Candles
I love cleverly crafted candles and experimenting with new methods of making them as gifts for my friends! So while I was thinking of fun additions to my Galentine’s gift boxes last year, it was the perfect time to try putting pretty gold foil accents into my candle crafting and thus these gorgeous Crescent Moon Candles came to be!
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To finish up my Candle DIY Posts for the week, I saved my favorite for last! A couple months ago I ordered a whole slew of different pressed flowers, and when this idea came to me I had to make it happen! I love the look of colorful pressed flowers and, with so many floral candle scents out there, having a Pressed Flower Candle was the perfect feminine way to display their pretty patterns and they came out even better than I could have hoped! These beautiful pressed flower candles were surprisingly super easy to make and are the perfect choice to DIY for holiday gifts, bridesmaid proposals, or bridal shower and baby shower prizes!
While you can certainly press your own flowers for this project, I bought a whole selection of them for different Pressed Flower DIY Projects from the Etsy Shop My Love Meadow, and they were the perfect choice for me! They have a variety of different pressed flowers that change based on what they have currently, and all the ones I received were both affordable and perfect for all my projects, so I would highly recommend them if you don’t want to press flowers yourself! I used Blue Larkspur Delphinium Flowers for one of my candles and a beautiful set of Multicolored Pansies for my other Candles, which the shop was nice enough to include as a bonus with my other flowers!
For these fun floral candles, I wanted a light floral scent so I went with a mix of jasmine and lemongrass and they came out smelling and looking gardentastic! I loved the colorful flowers against the natural color of the wax, so I chose not to dye it like I did for my Wooden Wick Candles and Color Striped Candles, but I bet they would look beautiful in different pastel colors too!
Supplies:
- Soy Wax and Cotton Wicks
- Lidded Candle Jars or Glass Candle Jars
- Candle Pouring Pot
- Candle Dye
- Fragrance Oils or Essential Oils
- Pressed Flowers
- Paintbrush and Bowl of Water
- Silicone Whisk or Spatula
- Hot Plate or Burner
1. Start by weighing out your candle wax for the candles you wish to make into your pot or candle pouring pot. I used 16 oz per for each candle, the full volume of the jars I used, so that I had a little extra wax to work with and top them with at the end. For the bits of extra wax I used in these projects I made myself a couple of little candle in favor jars to burn in my office! You can make up to four candles if you are using a melting pot like I am, but I liked melting 16 oz at once so I could color and scent each candle uniquely, which is super fun for personalizing them for your friends, bridesmaids, or yourself!
2. Now, prep your jars with the dried flowers. Using a paint brush with water, paint the inside of your jar to create a wet layer to attach the dried flowers to. Using tweezers with the jar on its side, lay the flowers in the design you want inside the jar, using the water to adhere them to the side. Once complete, position your jars upright with their lids removed and prepare the wax.
3. Melt the wax over medium low heat until the wax is 150 F. In this case, I didn’t want to add any dyes to my waxing prior to adding fragrance, because I wanted the dried flowers to be the central focus, but if you want to add dyes, follow the wax dying steps in our Wooden Wick Candles post to see how!
Add the fragrance or essential oil of your choice to the melted wax, continuously stirring with a silicone whisk or spatula to bond the fragrance The fragrance I chose for my candles were:
Per 16 oz of Wax:
Jasmine Essential Oil - 15-20 drops
Lemongrass Essential Oil - 7-10 drops
Continue to stir to cool the wax. When it has cooled to about 120 F, it is ready to pour into the jars.
4. While the wax is cooling, prepare your wicks and jars. Taking a cotton wick, dip the stand end into the melted wax and place into the candle jar, using the wax to seal it to the bottom of the jar. Once the wicks are dry, thread the wick through the metal centering device (or a little piece of cardstock with a hole) to secure it in place for wax pouring. Once the wicks are dry, use your candle pourer to fill your candles just below the lip of the jar, reserving any extra wax to finish the candle. Now let the candle cool completely.
5. Once the candle is cooled, check the top to see if there are any divots or imperfections in the top of the candle, which can happen during cooling. If needed, remelt the remaining wax to 120 F and “top off” any imperfections on the top of the candle, again allowing it to cool completely. Trim the wooden wick with nail clippers, cuticle cutters, or small scissors and you’re done!
