Wax and Bubbles

Wallpaper candles are a lot of fun and really easy to make. They make terrific housewarming gifts if you know the colour scheme of the new home. The candle in the picture is one I made using an angel-themed wallpaper cutout - I pasted one on the front of the candle and one on the back.

You’ll find paraffin wax in the canning section of any supermarket or department store.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• One or more pillar candles, either homemade or store bought
• One block (1 pound) of paraffin wax
• Clean, empty coffee can
• White craft glue
• Wallpaper border scraps, or other pieces of wallpaper with a pattern on it

Cut a width of the wallpaper border to wrap around the pillar candle, leaving a maximum of half an inch overlap. Using white craft glue, glue the wallpaper to the candle. You can sit the paper at the bottom of the pillar, or centre it in the middle - the choice is yours. If you’d rather, you can cut shapes out of the wallpaper and glue those on the pillar candle in any pattern you like. Get creative!

Chop the paraffin wax into chunks and place them in the coffee can. Place the coffee can in a large pot with a few inches of water in it, and put the pot on the stove. You’re basically creating a double-boiler to melt the wax in. Turn the burner on to medium and let the water come to a slow boil; reduce heat to low and continue heating until the wax has melted. Stir the wax occasionally and gently to ensure even melting without adding air bubbles.

When the wax has melted completely, hold the candle by the wick and dip it into the wax, covering the candle right to the top. Remove the candle slowly and place on waxed paper to allow the wax to dry. You can repeat this step several times to give the candle a more frosted look if you wish.

When the paraffin has set, peel the candle off of the waxed paper and use a vegetable peeler to trim any wax that is pooled at the base.

Burning these candles is safe as long as you use a good-quality pillar candle to start with. Candles are meant to burn inwards, melting the centre first and causing the outer edges of the candle to fall inside. Keep an eye on your candle as it’s burning, and never leave a lit candle unattended!