Candles from recycled wax!

There is nothing like the glow of a homemade candle.


Well, it's Roll up the Rim time at Tim Horton's and that gave me an idea. I had all these little bits and pieces of wax accumulated over the winter, along with candle bottoms from previous efforts. I don't discard my bits of wax. I make candles with them. You just need disposable coffee cups, some candle wicking, a nail, a few pencils, tape, a glue gun and an expendable pot that you'll only use for wax. I bought a little enamel pot with a spout just for this. (Some candle-making sites recommend a double boiler, but I've never found it necessary as long as you have the patience to use low heat.) My little pot wasn't expensive, and when I'm not making candles, that's where I store the little bits of wax I collect from tea lites and other candles that I burn over the winter.... until it's full that is, then I just put the overflow into a can.

Make sure the cardboard cup is clean, then poke a hole dead center in the bottom with a nail. Feed your wicking through, leaving an inch sticking out. Tape it down, then put a blob of hot glue from the glue gun over the hole. This not only holds the wick in place for sure, but prevents wax leakage.

Turn the cup over and center the wick, wrapping it a couple times around a pencil that you place across the cup. Tape it in place, so the wick is taut. It doesn't hurt to tape the pencil into place on the sides too, just to make sure it doesn't move while you're pouring hot wax. Now your candle mold is ready.

Put bits and pieces of wax into the your pot over low heat. Be patient. Do not leave warming wax unattended. Parafin is a petroleum product and will burn if left to overheat. I like bee's wax candles, so I just use a mixture of waxes as they come to hand. You can control the colour of your candle by using waxes of similar hue, such as reds with orange, yellow, etc., to get a sunshiny colour, or blues and greens together. If you mix them all, you'll get a brown candle, so it's important to know how to mix colours for best results. Of course, you can also buy candle colourings at most craft stores when you go to buy your wicking. :) It's also nice to add some scent and this is best accomplished, I find, with essential oils such as cinnamon, lemon, or any scent that you like.

I make my candles in two layers, filling the bottom of the cup (which will be the top of the candle) with one batch of melted wax. Just warm it till it's all melted, stirring with a spoon. When there is no wax residue left on the spoon, it's warm enough. Don't heat up too much at once or warm it too long, because the wax will be overheated and won't harden up nicely. That's why doing the candle in layers works. I heat up half a candle worth, pour it in, do another batch and start another candle in another cup. Then heat another batch. By this time, the wax in the first cup should be clouding over, and that's when it's time to pour on the second layer. It's especially important to wait for the first layer to start to harden a bit if you're using different colours for each layer. (Two tone looks good!)

When the cup is full, just let it harden. Now, if you look up directions for candle-making, some will tell you to poke at the wax as it hardens to prevent it from dipping in at the top. But with this method, the top is going to the be bottom of your candle, so don't worry about that deep hole that may form in the center as it solidifies. Just save a little wax to heat up again when all the candles are hardened and fill in the holes, but not right to the edge of the candle, or it will show. When that is hardened, the candle is done. Peel off the paper cup, carefully removing the glue-gun glue from around the wick. Polish with an old stocking, trim the wick, and voila! A lovely candle.

These make great gifts for the person who has everything. You just need to add a little decoration, like a ribbon or raffia paper or something like that, just so your recipient knows to remove it before burning. Enjoy!