Sunday, November 29, 2015

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...
 

7 comments:

~amy~ said...

These are amazing Linsey!
You should share it over on the Coffee Loving Papercrafters FB page!!

Jo Williams Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator said...

Linsey these are freaking awesome!!!!! Can you email me the link of where you purchased the wax flakes? I would love to make a few of these myself for gifts! Thanks!
Hugs,
Jo
xox

Migdalia said...

Linsey, They are stunning & beautiful!! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Have a blessed day,
Migdalia
*Crafting With Creative M*

Shannon Fralish said...

These are gorgeous and your tutorial is brilliant. I, too, would love to know where you purchased your supplies. Also, how long would you need for melting the wax in the microwave? Wow, thanks so much for sharing!

Linsey R said...

Thanks for your sweet comments, ladies! Shannon and Jo--the wax I have was bought a while back and after looking, I see that it now is only being sold in a 50 lb. bag, which is way too much if you're just starting out. I did some more research and found a good comparable soy wax on Amazon. I suggest getting this 2 lb. bag of soy wax flakes by CandleScience: http://www.amazon.com/CandleScience-All-Natural-Soy-Candle/dp/B0092RKDN6/ref=sr_1_5?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1448956716&sr=1-5&keywords=soy+candle+wax. If you want more for your money, go with the 10 lb. of soy wax flakes by The Candlemaker's Store: http://www.amazon.com/Candlemakers-Store-Natural-Soy-Wax/dp/B00WZ6N1QW/ref=sr_1_3?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1448956716&sr=1-3&keywords=soy+candle+wax. I bought these 6" wicks in a 100 pk.: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015W8DWUO?psc=1. I like them because I can trim them down, if needed, but they are long enough for a taller jar or glass. For fragrance, I'm going to try this sampler set: http://www.amazon.com/CandleScience-Classics-Fragrance-Sampler-Bottles/dp/B0092RHX7A/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1448957289&sr=1-7&keywords=vanilla+candle+scent+for+soy. You get 4-1oz. bottles of different scent-vanilla, cinnamon stick, clean cotton and love spell (not sure what the love spell scent smells like, lol). For melting in the microwave, I filled the pyrex measuring cup and it took approximately 2 minutes to melt down. You just need to make sure all the white flakes are completely gone and it's a translucent liquid. I actually microwaved for 1 minute, stirred, then microwaved for 1 more minute and it worked perfectly. A lot easier than the stove top method. Let me know if you have any more questions and please let me know if you make some candles of your own--I'd love to see them!!! :)

Stampsnob. said...

How beautiful and the patterns on the cups fantastic for this project Good job.........Lis

Shannon Fralish said...

Thank you SO much Linsey! My heart zinged when I saw these because I have many tea loving friends and these will make fantastic handmade gifts. Thanks for the tutorial and those added tips and tricks.