Let’s make candles! {and recycle too!}

Howdy folks! I am still gearing up for the craft fair this weekend and I wanted to share some candles I made:

I happen to be a “tin hoarder” I save tea tins, fruit cup tins, cookie tins, in fact I never met the tin I didn’t like! 😉 Hmmmm, mayde A&E should do a show about it LOL!

I know I am not alone in the craft hoarding. How can we in good conscious throw away something that can be used in our art? But I am here to help. Drag out all of the cute tins and jars you have been hord..er…I mean saving and let’s make candles!

 

Making candles is easier than you think but you need to keep a few things in mind:

1. Wax has a flash point, meaning it will not get hot and boil, it will get too hot and burst into flames (not good) so use a craft dedicated crock pot to met your wax in. You can get a used crock pot at a thrift shop for a couple of bucks. It takes a lot longer to melt it this way but no spontaneous combustion. Do not leave wax unattended, even in a crock-pot!
2. You can use canning jars, baby food jars and decorative tins to make your candles in. You can even make floating candles by pouring the wax in plastic applesauce cups. Just be sure to remove the candle from the plastic cups before use.
3. Make sure you have the right size wicking for your project. I buy mine by the spool. I keep two spools on hand: one for candles up to 2″ in diameter and one for candles up to 5″ diameter. Using a too small wick will increase the chances of the candle snuffing out all the time, the wick drowns in the wax. A too big wick will cause the candle to burn too fast. You might want to purchase small packs of pre-primed wicks if you are only making a few candles because the large rolls of wicking (while cheaper in the long run) are a bit pricey.
4. You can use paraffin, beeswax or soy way or even melt down old candles to make new candles from. If you are making a lot of candles find a wax wholesaler but be sure to account for shipping.

How to make candles:

I’m just going to explain how to make poured container candles.

1. Cover your work surface with wax paper.
2. Prepare your wick s by cutting them 2″ longer than you need and dipping them in the wax a few times to stiffen them.
3. Place your containers to fill on the wax-paper surface.
4. Wrap the end of a wick around a pencil or skewer and lay it across the mouth of your jar. Try and keep the wick in the center of the container.
5. Pour the wax into the jar. I use an old coffee mug with a handle to scoop the wax out of the crock pot.

Options!

• You can tint the wax with broken old crayons, just peel of the paper and pop them in the crock pot to melt.
• You can scent the candles with commercial candle scents or you can just but the inexpensive scented wax cubes (they are a dollar at AC Moore and smell great! They are designed to be used in wax melters) and melt them into your wax. Be aware that it will smell a lot stronger when you are making the candles than the finished candle will smell and all the smells might make you queezy after a while!

Everyone loves candles and they are fun and easy to make! Why not make a few for friends this holiday season? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!