Kristin is the author of the blog Delightful Country Cookin’, where she features comfort food recipes that are both delicious and healthy! Every once in a while, she gets the urge to get crafty in the kitchen as well (like the post below). In her spare time, she loves inventing recipes, scrapbooking, needlepoint, and watching Disney movies. Check out Delightful Country Cookin’ to get a taste of what’s cooking!
I just love to burn candles. There’s something so warm and romantic about that tiny little flame.
But what do you do with the leftovers? Whether it’s the little bit of wax left over after the wick has gone out, or whether it’s a candle that just refuses to light the way it should (like the ones pictured below)…do you just throw them away?
I’ve been practicing a more economical method of candle recycling for quite some time and thought I’d show it to you. It’s actually become a hobby of mine. I just love turning candle “trash” into new creations!
Here’s what I use…a jar for melting the wax back down, a candle burner ($5 at Wal-Mart, Michaels, or other fine establishments), candle wicks (you can buy these at any craft store), and a nicer jar to hold my new candle. The nicer jar actually used to be a candle! Yes, I recycle the jars, too.
Melt some leftover wax in a jar on your candle burner.
When the wax is good and melted, place a wick at the bottom of your nicer jar.
Holding the wick lightly so that it stays centered, pour the melted wax into the jar. Continue holding the wick for a few moments until the wax slightly hardens. Let this sit for at least an hour to cool.
Continue melting wax, pouring it in, and letting it harden until your jar is full. If you use different colors, you’ll have a lovely, layered new candle!
What if you have a small amount of a bunch of different colors? Here’s another method of putting those to good use.
Chop up your different colored wax into smaller bits.
Clean out an empty carton (such as a carton of cream or milk) and place a wick in the bottom. Pour a small amount of melted wax into the bottom to hold the wick into place. Let that cool for a few minutes.
Dump all of the small bits of colored wax around the wick.
Pour some melted wax (plain white is best) into the carton, letting it work its way around the smaller bits of wax. You might want to tap the carton slightly as you do this to ensure that the wax gets all the way down.
Let the candle sit over night to harden. The next morning, peel off the carton!
Voila! A beautiful and interesting pillar candle…
Next time you have leftover wax sitting around, don’t just throw it away! Make yourself a new candle creation and enjoy your favorite candles a second time around.
~ Kristin
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