One of the things Lady Raven remembers with fondness from childhood is a holiday tradition of candle making. Mama would go through our art supplies looking for old broken red, green, silver, and gold crayons. This need not be a holiday only activity, it can be done any time. Candles warm the home in all seasons. To do this, you will need:

Candle Wicking
Leftover Crayon Particles
Washed empty plastic milk or juice cartons
Pencil or stick
Candle wax, if there are not many crayons
Scented Essential Oils, if desired

1. You will melt the wax and crayons slowly and if desired you can add scented essential oils just before pouring it into the container. To do this you can use a double boiler or you can put a metal coffee can in a regular pot and heat it slowly. I prefer the coffee can as it will not damage any of my pots and pans and I can throw it away if I choose. If you use only crayons, the candle will be very dark, you can make it lighter by using more wax or adding white crayons. As the wax and crayons are melting stir them to prevent burning and also to mix them well. You can stir them with a spoon, though I tend toward leftover chopsticks which have been washed after use.

2. While you are melting the wax, you will need to suspend the wick into the cartons you are using as moulds. This will make sure the wick is straight once the wax is poured in and will keep it in place until the candle dries. To do this you will wrap the wick around a pencil or stick and make sure the wick reaches the bottom of the container.

3. You will also need to anchor the wick to the bottom of the carton. Mama taped it, with only moderate success. This is one area where purchasing the correct thing may be best...there are small metal anchors which can be purchased for a reasonable price. They are made specifically for candles. I have used bobby pins successfully. These weight the wick to hold it straight, but have to be anchored to the bottom of the carton. If you use the bobbly pins or candle anchors, dip them into the warm wax and let them dry to the bottom of the carton before pouring the rest of the wax in.

4. Pour the wax carefully into the carton and allow to cool until set. When doing several, my mother would place the cartons with cooling wax in the sink which was filled with ice cubes (leave unplugged for drainage). Leaving them undisturbed on a balcony, windowsill or countertop also works.

5. After they have cooled, remove the candles from the container. To do this, suspend it upside down and slide the candle out. If this does not work you can run warm water over the mold so it will slide out easily. If all else fails, tear the carton off :o)

* * * * * * For Fun Variations * * * * * *

Add shells, stones or other decorations to the wax. I personally do not add leaves or grasses or other flammables, so I don't have to worry about where they wind up in the candle. Leaves and such can be glued with a glue gun to the outside of larger candles safely also.

After the wick has been anchored and hung in the carton, fill the carton with large ice cubes. These ice cubes need to be very large and the container needs to be filled completely with them. After the wax has melted and has cooled just a little to the point where it still pours easily, pour over the ice cubes. Remove any ice cubes which protrude over the top of the wax so the top will be smooth when it cools. When the candle is finished, there will be holes in the candle where the ice cubes were. If you used a large container to make the candle, your candle will not completely melt as it burns. Your used candle will create a shell into which you can place small votive candles.

Use a metal leather crafting tool or cookie cutters to carve patterns into the cooled wax. If you desire and are careful you can then pour another colour of wax into them or use paints or a marker to highlight them.

You could also spray or brush a cooled candle with a clear drying glue and then sprinkle the candle with glitter. I am rather paranoid and not sure if glitter is flamable, so I only use this on large candles which will not melt completely away as they are burned. Metalic spray paint applied to the outside also givea a unique effect.

Use mason jars as candle moulds but do not remove the candles after they are cooled. You can adorn these jars or paint them to fit the occasion. Display these or give them as gifts.

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