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Hey candle lovers! So, you’ve bought a candle from us, you’ve enjoyed it in all its deliciousness and have now found yourself at the bottom of the wick, ready to throw it out.

Wait, hold on!

Here at The Alchemist’s Satchel, we are all about sustainability and being kind to this planet that we call our home.

If you’re done with your candle, and sending it back for 50% off the refill isn’t your game plan, we’ve got other ideas for you.

We’ve whipped up five ways to re-use your candle jars but before we start… Do you know how to clean out your jar effortlessly?

Let us show you.

Cleaning your jar

• Boil your kettle and fill the jar with the boiled water up to the level where the residue is visible.
• Leave on the side until cool.
• Your leftover wax should form a top that is easy to pop out and bin!
• Do another round if needed, et voila! Effortlessly perfectly cleaned candle jar!

First stop – have you planted your seeded business card yet?

If not, with a few rocks at the bottom for drainage, and plenty of soil, our candle jars are the perfect pot to get those flowers germinating before you pop them outside for the bees to enjoy!

If you’ve already done away with our business card, our jars are still a great place to plant any other seeds, cuttings, or succulents!

Get crafty

If you fancy yourself as a bit of an arts and crafts type, we thoroughly recommend occupying yourself on a rainy day with this easy macrame hanging planters. Our jars make the perfect little plant pot for those bo-ho plant vibes!

Not a green finger kind of person? Here’s some alternative ideas:

Light the way

Not a green finger kind of person? Here’s an alternative idea: use our jars to make your very own bedside table light!

Here’s what you do:

1. Paint your candle jar with glass paint or use a primer.
2. Before it gets a chance to dry, grab some journal paper, crumple it and dab it until the surface looks a little like bark.
3. When dry, pop some battery powered string fairy lights in.

There you go, a small, simple bedside night light that gives off forest-like shadows!

And if you love the idea but aren’t too arty, just fairy light in a plain jar still looks beautiful – and makes use of those battery lights we keep in the draw!

Feed the birds!

How sweet is it when you look out of your window and see birds in your garden? Well, using the macrame DIYs above, your candle jar easily becomes a bird feeder!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Find yourself a nice straight stick that can go across the top of the jar and pop it through the knots on either side, so that it sits on top of the jar, across the centre. This will allow birds to land and sit comfortably.

2. Next, fill your jar with seeds.

3. Head outside and find a high up branch that you can dangle your bird feeder from. We recommend over 60cm of rope between the branch and feeder, to avoid squirrels enjoying all the seeds!

Candle Holder

Whilst we won’t recommend that you make your own candles at home, you can still reuse our jars by putting a tealight or smaller candle within them. We love Yoplait’s idea of putting coffee beans and tea lights in their yoghurt pots.

We’ve tried it in ours, and the smell of fresh warm coffee is just lovely!

Alternatively, we recommend using sand and seashells, cinnamon sticks and pine cones or dried orange peels under your tea light for seasonal, custom scents that you’ll love.

If you wanted to show off your DIY skills a little more, here’s a DIY that requires a hot glue gun and rope, to turn your candle jar into a real stylised candleholder! We particularly like this nautical-inspired DIY by 2BeesInAPod.

So there we have it! If you decide to try one of our ideas, we’d love to showcase it on our socials! Head over to www.instagram.com/TheAlchemistsSatchel and send us an inbox, we’d love to connect with you!

Until next time, peace and light, The Alchemist’s Satchel.

Our cotton tea bags are the humble queens of the sustainability world, allowing you to reuse them again and again, which is why we love to craft our beautiful bath teas in them. If you have used our bath teas and are left with empty bags, then I’ll let you in on a secret…you can get refill pouches from our store!

Refill pouches also come with 3 more cotton tea bags, so you’ll always have one handy. Refills will save you money and help to save the planet, just make sure to empty and wash your bags before reuse.

However, refilling with one of our lovely products isn’t the only way to give your bags a new lease of life.

And for us, enabling and inspiring you to creatively reuse our containers and packaging, is a core part of who we are.

So, let’s take a look at some nifty ideas for those empty bags. If you leave feeling inspired or have come up with a great new idea, tag us on socials @INSERTSOCIAL. We might just feature you on our blog, if we do, you’ll win a box set of your choice.

