Light 'em up

Today I decided to jump head first into the world of candle making. The caveat to this decision is that this is pretty much a brand new area for me. Aside from sticking my fingers in melting shabbat candle wax and making the occasional bee's wax candle as a child, the whole process of candle making to me is foreign and unfamiliar.

I decided on Martha's gorgeous teacup lights project. The craft combines two awesome things: vintage and tea. Crafted from vintage teacups and melted-down candles (I used a block of candle wax instead), the craft was simple enough.

I ordered an incredible set of three vintage teacups from impulseART at Etsy, which is my ultimate favorite website for all things vintage and handmade. The teacups were fabulous and made in England and I got them for a steal because one of them had a small chip in the lip.

The actual candle making process wasn't so intimidating after all. I took some pre-made wick-and-wick-sustainer-combinations (which you can order fairly easily) and super glued them into the base of each teacup. Then, I filled up my largest pot with water and placed a smaller pot (covered in aluminum foil to prevent the wax from getting all over everything) inside it. I put the block of clear wax in the smaller pot and put a small chip of some wax color (I used a bit of pink and a teeny tiny bit of blue). After a few minutes, the wax melted and I poured it into the awaiting teacups with the wicks in place.


It took about an hour for the wax to dry and, as Martha had promised, the center of the wax dips in as the candle dries, leaving a divot. I decided not to fix this, might I might cut into the wax later to make the top of the candle smooth; Martha suggests heating more wax and filling up the center of the candle with it, but I ran out of wax with the correct color.


I think these will make a great present! Or, just a lovely candle to spice up my boring bedroom.