When I started my first blog years ago, I wanted it to be all about easy craft and DIY little projects as I was going through a period of my life where I was giving vent to my creativity by creating the easiest yet cutest DIY jewelry, homeware and all kinds of crafts really! Many years and a pair of blogs later, my initial purpose totally went lost along the way and, apart from some quick and easy ideas, I rarely share DIY projects on the internet anymore. It is quite sad to say, but the times when I used to spent hours in local craft stores shopping for glitters, tape, coloured paper and beads is now over, and yet I'm a creative deep inside, so when I was introduced to Sykes Cottages Simple Craft Guide, a beautifully illustrated guide put together by different talented craft bloggers, that easily guide you through the cutest and simplest craft projects, I saw my inner crafter being very excited about trying my hands at something new!
This isn't my first time at attempting to make a candle from scratch, yet it's actually the first real time the whole project turned out practically perfect! I remember doing my own researches about DIY scented candles and trying my best at making the wick stand by itself, yet it was a total failure, because both I didn't really have nose for mixing scents that complemented each other and the handmade wick wasn't exactly perfect... I decided to meet the challenge and give it another try, this time with proper equipment and an easy guide to follow that made it all a piece of cake!
Soy Wax Flakes; Candle Wicks ; Funnel ; Wooden or Silicone Spoon ; Saucepan ; Scissors ; Essential Oils ; Wax Dye ; Jars or glasses (I used IKEA 365+ Glass + Coaster).
Melting the wax and adding essential oils and wax dye is the fun part! What I did wrong before and that I've learned now, is that once the wax has melted down completely, it's important to turn off the heat and let the wax cool down for a minute or so before adding the scents and colours. Also, the trick for a neat result is to use a funnel (and it's something so obvious but of which I've never thought of!) and to make the wick standing by itself, it's just necessary to leave the wax cool down a bit more until it starts turning opaque and cloudy. Lastly, you'll be surprised by the amount of drops of essential oils you'll need to add to actually make your candle smell intensely!
I made a pair of different candles with different colours and scents, but my favourites have to be the white coconut candle that looks so neat in my IKEA 365+ Glass, and the tropical fruits (a mix of mango, caribbean berry, melon and sweet rum) blue candle that looks and smells like a tropical cocktail!
By mixing the wax dye a little less and not letting it melt completely, I was able to achieve a speckled effect with my smaller candle, which looks pretty lovely too!
Simple Crafts: A Guide for Beginners features other five easy DIY tutorials that are thought to be simple to make, require inexpensive and low equipment and be ideal to make at home, on holidays or when you're away, and they're one cuter than the other! If you are itching for learning some new skills, I'd highly recommend giving it a peek!
Have you ever made your own candle? Or are you going to give it a try?
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