponies and Frizz

It's that time again, folks. The time when I unleash my horrendous fashion sense on my unsuspecting subscribers list, and for that, I am truly sorry. 

My newfound obsession with My Little Ponies began in my last post whereby I ended up purchasing a gorgeous custom pony from a lady at the roller derby. Since then I have invested in a beautiful Sweetie Blue necklace, which was the basis of this outfit. It came from an Etsy shop that you can find here. The lady that makes them has loads and at those sorts of prices, it would be rude not to indulge! 

At the grand old age of *cough* 29 *cough*, I see nothing wrong with a little wardrobe nostalgia. I opted for a lovely little vintage Morgan number from the 90's (although it's quite 60's in style) and some white slingbacks to go with the pastel necklace.

Necklace - minxdenpartdeux / Dress - Morgan / Shoes - New Look

It's perhaps a little unseasonal in that this is something I'd wear in Summer rather than Autumn but I was really taken with the idea of taking something girly and quite young and making it a bit more......well, mature.

My hair just did its own thing. I wish I could say that this was some kind of time consuming uber-do but alas, this is simply what happens when I don't straighten it! I always longed for poker straight hair as a kid but I'm quite fond of the flexibility to do both with minimum effort these days. The grass ain't always greener, folks. Work with what you've got. 

On that note, I shall leave you to go about your Friday evenings in peace. 

Loads of love!

xxx

Kent Roller Girls

As a total newbie to the world of roller derby, I have to admit I was nervous as hell when Sugar & Vice were asked to do a stall at Kent Roller Girl's first ever home bout. I'm ashamed to say that my knowledge of the sport was limited to having watched Whip It a couple of times and having a vague, passing knowledge that it was pretty retro and seemed to be big in the States. Other than that, my only connection was that my cats name came from a drunken conversation between friends about what our hypothetical derby names would be. (I chose Lucille Maul.)

We spent a week in the run up working ridiculously long hours, making enough jewellery for the stall in addition to the regular workload, and since stalls is not something we do very regularly at all, making sure our set up was presentable enough. I've known that Sugar & Vice is popular among the derby crowd for a while now and I suspect it's probably for two reasons; firstly that we are most famous for our personalised name necklaces, and what better way to announce their awesome derby names than with one of those? The second reason was something that came to me recently; our company name sounds like a derby name! 

We arrived at Herne Bay High School (which was so swanky, it put my old, shabby high school to shame) at around midday on Saturday and set up pretty quickly. We were sandwiched between two other stalls, the wonderful Rollerbootique and the awesome Custom My Little Ponies by Alex K (my willpower may have failed me when it came to the amazing ponies she had for sale).

This stall was pretty different to any I've done before. Previously, doing stalls has meant being exceptionally patient during the inevitable quiet moments but at this event, there was no time to get bored. When we had a quiet moment this time, we were entertained by the awesome derby. I have to say, I hadn't been entirely sure what to expect but everyone at the event was incredibly lovely and super friendly, the derby ladies were badass and the crowd was massively enthusiastic. I think I've developed a bit of an obsession. 

If you've never been to a derby bout, I can thoroughly recommend it. Doing a stall there was a fantastic experience. The sport itself is amazing, the ladies on the track are pretty inspirational and the people are some of the loveliest I've met in my time running Sugar & Vice. If, like me, you're unsure of it and don't know what to expect, just go along to a local bout. You won't regret it. I, for one, am really excited about KRG's next home bout, whether my place is behind a stall or in the bleachers :)

xxx