Looking for more DIY Candle Inspiration?
I love cleverly crafted candles and experimenting with new methods of making them as gifts for my friends! So while I was thinking of fun additions to my Galentine’s gift boxes last year, it was the perfect time to try putting pretty gold foil accents into my candle crafting and thus these gorgeous Crescent Moon Candles came to be!
I absolutely love candles as Bridal Shower Favors, so in addition to the Wooden Wick Candles that I made for my bestie’s Bridal Shower, I wanted to experiment with other candle making ideas so that guests had a variety of different candle prizes to choose from. An idea I’ve had for a while that I’ve always been too nervous to try was to make candles with different stripes of colors, and this was the perfect opportunity to try it. So I took out my Candle Dyes and made my first attempt at Color Striped Candles, and they turned out to be way easier and cuter than I could have imagined!
While they may look difficult, in reality they consist of nothing more than heating the candle wax to color it, then letting it cool, and remelting and scenting it based on what colored stripe you are doing. The hardest part of this project was merely storing the wax after it was colored, which I used my set of Rectangular Soap Molds for, and it actually was the perfect choice because I could easily store 2-3 oz per cavity and then I had nice little colored blocks to remelt. It’s easiest to complete this project in two sessions, the first to color the wax, then the second once you have all your colors cooled and ready, remelting them and pouring them into candle jars.
For these candles, I made a mix of Rose Color Striped and Lavender Color Striped in two types of candle jars, and they all came out so cute! I would recommend waiting a little longer and making sure each layer is set, so your stripes have nice distinct edges and don’t bleed into each other, which mine did in a couple places! I weighed the wax as I created each stripe to make sure they were all the same width, which I highly recommend; however, if you choose to do this I would also work one candle at a time, letting each layer cool on the scale and then rezeroing and pour the next stripe, some of my crisp lines got messed up because I moved them off the scale to make the next one before they cooled. Next time, I’ll be keeping them on the scale until they are completely poured!
While a little time consuming to wait for each stripe to solidify, it was well worth it for how cute they turned out! These candles are an easy project as well as a beautiful and unique gift to impress your friends and family with; whether you choose to use them for Bridesmaid Proposals, Holiday Gifts, or Bridal Shower or Baby Prizes!
Supplies:
- Soy Wax and Cotton Wicks
- Lidded Candle Jars or Glass Candle Jars
- Candle Pouring Pot
- Candle Dye
- Fragrance Oils or Essential Oils
- Soap Molds or Bowls for holding wax
- Kitchen Scale
- Burner or Hot Plate
1. Start by weighing out your wax for the candles you wish to make into your pot or candle pouring pot. I used 16 oz per for each candle, the full volume of the jars I used, so that I had a little extra wax to work with and top them with at the end. For the bits of extra wax I used in these projects I made myself a couple of little striped candles in jars to burn in my office! You can make up to four candles if you are using a melting pot like I am, but I liked melting 16 oz at once so I could color and scent each candle uniquely, which is super fun for personalizing them for your friends, bridesmaids, or yourself!
2. To create the stripes on these candles, I chose to color and cool the lighter colors of the wax first, measuring out what I needed and then dying the remaining wax in the melting pot darker.
Start by melting all the wax over medium low heat until the wax is between 200-220 F. Once it has reached this temperature, you can add your wax coloring. Start by adding your first round of wax dye, mixing with a silicone whisk until it is completely incorporated. I tried measuring my dye in grams, but I found it easier to add a little at a time and test the color. Check the color of your wax by letting wax dry on the back of a metal spoon, until it has reached the desired shade. For the lightest shade I added just a couple chips of dye, as shown in the photos. For the pink I used a mix of white and cherry red candle dye, while the lavender was made by adding small amounts of the purple dye only.
