Siberian woman turns glass Christmas ornaments into nostalgic candles
Novosibirsk resident Irina Manaenkova turned her hobby into her main source of income. She makes candles in the shape of old Christmas ornaments, and they are almost indistinguishable from the originals. The story of her passion, which became a business idea liked by people all over the world, and very personal packaging — in the NGS material.
Fully Immersed in Creativity
Siberian woman Irina Manaenkova has been engaged in creative work since childhood: she studied for seven years at Children«s Art School No. 25, successfully entered Novosibirsk State University of Architecture, Design and Arts (NSUADA) and graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning in 2024 with honors. While still a student, she worked for two years as a design engineer in a construction company.
And then a turning point came in the Siberian woman«s life — she fully immersed herself in creating decorative items.
«At first, it was just a hobby,» says Irina. «I tried myself in different directions. At the beginning of my fifth year, I quit the company to calmly write my thesis and give myself time to think about what to do next. I realized that working in the construction sector is not for me, that I want to work with my hands. So I fully went into creativity.»
The Siberian woman admitted that at first, no one in her circle took her activities seriously: just a hobby.
«Well, as they usually say, ‘she makes crafts,’» the girl laughed. «I»ve been making things with my hands all my life. But now, of course, it has grown into a large production — I even took wholesale orders.»
Initially, Irina worked with epoxy resin, but after some time, she became fascinated with candle making. At one point, she started a trend for French roses. Wax flowers were very popular, and her works even began to be copied by other masters.
Glass Wonder
Last autumn, Irina decided on an experiment: she took an old glass Christmas ornament, cast a mold from it, and made the first candle. Thanks to the technology devised by the girl, it became very difficult to distinguish such candles from glass over time.
«It all happened by chance, by intuition. I started thinking about how to make such a mirror-like coating, and one idea came to mind,» she said, but did not reveal the secret — she shares it only with her students. «Here, of course, it wasn«t without the help of candle varnish — it gives a special gloss.»
Orders for ornament-candles come from various parts of Russia, as well as from abroad: from Kazakhstan, Belarus, Georgia, Dubai, Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA. Meanwhile, Irina works alone for now, only sometimes helped by her husband.
«Last week I posted something, it already got over 100,000 views, and from it, I received a lot of people with inquiries. I was getting 150 messages every day, people wrote to me from different countries,» the Siberian woman said.
As soon as Irina«s works spread across the network, she gained many imitators. She does not hide her technology and willingly conducts remote master classes, and recently she had her first live session. Moreover, Irina makes and sells molds to other candle makers.
Burning for Happiness
In Irina Manaenkova»s candles, many recognize the Christmas ornaments of their childhood, but Irina herself admitted that she no longer has her old Christmas ornaments — she buys interesting specimens for molds on classified ads websites. The collection is growing decently: already more than 30 ornaments. All of them will adorn the New Year tree this year. And the candles, as they should, will burn.
«Of course, it«s a pity, but what can you do? I test them anyway: how the wick burns, how the varnish behaves. The varnish doesn»t burn at all, it just floats in the wax, so it«s absolutely safe,» Irina explains. «I decided for myself that until the New Year, let the candles hang on the tree, and on New Year»s Eve, I«ll take down the ornament, trim the wick, light it, and make a wish.»
The craftswoman cannot recall her favorite Christmas ornament from childhood: she says she might have been too young to remember anything special.
«I remember when we lived at my grandmother»s, I was probably four or five years old, there were a lot of glass ornaments: cones, balls. And then we moved, and the ornaments got lost,» the Siberian woman said with regret.
Meanwhile, for Irina Manaenkova, the candle sets are still a very personal story: the retro photo on the packaging has a direct connection to her.
«Here in the photo is little me, the shot was taken exactly when I lived in the village with my grandmother and grandfather. Grandpa made me a sled from a stroller, and I«m sitting happily: waiting to be taken to kindergarten,» the Siberian woman smiled.
Now Irina does not make ornaments to order, but works on having many varied and interesting specimens in stock. Before the New Year, they are in good demand.
On 11 November 2024, NGS told how Siberian woman Zhanna Kercher turns old cotton into unique ornaments. The material includes a step-by-step master class.
