Gift your nearest and dearest a trendy donut vase inspired candle!
I’ve been foraging away leftover wax from old candles for some time now with the intention of re-melting and re-using it. I’ve had everything ready, but it was only recently when I got thinking about how fun it would be to have a ‘donut’ shaped candle - like the infamous donut vase - that I finally acted on it. I had no idea if this would work and I couldn’t find anything similar anywhere online, but I gave it a go, and much to my delight it came out pretty well. The candle is definitely not perfect, it is more than a little rustic, but I’m in love. I’ve not used it yet so I’ll have to keep you posted on instagram about how it burns, but to be honest I’m so pleased with it I’m not sure I want to burn it!
I mostly used wax from white candles which had lighter scents, and threw in a few bits of red wax with a richer scent to create this pretty pink colour - perfect as a valentines or palentines gift - and a nice floral scent. I had lots of wax leftover, so I created another candle by creating a mould from a heart-shaped cookie cutter, which was so quick and easy. Let me know in the comments if you’d like a quick tutorial on those, but otherwise keep reading to find out how to make this donut candle!
Old candle wax
Bowl
Saucepan
Card
Foil
Cellotape
TO MAKE THE MOULD:
To do this, find a vase or pot the diameter you want your donut candle to be, and cut a length of card that is this length. Keep the width of this strip about double the depth you want your donut to be.
Next, line one side of this card strip with a layer of foil. Attach the foil securely to the card.
With the foil facing inwards, position the card around your vase or pot tightly and secure it into a circular shape using tape. Remove the vase or pot, and cover any seams with cellotape. These are the sides of your mould.
Place your vase on top of another piece of card, and draw around it to create the base of your mould. Cut this circle out.
As with step 2, cover the base of the mould with foil, and attach it securely.
Stick the base of the mould to the sides of the mould using lots of cellotape (there should be no gaps). The foil on the sides and base should be facing inwards. I found it easiest to tape the sides to the base on the outside, and once that was done, to go round the inside, adding tape to the seams to ensure no wax could seep out.
You should now have a cylindrical mould, with the inside lined with foil and the seams covered with cellotape. Next, find a lid or tube the diameter that you want the gap in your donut to be. I used the lid of some hairspray.
As with step 2 and 4, cover this in foil and securely attach it.
Hot glue this to the base of the mould, in the centre, and add cellotape around it to ensure wax isn’t going to seep underneath it.
Finally, decide where you want the top and bottom of your donut candle to be. At the base, squash the card slightly to make this part slightly flatter, and at the top in the middle use a needle to create a hole approximately 1/4 of the way up. Position the wick with the metal part at the bottom, and push the top of the wick through this hole.
TO MAKE THE CANDLE:
Melt your wax in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. I found it better to do this on a medium-low heat so that it melted slowly but surely.
I forgot to do this, but you may at this point want to cover the inside of your mould with oil, so that it is easier to release from the mould.
Once the wax starts melting, stir it using something like a wooden skewer to ensure that the various colours and scents are well mixed.
Holding your mould slightly upright, secure your wick to the bottom of your mould with a small amount of wax. I used a small spoon for this and held the mould at an angle until this set.
Once this has set, place your mould flat on a tray (just incase of leaks!) and carefully pour the wax into the mould, or spoon it in, until it is your desired depth (approximately half the depth of the mould).
Leave this to set completely overnight.
Once set, roll the mould between your hands, and attempt to loosen the candle from the mould. The candle may come out at this point, or if not, you can pop it into the freezer for 10 minutes, and try again. As your mould is made from card, if it still doesn’t come out, simply cut up your mould, and unpeel it from the candle.