Once you have your desired light colored shade, pour 2.5-3 oz of melted wax per candle into a separate bowl or silicone mold to cool. I found the perfect thing to use was my Silicone Soap Molds for cooling the wax, each cavity is a little over three ounces so I just poured them mostly full to reserve my wax colors. Depending on the candle jar you want to use, the amount of was you reserve will vary, for my jars I reserved:
Gold Lidded Glass Jar
- 4 Stripes: 3 oz of wax per stripe
- 5 Stripes: 2.5 oz of wax per stripe
Glass Lidded Jars
- 5 Stripes: 3 oz of wax per stripe
Now, make your medium shade by adding more candle dye to the melting pot, adding another 1-2 small chips of the wax coloring. Once you have reached the desired mid colored shade, pour 5-6 oz of wax per candle into a separate bowl or silicone mold to cool, just like the light colored wax. You’ll notice you reserve twice the amount of wax for these candles, that’s because you need it for two stripes!
Finally, add a final chip or two of candle dye once more to the remaining wax in the melting pot for your final darkest shade. Remove remaining wax from heat, and you now have the three shades for your striped candles! Let the wax cool in the molds, with the third color either cooling in your candle pourer pot to be scented first and the first stripe of your candle, or pour all the wax into molds and wait for each color to solidify. That makes it easier to choose what colors you want to scent and pour first or to make a rainbow of stripes for your own personalized candles!
3. While the wax is cooling, prepare your wicks and jars. Taking a cotton wick, dip the stand end into the melted wax and place into the candle jar, using the wax to seal it to the bottom of the jar. Once the wicks are dry, thread the wick through the metal centering device (or a little piece of cardstock with a hole) to secure it in place for wax pouring. Once the wicks are dry, it's time to pour your candles!
4. Melt and cool each of your colored waxes to 150 F, add the fragrance or essential oil of your choice, continuously stirring the wax with your whisk to bond the fragrance and continue to cool for pouring. I started with scenting my shades lightest to darkest, so I could use the same whisk to mix all the bowls without changing the colors noticeably in the darker shades. The fragrances I chose for my candles were:
Pink:
Rose Fragrance - 5 drops per wax color
Lavender:
Lavender Fragrance Oil - 5 drops per wax color
When the wax has cooled to about 120 F, it is ready to pour into the jars.
5. For each candle, start by placing it on a kitchen scale so that you can measure out your wax by weight. Starting with your darkest shade, use your candle pourer to measure 2.5 - 3 oz of wax into the bottom of each candle jar, creating the first stripe. Reserve the rest of the wax for the top stripe in a separate bowl or mold.
Once the first stripe has cooled and solidified, reheat the middle shade wax in the melting pot to 150 F, scent it, and cool to 120 F. Using the kitchen scale again, measure 2.5 - 3 oz of wax into each jar, creating the second stripe.
Repeat this process of cooling the candles and reheating the wax to 120 F for the next three stripes, with your lightest color being the third, middle color being the fourth, and darkest color being the top stripes in the candle. Reserve any additional dark colored wax for topping the candles, and let cool completely.
5. Once the candle is cooled, check the top to see if there are any divots or imperfections in the top, which can happen during cooling. If needed, remelt the remaining wax to 120 F and “top off” any imperfections on the top of the candle, again allowing it to cool completely. Trim the wick with nail clippers, cuticle cutters, or small scissors and you’re done!
Looking for more DIY Candle Inspiration?
I love cleverly crafted candles and experimenting with new methods of making them as gifts for my friends! So while I was thinking of fun additions to my Galentine’s gift boxes last year, it was the perfect time to try putting pretty gold foil accents into my candle crafting and thus these gorgeous Crescent Moon Candles came to be!
For my own Bridal Shower years ago, my bridesmaids chose wooden wick candles as the prizes for my bridal shower games and I thought it was the best idea ever! For the fall or for just feeling cozy, there is nothing like the sound of a crackling fire and the crackling candles gave that same feel and were a beloved prize by all those lucky enough to win them! As I was deciding what prizes I wanted to give at my best friends shower this November, I knew some Wooden Wick Candles had to be Included!
For my candles, I made one of them a Deep Rose Pink with a Rose and Vanilla Scent for my bestie’s Beauty and the Beast Tea Party Bridal Shower, and the other a light Silver Sage Green with a Cedar, Peppermint, and Lemon Scents for a nice cozy wintertime feel, which I can’t wait to burn myself this holiday season! For these candles, I bought a Candle Dye and Fragrance Set that came with a variety of different color and scent options, while also making use of my Essential Oils Set I bought for my other Spa Themed Projects to scent my Silver Sage Candle, so make sure to check out the scent available in both sets to decide what you want to do for your own candles.
