The first snowfall of the season dusts the ground outside Daphne Dennison’s garage in Ferndale, but inside it is warm and inviting. The scent of cedar and spice fills the air as she stirs hot wax bubbling in a pot on the stove.
When the wax is liquefied, Dennison pours it over the top of colorful wax chips in a pillar mold. The end result is a mosaic candle that is truly one of a kind.
“I loved it the minute I started doing it,” Dennison said. “It’s my therapy. It’s my creative outlet.”
At the urging of her grandmother, Dennison took a candle making class years ago while living in Seattle. The hobby quickly turned into a passion, and she has been evolving her techniques for the past 10 years, selling her candles at markets and stores around the valley.
The process is somewhat of an experiment, testing various fragrance combinations and pairing them with the right wax colors that will appeal to others. In addition to the mosaic pillar candles, Dennison has been experimenting with recycling glass bottles and turning them into custom candle molds.
To learn more about Dennison’s candles, visit www.montanaflame.com.
