Thursday, September 4, 2014

DIY Candles and Recycling Wax

DIY Candles

Updated March 2020
I love candles, and so many around me know it so I often get jar candles as gifts. I must say it is a favorite gift to receive. I enjoy crafts that are almost free or from nature, recycling, and so on. I always wanted to make candles, and now I do with wax from my old jar candles that are so low I can't really use them. So, I use that wax then clean the jars to use them as well. I didn't realize how easy it all was. Here you will find many ideas from filling, to dipping and dripping, painting, stamping, and shimmering. If you want to try candle making these are some wonderful, great ideas to get you started.


(I wrote this a few years ago for squido0 and it was added to so crafty magazine within the site this article is copyright me. LJR-Lisa)








Recycling Wax

I take my Yankee candle, or other jar candles, that are low into a small pan of water. I let it rapid boil then turn it down to medium and watch until the wax is fully melted. You can use this wax in molds, seashells, acorns, and more items, you will see a lot of ideas in this lens. What I also love is that the label peels right off of the jar and it cleans up pretty easy. I fill with bath beads, seashells, with treats, etc, and use them for gifts as well.

You can also save a clean candle jar to melt any broken candles you have and melt the same way






Wonderful Candle Making Craft Ideas Links


Pumpkin candles
Pumpkin candles
Cup cake candles
Cup cake candles
Ice candles
Ice candles
Candle snowballs
Candle snowballs
Printed candles with stamps
printed candles with stamps
another rubber stamping idea
Rubber stamping idea
Stamping letters romantic look candles
stamping letters romantic look candles
Beautiful Shimmer candles
Beautiful Shimmer candles
Another print on candles tutorial
Another print tutorial
Halloween Drip candle
Halloween Drip candle
Painted candles for fall
Painted candles for fall
shimmer effect for the Holidays
Shimmer effect for the Holidays
Halloween dripping candelabra
Halloween dripping candelabra

Fire Starter Candles Made From Pine Cones and Acorns


Fire starters are great fall and holiday season decorations and gifts. What is a fire starter, it is an item you place under kindling to start your fire place or wood stove. Two of my favorite decorative fire starters are pine cones and acorn caps. Here are some I made recently, please watch the great "how to" on pine cone fire starters here. Below are acorn caps, you do not dip these, instead you fill them like the seashells I did below.

Warning - fire starters are only to help start your fire in fireplaces do not use these as regular candles, when lit they can be dangerous!


Seashell and Acorn Cap Candles


Acorn caps and seashell candles are easy and fun. The acorn caps are done the same way. Here are some seashells I made recently.

How I Make Seashell Candles
I recycle wax regularly, you know how you have just a small bit at the bottom of those glass candle jars left after the wick has burned out. What I do is I half fill a small pot with water, let it come to a boil, and then turn it down to medium. I put the jar in and watch and let all the wax melt, I then make a new wick by dipping household string in the melted wax and soaking it. I then pour the melted wax into my new container, the seashell, and stand the new wick in the wax. I hold the wick in the center and in a minute it will stand on its own, and in 5 minutes your candle should have hardened enough that you can clean edges if needed and you have a beautiful seashell candle. I love using the old jars of wax because once I am done and emptied the wax, the heat also allows me to peel off the label easily, and now I have a beautiful jar and lid i can use for bath beads, or shells, or food treats, or gifts. You can do acorn caps the same way as seashells, just fill and let sit, they make great fire starters.

Other ways to hold wicks up are clothes pins and straws lay centered across the top above the wax.






What else can I fill with candle wax -Links 


Here are some fun Ideas
Apples
Apples
Tea Cups
Tea Cups
Jelly mold
Jelly mold
aluminum foil candle
aluminum foil candle
using pavers for interesting design candle molds
Using pavers for interesting design candle molds
cute pumpkin candles
Cute pumpkin candles
Try wine and Champagne glasses
Try wine and Champagne glasses
Pumpkin, lemon, and try oranges as well
Pumpkin, lemon, and try oranges as well
Very cool sand candles
very cool sand candles
Great glass goblet candle gifts
Great glass goblet candle gifts
bottle caps
bottle caps
coconut shell
coconut shell













Fills, embedded, & decor Links.


Coffee bean candle
Coffee bean candle
seashells
seashells
Fall Leaf
Fall Leaf
bird bath centerpieces
bird bath centerpieces
newsprint candle jar
Newsprint Candle
Easy sand candles
Easy sand candles
Glitter pumpkin candles
Glitter pumpkin candles
candle in corn
candle in corn
Another drip Bottle idea
Another drip Bottle idea













Types of Wax


Paraffin wax
Bees wax
Soy wax
Palm wax
Gel wax
There are so many types of wax, and so many ways to use these types of wax.
Bees wax is a natural wax which is thin and easier to mold and cut.
Paraffin wax is what most candles are made from.
Soy wax has a lower melting point and is used in container candles mostly.
Like i said I mostly recycle old candle wax but if you want to make candles from scratch you may wish to find out more information on what kid of wax would best fit your needs.

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