Making the most of your LAFCO candle: Repurposing your candle vessel.

Each year we celebrate Earth Day on the 22^nd of April as a show of support for environmental protection. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and is now acknowledged globally with a wide range of events, honored by more than 1 billion people in over 190 countries. Celebrated on the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, Earth Day also marks the passing of the Paris Agreement which was signed by the United States, China, and 120 other countries in 2016.

Why Repurpose Your LAFCO Candle?

All scented candles are not created equal. You can easily smell the difference between an inexpensive candle and a luxury boutique candle. When it comes to LAFCO fragranced candles, however, the quality is not just in the fragrance – it’s in the entire candle, including the vessel. LAFCO fragranced candle vessels are hand-blown by artisanal glass blowers and come in a wide variety of colors.

When you choose a LAFCO candle, you’re choosing more than just a fragrance – you’re choosing a piece of handmade home décor and you don’t want to discard it simply because the candle has burned out. Not only can you continue to enjoy the beauty of LAFCO craftsmanship by repurposing your candle vessel, but you’ll be doing the environment a favor as well.

Preparing the Jar to Be Repurposed

LAFCO fragranced candles come in three sizes ranging from the single-wick 6.5-ounce Classic and 15.5-ounce Signature sizes to the three-wick 30-ounce size. You can expect a LAFCO Classic fragranced candle to burn up to 50 hours while the Signature burns for up to 90 hours and the 3-wick up to 120 hours. At the end of your candle’s life, all it takes is a few simple steps to prepare the vessel for repurposing.

Here’s how to prepare your candle vessel for repurposing:

1. Let your LAFCO fragranced candle cool to room temperature.
2. Place the candle vessel in the freezer and leave it overnight to harden the wax.
3. Scrape out the hardened wax with a butter knife, using care not to crack the glass.
4. To remove any final traces of wax, place the vessel in the sink and fill with warm water.
5. Let the vessel soak for a few hours – any remaining wax should have solidified at the top.
6. Remove the solidified wax then wash the vessel with soap and water.

Ideas for Repurposing Your Candle

Once you’ve cleaned out your LAFCO fragranced candle vessel, the real fun begins – choosing how to best repurpose it. Hand-blown from colorful glass, your candle vessel is something you want to enjoy as often as possible, so repurpose it wisely. If you’re clever, you’ll save up your collection of burned LAFCO fragranced candles to create a matching set of something from the list below!

Here are some creative ideas for repurposing your LAFCO candle vessel:

1. Vase – Blown glass makes for a beautiful vase to hold your favorite flowers or cuttings from your garden. You could also fill the vessel with a bundle of fresh herbs to adorn your windowsill.
2. Pencil Holder – Add a touch of elegance to your desk with a beautiful pencil holder made from your repurposed LAFCO fragranced candle vessel.
3. Makeup Brush Holder – A good makeup brush is worth its weight in gold, so show yours the respect they deserve with a brush holder beautiful as the makeup looks you’ll create.
4. Office Supplies Holder – You never know when you’ll need a safety pin or a couple of paper clips, so keep them nearby using your candle vessel as an office supplies holder.
5. Toothbrush Holder – Hand-blown from colorful glass, LAFCO candle holders are so beautiful that you’ll want to see them every day. Using it as a toothbrush holder ensures that you will!
6. Cotton Ball Holder – Cotton balls are a bathroom necessity, but you never quite know where to keep them. A beautiful blown-glass jar is the perfect solution.
7. Spare Change Jar – Spare change scattered on your entry table looks messy, so why not contain it in a beautiful vessel like your repurposed LAFCO fragranced candle vessel?
8. Candy Jar – Everyone deserves a little indulgence now and then. If you keep your sweet treats in a beautiful repurposed candle vessel, you can hardly feel guilty about enjoying them!
9. Key Holder – Where do you put your keys when you walk in the door? If you just toss them on the table or stuff them in your pocket, you’re missing an opportunity to repurpose your candle vessel as a lovely key holder.
10. Bookends – If you have a favorite LAFCO fragrance, you may have a set of matching vessels. Why not dress up your bookcase by filling them with sand or decorative rocks for more weight and using them as fancy bookends?
11. Ring Holder – Rings have a way of getting lost in the clutter on your vanity or bathroom counter, so keep them safe in a ring holder just as beautiful as your rings are.
12. Drinking Glass – Something as beautiful as a hand-blown glass candle vessel deserves to be enjoyed every day, so consider repurposing it as a drinking glass. From boutique cocktails to a refreshing glass of handmade lemonade, this glass will spruce up any drink.
13. Miscellaneous Jar – We all have that box or drawer of miscellaneous items we don’t quite know what to do with. Why not give yours a facelift by replacing it with a LAFCO candle vessel?
14. Pet Treats – No need to keep pet treats in the plastic bags they came in. Keep them easily accessible in a lovely jar on the counter. Your furry friends will thank you for it.
15. Pot for Plants – A colorful glass LAFCO candle vessel is the perfect way to give small indoor plants a delightful “spruce up”.

When it comes to repurposing your LAFCO candle holder, the possibilities are endless. With a little creativity, you can come up with an entirely new list of ideas. If you decide to get creative, use the hashtag #LAFCORepurposed for a chance to be featured on one of LAFCO New York’s social media accounts. What will you come up with?