Decoupage Candle

     Candles have their own popularity even in today's  world, people like the soft flickering flame which spells class and elegance , It also enhances the ambiance and says a lot about the person using it!
   I have used decoupage on a candle made some time ago and it was time to give it a make-over!
 Decoupage is the art of refurbishing articles with printed paper napkins , care must be taken to do it on a large candle as safety must be kept in mind at all times! In fact I feel that hurricane candles would be perfect for decoupage as flame will increase the beauty of the candle.

Antique Candle

I made this antique candle with a leaf design and was quite happy with it. Making designer candles is fun because we can design candles according to our wishes and not keep churning out the same design year after year.
A few basic moulds are enough to start a very fulfilling creative journey , no need to buy expensive moulds at all.

Heart Candles

Heart shaped candles are hot sellers all through the year but are more in demand during Valentine's Day. These candles are made in heart shaped molds , we can use small cake molds also for the purpose.

Black Forest Cake Candle

This is a Black Forest cake Candle made totally with paraffin wax.This particular cake is our family favorite and tastes good too.
Its easy to make a wax cake as it does not require a particular mold, any round metal container can be used .
The chocolate brown base was made in a round metal box , the cream is whipped wax and the red cherries are handmade red wax balls.

Chunky Candles

Chunk candles are a good way of utilizing wax chunks lying around if you make candles on a regular basis. These wax bits and pieces can be utilised for making Chunk Candles with interesting results. The only thing which has to be kept in mind is the color combination.
We can make several combinations and designs with wax chunks,will try to put up more such candles. Be innovative, make chunky candles!

Diya Candle

This is a reusable candle made with the repour method.First make the wax container/diya and then fill it with contrasting colored wax.
METHOD
1 Take a cupcake mold or a small bowl
2 Fill it with melted wax
3 Let it set till a layer forms
5 Pour out the wax , a hollow wax container will be formed
6 Fill the hollow wax diya with contrasting colored wax and fix the wick
7 Let it set for a few hours.
Cut the wick when the candle is ready. Decorate it with 3 D colors and enjoy !
This candle can be reused by refilling as only the inner part will melt and burn ,the outer wax container will not melt.

Decorated Candle

This pink candle has been decorated with quilled flowers . A nice decoration adds charm to the candle , a perfect gift for someone special!
This candle has been made in a big candle mold , please check out candle making tutorial in this blog if you wish to make a similar one.

Rose Candles

These rose candles can be used as floating candles or otherwise and have been made in a mold. They have a burn time of about 45 minutes and are around 2 " in diameter. These are usually sold in a pack .
The advantage of using a mold is that it needs no expertise and anybody can make candles in it. Strictly not designer but very popular all the same !
We see these flower candles being sold at Diwali . The molds are costly but are a one time investment as they have a very long life.
If you want to buy these rose floaters then please contact me -anita3775@rediffmail.com

Decorative Candle

This is a totally handmade paraffin wax creation, candle, roses, leaves and base are all made of wax .It can kept on a plate or on a candle-stand for a pleasing effect.But most often people use these as decoration pieces and hardly ever burn them !
I teach these in my candle making classes and the students love to make them in colors of their choice.

Strawberry Cupcake Candles-Tutorial

Fake food candles are pretty unique and most of the times we have to be very creative to achieve the look we want.These are strawberry cupcakes made in real pastry molds used for real cupcakes !
Here is a tutorial on how to make them.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
1 Wax and additives (stearic acid )
2 Wax colors , brown for the cupcake, pink for the topping
3 Wick , prepared earlier
4 Pastry mold
5 Double boiler, spoon, wick tabs.

PROCEDURE
Heat some wax in a double boiler , mix steric acid , a bit of brown color .
Put the primed wick in the wick tab and set it in the lightly oiled mold.
Pour in the brown colored wax in the mold.
Let it set for an hour.
Heat some wax and make light pink shade , let it cool, make froth . Spoon it over the set wax , keep the wick centred.
Spoon red melted wax over it if desired.

Decorative Candles

These are a few decorative candles which I made sometime back. I will be be making more such beauties for the coming Diwali festival.

