Decorating candles is easy and fun, and candles of any size, from votives to tapers, can be decorated. Decorated candles are unique and can make great gifts, especially if personalized. Here are some ideas for decorating candles and materials you can use.
Possible materials:
Jewelry, including charms, bracelets, anklets, earrings, pins
Beads/buttons
Tacks/pins
Wax
Jewelry
You can string beads or buttons and wrap them around a candle, attaching the string with push pins. Bracelets and anklets can also be wrapped and attached the same way, or by dripping hot wax at intervals (make sure that the string or material reacts well to hot wax before doing on a large scale).
Posted earrings and pins can be pushed directly into the wax of your candle, and hold themselves in place, and buttons with holes can be attached with push pins. Colored push pins can act as another aspect of your design, or be color matched to blend into the candle, while charms will need to be attached either with a pin or tack or using melted wax.
These ideas can be used on both smooth and textured candles.
Wax
Many years ago I received a candle decorating kit which included candle decorating pens, thin sheets of colored wax, and shaped push-style cutters. The pens are liquid wax, and have a fairly fine point, so they can be used to write or draw directly onto the candle. The wax sheets can be cut using the cutters or any other item, such as bottle tops, charms, keys, etc. You can also create texture by scoring the wax with a knife or fork, old comb or brush, or anything that suits your needs. These pieces of wax are then simply pressed onto the candle. With these tools and your imagination, the possibilities are endless. This kit is available from www.hearthsong.com
You can make small pieces of wax yourself that can be pressed onto a candle, by putting a wax crayon into a manual pencil sharpener. The pieces are fragile and curled, so they are a little difficult to work with, but they do provide an interesting shape, and a wide variety of colors.
Another way to use wax is to drip wax from one candle onto another. If you use candles of different colors, you can come up with interesting designs, most of them abstract (unless you’re really patient). This is a great way to use up candle stubs that are too small to burn anymore, and wax crayons too small to color with.
These suggestions work best with smooth candles, both for adherence to the candle surface, and for appearance, although they can work on candles with textured surfaces.
Pins/Tacks
You can create a design on a candle by inserting push pins or tacks, or any similar item, in the design you desire. Again, you’re limited only by your imagination, and how many pins you have.
Depending on color and size, these ideas can work on both textured and smooth candles.
These suggestions apply to decorating pre-made candles. If you’re making your own candles, you can, of course, put some of your decorations in them as they’re being made. Many of the items mentioned can be used in this manner.
No matter what kind of candle you have, and what materials you have at hand, you likely have something that you can use to take a basic candle and make it special and unique.
