This project over at Dollar Store Crafts recycles pillar candles by melting them down into thrifted tea cups. To make them a little healthier, I'd use clean burning soy candles. That would bump up the cost a bit, but soy wax apparently lasts longer than regular paraffin wax.
Scented candles found at a thrift store would preclude having to purchase a scent, and would be the least expensive route. I often see bags of old scented candles at our thrift stores for under a dollar.
If all you have are white candles and you want to change the color, Heather recommends melting a crayon with the candles. How clever! I do love the way the white looks inside these shabby tea cups.
Candle wicks can be made by recycling the old wick from the melted down candle, or purchased new at a craft store, or better yet, simply make your own.
The Dollar Store Crafts link above leads to a tutorial for this tea cup candle project, or this is a good general tutorial as well. If you have any questions or concerns, ask at the tutorial site because I have not personally tried this specific craft yet.
Rebatched candles and soap are some of my favorite crafts because they are inexpensive, fairly simple, and leave a lot of room for creativity. The results are amazing custom soaps and candles.
Safety Issues: Any container can crack. Be sure that you choose a sturdy wide mouthed container, and never leave a candle unsupervised. Candles should be placed on a heat safe surface well away from drapes and other flammable surfaces. Never burn a container candle all the way down. See State Farm's Candles and Fire Safety tips.
7 comments:
Wouldn't the heat crack thin china cups?
I think they would be okay, but I'd use discretion if you have something you love, perhaps try a sturdier cup. The wax is probably no hotter than super hot tea. The soy wax in particular has a low melt temperature. I'm guessing BTW. I haven't tried this.
Sure, but I was thinking more about when the candle burns. They do look pretty though!
Good point. I hadn't considered this. They'd get very hot wouldn't they?! I've got some glass votives that I can't touch at all when they burn, but the glass on them is thicker than a thin tea cup.
I'd be willing to try it by placing the tea cup in a tin pan for safety. I'll post my results when I get around to this.
It's a wonderful idea and I plan to find out where on earth I could find soy candle wax and wicks!
Our thrift stores are teeming with pretty old tea cups and saucers!
Alexandra,did you try the thin tea cup than to see if it did break or crack. You also suggested possibly using wax from older candles, would you use the same method to melt these down as other wax? I would like to make these for x-mas gifts.
Ramona,
I used the thin teacup with a little tea light candle in the middle. I actually sunk it down in the middle without the tin container. This worked very well! The tea light candle was scented, but the wax all around it and under it was from a melted cheaper candle.
It's difficult to see;however here we used it during a power outage:
http://tinyurl.com/33r4axm
It lasted a long time, and once it burnt down, all that was needed was to replace the tea light in the middle which had burned down and away. I did need to dig it out a bit with a knife, but then the new tea light candle nestled down in the middle well.
This is much safer than a long wick nested at the bottom of the tea cup. It never burns down or out to the sides, so stays cool on the bottom and edges.
Happy crafting. :) This is a fun and easy one with really nice results.
Post a Comment