Stacked Candles

Stacked candles can be made with the help of cookie cutters.
1 Pour melted wax (check out procedure in the blog) in a deep tray or vessel.
2 Cut out various shapes when the wax is semi-hard, make a hole in the centre with a nail .
3 Leave the wax to harden , the shapes will come out easily.
4 Thread the wick through each shape , the wick can be knotted at one end .
5 Leave 1/2" wick at the top.
One can use bottle caps as cutters to make round shapes or use a knife to cut out shapes .

Easter Candles

These cute Easter candles can be made easily with the eggs available at home .
METHOD
1 Break a readymade candle , retain wick , collect wax.
2 Empty an egg by making a hole at the top pointed end.
3 Wash several times with water giving a final rinse with vinegar solution. Dry the egg shell overnite .
4 Melt the wax in a double boiler , add wax crayon for color if desired .
5 Pour the wax into the dry egg shell .Keep in a small bowl so that it doesnt topple over .
6 Insert the wick when the wax is nearly set .
7 Let the wax set for 7-8 hours .
8 Peel off the egg shell and take out the candle .
9 Level the candle by rubbing on a hot plate /pan .
10 Cut the wick , leaving 1/4 th of an inch .
Enjoy !

Mushroom Candles

Mushroom Candles are handcrafted novelty candles and add beauty and elegance to any decor.They are quite easy to make.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
1 Wax , wick ,stearic acid , red , green wax color
2 Flat tray or baking tray (aluminium )
3 A round flat mold for the base
METHOD
Melt wax in a pan for the base. Pour it in the lightly oiled mold and let it set for a few hours. Unmold and keep ready .
Mushroom Stem - Melt wax in a pan , add a pinch of staeric acid, and pour it in an aluminium flat tray or plate , a steel plate will also do. Prepare wick by dipping in the melting wax.
Cut a three inch wick ready. While the wax is still rubbery and spongy to touch mark a 2 inch by 4 inch strip for the mushroom stem with a knife. Pick the strip carefully and roll the wick in it. Do not cut the excess as we need it ! This takes care of the stem.
Mushroom Head- Mix in red wax color in the left over wax and heat it, pour it in the tray. While still warm scoop up a small amount and fashion it into a cap for the mushroom stem. Make a tiny hole in the centre of the wax cap and attach it to the ready stem by threading the wick through it. If required a little bit of melted wax can be used to make it stick.The mushroom candle is ready and now the excess wick can be cut.
Base - Take the ready base and layer it with foam wax, green wax color can be added to give it a natural effect ( heat wax , let it cool , make froth with fork or whisk ) .Quickly insert the prepared mushrooms into the warm wax froth as desired .White acrylic paint can be used to dot the mushrooms if required.
TIP- Several wax stems can be prepared and kept ready, even wax mushrooms can be stored and used accordingly.

Novelty Candles

Chunky candle

Chunky candles are made of wax chunks, leftover pieces can be utilised or fresh ones can be made . Its a good way of recycling old wax. Keep collecting all leftover chunks of wax in a box and used as required to make an awesome chunky candle .
METHOD
Melt wax in a double boiler , mix in additives , prime wick , prepare the mold , put in the chunks and pour in the wax.
TIP- The secret of making chunky candles lies in the temperature measured with a kitchen thermometer. The pour in should be at a low temperature , just as the wax turns liquid. If the wax poured is very hot then the chunks will melt with the heat and one will be left with a messy colored candle !

For more detailed instructions please check my blog under candle making tutorial.

Chunky Candles-Tutorial

Chunky Candles are a good way of utilising leftover wax colored bits and pieces ! These candles look awesome and beautiful too.
Please see the instuctions about making a plain candle . I will be writing here about how to put in the chunks.

MATERIALS REQUIRED
Wax, mold, sealant , thermometer, colored pieces of wax and wick.

METHOD
1 Prepare the mold and prime the wick as dicussed in the other post.
2 Select the color scheme of your candle,chunks of one color or multiple colors ?
The background color must also be decided. White background is safe as it gives good contrast to most of the other colors.
3 Break the chunks into pieces, try out the color combination beforehand.
4 Fill the prepared mold with the chunks loosely , there should be space in between . The chunks should not be packed tightly or the ready candle will be a big surprise !
5 Melt wax at 70 degrees C in a vessel, mix in steric acid. The pouring in temperature should be low or the chunks in the mould will melt and turn into a messy color.
6 Pour in the wax slowly .Tap the sides of the mold so that wax reaches all corners.
7 Do not move the candle , let it set.
8 Unmold and enjoy !