I melted, dyed, and scented each of my candles individually, which I also love for making each candle unique for your recipient. While I’m using my candles for Bridal Shower Prizes and my own personal use, these candles are an easy and fun gift to make for Bridesmaid Proposals, Holiday Gifts, or Baby Shower Prizes too!
Supplies:
- Soy Wax
- Wooden Wicks with Iron Holding Stands
- Lidded Candle Jars or Glass Candle Jars
- Candle Pouring Pot
- Candle Dye
- Fragrance Oils or Essential Oils
- Glass Thermometer
- Silicone Whisk or Spatula
- Hot Plate or Burner
1. Start by weighing out your candle wax for the candles you wish to make into your pot or candle pouring pot. I used 16 oz per for each candle, the full volume of the jars I used, so that I had a little extra wax to work with and top them with at the end. For the bits of extra wax I used in these projects I made myself a couple of little striped Candles in Favor Jars to burn in my office! You can make up to four candles if you are using a melting pot like I am, but I liked melting 16 oz at once so I could color and scent each candle uniquely, which is super fun for personalizing them for your friends, bridesmaids, or yourself!
2. Melt the wax over medium low heat until the wax is between 200-220 F. Once it has reached this temperature, add your wax coloring, mixing with a silicone whisk until it is completely incorporated. Check the color of your wax as you add more dye by letting wax dry on the back of a metal spoon, until it has reached the desired shade. Remove wax from heat.
For my candles, I used a mix of two dyes per candle, one to make a rosy gold shade and one to make a silvery sage shade.
Rose Gold: (per 16 oz of candle)
Fuschia Dye: 3g
Gold Dye: 2g
Silver Sage: (per 16 oz of candle)
Dark Green Dye: 2g
Silver Grey Dye: 2g
These were the first candles I dyed, and while I like their darker colors, my scale wasn’t accurate enough to measure these small amounts of grams accurately! If you also don’t have a scale that can measure 1-5 g, I’d recommend adding the dye a few chips at a time and checking the color until it reaches the right shade, which is how I did the rest of my Candle Projects.
3. Let the wax cool to 150 F and then add the fragrance or essential oil of your choice, continuously stirring the wax with your whisk to bond the fragrance and continue to cool for pouring. The fragrances I chose for my candles were:
Rose Gold: Candle Fragrance Oils
Rose Fragrance - 15 drops
Vanilla Fragrance - 5-10 drops
Silver Sage: Essential Oils Set
Cedar Essential Oil - 10 drops
Peppermint Essential Oil - 5 drops
Lemon Essential Oil - 5 drops
When the wax has cooled to about 120 F, it is ready to pour into the jars.
4. While the wax is cooling, prepare your wicks and jars. I used to think that you had to soak your wooden wicks in melted wax prior to candle making, but from new research that is not the case, though with soy wax you may want to add a drop or two of fragrance oil to your wicks for easier burning! Taking a wooden wick secured in its iron stand, dip the stand end into the melted wax and place into the candle jar, using the wax to seal it to the bottom of the jar. Once the wicks are dry, use your candle pourer to fill your candles just below the lip of the jar, reserving any extra wax to finish the candle. Now let the candle cool completely.
5. Once the candle is cooled, check the top to see if there are any divots or imperfections in the top of the candle, which can happen during cooling. If needed, remelt the remaining wax to 120 F and “top off” any imperfections on the top of the candle, again allowing it to cool completely. Trim the wooden wick with nail clippers, cuticle cutters, or small scissors and you’re done!
Looking for more DIY Candle Inspiration?
I love cleverly crafted candles and experimenting with new methods of making them as gifts for my friends! So while I was thinking of fun additions to my Galentine’s gift boxes last year, it was the perfect time to try putting pretty gold foil accents into my candle crafting and thus these gorgeous Crescent Moon Candles came to be!
There is nothing that adds a fun vintage flair to a shower quite like these teacup candles. And they are so versatile! I will be using them for a Beauty and the Beast themed bridal shower, but they could just as easily be used for a tea party, Jane Austen Shower, or Mother’s Day Brunch!
