Craft Focus - Page number 82 - August/September 2021 (Issue 86)

82 BURNING BRIGHT Annie Maudling, candle maker and founder of EaziCandle, chats to Craft Focus about her candle making kits – allowing you to get creative, make and refill candle vessels using the simple EaziCandle system! Tell us a little bit about the company. Where are you based? When did the company start? EaziCandle is candle making made easy! I started EaziCandle in 2018 after more than 20 years of candle making experience running my own successful candle making business – On a Wick & a Prayer. We’re based in the old blacksmith’s forge next to my home, in the picturesque village of Tissington, in the Peak District in Derbyshire. What’s your background and why did you start the company? When my two children started school, I decided it was time to forge a career for myself. After playing around with my daughter’s candle making kit, I decided to get serious and went out and bought a ton of wax, which I transported home in the back of my car! All the knowledge I’ve built up has been gained through trial and error – the best way to learn things! Over the last 24 years I’ve learnt a lot and now my passion is helping others bring their creative spirit and confidence into candle making. I’ve put all this knowledge and experience into developing EaziCandle and I love to share my top tips and best advice for success with others. Through my 24 years of candle making, I’ve always refilled empty/used candle containers. A day never goes by without a customer coming in with boxes and bags of containers for me and my team to refill. EaziCandle therefore came from my love of refilling candles. Many customers comment that they have cupboards full of empty containers from candles which they’ve loved and burnt, which they don’t want to throw away. I wanted to create a simple way for people to refill their own containers from home without the need for any special candle making equipment. How has the company evolved? A huge step for EaziCandle was being invited to promote and sell the products on Create and Craft TV. Before this, we’d only sold the products through our own shop and website. After attending a few UK trade shows, we built a great UK customer base who now stock our products. In 2020, we exhibited at Creativeworld in Messe Frankfurt, this opened the way to EaziCandle becoming a worldwide brand and we now have customers across the globe from Australia to the USA! We started off with three different container candle waxes and at the beginning of 2021 added in a pillar wax blend. We also added EaziDiffuser, which allows customers to pick their own measured fragrances to add into the carrier diffuser oil. This then allows the customer to refill any favourite vessel with their mixed blend. What do you specialise in? We specialise in candle making. Our products make candle making easy with no fuss, no mess and no special equipment needed. I have a huge passion for re- cycling and re-using things. People buy or are gifted beautiful candles in lovely containers, once the candle is burnt rather than throwing the containers away or leaving them empty to gather dust you can simply re-fill them and bring them back to life using EaziCandle. Talk us through the current kits you’re particularly excited about. Do you have a favourite? Our kits are super flexible and can be put together using combinations of our wide range of colours and fragrances. We currently sell three main kits; our Soy Candle Making Set (which contains everything needed to make two scented and coloured container candles), our Scented Melt Making Set (which contains everything required to make your own scented wax melts and a ceramic burner) and our Container Candle Set (which contains wax, fragrance and colour to enable people to fill their own containers). Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen a huge increase in the sales of pillar candles, which we make daily at On a Wick and a Prayer. In the last six months, I’ve developed an Eazi Pillar Candle system using my own special wax blend which I’ve used in my candles for the last 24 years. This is currently my favourite product and could be available as a kit if there’s customer demand. Do your products suit all levels of crafters? Our products are absolutely suitable for all levels of crafter and all ages. Our kits are super easy and successful for die hard crafters and newbies alike. The kits are