These ombre taper candles are the perfect handmade gift for Mother’s Day!
I’ve been experimenting with candles alot recently. Once of my first forays into crafting with candles was this donut candle that I made from old wax I collected. Next, I tried my hand at making a candle from old wax using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, and then more recently I discovered you could paint a lovely pattern on candles like these heart painted ones.
I”ve been loving the shape of taper candles lately, and when I was thinking about a handmade gift idea for Mother’s day, I decided I wanted to have a go at upgrading some plain taper candles with an ombre effect. I used old wax from my stash as usual for this, so it felt like a great way to not only make a budget friendly gift but to also repurpose what might otherwise have gone to waste.
The ombre effect I managed to create is definitely not perfect, and the candles I used initially did become a bit bumpy, which I think was from the wax being too hot, however I’m still really pleased with them. I used an old ribbon that I had again saved from something else in the past, and so all in all this project didn’t cost me a penny. If you love this idea as much as me, please do share on social media and don’t forget to follow for updates!
Plain Taper Candle
Glass jar
Old coloured wax
Heat protective gloves
1.
First of all, you need a glass jar that is tall enough to dip your taper candle into.
2.
Next, use the water bath method to melt your old candles down and add them to your jar.
3.
Add your jar to the water bath and add in any more old loose wax you have. At this point, my melted wax was all white and so I started to add in old purple and brown wax to give a light neutral purple colour.
4.
Once your wax is all melted, use heat protective gloves to take it out of the water bath.
5.
Allow the wax to cool just ever so slightly and then begin dipping your taper candles. To create an ombre, dip 3/4 first, let it cool, then dip 1/2 and let it cool and then dip the last 1/4.
6.
I noticed the candles I had dipped when the wax was still very hot became quite bobbly and so I used the shiney side of parchment paper whilst the candles were still warm to smooth this out.
7.
Leave these to cool completely.
8.
Finally, grab some ribbon, tie a couple together and trim the ends to make it nice and neat.
Repurpose old glass candles in a few easy steps!