What you need:
Natural soy wax
Cotton candle wicks
Coffee stirrers
Pyrex measuring cup
Water
Glass container(s)
Crockpot
Painter's tape
First of all, this project was inspired by Stephanie at CelebratedNest.com. Check out her blog post right HERE. I used her links to buy the soy wax, wicks, and coffee stirrers (via Amazon, it's easy peasy). I decided not to add fragrance to my candles (because my husband prefers non-scented). If yummy scents are your jam, you can definitely make your candles smell great. Check Stephanie's post for more info on that, and she recommends some scents to try.
So, I picked up some pretty glass items at the local antique store and decided to turn them into candles. First step: I washed them with soap and water to remove any dust or grime. Second step: I put the soy wax flakes into the glass items and then placed them into my crockpot.
Third step: put water in a pyrex container and heat it in the microwave until the water is steamy hot. Fourth step: carefully pour the hot water into the crockpot. Keep the water well below the top edge of the wax-filled glasses. As long as you have some warm water around the lower part of the glass, the wax will melt. (Also, try not to pour any water into the wax.) Fifth step: cover the crockpot and turn it on to "high" heat.
Sixth step: the hot crockpot will heat the warm water, which will help the wax melt inside the glass containers.Seventh step: You'll notice that as the wax flakes melt, the wax level will 'shrink' and no longer fill your glasses. At this point, you can add more wax flakes into the melted wax until the amount of wax is to your liking. It might take about an hour or two for the wax to melt, depending on the size of your containers. (Keep an eye on things.) Eighth step: When the wax is melted, turn off the crockpot and carefully lift the glasses out of the water. Everything will be hot, so use oven mitts. Everything will be slippery too, so take care. Allow the glasses to sit on a heat-resistant surface as they cool.
Ninth step: While the wax is melted, place a wick into the center of the container. Many crafters tie the wick on the coffee stirrer to keep it in place. I had trouble tying the darned wicks, so I took four stirrers and taped them into a grid with blue painter's tape (see above picture) so they held the wick in place. I just slid the grid onto the wick and then I rested my coffee stirrer contraption on top of the rim. That worked great for me. Honestly, the wicks are surprisingly wiggly and slippery. They flip and flop if they don't have support. I've discovered that I can reuse my coffee stirrer contraptions every time I make a new candle. Next time, though, I'll probably try to make my contraptions more visually appealing (I'll be neater with the painter's tape).
The wax will turn a pretty white color as it cools. You'll notice that it might take a few hours for the candle to completely harden. After the wax is cool, I just slide my coffee stirrer contraption off the wick and we're ready to go.
Tenth step: Trim the wick so that it's about 1/4 inch tall. Now your candle is ready to enjoy!
I've had so much using this process to make candles out of the pretty glass antiques I've found at local shops. I can't wait to give these to friends and family as gifts. And for the ones that I keep (and there are many of those), I'll be able to refill my favorites once the candle is gone. Ten easy steps, and presto! Another candle to enjoy.
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