The first annual Meraki Marketplace Spring Pop Up is right around the corner! The pop up is being held at Saving Amy on Saturday, March 28th from 10am-2pm. In preparation for the pop up, this past Saturday, Melissa and Mia from Saving Amy braved the rain in the desert and gathered at volunteer Kara Vahe’s home. Let’s take a look at the process together…

The first step was to make sure the jars were ready for wax. While Mia placed warning labels (safety first folks!) on the bottom of the candle jars, Melissa began lining up the wicks using a wick bar.

Once the labels and wicks were ready to go, they both got to feel like “chemists”. Melissa stirred the natural soy wax while it was melting in a double boiler. It took a lot of patience to wait for the wax to reach 185 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperate the wax needs to be at to bond with the fragrance oils. Once the wax reached the perfect temperature, Mia poured the fragrance oils she measured out on the scale using a 1:1 ratio.

Once the wax cooled to 135 degrees Fahrenheit it was time to pour into the jars. Then, after the wax was poured, Melissa and Mia made sure to line up the filled jars in the back and brought forward the empty jars for easier filling.

119 candles (and one on the floor) and three scents later we had our first successful day of laughter, joy and creating together. We are grateful for this opportunity for our Saving Amy women working hard to supplement their income for their families!
Next weekend we finish the process and get the candles ready for display. Stay tuned!

“I enjoyed other people’s company, and being blessed with their presence.. and the opportunity to be a part of something.” -Melissa