Everyone loves floating candles!

You can use floating candles in a vase or vessel of some kind which holds water. Then, when you have guests over for a special occasion, you can light the floating the candles to create a really cozy atmosphere within the room.

The use for floating candles is only limited by your imagination.

Wax will naturally float and so you don’t need to worry about your candles sinking. The key though to making floating candles is you simply want them to be shallow. You also want your floating candles to be longer than they are high. What you don’t want to do is create a floating iceberg with a flame on it!

You can use many different items as the mould for your floating candles. This includes cupcake pans. You can also use old poached egg cups.

For convenience, there is nothing better than a cupcake pan.

You can also make floating candles using cookie cutters.

This page describes both simple methods.

Things Needed To Make Floating Candles

  1. Dye
  2. Wax
  3. Scissors
  4. Thermometer
  5. Primed wicks
  6. Double boiler
  7. Kitchen scale
  8. Baking tray or cupcake pan
  9. Aluminum foil if making candles with the baking tray

Cupcake Pan Floating Candles – Step 1

  1. Lightly grease your muffing pan with a vegetable oil. This obviously helps the candles come out after the wax has set.

Step 2

  1. Get your wick ready.
  2. You will need to cut your wick to an appropriate height based on the height of the jam jar and how much wax you will be adding to the jam jar. The wick should be approximately 1.5 cm (½ inch) longer than the your candle will be high.

Step 3

  1. Melt your stearin, wax and any dye. If you want, you can also add an essential oil.

Step 4

  1. Once the wax has reached pouring temperature, pour into the cupcake pan.

Step 5

  1. Once the wax has cooled slightly and there is some consistency to the wax, insert the wick into the wax

Step 6

  1. Once the wax has set, remove from the pan and enjoy.

Visual Steps:

Baking Tray Floating Candles – Step 1

  1. Line your baking pan with aluminum foil.

Step 2

  1. Get your wick ready.
  2. You will need to cut your wick to an appropriate height based on the height of the baking tray and how much wax you will be adding to the jam jar. The wick should be approximately 1.5 cm (½ inch) longer than the your candle will be high.

Step 3

  1. Melt your stearin, wax and any dye. If you want, you can also add an essential oil.

Step 4

  1. Once the wax has reached pouring temperature, pour into the baking tray.

Step 5

  1. Once the wax has cooled to the point where it is semi firm, then you can begin cutting shapes out of the wax using your cookie cutter.
  2. When you start to do this, the wax shouldn’t be too soft or too hard. If the wax is too soft, the wax won’t hold its shape. If the wax is too hard, you won’t be able to cut it.

Step 6

  1. You can now insert the wick.
  2. If you are unable to push the wick in, then simply make a little hole and slide the wick in the hole.

Visual Steps:

Kandall Wick Says:

To really add flavour to your floating candles, be sure to make them in a variety of colors.

I personally like to make what is known as a split complimentary color scheme. This has an effect of being alive yet subtle. A split complimentary color scheme combines a color with the colors on either side of its compliment. For example, red and green are opposites, therefore red, blue-green and yellow-green would create a split complimentary color scheme. Understanding colors can go a long way to make the mood of a room even better.

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