So, what did you think of the carved candles? Has anyone tried it yet? If so, I’d love to see yours.
Now, I’m gonna show ya how to embellish candles using rose petals and other springy flora. It’s easy and nearly free if you turn to the outdoors for your inspiration and supplies.
Here’s the How:
1) You will need candles and something to put on them. In theory, you could use just about anything. I suggest using things that are fairly flat (like rose petals, leaves and the like). The more 3-D the objects the more wax you have to melt away to get your objects to stick. Make sure your objects are still fresh. My rose petals were past their prime and the dried, brittle edges were difficult to work with.
2) If you have a heat gun, that will be your best option. A blow dryer will work, but you’ll learn that lesson of patience you keep putting off or praying for (which ever the case may be, the latter in my case). I don’t have a heat gun, so it was the blow dryer for me. Decide on a layout for your candle. My ivory candle has petals and leaves all the way around. The white one just has the five leaves on it.
3) Use your heat gun or blow dryer to melt the wax just enough to mold your objects into your candle. If the wax gets drippy, you can trim it off with an Exacto knife and smooth the wax out with your fingers and firm, but slight, pressure.
4) There were a few times I couldn’t get my wax to melt sufficiently. I used some Tacky glue (My glue of choice for most projects) and glued the edges down. I actually used just Tacky glue on two or three of the petals and leaves. No melting. They are sticking wonderfully. Let dry completely.
Side Note: Don’t put candles in the microwave… (Yes, I tried putting my candles in the microwave. No, nothing major happened. However, in hind sight, probably not a very wise thing to do)… Live and learn, yeah? Back to the candles.
For the white candle, I used my hot glue gun. Yeah, I share the same attention span and patience of my 19-month-old. I just squirted glue on my leaves and stuck them to the candle. The hot glue helped melt the wax and they stuck really well. I did try to glue a stick in between the leaves… It didn’t stick well and I then decided to just use the tip of my glue gun to melt the wax away and leave a gaping hole canyon for a little more dimension to the design. Just make sure you clean off your glue gun tip afterward! =]
Well, grab those candles and start melting! As always, I’d love to see your creations! Good luck!