For me, the wood wicks were a requirement on this batch, they just remind me so much of a fire in the hearth, and for a Beauty and the Beast Shower, it is the perfect touch since most of the story takes place in the winter where crackling fires are most welcome! In addition, the teacups are the perfect ode to my favorite characters, Mrs. Potts and Chip!
I have wanted to make these candles for a while but was always discouraged for one reason, finding the teacups! While you can find teacups at yard sales and estate sales, I could rarely find them and when I could, they were $10+ per cup! Luckily, I had the thought to check Etsy for teacups and I was not disappointed! :)
I was very impressed with the Etsy shop, The Acerage, which I purchased my teacups from. First, they were half the price I see at estate sales for the same cups due to what they term “minor damage.” So when I received them I was expecting some stains, chips, or even small cracks. Imagine my surprise when all the cups that came not only were in great condition (I could hardly find any chips), but they were in fact much better than the aforementioned teacups I paid double for at the estate sale! I have linked in the supplies the set I used, which are great to make a whole set of candles for shower favors. When someone orders them, the listing will disappear but as soon as they gather the next set they list it again.
If giving the teacups as a favor is not quite in your budget, use them as bridal shower prizes and only make a couple! I have been using them for the last couple showers I have gone to as prizes for games and they have been beloved by all!
Supplies:
Mismatched Teacups and Saucers
Wooden Candle Wicks
Candle Wax*
Candle Pouring Pot
Powdered Candle Dye
Essential Oils for Scent
*I used leftover candle stubs, but the wax linked here will make about 20 -8oz teacup candles
1. Melt wax on low heat in your pot. If, like me, you are using candle stubs, remove the wicks from the old candles once the wax is completely melted using either tongs or a fork.
2. For these candles, the full wax wick is far too long. Insert the wood wick into its metal stand and place in the cup. Cut the wicks at the top of the teacup with a pair of scissors, then remove the candle wax from heat and soak them in the wax for 10 minutes. Soaking these wicks is VERY IMPORTANT, they are not like the standard wicks that are already coated in wax and not soaking them will lead to the candles not staying lit.
3. Once wicks have been soaked, remove them with tongs or a fork. Once they are cool enough to handle (I was able to touch them immediately) insert them into the metal holder stands included and let dry.
4. Now, attach the wicks to the bottom of your teacups by dipping the metal holder into the melted wax, then position at the bottom of the jar.
5. Let the wax cool for a couple more minutes, then add color and fragrance of your choice. The ones I have recommended are great for candles, bath bombs, soaps, and bath salts, so you can get a lot of use out of them! I made pastel pink, purple, and yellow candles that were scented as peppermint-lemon, lavender-lemon, and rosemary-lemon (I know you can't tell that I like lemon).
6. Pour cooled (but still liquid) wax into the teacups. Reserve about 25% of your wax to remelt and top off your candles if a divot is created in the middle due to the wax cooling. The cooler the wax is, the less of a divot will form. Some of mine with the cool wax needed no additional wax to fill in, while the ones where I started with hot wax needed a lot of extra to make them look nice!
7. Once candles are cooled and solidified, remelt the excess wax and fill in any divots that were caused during the first pour. Now you have a lovely set of candles for your home or favors for your next party!
These have been by far one of my favorite DIY projects I have done lately and a project I have wanted to do for a long time! Now I just need to find homes for all the teacups I can’t keep, time for a tea party! :)
I always love receiving those special painted wine glasses as gifts, but then I never end up using them! Either I want them all to match or I don’t want to deal with hand washing it every time I use it. Since I’ve been on a candle kick lately, I decided to turn them into candles! I made both Wine Glass Candles and Martini Glasses; both came out beautiful!
I used regular wicks on these candles but you could just as easily use the wood wicks as I previously did for my jar candles. Regardless of your choice of wick, this is a great way to use the extra unique glasses in your collection that or to turn into prizes for your next bridal shower or baby shower!
Supplies:
Wine or Martini Glasses
Candle Wax
Wicks
Candle Melting Pot
Essential Oils and Coloring (Optional)
1. Melt down candle wax in pot over low heat. If, like me, you are using old candle stubs, remove the wicks from the wax when melted with a fork or tongs.
