If you’re like most people who love candles you simply throw them away once they’ve been burned down low. Some candles, after having been on display for some time, often see the garbage can as well since they’ve become dusty and unattractive. Instead of throwing away candles around your home use them to make new wax tarts which can be melted to fill the house with a scented aroma. In case you don’t know what a wax tart is it’s similar to a candle. Much smaller, though, the tarts do not contain a wick. They’re used in tart burners which melt the scented wax rather than burning it like a candle.
You don’t have to go spend a lot of money at a craft store to purchase molds to make your wax tarts. Instead, use foil to create the molds. One quick way to do just that is to lay a cookie cutter on a piece of foil, fold the foil over the side edges of the cutter, then remove the cookie cutter. The foil will take on the shape of the cookie cutter star, flower, Santa or other design. If you don’t have any cookie cutters you can use other things to make shapes. Wrap foil around jar lids, shallow cardboard boxes, tiny bowls or other objects. These simple foil molds are all you need to make a huge variety of scented wax tarts.
Make different tart molds by using old metal cookie cutters. Set them on a piece of foil, pull the foil up around the bottom edges somewhat, then pinch into place. The foil will create a bottom for the new candle mold. Set the molds – with their foil bottoms – on a metal tray to make sure the bottom stays secure as the wax dries. No matter what type of mold you use choose ones which aren’t too big – none larger around than a tennis ball – and not too small – none smaller than a fifty-cent piece. Also, the finished tarts should not be really thick; pour the wax so that it’s shallow. Spray foil and other molds with non-stick cooking spray to help remove the tarts after the wax has dried.
To use old candles for the new tarts it’s necessary to cut away any burnt part of the wick. Melting the candle without cutting away this part will cause the candle wax to turn black or have specks of ash in it. Instead of cutting away the burnt wick, and melting the entire candle, you can also cut chunks of wax away from a candle that has plenty left. Melt the wax in a microwave-safe bowl or use the stove top to melt it. To melt it on a burner place water in one pan, set another pan on top of it, then place the wax in the top pan. Boil the water in the bottom pan until it melts the wax in the top pan.
You can sometimes change the color of the tart, from the color of the melted wax pieces, by using wax dyes from a craft store. However, if the original wax is a dark color, and you want to make a much lighter color, you could have difficulty with this. Instead of craft store dyes you can also use melted crayons to color the tarts. Cut old crayons into smaller pieces and drop the right in with the old candle chunks as you melt them.
Add scents to the wax tarts, if you want, by purchasing small bottles of candle scents at a craft store. One problem you might encounter here is if the original candle chunks were already scented. In some cases, the scented candle no longer seems to sport the scent, but as you melt it, you can then smell the aroma much better. If there is a lingering scent from the original candles use something similar to scent the new tarts. For example, if the original scent was apple you can add cinnamon to scent the candle. Or, purchase scents that match the original scent of the candle wax.
After melting, coloring and scenting the wax you can then pour it into the tart molds. Using a measuring cup can help you pour the wax easier than if you try to pour it directly from a microwave bowl or saucepan. Allow the tarts to set at room temperature until they are hard. You can then peel away the aluminum foil and produce the finished tart.
Online you can find a huge assortment of tart burners which will allow you to melt the new tarts and dispense the aroma throughout the house. Or, you can use the tarts in a small saucepan, over low heat on a burner, to melt them and fill the house with the sweet smell of the scented wax. Tart burners can be either an electric melting pot-type device or a different setup which features a tea light to melt the tart in a metal or ceramic bowl above the tiny candle. When the heat is removed the candle wax dries and can then be melted again and again. Now, anytime you want, you can fill the house with enticing smells that welcome your guests and make them feel right at home.
Reference:
- Purchase candle scents and dyes here: www.michaels.com
