Only recently I was writing about my love of bacon and the smell of it sizzling in the frypan but what I didn’t mention was not really loving the smell that lingers in the house well after breakfast has ended.
Just the other week we cooked sausages for dinner (well to be honest we have sausages every week thanks to certain limited palates in our house) and one of us – perhaps it was me – forgot to wipe down the stovetop afterwards. The next day the house smelled of old sausages and grease. Even after cleaning the stove the smell unpleasantly lingered.
It was time to burn my scented candle. I’d been avoiding using it though, as it’s a candle made in a very old sundae glass and looked almost too good to use. Jen, who I interviewed recently about her handmade vintage handbags, also makes candles in old vessels – glasses, vases, teacups, ramekins – and happens to sell them at my sister’s shop Retrospections.
I love the idea of finding another way to use old objects that were once part of a set and are now lost or alone. They get another chance of life in another home.
Perhaps no one will drink champagne or tea out of them anymore but they will still make people happy.
Jen originally came up with the idea of making candles in teacups because of her obsession with collecting them. She says; ‘I needed to start coming up with different ways to use them around my house as there are only so many cups you can justify keeping for the purpose of tea drinking alone!’
‘I had seen people using teacups for growing herbs and flowers which got me thinking about different ways they could be used for display around the house. I have always loved candles so it hit me that they would be the perfect vessel for candles.’
She chose the vanilla scent because of the ‘homely’ feeling it creates. ‘Vanilla reminds me of baking which I find very comforting.’
It’s certainly a lot more comforting than the smell of bacon or sausage fat the day after, I have to say.
Photos © Jennie Smith
2 comments:
What a gorgeous idea, reusing old vessels to house candles. I'm a candle lover from waaayyy back, and I also love old teacups (I've quite a few!). I think they make gorgeous decorative items, not to mention they make tea drinking very special too!
Vanilla is one of my favourite smells... although the smell I most associate with making my home feel like 'home' is sweet orange with a touch of something more earthy like patchouli or a bit of cinnamon.
Linda. x :)
Hi Linda
Sweet orange and patchouli or cinnamon sounds like a lovely combo too. Do they make you feel more at 'home' because they create the aroma of baking as well?
It's funny how the homeliest of smells seem to be baking ones... although laundry powder does it for me too - sadly!
cheers, g
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