On the Fine Art of Candle Maintenance

Here's an esoteric posting for you, one you probably didn't see coming: On the Fine Art of Candle Maintenance (scented candles)--have you ever thought of it before?  Scented candles are often an important element in the homes where I work.  They easily cost over $60.00, and more and more are really pushing the $100.00 mark; so it's really necessary that we get our money's worth out of the candle--I want the scent to fill the room, I want the candle to burn for the expected duration of 60 hours,  and I don't want a mess.

A new candle comes with the wick exposed to about one-fourth of an inch--this is the ideal length for the wick at all times.  Wicks need to be trimmed after each burning, but before we get to trimming wicks, let's first discuss burning the candle.

The first burn for a candle should be to the edges, to the full diameter, to the rim.  If you only plan to burn the candle for a few minutes or an hour--do not burn the candle.  Typically the first burn will be four or five hours.  Subsequent burns should also be to the rim but when this is not possible, let the next burn be to the rim.  Too many burns of short time spans will cause the candle to develop "wells" of wax, or a "canyon" on wax along the walls and this is wasting the candle (and money).

I recently purchased some new candles for my own apartment and when I lit the first one, the flame was very low.  I think the wick came a little short.  I have been nursing the "well" for several days now, allowing the low flame to burn for a really long time in order to grow the diameter of the well to the rim and hoping not to develop a deep well.  What happens when the flame is too low is that the heat of the flame doesn't melt the wax to the rim but grows the depth of the well instead--this is a waste of candle wax (for it remains on the edges where it will never burn or release its scent).

After each burn, and soon after, I center the wick into the middle of the candle because the wick will move if the flame burns unevenly.  Although it is not the case with this particular candle, sometimes the wick will be longer than one-fourth of an inch, in which case it is necessary to trim the wick.  A quick and clean way to do this is:  before lighting the candle, take a tissue between your forefinger and thumb, then pinch the wick to the desired length--no messy carbon on your fingers, and no ashy soot falling into the candle.

Trimming the wick will also prevent the candle from smoking.  If the candle does smoke, and if the flame is producing black soot on the container, extinguish the candle, make certain the wick is in the middle of the candle and allow it to cool.  When cool, trim the wick to one-fourth inch and re-light the candle.  It should not smoke now.

So, how many candles do you need?  In homes where I work, I like to have as many as needed to have a full effect of scent--that can sometimes be as many as three scented candles in a room.  Light the candles at least two hours before any parties if you desire the scent to permeate the room.  Place candles in as many rooms as you wish to scent, but do not put scented candles on a dining table.

Indulge a Passion: Liberty Frogs

A couple of weeks ago I undertook the annual chore (ritual?) of cleaning my books.  (I hope you've done so also.)  And I moved my cookbooks to a new bookshelf in the kitchen (makes sense) which allowed me to move my photography collection into the living room.  All that book moving wore me out.  In the depths of my fatigue (okay, maybe I exaggerate) I was inspired to play with my collection of Liberty of London frogs.  

I'm not sure how long they'll remain posed on my books, but I'm certainly enjoying their happy dance through the books right now: 

I started buying these cuties many years ago when I still lived in Philadelphia.  A friend and I used to take the train out to  Ardmore on the Main Line where the Liberty shop was located.  These little creatures were probably around ten dollars each then.  And not that it really matters, but since I bought mine, the design has changed somewhat:  the eyes are no longer hard plastic (swallowing hazard) but are now soft puff balls.  I prefer the original plastic eyes myself.

A Favorite Spot

Even I run out of food sometimes.  Well, not exactly, but somedays I go to my cupboards and refrigerator to find that there is nothing there to satisfy my hunger.  And anyway, I just finished washing the breakfast dishes,  and I don't want to dirty a pot or have to wash another plate.  The sunshine and cool breeze is calling, I have to go out for lunch.

When this urge hits, one of my favorite local spots is L'Appetito in the wonderful John Hancock building on Michigan Avenue.  It is often bustling with European tourists and business people from the building and surrounding high-rises.  I've often wondered what it is that the owners did to get so many European visitors in their doors, but I think I know what it is:  quality products and fast, efficient service.

Look for the red Illy umbrellas and grab a coveted seat at one of the tables.

Confession, I sometimes just go here for the selection of cookies.  I've become particularly fond of the Rainbow Cookie, although called a cookie it's more like a small piece of cake with a sweet liqueur flavoring and a chocolate icing.  It's served chilled which seems like an extra special treat on hot days.

The Rainbow cookies imitate the colors of the Italian flag

There is not fancy barista culture here--just simply perfect espressos, cappuccinos, macchiatos and plain black coffee.  It's fast, done right and served in proper cups.

After you order your sandwich in the deli area, you can take a seat in this faux Italian village square accompanied by the sounds of opera or Frank Sinatra (or course).  And if you're adventuresome, you can practice your French, Italian, Spanish or other European language with one of the visitors.  It's amazing how many different languages you hear here.

It seems that L'Appetito also serves as something of a high-end grocery store for the residents of the Hancock building--you can buy fine wines here, the best olive oils, fresh Italian breads, dried pasta and great chocolates.

Or maybe you would like to make your own espresso at home; they have the pots to get you started.  And the proper cups.

So, on this particularly sunny day, I bought a romaine lettuce salad with chicken breast, walnuts, goat cheese, and dried cherries--for $6.50!  Quite a bargain, especially considering I didn't have to dirty a dish to get it.

Hey, next time you're in town, let me know and I'll buy the coffees and cookies.

Even a butler enjoys eating from a plastic container in the sunshine from time to time.

Indulge a Passion: Tea Towels

Tea towels, souvenir towels, kitchen towels, your Grandma's towels--whatever we call them, I love 'em.  I love these decorative linen towels and I use them instead of just collecting them (no clutter!).  A couple of weekends ago I took the train to Blue Island, IL (a small suburb of Chicago) for an architectural tour of a private home.  While walking to the tour, we went down a main street and found an antiques mall.  It didn't take me long to find these great London-theme towels.  And at $4.50 a piece, quite the bargain.

Over the years I've picked up towels in other antique malls or flea markets, like these two with an Australia-theme, and another one that traveled the world.

Every year my Mom used to buy (or maybe the banks still gave them out way back when) a new calendar towel for the upcoming year and it was always placed on the wall in the kitchen over the table where I would do my homework.  I always knew the date, and to this day, I like a wall calendar in the kitchen.  I have only one calendar towel in my collection right now, but I didn't photograph it for this shoot.  

And of course, since I love Paris so much, I had to have one with the iconic sites pictured, although I bought this one at Gracious Home in NYC when I was working in the city.  Can you name the bridge at the base of the Paris towel?  (And we have a  winner, not surprising!)

A note:  not all kitchen towels, tea towels are made of linen; some are fine cotton.  Only the linen ones are lint-free and intended for drying glass and crystal.