As she comes to grips with the art of candle-making, Stephanie Fsadni finds that candles can be the perfect gift for any occasion, not only for Christmas, as they never expire if they are not lit, and adorn any setting any time of day.

A favourite: a chocolate and custard cream cup candle topped with ‘shredded chocolate and a juicy red cherry’.

The birth of a child brings along many moments of joy and happiness, apart from long, sleepless nights... But for Tiziana Baldacchino, it also brought about other positive things – it gave her an incentive to try pastures new.

“When my first daughter was born, I found myself clearing drawers and giving a facelift to old costume jewellery,” says the 31-year-old.

“But when both my daughters started nursery school, I felt the need to try something more adventurous.”

And thanks to the encouragement of a “truly honest, helpful and inspirational” soap-maker friend, who helped her let go of her fears, Tiziana started candle-making.

She looked up tutorials and books online, and started reading extensively on the subject.

“I then got my hands on some wax, wicks and pans, and started testing in my own time,” the stay-at-home mum says.

She describes the candle-making process as “quite simple and straightforward”.

“You melt the wax, you add the dye, the scents, you stick the wick and you pour it either in molds or in containers.”

Sounds easy, but Tiziana soon adds that there are technicalities to deal with, which make the process somewhat more complex.

“You need to have the right temperature to add different fragrances and the container temperature must be right, among other things,” she explains.

I am in love with cinnamon and the mixed spices scents

It can also be quite a messy affair and a bit dangerous too.

“Pouring can be a bit messy, hence the importance of using an apron and covering work surfaces in old magazines. It is also of utmost importance to follow safety precautions, as wax has to be melted at very high temperatures and can catch fire easily.”

Because of this, she only works on her candles when her daughters Gabrielle and Krysta, now aged three-and-a-half, and two-and-a-half respectively, are not around. But her “little elves” come out to help in the final part of the process – the packaging.

“That is when I let my daughters cut the ribbon and hold on knots to make neat, pretty bows.”

Among her most unique creations, Tiziana mentions a chocolate and custard cream cup candle topped with ‘shredded chocolate and a juicy red cherry’ – one of her favourite candles to date.

“The top is scented with vanilla and the bottom is scented with chocolate chip. It would be a pity to ever have to burn it,” she admits.

Tiziana currently prepares these “wax beauties” in her kitchen, but she aims to turn a small room on the roof into her workshop.

Right now, she is working on candles and gift sets for Christmas.

“I am in love with cinnamon and the mixed spices scents, that are synonymous with the festive season.”

However, she believes candles can be the perfect gift for any occasion, not only for Christmas, as they never expire if they are not lit, and they adorn any setting any time of day on any occasion. Apart from candles, Tiziana has also been working on melts. These are made from different types of wax and have added fragrances to them, however, they do not have a wick.

“They are placed on oil burners and let out their beautiful scent when the tealight candle is lit up.”

Tiziana’s dream, however, is still in the making.

“I would love to get the chance to travel and get my candle-making qualifications from abroad in the hope of broadening my knowledge and also to be able to expandmy craft.”

In the meantime, she keeps experimenting with her waxy art.

To view more of Tiziana’s creations, visit her Facebook page, T dazzled.