By Elaine McRae
I have taken a round-about trip to get to the West Kootenay area to subsequently make pure natural beeswax candles. I was born into a large family in the Cariboo Region of BC and spent part of my childhood in the Okanagan and my teen years in the East Kootenay. I raised a family in the West Kootenays of British Columbia and fell in love with the area around Kootenay Lake. I made myself a promise that I would find a way to live and work here. Several different jobs have taken me to all parts of BC with the exception of the Northeast corner and although I find the entire province of BC beautiful, the little gem of Kaslo is where I plan to stay on a permanent basis. It has everything I desire; clean air, good water, excellent hiking and camping and some of the best people in the world. It has the perfect annual four seasons. Every morning I look out my window and I am grateful for the beautiful view of the mountains (what a great stress reliever). I look forward to a fantastic picture postcard view where I meet my carpool with more breathtaking beauty on the short drive to work and another wonderful picture of lake and mountains from the Honey Candles factory location. The Kaslo area suits my interests of nature, walking and reading.
I am responsible for making and packaging Honey Candles 12 inch tapered beewax candles (singles and taper pairs), 9 inch bases, 6 inch tubes and 6 inch columns. Each type of candle is made with pure natural beeswax, which is a joy to work with. When I go to town after work I always get told how good I smell. The natural honey scent of beeswax permeates my clothing.
Creating each type of candle is a different experience. There are a lot of similarities in the process of making different styles of candlesticks but many differences as well. Each candlestick has to be handled in its own special way or it does not meet the quality I wish for all Honey Candles consumers and stores. I like to send each candle out with the awareness that it might be the customer’s very first experience burning Honey Candles and I want it perfect for them so they come back for more. I want the person or persons receiving my candles to look at it and feel the pride that went into making each quality natural beeswax candle.
The funny thing is my favorite candle to burn is not one I make myself. I love burning the 7 inch square blue pillar. I just love watching the many different designs and images that appears through the candle wall as it burns lower and lower. I know we are discontinuing this candle now so I will have to experiment burning other candles and find myself a new favorite. It is going to be a tough decision because they are all so beautiful to burn.
Being the natural beeswax Honey Candles candlestick maker comes with benefits. Last year a school in Trail contacted Honey Candles to launch a fundraiser to support school extracurricular activities. My grandson Murphy who is a student there was so proud. He got to tell everyone that his Grandma made those candles for their fundraiser. It also ensures an invitation to parties as I always come bearing the best hostess gifts. Everyone appreciates a gift of natural beeswax candles.
