Candle Making Crafts

Candle making crafts are a wonderful way to get started with the hobby of candle making. Depending on your level of enthusiasm, you can find a wide range of craft projects to try. The results make wonderful accessories and decorations for your own home and are delightful gifts for your friends or family members (everyone seems to enjoy candles).

Candle Making Crafts Using Premade Candles

The easiest way to get started is to use commercially available candles. Then you can either decorate the candle or make a decorative holder for it. Here’s an example.

You can quickly make a holder for a taper candle by placing the candle in the center of a jar, then filling a few inches of the jar with something to hold the candle upright.

You could use large crystal Kosher salt for a clean, white look. Or fill the jar with hard candies for a more colorful holder. Craft stores also sell colored sand for craft projects. You could pour layers of different colored sand into the jars to support the candle.

I’m sure you can think of other creative possibilities yourself.

Another project is to decorate a pillar candle. There are paints made for painting candles (again, look in craft stores), or you can attach decorations to the surface of the candle.

You can attach the decorations with white glue, or you can use melted wax. To do this, melt a little wax in a can placed inside a simmering pot of water (never melt wax over direct heat). When the wax is melted, use a small paint brush to apply the wax to whatever you want to attach to the candle and position with tweezers. For example, you could apply silver stars or snowflakes to a red pillar candle for a holiday theme.

When everything is in place, brush on another layer or two of wax.

One thing to keep in mind if you use this technique is that it’s preferable to use non-flammable decorations, such as foil. Flammable decorations (paper, dried flowers, etc.) pose a possible fire hazard. If you use them, only do so on larger pillars where the pool of melted wax is unlikely to extend to the candle’s edge and Keep an eye on the candle as it burns.

As always, never leave a burning candle unattended.

Beginning Craft Making Your Own Candles

If you want a candle making craft that involves actually making the candle, a great way to get started is to make a container candle using canning jars and either soy wax or a paraffin wax blended to make container candles.

I suggest soy wax. It’s a soft wax derived from soybean oil that is especially well suited for container candles. It’s slightly more expensive that paraffin, but it burns longer so the cost per hours burned is probably less. Also, it burns cleaner and many people like the fact that it is from a natural renewable resource rather than a petroleum product.

The most important factor in selecting a wick is the diameter of the candle. Most wick packages will be labeled according to the size candle it is appropriate for. Cored wicks work best in container candles (if you don’t know what a cored wick is, fear not. The good people at the craft store will explain it to you).

To make a container candle, tape the wick to the bottom of the jar. Tie the other end to a pencil placed across the top of the jar.

Melt the wax in a double boiler. It's best to use a thermometer to check the temperature and keep it under 200°.

Pre-warm the canning jar (your container), either with a hairdryer or in a very low oven. Pre-warming the jar helps improve adhesion of the wax to the edges of the jar and prevents air bubbles.

Pour the melted wax into the jar, let it cool completely, trim the wick to about 1/4 inch and the candle is done.

You can decorate the jar in any number of ways. For example, tying ribbons around it, painting it, or gluing objects on the surface.

As you work with candles more and more, you'll find out how pleasurable it is to have them around the home and how welcome they are as gifts. I'm sure you'll enjoy candle making crafts is much as I do.

Learn to make beautiful candles at home. Check out:

Home Candle Making Made Easy

How to Make Your Own Candles (Candle Making Connection Home)

Candle Craft - Pine Cone Fire Starter