As with starting any craft, the first few projects are a bit of wonder. Until you become used to the products you are using, you often feel you are stumbling along making mistake after mistake. That is why, if are going to enjoy the candle making craft, we suggest that you start making votive candles.

These are surely one of the easiest candles to make and the most cost effective. Because they are small you do not need to buy a lot of wax and initially you don’t even have to complicate things with color or perfume. You can get the color you want by using colored glass containers and as for the perfume you can probably do without that, if you want to, until you are more experienced.

With a votive candle you are setting the wax directly into the glass container and basically the three steps are to warm your glass containers to 110° from a cold oven, secure your wick at the bottom of the container and melt your wax and pour it in. In reality, care does need to be taken to make sure the wick is straight as the wax sets and when melting the wax it should be done in a double boiler being aware of the fact that wax has a flash point. This is why thermometers to measure the heat so that there are used so that there are no fires when melting the wax.

Some very popular ways to use votive candles:

• Wedding settings
• Party settings
• Dinner parties
• Spa settings

The votive candle is one of the most popular candles used for decorative purposes. Although they can be beautifully perfumed, they look absolutely delightful in clusters and with other trimmings such as flowers, rocks, bamboos, soaps, pot plants and in feng shui settings. All these different transformations of the same type of candle have it right up there as one of the most popular.

You can’t beat them for wedding settings, either as table centre decorations or to adorn the cake table. They can be kept the traditional white or colored to highlight the bridesmaid color. The extra color can be added in the glass container, the wax, the supporting flower arrangement or trimmings on the glass. That is how much variety is offered using these lovely little candles. Using them for parties is very, very popular and setting them up in an array of shot glasses has taken the party scene by storm.

Around the home a grouping of 3 or 5 votive candles make a lovely display and there are the opportunities to have the same color or a grouping of mixed colors. The candle making craft is a very cheap one to pursue and a lot of fun can be had from making your own decorative candles.

Kaye Dennan has been an art teacher and loves to share her enthusiasm for all things in the art field. Her ebook ‘Candle Making – Start with Confidence’ takes you step by step through making a candle. There are safety tips, a list of equipment needed and projects to help you get your confidence before tackling bigger projects. Just go to http://www.candlemakingcraft4u.com/votive-candles.php to read all about how to get started.

How do I have this up on my wall?

So I bought this:http://www.amazon.com/Wrought-Iron-Swirl-5-Candle-Sconce/dp/B00023AX34/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1219191570&sr=1-2

Most of the above suggestions are right on the money, but just to add: if you have an older house with plaster-and-lath walls instead of drywall, it’s best to find a stud for at least some of the screws. For the others use the metal concrete anchors and not plastic anchors. (But to be honest, for something that heavy I’d be a bit wary of attaching it to a plaster wall with any kind of anchor.)

ROFL at “get some guy to do it”. Yeah, because women are too incompetent to use a drill or a screwdriver. Welcome to 1934!

The Candle Cafe, home of the original swirled candle

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