Wax Paper Pillar Candles

Have you ever been to one of those hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurants with red checkered table cloths and big drippy candles in Chianti bottles? You know the ones that dribble wax all over the bottle? It builds and builds and builds up over time and it looks sort of creepy but you let it go because you think This is just like Lady and the Tramp!

Well, this post is like that except with Shabbat candles and diet coke bottles. Romantical much? And no dripping wax. And no Lady. And no Tramp.

Hashtag Disappointed.

Hashtag WhoWillEatSpaghettiWithMe?

Last month, a reader, Guinevere, asked me about the candles featured in a post from last fall. It didn’t occur to me to do a tutorial on it but since I was setting the table this weekend, I thought I’d do a quick demo. This is a cheap and easy way to get some height on your table without buying a bunch of expensive candle sticks.An it involves drinking abuncha soda and a trip to the ‘Ethnic Foods’ aisle. Wahoo!

The hard part with this is finding candles and bottles that fit perfectly. Too big and they are useless– too small and the candle slips inside the bottle. I have found that most soda bottles fit perfectly with Shabbat candles* but you experiment and see for yourself. Some larger long stem candles fit in beer bottles, or sometimes you can use a butter knife to whittle the bottoms (or use an open flame to melt it down) to make them fit, but this is one combo that always works.

*What are Shabbat candles? Traditionally lit by the woman of the home 18 minutes before sunset each Friday, Shabbat candles are are part of most Jewish households. You can buy a whole box of them in the kosher food section of most grocery stores for $2.00, sometimes less. They burn clean, no drips, and last 2 to 3 hours.

They look really good bundled together on a glass cake plate or platter, just don’t bundle too close. Hello fire hazard! Although no paper is fire proof, wax paper is slightly safer as the melting wax will smother the flame and prevent a full out flare up. But still. Don’t catch fire y’all. Smokey says so.

So there it is Guinevere, I hope that helps!

Anybody else have a follow-up question on something you saw here? Send me an email…it might make for a future post!