Pouring Candles in Antique Porcelain

Some people rescue dogs and cats, I rescue vintage and antique porcelain!  I am obsessed with old English and French porcelain and ironstone. Antique dishes are reminders of glamorous by-gone eras when affluent families dressed formally for dinner, sat down at an impeccably dressed table, and ate from fine dishes with real silverware and crystal glassware. In my humble abode, I use a mismatched collection of transferware dishes in an assortment of colors and patterns. As I take them out of the cabinet to set the table, I wonder, "Who owned these before me? What foods were served on them?  Where is the rest of the set of dishes?  How did it come to be in Kansas, USA?"  Inquiring minds want to know!!

I inherited my paternal grandma's set of delicate, Vietnam War era Japanese china and sometimes use it at holiday dinners, but I honestly don't have a NEED for many dishes because I rarely entertain guests.  Nonetheless, if I win the lottery, I'm immediately booking airfare to France where I will buy an enormous antique china cabinet and fill it with the finest porcelain produced in Limoges, France. Because that's the gold standard.

In the meantime I enjoy the hunt for pretty pieces I can pick up at thrift shops, flea markets, and antique stores. When I do find Limoges porcelain, I feel a desperate need to rescue it from its lonely abandonment on random store shelves. My bathroom vanity holds a Limoges plate stacked with toiletries and a Limoges serving dish lives on my nightstand. My Kansas farmhouse is far from a grand English manor or French chateau and I don't serve formal dinners, so my favorite way to indulge is purchasing beautiful teacups and saucers and turning them into candles.

In a previous post I mentioned making candles and other items to sell in fall and winter when I'm garden-deprived. My reasons for making these are two-fold; I want safe, clean products for my home and I want to generate a small income by selling them. Pouring organic soy wax and essential oils into special porcelain gives the dishes new life and purpose. They can be enjoyed despite being lost and separated from the original set. This makes my geeky heart extremely happy and cozy candle light warms my home. Are you a candle lover?  If so, check out my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/HippieHenHomestead for detailed listings of all of my candles.