DIY Teacup Candles

Hi there!  I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I sure did. :) Now, it's time for Christmas and time for handmade gift-giving, if you're like me.  I finally decided to try my hand at candle making and I'm so glad I did. These were very easy, not very time consuming and I think they will make for lovely little gifts for the holidays.  These are also great for other holidays such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Birthdays.  You can get all the supplies for homemade candles (wax and wicks; scent/color, if desired) from your local craft store or online from Amazon.  I picked up all of the teacups and saucers from my local Humane Society thrift store and they came to a grand total of about $15, yay!  I can't wait to give these to my friends and family this Christmas!

Here's what I did...teacups, saucers washed and dried. Wax flakes, wick, color and scent ready to go.

First, I secured the wicks to the base of each cup with my hot glue gun.

After reviewing different candle wax online, I chose to work with 100% soy wax because it is supposed to burn slower and cleaner than other wax.  I bought a 5 lb. bag for about $10.

Some people buy a candle making kit but I decided to save money and improvise.  I used a large pot filled with water and a Pyrex measuring cup to heat the wax on the stove top.  Heat the pot of water on medium heat until it's slightly bubbling.  Fill measuring cup with soy wax flakes, then submerge in the pot of hot water being careful not to burn yourself.  The wax will begin to melt slowly but surely.  I found that each cup took about 3-5 minutes to completely melt down.  You'll know it's done when all the wax flakes have disappeared and it becomes a translucent liquid.  I found out later that I could have also melted the wax flakes directly in the microwave, which was much easier.  I will do it that way next time. 

 Stir the wax flakes with a wooden skewer or a fork to help the melting process along.

Once completely melted, remove from heat and add scent, if desired.  I added about 15 drops of vanilla essential oil to each cup of melted wax and the scent is just right.

Carefully pour melted wax into teacup until about 1/2" from the top or however full you wish.

I needed to hold the wicks up while the wax dried so I took 2 wooden skewers and laid them on either side of the wick and gently squeezed them together.  This worked fine.

Let each candle dry completely before moving around or picking up.  About 2 hours is sufficient. Trim wicks if needed. I didn't end up using any of my wax color since I liked the pure white just fine. I found that some of my candles once dry, were a bit bubbled and not as smooth on the top as I wanted. My husband suggested that I hit the tops with my crafting heat gun to smooth out the rougher tops. I tried it and it totally worked! Score one for the hubs! :)

I tied a little tag to each with my Stampin' Up ticket punch to make them look similar to a tea bag.

 And a few more...