I use Jimmies for my candles…

I use Jimmies for my candles…

I do, seriously!

And no they’re not called sprinkles, they are called Jimmies! Hahaha!

So no I don’t light my candles with them or anything, but I do put them in my candles to make a pretty awesome gift for kids, or even adults.

I absolutely love candles! But my wallet does not like that amount of money I spend on them, so I decided that make them would be a better solution. My daughter and I wanted to make some fun party candles for her room one day, and this is what we came up with:

Things you will need: (made 2 candles this day, one is sleepy time, and one is a day time, I also made mine scented. The ingredients listed here are for one candle.)

1 10 oz container of Jimmies

½ lbs candle wax (you can use paraffin wax if you like as well, personally I think this works better for these candles that you want to see through a little bit more, unlike beeswax)

1 candle wick

1 mason jar

double boiler (or 2 pots)

essential oil (optional for fragrance)

Directions:

1. Start by melting your wax in either your double boiler or your two pots. If you are using 2 pots make sure one is slightly smaller than the other. Fill the larger one with about 1-2 in of water. Put your wax in the smaller pot and set in the bigger pot to melt.

2. While you wax is melting, take your wick and place with metal part at the base of the mason jar. Use the additional wick at the top of the jar to wrap around a straw or spoon or something to help hold it in place. Then sprinkle in some jimmies  in your jar.

3. Once your wax has melted, pour about ½ in of wax into jar and pour more jimmies into wax. Use a knife or spoon to spread the jimmies to the outside of the jar as much as possible. (This is when I like to add some essential oils for fragrance.  In this candle I used doTERRA Lemon, Purify, and Grapefruit)

4. Then set in the fridge or freezer for 30 seconds-1 min.

5. Remove from fridge or freezer, and pour 1” of wax into jar, add more jimmies, and more fragrance, and then put back in fridge/freezer. Continue to do this until you have filled the jar up as high as you would like. Then place jar in fridge and let sit 1 hour. (make sure you save a little wax)

6. In 1 hour take your jar out, and  top it off with the leftover wax, and set back in the fridge for about 10 more min.

7. In 10 min, take the jar out, cut the extra wick, light, and enjoy!!!

Talk about a holistic approach... lets break down everyday decisions to help the health of our economy and our bodies.

So many of you know that what I put in my body is important to me. I saw this today on Instagram by a lady I very much admire. She is  biochemist, a badASS yogi, and from what I have gathered is hoping to open a Holistic Wellness Center in Costa Rica in the future with her husband. Anyway, I saw this and very much wanted to share this with you all:

@casa_colibri

Organic or Conventional

GMO or nonGMO
Local or Commercial 
Disposable or Reusable
Grassfed or Cornfed
Humanely Raised or Feed Lot

You vote with your hard earned money every time you buy something at the grocery store or restaurant. You vote with your demand for a certain product quality...or your acceptance of its mediocrity. 
Not everyone can afford to buy Organic. Not everyone lives in an area with a local farmers market. Not everyone has access to information about what we put into our bodies and/or what it is doing to the Earth. 
But you know what?

We do what we can with what we have. 
Food is a big part of our lives, and it should be a large expense in our daily and monthly budget. We only have one body, and we only have one planet. Not to mention that spending more on food might mean saving more in other categories, like medical. 
If those of us who CAN, start making conscious decisions about where we are placing our vote surrounding food products, we have the power to raise demand in current "niche" markets. 
And if we know anything about Capitalism, it's that a rise in demand breeds competition, and competition means more competitive prices, which means more availability for people who currently CAN'T. 
A 2011 study showed that less than 1% of US farm and pastureland is certified Organic. I'm willing to bet it's gone up a bit since then, but the VAST majority remains Commerical. Is it any surprise that Organic costs more? (Not that Organic is the panacea because it's not, but that's a rant for another time). This doesn't mean you can never go out to dinner with friends again or refuse to touch those plastic grocery bags the one time you forgot your cloth ones. 
It is just an invitation. 
To be here, present in this moment, and to recognize that every dollar you spend is actually a vote. To think about what went into making the food on your plate, and if/how you would like to see that change in anyway. 
If you're a meat eater (I am), to recognize and honor every life that has been given to sustain yours. To ask questions, demand answers, and never stop fighting for a fair and honest food economy.