A craftswoman who sells beautifully hand-made candles from her shop in Harleston has had another bright idea – candle lanterns which don't burn away when you light them.

Mother-of-three Sue Kuzmic, 41, opened Batty Candle Shop in Church Street in 2009, turning a hobby into a thriving family-run Aladdin's cave of a store and online business.

Her skills have developed over the years and now she may be the only person in the country hand-crafting candle lanterns.

'The great thing about them is that you can light the candle without destroying it,' said Sue, who got the idea because many customers said her hand-made candles were simply too beautiful to burn.

'With candle lanterns, the candle is on the outside and a tube oil lamp is in the middle, so you can light the lamp without the candle melting away into nothing – they are practical and decorative.'

She takes a tube oil lamp, dips it into the wax and then sets about crafting a beautiful wax design around it – she can even craft a unique candle to order.

'I think I'm the only person in the country making them; I've not come across anyone else,' added Sue, who is also equipped to do demonstrations at shows and fairs.

She also sells fairtrade gifts, soy wax tealights, scented candles, incense and oil burners, plus Buddha, fairy, dragon, Green Man, unicorn and angel figurines, wind chimes, suncatchers and other decorative items, including artwork by Anne Stokes and Jasmine Becket-Griffith.

For further details, visit the shop, call 01379 854463 or order online at www.candlescraftsgifts.co.uk