Craft Week: Scented Candles

I know you're going to be shocked by this, but this craft project idea came from Martha Stewart. It's in the December 2009 issue of Living. Her instructions say to use soy wax, but I used what I already had, which was a box of wax I'd bought at Albertson's last year on sale for $1. I'm fancy like that.

Here are the supplies needed for this project (and yes, that is a box of crayons you see):



The instructions said to melt the wax in the microwave, and that may work with soy wax; I don't know. But my box of wax said to melt it in a double boiler, so that's what I did. I have an old measuring cup that I use only for crafty pursuits, so I just set that in a pot of hot water and poured the wax in. I also cut a bit of crayon off in the color I wanted. The original instructions say to use colored wax chips. Crayons fit the bill without costing anything extra.




While the wax is melting, wrap the wick around a skewer (or a pencil or whatever) and center it in the container you're using for your candles.



Once the wax is melted, use a dropper to add the essential oil for scent. The instructions say to use about 40 drops for 3 cups of wax. Just divide accordingly for lesser amounts.



Next, pour the melted, scented wax into the candle container, coating the wick in the process.



Let it all cool and harden, and there you have it. Your own scented candles.



A few things from my experience:

1. Don't drop your glass containers in the sink while washing them. I started with 5 and ended up with 4. Good thing they were only 79 cents each at Tuesday Morning.

2. Check your supply of wax ahead of time. I wound up with only enough wax to make 2 candles instead of 4 (or 5 if I hadn't broken a glass). I'd have preferred to have them all made at once, but now I'll need to do it again after I buy more wax.

3. Now that I've actually burned one of the candles, my suggestion is to add more scent. The green candle is the first one I made, and I used lime essential oil in it. I followed the recipe's proportions for scent, and it's very faint. I used a bit more in the pink candle (peppermint), and I can smell it without even lighting it. The recipe's proportions may be geared towards the type of wax they used. My wax was of lesser quality, I believe, and that may make a difference, for all I know.