Can’t get enough of them. Candles make for wonderful decorative accents. They can create atmosphere, change the mood or facilitate fantasy. A bedroom transforms itself to a boudoir. A bathroom becomes a Roman spa with 20 or 30 glowing cylinders.
Be honest. How many candles do you think you own? Don’t forget those itty-bitty tea lights that are purchased by the hundred, the tapers, birthdays, pillars, Chanukahs, votives globes, the scented and the fragrance-free. Then think of all the accessories designed to display them.- candelabras, hurricane lamps, candle sticks and hanging lanterns for the garden, to name a few. Ca-ching, Ca-ching! No wonder they are the darlings of the home party circuit. Who can resist all of that warmth and beauty, not to mention the irresistable twinkle? Don’t tell us that you don’t stock up on them when they are on sale at the outlet malls. The candle matter is not simply another case of wretched excess, although for the hard-core candleholics it is. We continue to be confounded by their apparent obligation to hoard those faded peach coloured tapered candles from the 80's that don't even match their decor any longer. However, our beef resides with those who inexplicably cling to the half-melted specimen. Nothing is as unattractive as a coagulated pool of liquefied paraffin topped off with a charred wick that has managed to unite permanently with its holder, now glued to your coffee table. Let's face it, candle burning is inherently messy. If you manage to dig out the residue, are you holding on to the stunted remnants to get you through a major power failure?
Challenge
Give some thought to your guests’ reaction at your next dinner party. What if alongside your china, crystal and silver you were to grace your table with a few of these candles cum sculptures? Start your personal “operation snuff” with the rim of your bathtub. Then turn your attention to the blobs adorning your bedroom. Proceed with garbage bag in hand to every corner of your abode and eradicate the offending items. Use a chisel to remove the drips. You could actually forget to blow your candles out some evening and accelerate the entire clutter clearing process. This may seem harsh, but it is worth it. If it’s the ambiance you crave, buy a dimmer.
Challenge
Give some thought to your guests’ reaction at your next dinner party. What if alongside your china, crystal and silver you were to grace your table with a few of these candles cum sculptures? Start your personal “operation snuff” with the rim of your bathtub. Then turn your attention to the blobs adorning your bedroom. Proceed with garbage bag in hand to every corner of your abode and eradicate the offending items. Use a chisel to remove the drips. You could actually forget to blow your candles out some evening and accelerate the entire clutter clearing process. This may seem harsh, but it is worth it. If it’s the ambiance you crave, buy a dimmer.
(One last note ... they usually don't hold up well in direct sunlight either.)
Posts
