A little more about me.

"How did you get into making candles?" This is a question that I am asked a lot and therefore I thought I would share my story for anyone that might be interested, or looking to kick themselves into doing something more creative or crafty.

I used to buy a lot of candles. Cheap ones, more expensive ones but always, always scented ones. I love lighting a candle and enjoying the mood that it sets in a room. My husband noticed this border-line candle obsession emerging and suggested to me one day that I should try and make some myself. We did some research and before you know it had worked out what I needed and how much I could get of it to make myself a few basic scented candles of my own. On my first go I probably made 2 or 3 candles which I set in recycled glass jam jars and china cups. They got some very good feedback from friends and family so I just kept making them and started charging a very small amount for friends to buy for their friends.

During this time I got engaged so I was then in the world of wedding planning and came up with the idea of making candles for my wedding favours. I could go on about this but I think there's probably enough for another post on this so watch out for that one, coming soon!

After the success of these candles I got on the hunt for weekend markets in south London, and came across Oval & Herne Hill markets . I must admit I was a little nervous for my first market but everyone was really lovely and it was great to hear peoples (generally glowing!) opinions on my candles. Previously I'd only ever really sold to friends and family so this was a really important time for me.

Since then I've continued going to (and thoroughly enjoying!) Herne Hill market on regular Sundays and therefore signed up to a lot of Christmas markets and fairs. They're such a lovely opportunity to meet customers face to face and also chat to other crafty makers.

Christmas time was a very fun period for By Laura and I'm loving every single minute. If you have an idea or can create something that people like then give it a go, I cannot recommend it enough!