5 Reasons I Have a Weird Candle Fetish

I love, love, love candles! Ever since I got two jobs I haven't been able to give my hobby the attention it deserves, but here are five reasons you should give more thought to candles!

1. It's incredibly fulfilling to make your own candles. You can order different kinds of wicks, different kinds of wax (bees wax, gel wax and soy wax just to name three), do different colors, different scents -- even different shapes. Do you want it to burn slowly, or brightly, or give off a lot of fragramce? It's all in how you make it.

2. It's a dirt cheap hobby. You can buy a wax melter, molds, wicks, blocks of wax, dyes and scents for around $50-$60 to get started.

3. You can totally be artistic. Play with different molds to create different shapes (I love to recycle cardboard milk cartons). You can buy glassware to hold the wax and create a completely different aesthetic. You can sculpt the wax, make different colors, different scent combinations. I feel so creative!

4. Next to soap, this is THE MOST useful hobby. What is that cross stitch ever going to do for you? But I can burn my candles, give them as gifts and use them as decor! I just love coming home to a clean-smelling apartment and lounging in the romantic glow of candles! And the aroma therapy is so relaxing.

5. It can be a social activity. I got into it because my friend made them. If I need to unwind, I can make candles by myself, but it's also easy to gather a few friends together. "Let's scrapbook!" makes you sound like a grandma. "Let's make candles" is totally hip, trust me.