Christmas Candle Making IdeasChristmas candle making is fun, and easy. Besides - what would the holidays be without one or more Christmas candles to brighten the mantle or tabletop? There are plenty of types to choose from! Christmas candle making is a fun project when older children want to make their own decorations and gifts, too. Styles and colors are limited only by your imagination and the number of old, broken crayons in the kids' craft box! You can make your own Christmas candle molds, use mother nature to make molds for you, or purchase them at the local craft store. There are also a few different kinds of wax you can use for your Christmas candle making. All should be readily available at your local craft store, or discount store. Soy candles are becoming popular these days with the emphasis on moving away from petroleum products. These candles are completely non-toxic, and soy, of course, is a completely renewable resource. Soy wax can be found through many craft stores as well as specialty candle-maker supply catalogs. The greatest advantage of soy wax to the Christmas candle maker, though, is that no matter what shape or size candle you are making, you only have to pour the melted wax once. There will be no dips or depressions, even in a 3-pillar candle! White wax, most often used in candle making is a by-product of the petroleum industry - but is by far the most readily available and least expensive. It comes in 1, 5 and 10 pound blocks, as well as pellets and chunks. For our purposes, it is not necessary to worry about flash-point, but you can buy it so that it melts at different temperatures. (Flash-point is the temperature at which this wax will burst into flame.) It is normally pure white, and must be colored after melting. There are also tubs of "gel wax" available for your Christmas candle making just about everywhere these days, as gel candles are excellent decorating items year-round, easy and fast to make, and lend themselves to infinite variation. Gel wax is another chemical/petroleum-based product. To color this product, you must purchase dye when you purchase the wax. It is very versatile, but must be molded into a permanent container in which the candle will burn. Gel will not produce a candle which will stand on its own. Beeswax is rather expensive, but comes in block as well as sheet form. It is perfect for Christmas candle making, and is both nostalic and historic. The sheets come in many colors, and may be simply rolled around the wick to create tapers, or you can buy it by the block. It has a pleasant scent, and ranges in color from creamy white to almost brown. For safe, longer lasting candles, it should be mixed with white candle wax making up at least 1/4 of the mixture. Candleberry, waxberry and bayberry, while 100% natural, are no longer used much in candle making as they are prohibitively expensive, extremely limited in quantity, and hard to work with. If you insist, though, a specialty candle maker's supply might have one or more options available at this time of year. As for the other historical 100% natural options - please leave the lard and the tallow alone - they are not only unsafe when used alone, but they have a rather unpleasant smell that cannot be masked even with commercial scent.
Other ingredients to consider for your Christmas candle making projects would be stearic acid, which will harden the candle and give it a nice pleasant sheen. Dyes for use with candles are sold wherever they sell the wax, and must be used if you are going to work with gel wax. You can also use old candles melted for the color, and old broken crayons! Finally, scent is another consideration. You can use essential oils, but unless you are creating aromatherapy candles, it is rather expensive. You can usually find several commercially prepared scents available where you purchase your wax, and they generally have seasonal scents available at this time of year as well as the usual florals.
Buttons Ribbons Beads, etc If you want to make your own Christmas candle molds, you can use just about anything. Small paper milk cartons, old vegetable cans, an old bowl filled with sand or even filled with ice-cubes will make wonderful candles. Abalone shells, old tea cups, individual foil tart pans, and all sorts of things can also be used to make candles. For these, simply secure a wick and fill with wax. They make lovely Christmas gifts, and can be created in a matter of minutes once you find the perfect container! 1. Line your work area (table or counter top) with newspaper to contain any messes. 2. Set the molds with your wick in the center. For home-made molds, tie the end of the wick in a knot or tape to the bottom of the mold. Tie the other end to a pencil braced over the top to hold in place. 3. Put the wax in your coffee can, and set over low heat in a pot of water until melted. 4. Ad dye or broken crayons to the melted wax for color, and stir slowly until fully melted. Add scent if desired at this point also. If you want an extra sheen to the finished candle, this is also the time to add stearic acid (also sold at the craft store). 5. Pour the melted wax into your mold, and let sit until cool enough to handle. 6. Unmold and decorate as desired. Let stand somewhere safe at least overnight. 7. Display or package. That's it! For cylindar molds to make pillar candles, or if you are using glass jars, you will want to pour more wax into the top before the candle is fully set. Wax tends to cool and move up the sides of a mold, and so there will be a depression in the middle of a pillar candle unless you keep filling it until the top remains flat. A note on gel candles: If you are making gel candles, all you need to do is to melt the wax, add the color, and place in the mold (wick already inserted). You MUST use dye for these, as crayons will not mix with the gel wax. That said - you CAN use crayons if you want streaks of opaque colors in your gel candles. It is best to use items to decorate your candles that are either made of wax themselves, or items that will not burn at all. Glass pebbles are lovely, and can be used with any wax. If you are going to use plastic decorations, say in your gel candles, be sure they are placed against the container and will not come into contact with the burning wick - even if they should fall over as the gel liquifies. The last thing we want is to start a fire with one of our candles! Buttons and other objects can be attached to the outside of wax candles by simply using a bit of melted wax from the pot (reheat - don't leave the flame under the wax while the candle cools!) on the back, and pressing it into the new candle. There are also wax decorations specifically made for candles at the craft store. You can put glass pebbles in the bottom of the mold before pouring, or for an interesting effect you can line the mold with wax, embed the pebbles and then pour the rest of the candle. If you do this, you might have to re-attach some of the pebbles after the candle is finishe, though. If you are using decorated tacks, simply press into the slightly warm wax. You might want to warm the tip of the point with a lighter flame to make it easier and to ensure the surface of the candle will not crack as you apply them. For a really sparkly pillar candle - instead of using glitter, you can use the wick and a corn-cob holder (with the three strong prongs) to hold the candle - dip it quickly in melted wax of the same color, and roll in a dish of glass beads (either the same, or a contrasting or clear color). Once rolled, roll again on a sheet of waxed paper to set the beads. DO NOT spray with a sealer, as most sealers on the market remain highly flammable even after they are dry!!! For the sand and ice-cube candles: Fill a bowl with sand, embed your wick in the bottom, and hold in place by tying the other end around a pencil laid across the top. Pour the candle. For ice-cubes, use a weight of some kind to make sure the wick bottom stays at the bottom of the bowl, use the pencil or a ruler to hold on the top, and fill the bowl with cubes. Pour in the wax. Each candle will be different (obviously!) as there will be holes and depressions where the ice-cubes melt away. A nice snowball effect can be made by using a store-bought mold to create a ball candle. Cool completely melted wax slowly, and dribble over the ball to create the "snow" effect. You can also pour wax over (or dip) and blot with a sponge. Snowballs are the perfect Christmas candle making idea - and a set of two or three each with its own mirror or silver plate to display it on is particularly eye-catching. You can also melt crayons over a lighter flame and drip on candles for some really neat decorations. One more Christmas candle making idea is super simple, will make a cherished gift, and can be done by anyone old enough to pour the wax: Once you are satisfied with your candles, be sure to show them off to full advantage! Find or purchase pretty holders, or use old plates, cup-and-saucers, or jars to display them in. A pair of tapers makes a lovely gift when tied together with a fancy ribbon and placed in a long, thin box filled with contrasting tissue paper.
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