What can I say about Refrill? It's a vintage shop, sure we've all seen or been to a vintage shop, but this one hits the mark in so many ways. The décor was truly charming, from the art deco wallpaper to the display cabinets and shelves filled with carefully selected and well placed pieces of desirable objects and artefacts from the previous century. It was like visiting the past and I mean that in the most positive and complimentary way. There were items everywhere catching my attention, from cute bottle stoppers, to Edwardian silver backed grooming kits, the kind you can imagine a lady of the house keeping on her dresser and using to primp herself for a day of composed lounging ahead. There was also glassware and homeware that Karen had clearly spent a lot of time and effort on selecting and sourcing, it was all so relevant to todays taste and yet was all original and novel.
The clothing was another key factor to this shop, one that can not be ignored. Karen had carefully comprised her racks of vintage clothing of beautifully preserved jackets, trousers, dresses and so on. So much care and attention had gone into her decision making process, that it showed in what she had displayed. The clothing was of an ilk that conjured imagery of a finely dressed couple, depending on the clothing you could imagine them in the different decades, spanning the century as a beautiful sartorial duo. Next time I'm to attend a wedding in the autumn, I think I'll pay a visit to Refrill to source myself a nice tweed jacket, something that is timeless yet is sure not to be worn by anyone else as it has been selected from a time gone by.
As I say, we had visited Refrill originally to drop off a selection of our stock, though we did soon get sucked into this wonderful swirling vortex of period pieces. One of the things that was pointed out to me by my brother was a wonderful bottle.
This bottle was a great find and it is not at all surprising that the place we found it was Karen's shop, as it is so full of beautiful things. So what a delight it was to stumble across this bottle from around 1900 that was originally from London and in such good condition, the lettering was bold and raised proudly on the glass. We couldn't resist but to ask Karen if we could buy this beauty to make into one of our candles, which she refused.
Karen instead insisted that we don't buy it but just take it. I cant say it's terribly surprising that she offered it so readily, as she is such a lovely and welcoming lady. So we are now in possession of a wonderful piece of history which we intend to turn into a candle and we simply had to share a couple of pictures of the bottle, so you can see exactly how special and unique this piece is. We can't wait to make it and we have Karen at her wonderful emporium Refrill to thank for it.
]]>Okay, sure, so beeswax candles give a brighter, warmer flame, is that all? Not at all, in fact the benefits of beeswax are numerous.
Beeswax is the most sustainable of all waxes, being a natural and renewable product. It is not synthetic or man made and is actually a by-product of honey production. Bees produce excess honey in the wax honeycombs that they construct and this wax can be taken without affecting the colony. Unlike many of the crops which are produced around the world, beeswax can be harvested in a completely safe and environmentally friendly way. Bees like to have fresh honeycombs in which to lay their eggs, so harvesting their used honeycombs is actually of a benefit to the bees as well.
Supporting the production of beeswax will, in itself, support the population of bees. This has never been more important. In the UK alone bees are responsible for pollinating around 70 of the crops we grow here. For example, broccoli, cabbage and apples are either completely dependent on bees or receive benefits in one way or another. Worldwide, bees pollinate one or more cultivars of over 66% of the crop species and contribute to around one third of the food required to feed us.
Air quality is another important benefit to mention when we talk about using beeswax in candles. When you burn your beeswax candles, it isn't like burning a regular paraffin tealight. Paraffin candles are made using paraffin wax, a by-product of the refining process of petroleum. Yep, that's as nasty as it sounds and it does indeed emit toxins into the air that you breathe in your home. Two of these toxins are documented as carcinogenic. How is beeswax different? It emits no toxins and in fact emits negative ions when it burns. Airborne pollutants such as dust, mites, pollen etc all carry a positive charge, this is how they manage to stay suspended in the air causing all kinds of irritation. The negative ions released when you burn a beeswax candle negate the positive ions suspending the pollutants and bring them to the ground, cleaning the air of them. This releasing of negative ions is how air purifiers and similar products work. There are many anecdotal reports of asthma and allergy symptom relief as a result of burning beeswax candles. For many with chemical and fragrance sensitivities, these are the only candles they can burn since the beeswax doesn’t release those irritating toxins.
In conclusion, why choose beeswax, apart from the warm bright glow and the long burn times? In short, it benefits everyone! Not only the ecosystem and bee population, but also the person burning the candle - from air quality to enjoying the ambience that can only be provided by this unique and beautiful wax.
These are some of the reasons why we chose to make our candles from 100% beeswax. You can browse our collection here.
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This is a fair question, after all beeswax is a slightly more expensive material. But with this expense comes a range of benefits that are completely unique and individual to beeswax.
First of all, lets talk aesthetics... The flame given from a beeswax candle is different to your regular candle flame, it is a bright deep orange flame that illuminates the text and beautiful images that you will find on our old bottle candles.
The bearded man on our Atherton candle? That gentleman looks absolutely stunning when illuminated and encapsulated by the light of the beeswax glow. The wax is denser than paraffin or soy wax and its melting point is higher, leading to a slower brighter burn meaning you can appreciate that gentleman's mighty beard for a longer time.
Now let's discuss why beeswax is better for your home. When beeswax candles burn, they clean the air like a great, natural, air purifier. Just like lightning, beeswax produces negative ions when burned. These negative ions attach to positive ions (like dust, pollen, mould, odour, toxins) floating in the air, dragging them to the ground and in this process cleans the air.
Pretty cool right? So not only do you get an aesthetically pleasing piece of mantlepiece décor, you also get a beautiful long slow bright orange burn that actually CLEANS the air! This is far more than a regular candle, no other material acts like beeswax when burned.
So we all know about the importance of the bee population for pollinating not only our crops but also many other plants vital for the ecosystem. You need only tune in to watch documentaries such as The Pollinators, Vanishing of the Bees, or Queen of the Sun - What Are Bees Trying To Tell Us, to realise the impact that a declining bee population is having on the environment. Bees dying is an issue that affects us all. Buying beeswax candles not only supports your home environment but the worlds environment as a whole.
So, why beeswax? Why not! the importance of taking this traditional crafting material, which has been used for many thousands of years, has once again become important as well as giving an essence of beauty and warmth to your household.
These are some of the reasons why we chose to make our candles from 100% beeswax. You can browse our collection here.
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