Easy for even the youngest children to make, yet the results make simple, elegant gifts that any adult would delight in. You’ll need:
Beeswax sheets in a colour and size of your choice (we used 40cm by 20cm sheets) Square-braided wick You can buy both from Thorne or look in craft shops for honeycomb candle-making sets. The wax needs to be kept at room temperature for a day before using and the warmer the room the better. If it feels too brittle, place near a radiator to warm up. Using a craft knife, cut the wax sheets to make the size of candle you want. As a guide: a 40cm sheet when rolled up will give a finished candle 2.5cm thick. So from a 40cm by 20cm sheet, you can cut two candles 10cm high and each will come out with a 2.5cm diameter. Short candles need a wider diameter – check the advice on the packet for which size is most suitable for your wax sheets. Cut a length of wick 1cm longer than the height of your candle. Place the wick ½ cm in from the edge of your wax sheet. Begin to roll the wax tightly around the wick. If you are doing this with young children, start the rolling yourself so the centre of the candle is held tightly, then let the children continue rolling. Carry on rolling until you reach the end of the sheet. Then warm the edge near a radiator and gently press on to the length of the candle to seal. Alternatively, warm the wax edge with a hair-dryer before pressing in place. You can also make tapered candles by cutting the wax sheet at an angle to form a triangle. Then roll up around the wick and seal the edge as before. Our Decorated Wax Candles and Candy Striped Pencils make good gifts too. |
