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Beeswax candles handmade from vintage glassware and bottles

Kate - Updated: August 5, 2013

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

beeswax candles handmade

deva-mirel-fresh pastry stand
Deva and her weebit

Update: I spun the random.org number generator — congrats to commenter Michelle, winner of these candes. These beeswax candles — handmade using molds created from vintage pressed glass bar ware, glasses and bottles — are just beautiful. The creative brainchild of Deva Mirel of Fresh Pastry Stand, these decorative candles elevate your standard pillar to a whole new level of happy. We love love love using vintage treasures in new ways! And the best part? You could win the set shown above — Deva has provided a set for a giveaway. Read on for more about these artisanal candles — and to learn how to enter the contest.

beeswax candles

When Deva contacted Pam and me about featuring her candles on Retro Renovation, we were blown away by their vintage charm. Moreover, Deva told us that we were the first blog she pitched to show her new creations — because she is a reader. That’s always nice to hear!

handmade beeswax candles

What a great way to use midcentury glasses, bar ware and bottles. We asked Deva for more information on how she got started making these lovely candles:

deva-mirel-fresh pastry standI started Fresh Pastry Stand in February 2012, making cake stands from vintage china. I love pairing the aesthetic of vintage dishes with a mix and match sensibility. But because the cake stands are either one of a kind or limited edition and I wanted to do this more than just for fun but as my career, I realized I needed to add a product that could be reproduced for wholesale, etc. 
 
One Etsy seller I am a huge fan of is Andies Specialty Sweets. I absolutely adore their work and am hugely inspired by their presentation of vintagey old school candies — especially their vintage button candies. So, their product line got me very obsessed with the idea of mold making. I just really wanted to do it. I looked around at different options — like resin jewelry — but the risk and toxicity of the materials did not appeal to me. Prior to Fresh Pastry Stand, I worked in natural foods catering so the quality and purity of materials is something I am sensitive to and feel strongly about.
 
I stumbled upon some videos of Martha Stewart making molded beeswax candles and became immediately interested in the material. Martha used colorants when making her candles but I found the natural beauty of beeswax so captivating, I decided to keep it absolutely pure. Martha was mostly casting objects from nature — gourds and branches — but I had an extensive collection of vintage wares on my shelves and knew that would be my niche. 
 
And one day while visiting the Goodwill I spotted all this 1950’s pressed glass barware. The texture caught my attention. I knew it would translate well into a tactile candle while keeping with the vintage aesthetic I so love. Some of the glasses I bought on that trip looked terrible when cast as candles. Most notably Anchor Hocking’s Lido pattern. Love it as a glass, leave it as a candle! The Tiki Tumbler pillar is cast from Indiana Glass Park Lane pattern. The short pillar is cast from a Libbey glass but I have not found any info on the gorgeous water goblet I used. Maybe your readers will have some info!

Deva debuted her beeswax candle line recently — after getting funding through backers on Kickstarter  — which paid for the candle making supplies and start up costs. Around the first week of August, Deva introduced the line in her Etsy shop and is currently working on making more molds, fulfilling Kickstarter rewards and working on packaging design.

mid century cast beeswax candleI’m just in awe of the detail that is able to be transferred from the glassware to the final candle. You can see every petal on those flowers — wow — how’s that for flower power?

mid century cast beeswax candlemid century cast tiki candleIt’s tough to choose, but I think this pillar candle is my favorite of the bunch — probably because I’m really digging the geometric design and tiki vibe. It would look great and create some funky mood lighting in my tiki room!

vintage bottle candlesPam says she is partial to the beeswax candles cast from molds made from vintage jars and bottles. These also would make for a memorable centerpiece for dinner parties, special events or family gatherings.

vintage bottle candleIt is never too early to think about shopping for the holidays — these candles might be just the right kind of gift for that hard to shop for vintage loving person on your list!

You can learn more about Deva’s candles by watching her YouTube Video or hopping on over to Fresh Pastry Stand’s Esty shop to check out all her designs.

Thank you, Deva, for making Retro Renovation the first blog you pitched with your story… for permission to feature all these beautiful photos… and for providing the giveaway!

win these

Wanna win the set above?
Enter by Thursday night

How to enter:

  • Leave a Comment about why you like these candles and want to win.
  • You must be in the U.S., so sorry, blame the hassle of trying to deal with customs.
  • Contest closes at 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Sept. 6; Pam will choose a winner by random.org random number generator on Friday morning and email the winner. If she lands on Deva’s name, she will go on down. Winner must respond within one week. If they do not, she will choose another winner. Rinse. Repeat.
  • Pam will post the name of the winner at the top of this post as soon as they confirm.

Update: Contest entries closed. Selection of winner, described above, in progress!

Reader Interactions

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123 comments

Comments

  1. ben says

    They are an amazing reuse of old patterns. They totally remind me of the bottles I have found in my shed.

    I can imagine how great they would look mixed into my living room 🙂

  2. evamarie says

    I love beeswax candles and these are especially pretty! The goblet reminds me of my parent’s “crystal” that we still use for the holidays. Thank you for the chance!

  4. Laura says

    These are lovely! I would love to win these and have them on the shelf in my dining room – they’s be such a nice counterpoint to my pottery!

  6. Robin Hodapp says

    I simply would like to win the candles, because I like the look (very clever). The other reason being I would like to burn them in my brand new store & possibly buy more for store. The customers may like them also. I also think beeswax is the only way to go!

    • Deva says

      Thanks Holly! The mold process really lets me create an interesting candle while still working within the confines of Mother Nature. And I am so grateful to Pam and Kate for giving me the opportunity to show my designs to an audience that appreciates the finer taste of vintage! XO

  9. Denise says

    I LOVE these! I have a friend that is a candle freak. She often picks up cool vintage ones and these immediately made me think of her. These are definitely on the list of choices to give as a gift for her upcoming nuptials. Perfect timing.

    • Deva says

      Nice! Denise, thank you for seriously considering my candles. Wishing your friend a long burning romance ;P XO

    • Deva says

      Thanks Rosemary! And I’m hoping to pass the bug onto my 3 little ones. So far, we don’t see eye to eye on what is awesome when we hit the thrifts, but the oldest is only 8 so they have some time to learn. It is inspiring to hear about your son! Whenever I visit estate sales, I am always saddened to see such wonderful collections amassed over a lifetime just sold off in 2 or 3 days. Hoping my kids will one day fight over my Pyrex mixing bowls 😉 XO