First things first - be very careful when making this project. You are using hot wax which can cause severe injury. So please, please, please be cautious while making this project! J
For the supplies, you should be able to find them all at your local craft store. I couldn’t find a Chocolate scent, but I think that was because the candle-making aisle was rather picked over! J I did find vanilla, which would make a wonderfully scented beverage as well. You could also leave the candle unscented if you prefer, or if you cannot find a scent you like. Here is what you will need:
· A Clear Glass Mug of your choice · Soy Wax Flakes made for Container Candles · A Wick made for Soy Wax (you want one that has a base attached and is taller than your container) · Glue Gun & Glue · Candle Dye (this will be a little easier) or Crayons · Candle Fragrance Oil · A heat & microwave-safe Container for Melting the Wax · A Handheld Mixer · Pair of Chopsticks or 2 Pencils to steady the wick · Melt & Pour Soap Base (optional for clean-up)
First, pour water into your container until it reaches where you want the top of your “drink” to be. Measure this amount. The shorter mug took about 1 cup, or 8oz, of water, the taller mug (shown throughout this tutorial) took about 7oz.
Dry the bottom of your container. Using the glue gun, glue the wick to the bottom of the container placing it as close to the center as possible. Place a chopstick or pencil on either side of the wick. This will help to help keep it centered later.
Now measure out your wax by using about 2 to 2½ times the amount of water you needed to fill the mug. For the shorter mug, I used about 2½ cups of wax and placed it in a large Pyrex measuring cup. For the taller mug, I used about 2 cups of wax (this ended up being a bit too much).
Place your wax in the microwave-safe & heat-proof container. Put it in the microwave and heat for 30 second increments until the wax has melted into a liquid.
Take your colorant and shave pieces of the wax block or crayon (which I used) into the hot wax. Let the shavings melt and stir. You can reheat the wax in the microwave a bit if the colorant is not melting. I would try 5-10 second intervals for this. Continue adding more colorant until the wax looks a bit darker than you want it because it will lighten as it cools. For the shorter mug, I used only a brown crayon for colorant. The taller mug used more of the brown crayon, plus a bit of black crayon to make it a bit darker.
Now you’re ready to add the scent! How much scent you need will vary. Start with a few drops and continue adding a bit more. Stir the fragrance into the wax until you reach your desired scent concentration. Keep in mind that it will smell stronger as it burns. I used maybe 1½ to 2 droppers full of Chocolate Fudge fragrance for each candle.
Time to pour the wax into the final container! You may want to warm up your container a bit with a hair dryer or in a low temperature oven to help the wax to better adhere to your container. This is an optional step, and I didn’t bother with it, but it makes for a nicer end result. Hold the wick, or place it between 2 chopsticks or pencils as you carefully pour the wax. The wick will likely lose its rigidity as the wax melts the coating surrounding it. Pour until the wax is at its desired level. Check the wick to make sure it is still centered and adjust as necessary.
Let this sit undisturbed for at least 4-6 hours so it can cool. I let mine sit overnight. You now have the main portion of your candle completed! J
Now we are going to make a whipped cream topping for the candle! You’ll have to guess how much wax you’ll need – if you have too much, you can just pile the foam higher, or save it for later on a piece of wax paper. I used about 1 cup of wax for each candle.
Melt the wax in your cup using 30 second intervals as before.
If you want to add color (this will be white if left uncolored) or scent this portion of the wax, following the same directions as above. Be aware that some scents, especially anything containing vanilla, may turn your wax brown over time. This is due to the ingredients needed to make vanilla-y scent. It will not hurt your candle at all, it just won’t look as pretty. I left the shorter candle uncolored and unscented, but I added some plain vanilla scent (that I'm not that fond of!) to the taller candle.
Let the wax sit until it starts to form a bit of a skin (this took about 15-20 minutes).
Now you’re going to carefully take the hand mixer and start whipping air into the wax. If it seems too thin, let the wax cool a bit longer and try again. If it’s too thick to whip, put it back in the microwave for a few seconds. Keep beating the wax until it forms distinct peaks when the beaters are removed. Basically, keep mixing until it looks and little chunky and sort of like whipped cream or icing. I spent about 10 minutes doing this.
Once your wax looks similar to the last picture above, quickly spoon the “whipped cream” wax on top of the original “drink” that’s in your container. Keep adding the whipped wax until it looks the way you want it.
Let the candle cool for another 4-6 hours, trim the wick to about ½” and it’s ready to light! Congratulations, you’ve just made a beautiful candle that anyone would treasure!!! J
If you're curious, I found the shorter mug at a local grocery store for about $3 and the taller mug with the stem was also $3 from Bed Bath & Beyond. You can usually find clear mugs and other fun glassware at the Dollar Store as well. Both mugs below were $3 at Bed Bath & Beyond.
To clean up, I try to wipe down all objects that touched wax with paper towels as soon as I can. This removes most of the wax quickly and easily. You can also place some cut up pieces of melt & pour soap base into your container and melt the soap in 30 second bursts in the microwave (this will get very hot as well). Once the soap base has melted, pour it into an old plastic tub, an ice cube tray, or a silicone mold of some sort. This will produce a bar of soap you can use as well! Rinse the soapy residue from the container, and no more wax! Do NOT pour the soap or any wax down your drain because it will solidify and you'll have large plumbing bills in your future!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and, if you make your own version, I hope you have as much fun as I did! Tweet pictures using #MGPDIY because I'd love to see them! J Until next time, thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!!! J
