i have been using beeswax a lot in the last few years, (lotions, salves, wood finishes, candles, paper flowers) and i have gotten to learn a lot of it's properties. did you know that unfiltered beeswax has too much of a resinous substance called propolis (with beautiful anti-microbal properties) which will clog the wick if used in candle making and extinguish the flame no matter the size of the wick? i have found this to be the case and have begun to buy beeswax with little propolis for candlemaking from Beekind in Sebastopol Ca.http://beekind.com/ who shared this candlemaking tip with me. the smell is much more earthy perfumy and less honey-like but my candles are much more successful and it is a blonder version of beeswax which keeps the pinks and whites truer on my tiny paper blooms.
hmmm...what to do with all my unfiltered beeswax scraps...? i decide to make my own floral tape (a waxy tape hidden in the construction of my crowns), adding another greener layer to my work. my handmade version is messy and not as workable as the ready made floral tapes (which uses some unknown sticky parafin ingredient) but the scent and natural properties make my heart sing forward with this new experiment. and we shall see if this new invention becomes a workable permenant feature in miss teapot's future collections.