Everybody knows that cupcakes are made to be eaten, but Ghada Karim has a different view. She makes very different cupcakes – they cannot be eaten but they give light. Karim, a candle-maker, creates candles of different shapes and materials. She makes the most beautiful candles you have ever seen. "The materials inspire me and give me new ideas," Karim said. "I can use dried fruit, flowers, sea shells and coffee," she told The Egyptian Gazette. For centuries candles of different colours have been burned. They can be an effective tool for contemplation, rituals and other ceremonies. Karim said that candles are used on many occasions like birthdays, engagements, weddings and Valentine's Day. People can use candles in any situation, for celebrations, romance and spiritual purposes, to light up the dinner table or just for relaxing. Karim makes entire candle collections in many materials and colours for all occasions. There is a coffee collection and she also uses cinnamon, dried fruit, flowers and seashells to decorate her candles. Karim started working as a candle-maker eight years ago. Initially she made them just for herself, then for charities and finally she became a professional; her hobby turned into a career and business. "95 per cent of people appreciate my work, even if they don't buy anything, but at least they support me," she said. "Sometimes clients come with their own ideas and colour preferences, which inspires me very much," Karim added. Facebook is an easy way to market her products, because it reaches more people than a shop. "Facebook is better for me than having a shop, because everybody anywhere can see my candles and order them online," she said. "I send candles to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Italy and London," she added. Karim said that creating candles was not always simple and easy. Weddings and newborn babies are easy on paper, but not in reality. The actual creation requires a lot of time, trial and error, until the best result is found. Nothing sets the mood better than candles; their heady scent while they slowly burn down changes the mood and creates something special, which can inspire anybody. "In the past the candle was only used to give light when there was no electricity; now candles are part of our culture and used on many occasions," she said. Karim said that many different shapes are asked for, depending also on a client's furniture and interior decorations. Other candles have Islamic calligraphy, wedding candles can look like the bride and groom. We have to think of lighting the hearts of people we love in different ways. There are the flowers with their own language, scent and colours, but candles have an equally unique language. "Some scents help you to relax, like vanilla and lavender; other scents like orange and lemon are refreshing," Karim said. "Each new collection is based on a new idea and new materials," she said. "Each time I go abroad I collect leaves that can't be found in Egypt, and all new materials which are not available here," she added. Some products required more time, like candles decorated with natural flowers; they take up to a week. Talking about her happy candles Karim said that they would last for a long time, if you took care of them. These candles had a smaller candle inside, a tea light, to give light and preserve the decorated part. The tea light can be replaced very easily. "The prices of my candles range from 10LE (1.67$) to 120LE (20.10$), according to size and materials used," she said. Happy Candle is the name of Ghada Karim's page on the Facebook.
