Wax and Bubbles

At the end of Halloween, I always hate to just throw out our pumpkins, that takes at least 30 minutes while in the pumpkin patch to pick out just the right one. So I wondered what to do with them. Well, this year I picked a few out to carve and another few to make a few candles with. These candles are simple and so easy to make, and they last even through the Thanksgiving holiday as well. All you have to do is find creative looking gourds that have a natural shape, or an unusual shape. You can make pillars, tea lights or even block candles with many types of gourds. Here’s how it’s done.

What you will need:

Different, smaller sized gourds or squash
Beeswax pellets (you can find these at many craft stores or health food stores nation wide)
Small knife
Larger knife
Melon balling tool
Utility knife
Pencil
Wax dyes
Wicks
Wick tabs
Aluminum foil (these helps hold the gourds in the proper place, while the beeswax cools completely)

What you will need to do:

Cut off the tops of each gourd with the small knife and just as you would be carving a jack-o-lantern, clean out the pulp and the seeds inside the gourds. You can use a melon balling tool to clean out the flesh and remove any lumps or dents inside the gourd. You want to get as close to the outer skin as possible without going through the skin itself. Remove any of the flesh completely.

Next, melt the beeswax pellets on the stove and you can use a double boiler to do this so the wax won’t burn. Add the wax dye during the melting process. Next, you will need to cut a wick the same length up and down as your gourd is and then allow about 1/2 inch above the gourd’s height. Attach a metal wick tab to one end and place the wick, while holding the top, into the melted wax. Hold there for about 50 to 60 seconds while the air bubbles are released from the wick.

Using the aluminum foil, make a place for the gourd to rest while you pour in the melted wax. You can place the wick in the wax in the middle of the candle or if the gourd is large enough to two wicks or even three. You can hold the wicks in place with the pencil. Just wrap the wick top around the pencil and place on top of the gourd while the wax dries.

Allow 4 to 5 hours for drying and if the wax sinks in the middle, more wax can be added to the top. Once the wax is completely cool, you can easily peel away the gourds skin, from the wax. You can flatten the bottom of the candle by cutting it away for melting the bottom on a heated cookie sheet till it’s flat enough to stand straight.

You can make several of these candles to place around your Thanksgiving centerpiece.