Make your own candles!
Candles are one of the most important elements of Christmas decoration and entertaining because of the ambiance created by the dancing of the flames, the soft light, the shadows, the festive scents etc. The shops and home stores are packed with candles of a various shapes, sizes, colours and scents – but, oh boy, some of them cost a fortune!..
Given that you’re going to use quite a lot of candles during the holidays (and throughout the winter ) you could actually save a lot of money by making your own! Also, candles make an ideal Christmas present, particularly, if you add some wonderful scent.
Making candles is relatively easy – it’s just like cooking. You could buy a candle-making kit from a craft shop, or just experiment with the ideas below.
The easiest way of making candles is to use a container. You can use glass, ceramic, metal or wooden vessels like vases, pots, goblets, tumblers and cups. I’ve kept some glass yogurt tubs during the year, these will be ideal for my home-made candles. Of course, you can re-use vessels that originally contained candles.
You’ll need the following items:
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Wax
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Candle wick
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Metal disk (for candle wick)
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Wax
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Dyes
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Essential oils
Wax
The most common wax is paraffin wax, but beeswax, palm wax, soy wax are becoming more popular because they are more eco-friendly. If you want your candle to burn brightly, you can add 3 tablespoons of stearin powder per pound to the wax.
Dyes
You can get creative with colors. You can get liquid, solid or powdered dyes in craft shops – but melting crayons with the wax works just as well. You can create interesting effects by layering different colors.
Scents
You can use essential oils, perfumes, essence of vanilla, almonds, cinnamon, cloves etc. Some people put real pieces of fruits and herbs into the melting wax.
Wick
The wick is the piece of cotton that enables the wax to burn. You can make wicks yourself, but it’s much easier to buy them – they are cheap and readily available. You need a metal disk at the bottom of your vessel to keep the wick in place.
Making candles
First, get your wick ready – cut it about 3 inches longer than the length of your container. Run it through the disk and tie a knot at that end.
Now melt the wax. Boil some water in a pan than turn off the heat. Put the wax into another, smaller can or bowl and place this into the hot (but no longer boiling!) water (just like melting chocolate). As the wax melts, add more chunks of wax. When it’s melted add your dyes and/or essential oil.
Then dip the disk into the wax and place it firmly to the centre of the vessel. Tie the other end of the wick to a stick or pencil and rest across the top of the vessel to keep the wick centred & vertical.
You’re now ready to pour the wax into the vessel – do this slowly to prevent bubbles from forming. Also, make sure the wick is still in the centre. Allow to cool.
This is not only the easiest way to make candles for your home, but they are an ideal Christmas present. You can decorate the container further by stencilling or painting festive motifs on them; spraying them with frosted or metallic paint; sticking some glitter or stickers on them; or wrapping them with beads, berries or feather pieces on a piece of wire.
If you are more adventurous you can make all kinds of shapes & types of candles. This website provides good information about candle making.
Good Luck! 