Though at one time candles were the only way to see through the dark, these days we usually have candles just for decoration. Still they are a wonderful way to light up a room and make it a little more cheerful.
Of course there are lots of candles out there, some are scented for your spa day, some are small and bright for your birthday cake, others are little tea lights for decorative holders, but have you ever heard of beeswax candles? Have you ever made your own candles?
This is a super easy (so easy you’ll wonder why you’ve never done it before) way to make your own candles and bring your own homemade cheery light to any room. The beeswax has a wonderful honeycomb design, comes in any color you can imagine, is easy to mold and on top of all that, beeswax candles burn clean, last a long time and have a soft sweet smell to them. What more could you want from a candle?
Materials:
-
Beeswax sheets:
- You can find these at most craft stores or order them online
-
Wicks:
- This is a square cotton braid. For this project you need wicks coated with wax and you can easily find pre-waxed wicks at your craft store or online
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife or X-Acto knife
- Ruler
Directions:
- Choose the size of candle you want and using your ruler and knife cut the beeswax sheet to get the desired height and width of the candle.
- Cut the wick so that ¾ of inch extends beyond one edge of the wax.
- Place the wick at one end of the sheet and start rolling the sheet of beeswax over the wick. Some people like to warm the beeswax sheet with a hairdryer to prevent breaking.
- Keep on rolling till you’ve rolled the beeswax sheet all the way up. Be careful to keep the rolls tight, but not so tight that you squish the honeycomb design. Make sure you’re keeping the edges even as well.
- There should be an edge of your beeswax sheet that you can easily mold into the candle so that it doesn’t unravel.
- You have a beeswax candle! (Told you it was easy.)
There are lots of ways to add your own personal touches to these candles.
Ways to Customize your Beeswax Candle:
- Stack more than one color of beeswax sheet together and roll them up for a multicolored candle.
- Using your ruler cut the beeswax sheet with your knife or X-Acto knife at a diagonal (you should get a trapezoid or triangle shape) to roll up a taper candle.
- You could even integrate smaller, different colored rolls of beeswax into a larger white roll covered with a black roll and make sushi candles! Of course don’t eat them, just burn them.
- You can even cut out shapes in sheets of beeswax with your knife or cookie cutter and mold them into the side of your candle.
These candles are so easy to make and therefore easy to unravel and start all over again. So get creative and try out anything idea that strikes your fancy. Be safe burning your candles and never leave a burning candle unattended. And of course have fun!
Have your Say!
What other things, like sushi rolls, could you make with rolled beeswax candles? Share your creative ideas in the comments section.
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