Beeswax Candle

Have you ever made your own candle? Turns out it's super easy if you've got the right materials. The inspiration for this project came from my younger sister's pottery work that you may remember seeing HERE. The piece she made reminded me of a beehive, so I came up with a way to make it seem even more like one. And I did so by using beeswax of course! 

First stop, Utrecht Art Supplies on Mass Ave in Boston. The people working here were very friendly and happy to help! 

I bought a 1 pound block of Jacquard Beeswax for $12. Not too shabby. And as a bonus, it already smells like honey, so it really goes with my bee theme!

The other supplies I needed were candle wicks, Krazy glue, crayons, and a mason jar. 

I opted for wood wicks because I love the crackling sound they make when they burn. All you have to do is place the wick in the metal clasp then trim the wood to the size you want it. Superglue the bottom of the clasp then attach it to the bottom of your candle jar. Obviously I'm using Carolyn's pottery piece for my jar, but a mason jar could be a great substitute. 

Next you have to prepare the wax. Start by cutting the block into smaller pieces.

   

Put the pieces in a jar that you don't mind ruining because it's going to end up covered in wax. I used a mason jar which worked out well. 

  

Boil water in a pot and then place your jar with the wax into the water to create a double boiler. You're going to want to keep an eye on the wax the whole time it's melting because word on the street is beeswax can be highly flammable. 

If you want to add some color to your wax, just add some crayons to the mix! I wanted my wax to be really yellow so that it would look like honey so I just added 2 yellow crayons. Keep the temperature on high until the wax melts all the way. This took about half an hour. 

     

   

Once the wax is melted, stir it a little to make the color consistent then turn the heat off and pour the melted wax into your jar - or beehive pottery!

Let the wax cool until it's hardened and then your candle is ready to use!

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that wood wick candles don't tend to work well with beeswax. So if you want to use beeswax make sure to use a regular wick, or if you want to use a wood wick you should use different candle wax.

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