2. Remove wax from heat. Let cool for 5-10 minutes; then stir in coloring and fragrance if desired. I used pink and purple for my glasses and a peppermint –lemon fragrance.
3. Dip the end of your wick (the metal stand bit) into the wax then press it into the bottom of your glass. Wait for the wax to harden before pouring the candle. Note: I had no issues with the glasses and hot wax, but if you are worried about the wax being too hot, soak your glasses in hot water and dry them just prior to placing your wicks.
4. Pour melted wax into the glasses. Reserve 25% of your wax to top off the candles as they cool. The cooler your wax prior to pouring, the less you will need to fix divots that form while cooling. Your wicks may not want to stand up straight when you pour the wax; I used a wooden stick placed on the top of the glass to balance the wick in the right position.
5. Once the wax in the glass has hardened and cooled, re-melt the excess wax if needed and top off the candle to create a smooth top.
And there you have it, super easy prizes or as fun accessories to your house! What glasses or containers would you make candles out of?
These lovely crackling candles first came to be based on my own bridal shower. One of my friends won one as a prize and absolutely loved it! When it finally burned out a couple weeks ago, I went looking for a way to replace it as her birthday present. Luckily, I had the thought to check for the wooden wicks first!
I love these wooden wicks compared to the regular ones, where you can achieve the comfort of a crackling fire with a little candle. I didn’t realize it would be so easy to make them myself, or that amazon would have had such an assortment to choose from (last time I doubt that Amazon doesn't have everything under the sun).
Now, I have a wonderful assortment of these candles which were cheap to make and so nice to have! I would highly recommend making them if you have candle stubs at home; I used the ends of my wedding candles for them and was able to make a bunch of them in both leftover favor jars and teacups as prizes for upcoming showers and gifts for my friends! These also work wonderfully for Bridal Shower favors, Wedding Favors, or Baby Shower Favors!
Some things to note on this project: for your candle making supplies, you need a pouring pot or an old pot you don’t care about to melt the wax. I made the unfortunate choice of using one of my cooking pots with an old measuring cup and it took me a good couple hours to get all the wax remnants out. Seeing as I could’ve bought an actual candle pouring pot for a little over $10, it would’ve been a far better choice and I wouldn’t have been spilling wax all over the place!
Supplies:
Wooden Candle Wicks
6 oz Jars with Lids
Candle Wax*
Candle Pouring Pot
Powdered Candle Dye
Essential Oils for Scent
*I used leftover candle stubs, but the wax linked here will make about 26 -6oz candles
1. Melt wax on low heat in your pot. If, like me, you are using candle stubs, remove the wicks from the old candles once the wax is completely melted using either tongs or a fork.
2. For these candles, the full wax wick is far too long. Cut the wicks in half with a pair of scissors, then remove the candle wax from heat and soak them in the wax for 10 minutes. Soaking these wicks is VERY IMPORTANT, they are not like the standard wicks that are already coated in wax and not soaking them will lead to the candles not staying lit.
3. Once wicks have been soaked, remove them with tongs or a fork. Once they are cool enough to handle (I was able to touch them immediately) insert them into the metal holder stands included and let dry.
4. Now, attach the wicks to the bottom of your jars by dipping the metal holder into the melted wax, then position at the bottom of the jar.
5. Let the wax cool for a couple more minutes, then add color and fragrance of your choice. The ones I have recommended are great for candles, bath bombs, soaps, and bath salts, so you can get a lot of use out of them! I made pastel pink, purple, and yellow candles that were scented as peppermint-lemon, lavender-lemon, and rosemary-lemon (I know you can't tell that I like lemon).
6. Pour cooled (but still liquid) was into the jars. Reserve about 25% of your wax to remelt and top off your candles if a divot is created in the middle due to the wax cooling. The cooler the wax is, the less of a divot will form. Some of mine with the cool wax needed no additional wax to fill in, while the ones where I started with hot wax needed a lot of extra to make them look nice!
7. Once candles are cooled and solidified, remelt the excess wax and fill in any divots that were caused during the first pour. Now you have a lovely set of candles for your home or favors for your next party!
The crackling of these candles makes me want to make a slew of them for a fall or winter wedding, just with different colors and scents. :) What would you make these cute little candles for?
