How to Make Floating Candles

Floating candles are elegant yet cozy additions to table centerpieces or other decor and are just as easy to make as any candle.  These are great for weddings and giving as shower gifts.  Make candles in whatever shapes you'd like and add a little scent to the wax to make scented candles.  This is a fun project that anyone can do, and they make great handmade gifts for any occassion.  The key to a floating candle is a short shape with a slightly wider top than bottom. Wax naturally floats so you have little to worry about.

Materials:

• Paraffin Wax
• Wicks and Wick Tabs (Usually sold together in craft stores)
• Muffin/Cupcake Pan/Individual Jell-O Molds, etc.
• Scissors
• Melting Pot for Wax (I use a large aluminum can) and regular saucepan or double-boiler for melting wax
• Thermometer
• Optional- Candle Coloring and/or Scent Block

Instructions:

1. Find an appropriate pan or mold. For simplicity sake, a muffin pan will work fine. Grease with a little vegetable oil or cooking spray to help the candles pop out easily.
    
2. Prepare the wicks by inserting the wicks into the wick tabs.
    
3. Boil water in a large saucepan. Place the melting container in the boiling water, or use a double boiler specially for melting max (you wouldn’t want to use the pan for anything else).
    
4. Place several chunks of wax into the melting container. Be sure to monitor the wax as it is melts with a thermometer and turn off the heat at 180 degrees F. Parraffin wax will ignite at 375 degrees F and must be extinguished with baking soda or a fire extinguisher, so be careful!
    
5. Once melted and the heat is off, add coloring and scent if you desire. You can use dye chips specially for coloring candles or liquid dye added with an eye-dropper. For scents, use shaved pieces from a scent block and avoid essential oils, since most are not designed for the high-heat of candles.
    
6. Pour about an inch of wax into each of the molds in the muffin pan and let cool slightly.
    
7. Once the wax begins to show some consistency with a skin on the top, press the tab of a wick into the bottom of each mold with a chopstick, spoon or skewer.
    
8. Once set, pop out your candles and float in water.