Lavender pouches
You’ll need:
– Clean and dry tea bag
– Some lavender buds

Fill the bag with the lavender buds for a relaxing scent that will last weeks and send you drifting off to sleep. Lavender is known to aid relaxation at bedtime and improve sleep quality, so be sure to pop these pouches under your pillow.

Clothing Drawers Freshener
You’ll need:
– Clean and dry tea bag
– Lavender buds
– Handful of oats
– A few drops of essential oils, depending on your scent preferences

Want your clothes to smell great for longer? Simply mix these ingredients together in a bowl, using a metal or silicone spoon, then scoop it into your cotton tea bags.
You can get creative with dried flowers and herbs as well as playing about with your favourite scents. We recommend lavender because it’s a natural insect repellent (yep, it’ll even keep the moths away).

Soap Saver
You’ll need:
– Clean and dry tea bag
– Pieces of soap

Got those annoying pieces of leftover soap which have crumbled off your favourite bars or stuck to the soap dish? Simply place them in the cotton bag to transform them into something usable. Next time you wash your hands, you can grab the whole bag, place it under the tap and use it just like a bar of soap!

Gift Wrap
The gift that keeps on giving, our cotton pouches are the perfect packaging for small gift items such as jewellery, ornaments, gems and shells.

Organiser
We all have a grab-and-go tote bag or purse which we throw our things into, but your items tend to get mixed up inside. Lost your earbuds at the bottom of your bag? Need somewhere to place your jewellery before a yoga class? Keys scratching your phone screen? Not anymore, thanks to these handy little tea bags. Store your small items in our cotton tea bags to keep things organised.

Peace & Light,
The Alchemist Satchel

If you’re coming to the end of your

bath salts, we know you’re sad, but there is hope and light. Instead of adding it to the ever increasing stock of old jars you’ve kept in your cupboard “just in case” (don’t worry, we all do it), why not repurpose your bath salt jar

with one of these crafty and creative ideas.

You might just feel so inspired that those other old jars get a second chance too!

Tiny Gift Set
What could be sweeter than receiving a gift? Receiving a tiny gift in a jar, of course. It might sound a little silly, but it’s been done and it’s adorable. We love the idea, you could try putting together drink mixes, cake ingredients, mini beauty sets and so much more – check out some examples. The best bit is that you get to design fun labels and personalise it more than a shop bought gift.

Travel Sewing Kit
You look down and notice an awkward rip in your favourite trousers? Cute strappy top just broke at cocktail night? Or how about a camping catastrophe where something needs to be patched up fast? Having a minimal, covers-your-every-need kind of sewing kit could be a life saver. Pop everything you need into a jar, and if you want to get fancy you can create a pin cushion lid using these instructions.

Little Planters
Calling all plant loves, this is one for your collection. For the full effect, you’ll need quite a few old jars, but the result is an impressive, indoor or outdoor, customisable planter that’s perfect for a herb or veggie plant nursery. Our very own jar planter collection sits on our kitchen window, and has been on the receiving end of many compliments! You can view the DIY recipe here and give it a go at home.

DIY Snow Globe
Your spare jar can be turned into a mini winter wonderland using this snow globe DIY. This one is especially lovely if you have little ones who want to help, you can even put your festive family photo inside of it. Or if you are simply a winter lover, why not share your joy and make little keepsakes for friends and family. You knew there was a purpose for that selfie you took with Santa last year…

Pencil Sharpener
If you are an accomplished crafter then this idea will prove handy, it requires a little more know-how and equipment, but anyone with a tool box should succeed. Follow these instructions to turn your jar into a truly useful, homemade, pencil sharpener which keeps those pencil shavings contained.

Bird feeder
Encouraging birds to flock to your garden is not only adorable, but helps promote a local ecosystem. This is why we have saved the best idea until last, turning your jar into a DIY bird feeder! You’ll need some reused wood and a few tools, but it’s totally worth it.

We love to see your sustainable DIY’s, so be sure to tag us on socials @thealchemistssatchel

Peace & light,
The Alchemist Satchel.

Some DIY ideas sound cute, until you realise that they cost more than buying the product itself. Lucky for you, this DIY Bath Tea recipe is truly affordable and uses ingredients that most of us will have sitting in our cupboards at home.

