A Make-Your-Own Candle Class Experience at Aster in Pawtucket

From mixing fragrance oils to designing a label, this workshop is lit

Photos by Victoria Costello, courtesy of Aster Candle

Pouring wax

Photos by Victoria Costello, courtesy of Aster Candle

Digital detox in action

Photos by Victoria Costello, courtesy of Aster Candle

Finished product

Photos by Victoria Costello, courtesy of Aster Candle

Posted Wednesday, October 1, 2025 9:00 am

By Caitlyn Bailey

Whether I’m writing for this magazine, nestled up with a good book, or cleaning my house, the odds are good that a lit candle is flickering somewhere in the vicinity. The smell of fresh lemon as I vacuum my living room? Yes, please. A local lavender farm’s soy candle burning while I make dinner? Sounds like the perfect evening. With so many different options that pair with the changing seasons, it can be difficult to find that ideal scent. Luckily, Aster Hand Poured Soy Candles new candlemaking workshops are the chance to create your perfect home accent. From pouring the wax to decorating your own label, you’ll have full creative control over the scent of your dreams.

The company was envisioned by Catherine Arruda, an accountant by day, in 2016. After leading workshops around the state at shops like NAVA in Providence and Nico Scout in South Kingstown, she moved into a studio space this year at Lorraine Mills in Pawtucket, where she holds monthly workshops. Her environmentally friendly candles are made with 100-percent domestic soy wax to keep them renewable, vegan, and clean-burning. With every candle poured, labeled, and packaged by hand, each product is made with great care and love. Now, she’s giving customers a way to put their own energy into a candle the same way she does.

I recently attended an Aster workshop, excited to make a candle of my own. Arruda’s studio is filled with shelves of her handiwork and outfitted with two large wooden workbenches. Assorted cheeses and snacks were provided for all nine of us hopeful candlemakers. Between the whisks, thermometers, and measuring cups, everyone seemed eager to put them all to good use. The most interesting tool was the fragrance wheel, which resembles a color wheel, but instead categorizes groups of scents to show compatibility. Thinking about combining magnolia, peony, and cucumber? Refer to the scent wheel to see if it’s a stroke of genius or an unsavory combination.

When candlemaking time rolled around, we donned our aprons while Arruda gave us a warm welcome. She explained each tool and let us know that we would be cutting our own wicks, pouring our own wax, and measuring our own scents. She was clear that she was there to guide us through the process but we had full creative freedom. Thus, our two-hour process began with blending fragrance oils. I chose to combine sea salt and rose for a floral, beachy scent. Next, it was time to get a tinful of soy wax and continue to check the temperature until it cooled to a solid 185-degrees to combine it with the oil mixture. After whisking for two minutes, my scented concoction was poured into a recyclable glass container.

While the candle solidified, it was time to get creative, making a label. A crafter’s wonderland, there are labels and gel pens, rubber stamps with designs ranging from greenery to shining suns, and ink pads to customize our finished product. Not trusting my own handwriting, “Salted Rose” was born out of a neatly stamped print.

My favorite part of the workshop was taking a moment to listen to everyone celebrate each other’s creations. Whether it was cinnamon and rose, or smoked oud and grapefruit mangosteen, each combination was a fragrance worth smelling. Whether you’re seeking a fun crafternoon or a little gift-making, Aster is worth melting for.