I don’t know about you, but when I walk into Anthropologie I LOVE the smell of the candles they have burning. You know the ones – the Capri Blue and candles that come in those pretty glass jars. I’ve purchased my fair share of them over the years, but one thing that perturbs me is the wax that sticks to the sides of the container. It seems like such a waste! My candle burned down to the bottom this week, so I decided to repurpose it. Now the aroma is filling our house once again and I have a whole NEW candle to enjoy that should last hours and was so simple to make.

Here’s what you do:

– Freeze the candle jar for a few hours to make the wax easier to get out.

– Take screwdriver and hammer and chip away at the wax. This is way easier than it sounds. Most of the wax comes right out in a few larger pieces.

– Remove the middle portion of the candle where soot collected and the spent wick remains. Throw it away.

– Melt down the excess wax gently over a double boiler. Please don’t use one of your good bowls for this, and don’t use something you eat out of… Unless you enjoy the taste of candle wax. Which probably isn’t safe, by the way.

– Find another smaller container for the new candle. This can be anything- an old candle container, glass jar, mason jar, etc. I used a small metal candle tin about 4″ in diameter I had on hand.

– Use a hot glue gun or tacky glue to secure a wick to the middle of the new container. Wicks can be found at any craft store and are usually really cheap.

– Pour the melted hot wax into the new container and let sit undisturbed until completely hardened and set.

– Trim your wick to 1/4″.

– Enjoy your new candle!

I could have chosen a prettier jar for this project, but this tin works perfectly and happens to be the right size. Feel free to decorate yours, put a pretty ribbon around it, or give it as a gift. Me? I’m not gifting ours because I’m selfish and I want our house to smell good. You can also wash out and reuse the blue glass Anthropologie jar that’s now empty. It makes a great vase for fresh cut flowers!