So, let’s run ourselves a warm bath and make some magic happen with this easy but indulgent idea.

If using bath teas is new to you, let’s just say there is a reason why they are our best sellers! With their skin nourishing, natural ingredients, and eco-friendly credentials – it’s clear to see why so many people treat themselves at bath time.

It can be tempting to pour in a supermarket bath foam, which might give you movie-worthy bubbles, but ultimately will dry out your skin and leave you feeling like you want to take a shower straight after. Wouldn’t you rather use something which leaves your skin feeling refreshed and soothed?

Say no more!
Bath teas actually moisturise and soften your skin, thanks to the oatmeal and natural body butter. These wholesome ingredients help to soothe your skin by locking in moisture naturally, without clogging or irritating your skin.
As you lay there, soaking it all in, you might notice your mood begin to lift and your mind starts to clear. Certain botanicals and essential oils in bath teas can trigger positive responses in your brain, from uplifting citrus to comforting frankincense, the right scent could be just the mental pick-me-up you need. Which scent sends you to your happy place?

If I haven’t convinced you yet, why not try out the DIY recipe for yourself? You might just find a mix that you love so much you want to share it. Tag us on socials @thealchemistssatchel and if we love your recipe as much as you do, you could be in for a chance to win a box set of your choice.

Build your own blend
Start exploring bath teas with this simple recipe which makes 1 bag of tea.
Here is what you’ll need:
– Reusable cotton or muslin tea bag (you could even tie up a clean, old sock if you’ve not invested in reusable tea bags yet)
– 40g of rolled oats (or oatmeal will work too)
– 5g of cocoa butter shavings. This can be substituted for shea butter, coconut oil chunks, or even our body butter.
– 5g of botanicals. If you’re not sure what to use, we love lavender or rose petals. You can even use fresh herbs such as rosemary.
– 10 drops of essential oils. An alchemist’s Satchel favourite is a combination of lavender, bergamot and rosemary – you’re welcome! *
*for extra sensitive skin, children, eczema or psoriasis, simply remove the essential oils.

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl to combine, we recommend you use a metal or silicone mixing spoon to avoid the oils soaking into your wooden utensils.
Scoop into the bag and seal with a tight knot
Run yourself a lovely bath
Place bag in warm bath water
Leave the bag to soak and give it a good squeeze to release the skin-loving goodness into your tub!

Top tip: you can keep your teabag and reuse it, just make sure to empty out the wet ingredients after your bath.

Until next time, peace and light, The Alchemist Satchel.

If you’ve never tried bath salts, you’d be forgiven for wondering why anyone would bother with them.

But you don’t know until you know. Y’know?

Picture the scene: you’ve come home from a day out or from a day at work, you’re tired, your back is achy, and your feet are throbbing. You start to run yourself a lovely, hot bath. You throw in a cheeky handful of bath salts because, well, you’ve heard good things and you fancy being indulgent. You’ve earnt it.

You step into the bath which welcomes you like a warm hug…then the magic happens.

You feel your muscles relax…

the aches disappear…

and you feel like you’re in a steamy bowl of cloud 9 blissfulness. What’s more, this feeling can last up to 3-4 hours after the bath!

You see, bath salts, thanks to their magnesium content, are known muscle relaxants. They help drain toxins and extract muscle build-up, so they’re bound to make bath time your favourite time.

Bath salts DIY

Whether you already have your own Epsom salts or just have some coarse Himalayan salts in the cupboard, we have just the recipe so you can make our luxurious organic bath salts at home.

Here’s what you need:

– 90g of Epsom or Himalayan salts
– 10g of dried botanicals (like lavender buds, rose petals, or calendula)
– 15-20 drops of essential oils. For an extra relaxing bath, we recommend lavender, sandalwood and frankincense.

Method:
In a mixing bowl add your salts, botanicals and essential oils. We recommend you use a metal or silicone mixing spoon as wood will absorb the oils; any future use in the kitchen will make your food taste like soap – not that we would know these things for any particular reason!
Mix thoroughly and pop into one of those jars you kept for the day you’d do a DIY.

This recipe makes 3-4 baths. Always seal the jar after sprinkling over your bath, or the salts will harden from being in contact with humidity.

Until next time, we send you peace, light and blissful bathing!