How To Make Your Own Tea Cup Candles From Recycled Candels

I don't know about you but I have a large stash under my kitchen sink of half burnt candles. These have resulted from buying candles for  different events but the candle was not used up just put away under the cupboard for me to forget all about. 


I also have a lot of lovely odd vintage tea cups and saucers that just collect dust on the shelf as they can not be used all the time.


So I could not think of a better way to use up the old candles and display my tea cups through out the house by    making my own handmade candles. The only thing was I use to do this as a child but I used my mum's old saucepan and candle making kits. Now 20 years on I no longer have the kit or my mum's saucepan and I don't have a saucepan that I don't mind being ruined by candle wax. As I was thinking all this I had a washed out tin can on my kitchen side that was waiting to go out into the recycling. Would the can stand up in a saucepan of water with the wax melting inside the can? As I did not want any water getting into the wax! After a of experimenting with different water levels in the sauce pan, I hit the jack pot and found the right water level.


What you need

• Saucepan
• Tin Can
• Old candles (if you don't have any old candles you can ask you local church if they have any they were going to throw out)
• Lots of clothes pegs
• Vintage Tea Cup (you can get these for only a couple of pounds at your local charity shop)

Here is how I made my candles:- 


1) I filled a saucepan with boiling water from the kettle and I put the saucepan on a very low heat. (Don't let the water boil) Then I filed my tin can with the old candles, wick and all as they can fished out latter. (The candle starts to melt really quickly with the heat from your already boiled water.) 

2) When you wax is nearly all melted away from the wick use a clothes peg to fish the wick out of the wax. (Please be really careful while doing this as the wax is very hot and you can get easily burnt!) Then tack 2 clothes pegs and attach them to the top of your wick. Then place your wick into your vintage cup so that the wick just touches the bottom of the tea cup. The clothes pegs should now be balancing on the age of the tea cup rim so the wick stands up in your cup.

3) When all the wax is completely melted using a pot cloth so you don't burn your hands lift the tin can out of the water and carefully half fill your cup. Then move your cup to one side to cool down.

4) Repeat the process until either you run out of cups. You will need wax left over for the next step.

5) Once the wax is completely cold you will notice a dip has formed around the wick. Reheat the remaining wax you have left in your tin can. When the wax and when completely melted pour the remaining wax into your cups and fill them up. Leave the cups to one side to cool down again and completely set. Once set the candles are ready ready to use through out your house to enjoy.

www.emusupcycledgifts.com

The great thing about these candles is that after you have used them up you can either wash your tea cup and use them again for tea party's or you can make some new candles.

I hope you have as much fun making your candles I did mine. Please share with me some photos of the candles you make for your lovely home.