Stacked Candles-Tutorial

Stacked candles are fun to make , look beautiful and can be made without molds !
Materials Required-
Left over wax can be utilised for making this candle.
Wax, steric acid a pinch, wick, wax colors ,aromas , cookie cutters or bottle lids.
METHOD
1 Choose a cookie cutter or a bottle cap of your choice.
2 Melt wax in an old pan.
3 Grease a metal plate and pour the melted wax on it. It can be 1/4 " to 1/2 " thick.
4 Let it set and when its still soft use the cookie cutter or lid to cut out shapes.You can even use a knife to cut out squares.
5 Let the wax sheet harden and the wax shapes will easily come out.
6 Now take each piece and lightly melt it or use a hot knife to stick two pieces together.
7 Stick each piece to the other in the form of stack.
8 Take the prepared wick (dip in melted wax and dry ) and keep a long length of it ready.
9 Make a hole in the centre of the stack with a heated big nail or a knitting needle neatly.Or make holes in the centre of the shapes while wax is still rubbery.
10 Pour a little bit of the remaining wax into the hole after pushing in the wick thru the stack.
Cut off the excess wick , keep 1/2 " at the top of the candle.
TIPS
The stacked candle can have two or more colored shapes.
All thhe pieces need not be in a straight line , offset a little bit like a spiral.
Three or more sizes of the same shape can be stacked with the smallest at the top like a tree.
The shapes can be prepared and kept ready for use whenever required.ov

Applique Candles-Tutorial

Plain store bought candles can be transformed into works of art by the easy method of applique that is pasting something which in non-inflammable on a ready candle.Use melted wax to paste wax appliques.
1 Kundan or Rhinestones- These are available at craft stores in a variety of colors and can be stuck with melted wax on a candle.
2 Wax appliques like heart shapes ,flowers can be made by using cookie cutters and cutting desired shapes with wax sheets.
3 Dried flowers, look good no doubt but are a fire hazard and should be used carefully on candles. They are used for show candles which are are not burnt but used as decoration.
4 Tattooes or water transfers are used to stick designs on candles by wetting with water.
WAX SHEETS-
Wax sheets can be used for cutting out required shapes with cookie cutters.Pour melted wax on a shallow metal plate, let it set ,cut out shapes with cookie cutters.Stick on the candle with melted wax or a hot knife carefully.
Appliques can be made keeping in mind seasons, occasions and festivals.

Ice Candles-Tutorial

Ice candles are really made of ice and wax, they are also called Lace candles or Cheese candles because of their appearance.Its a strange combination which gives interesting results , most of the time people cannot believe that Ice candles exist.They look very delicate and beautiful as they are both !
One can vary the mold, shape ,design,color combination ,make a tall or a short candle. Glitter can be added to give a sparkling effect to the creation.
Empty milk,juice cartons can be used as molds as after the candle has set the paper can be torn off to reveal the beauty.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
1 Ice cubes , broken into small chunks
2 Wax , stearic acid, wax color if desired, sealant
4 Core candle (a candle which will be inside the mold) ,previously made ,optional
5 Mold (wider than the core candle) silicon spray or little oil
METHOD
1 Prepare the mold , select the one which is wide . Lightly oil it with a brush or use silicon spray.
2 The core candle can be of the same height as the mold , the mold has to be wider as it has to be filled with ice cubes.
3 Keep the ready core candle in the centre of the mold .
4 Fill the mold with ice chunks and pour in melted wax slowly around the core candle. Keep it centred.
5 The hole in the mold can be sealed for some time , enough to let the wax set.
6 Remove the sealant when the wax sets ,it sets quickly with ice ,the water will run out of the mold.
7 Let the mold stand for a few hours and then gently unmold the candle.
8 It has to air-dried for a few days to let any remaining water evaporate .

A pretty Ice candle is ready !