handmade holiday // vintage candle making

a few years back in 2008 i traveled to china to teach english at a language summer camp.  it was in a beautifully old and historic section of bejing where we stumbled upon a lovely little tea house.  i remember being mesmerized by the jade wall of tea tins lining the walls in more rows and columns than i could dare count.  i thought they were beautiful and so i brought a few home.  

since then, i have had my fair share of hot teas curled up on our couch.  many mornings have been spent sipping and stirring my beloved beverage.  so as you can imagine, my lovely green tin no longer is a home for tea leaves.  for months, in fact, it sat empty, yearning to become a home for something else.  for something important.  

that's when i got the idea to make candles using beautiful and meaningful odds and ends i had around our home.  my beloved tea tin is now a lavender scented candle, warming up our bedroom with its lovely glow and relaxing scent.

here's how i made it.

you will need:

a canister of sorts.  like a tin or tea cup.

microwavable soy wax

candle wicks

scented oil

a match stick :)

to make these candles i melted the soy wax in a big glass bowl.  once it was all melted (it took about 5-10 minutes) i added a few drops of the lavender oil.  after securing the candle wick to the bottom of my tin with some tape, i slowly poured in the hot wax, making sure to hold the wick up straight.  once the wax was in the tin, leaving about one inch room from the top, i used tape to make a cross in the center of the tin, helping the wick stand up in the liquid wax.  then i left the candle outside to cool overnight.  that was it!  simple and lovely. 

you can also use tea cups, vintage barware, and any odd or end that holds things to make your candles with.  

for more homemade holiday ideas, go here & here.