By 10:00 yesterday morning, my back had calmed down (again) and I decided I would go ahead and make the beeswax ornaments as I'd intended.
It's a big undertaking, one that takes over the entire kitchen. I get the wax started melting, and then pull out the molds I plan to begin with.
And when that's done, I wait for the beeswax to be fully melted and ready to pour.
That's a good time to cut and tie the thread hangers.
Accompanied by my best girl, as always. Who is lying right next to my chair, making it difficult to get over to the island where the ornaments are actually created.
Almost ready to pour. That round, lighter orange disk is unmelted beeswax at the bottom of the melting bowl.
Soon things are happening quickly. While a new batch of beeswax pellets begins melting, the previous one has cooled enough so that it's time to pop the ornaments out of their molds and blacken them with beeswax.
I generally pour 7 - 8 ornaments per each melted batch.
By the time I have blackened a batch, the beeswax is melted and ready to pour. And thus begins a cycle of pour and pop. Or pop and pour depending on where I am in that cycle! LOL
Usually I pour and pop for three hours or so and then stop for the day, but with the Feast only three weeks away and my back being iffy, I decided to go until I'd made all that I'd planned to make to ensure that I had a good selection for the Feast.
I worked until 5:30 and then was still pouring and popping a few throughout dinner.
I was exhausted when I finished but the pour and pop marathon was worth it. I have 65 new ornaments completed for a total of 166 blackened beeswax ornaments to take to the Feast of the Hunters' Moon.
Checking that project off my Feast to-do list felt good!
Stay 'tooned!
