Wedding Blog
For the Bridal Shower Goodie Bag that I put together for Mr. Cookie’s brother’s fiancée (say that three times fast), I made homemade vanilla soy candles in vintage tea cups. They are super-duper easy and really fun to make at home. These candles are perfect as a bridal shower or wedding favor.
Supplies:
Please note: The amount of supplies you will need for this project depends on the number of candles you are making and the size of the tea cups. Use your best judgment as to the amount of wax and oil you will need.
Instructions:
1. Gather your supplies together. Michaels has a great selection of candle making supplies. I used their Microwavable Soy Wax Flakes, fragrance, and pre-made wicks. For the vintage tea cups, I ran to a local Goodwill and rummaged through their selection of tea cups. I found a variety of cups that I liked for 42¢ a piece. Not bad.
2. Bring the cups home and give them a nice, hot bath. There was dirt and dust on the inside of the cups, and you want clean, dry surfacea to pour the wax into. Also, this was a great way to warm-up the porcelain. When working with hot wax, you do not want to pour into a cold container. This could spell catastrophe, because the container could crack and break — spilling hot, boiling wax everywhere.
3. Wipe down and dry your cups completely. Wax and water do not play nice with each other. So, make sure your containers are thoroughly dry before pouring the wax.
4. After the cups are dry, put a couple of drops of super glue on the bottom of the wick. I used Elmer’s Glue because I didn’t have super glue on hand (it worked out just fine, but I recommend using super glue because it dries faster). Then, place the wick at the bottom of the tea cup and let it dry. When the glue has set, center the wick for an even burn.
4. Fill your Pyrex cup to the top with soy flakes and microwave for 2-5 minutes — depending on your microwave’s power setting. Keep in mind that short intervals of time are better than long intervals. Do not overheat the wax, because at 450 degrees, the wax will catch on fire.
5. Remove the cup from the microwave with oven mitts. Be careful! The container will be scalding hot! Stir the wax and check the temperature with your thermometer. It should be between 175-155 degrees. At 155-165 degrees, add your fragrance. I didn’t, but if you want to, you can also add dye at this time. Check your fragrance and dye bottles for the recommended amounts to add to the candle.
6. Slowly pour wax into tea cups. You might need to repeat steps 4 and 5 until the cup is filled to the top with wax. Once the jar is filled, center the wick again to ensure an even burn. Then, leave the cups alone until the wax cools.
7. After the wax cools, trim the wick to your desired length. Also, soy wax has a tendency to mottle at the top. Only a few of mine did. Although barely noticeable, you can use a heat gun to reheat the wax. Once the top layer cools, it will be smooth.
There you have it. Your very own homemade soy candle. Your candle should burn for quite a while; mine has burned for 12 hours and is still going strong. So, enjoy!
If you have any questions, please comment below, and I will do my best to answer them.
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I have absolutely no reason to make these but I really want to go to Michaels now and make them anyway. I keep going to Anthropologie and smelling their delicious candles, but keep getting annoyed that they are all like $30 (that’s on sale, too, DAMN). Such a great tutorial, Mrs. C!
Wow, that looks much easier than I thought it’d be! Thanks for sharing!
Is it hard to clean the pyrex afterwards? it is all waxy?
How many candles did you get out of one container of microwavable soy wax?
Great tutorial! Now I just need an excuse to make them. 
@acabride: The simple answer is no, but you have to be careful when cleaning. In order to not get a waxy build-up on the Pyrex, you need to do two things: first, clean your Pyrex immediately after you are finished, and second, use really – I mean boiling hot — water to clean the Pyrex. If you don’t the wax will cool and it’s a bit more difficult to get off. Also, use a little dish soap.
@LeaseMarie: I had to make 7 candles. At first, I bought the 1 lb. of wax and that was defiantly not enough. I went back and got 5 lbs. of wax and that was more than enough. The flakes loose about half of their volume when melted. Really, the amount of wax you will need will depend on the size of your container.
I’m trying desperately to think of something I can make these for now. Thanks for the tutorial
What a great idea! I’ve scented my own soy candles at a local shop, but I didn’t know it was so easy to do on your own. Forget paying $15 to go pour candles there after this!
Must. Make. Soy. Candles.
I think vintage tea cups are so adorable and this is such a good use for them!!
Hello go-to gift!
I proclaim you my craft hero of the day!
is there a recommended amount of fragrance to add? I hate it when candles smell overly fake - and too little fragrance would suck!
@Miss Bear Cub: That’s a hard question! I too hate when fragrance is too strong. So, when I made the candles, I erred on the side that less is more and used a little less than the instructions call for. Mistake. The candles have a very subtle vanilla smell – too subtle in my opinion. Because every scent and brand is different, I’d follow the recommend amount on the bottle or use your best judgment.
Great tutorial! I think even someone un-crafty like me could handle these
Thank you for the tutorial! I do not know much about soy candles. Is there a lot of stuff left after the candle is done burning, or like with tea candles there is practically nothing? If you do not permanently adhere the wick thingy to the bottom of the cup, can you actually reuse the cup for the original purpose? Because if you can, that is a doubly awesome gift.
I also made my own candles, but for my centerpieces! i used cleaned baby food jars and decorated them with scrapbooking paper and ribbon.
Michaels is a great resource for candle making. I purchased the wax melting “pot” and the 11 lb brick of wax to melt. I wish we would have glued the wicks, because we put them in AFTER the wax was poured and they floated all over! lol
good tutorial! great idea
@snake: Yes, the soy wax is a lot like tea candles, but on the tea cup candle that I have burned, there is still a little wax on the side of the cup. However, it might be possible to soak the cup in hot water to remove the rest of the wax. I haven’t tried that yet, but it’s a thought.
Also, I would recommend that if you want to re-purpose the cup to use washable Elmer’s Glue instead of super glue, like I did. You need something to affix the wick to the bottom of the top, otherwise the wick will move when you pour the wax, which is not good.
Great tutorial! Need to find an excuse to make these myself.
Great tutorial! I too, am fighting the desire to run to Michael’s right this minute for supplies 
Could you give a (approx) price breakdown per candle? I doubt I will ever do this because of sheer laziness =P but if the cost savings are significant, I would consider it. Thanks!
Can you share the brand name of the wicks you bought? I haven’t found wicks that stand up on their own like that.
There is a reason for wicks to be secured to the bottom of their jars/container. This is what gives candle making a bad name! You don’t just make a candle like this and give it out without testing it. There are different type/size wicks for different size containers. Different scents affect how a candle burns, ie different types of wicks etc. And wicks need to be secured in place at the bottom otherwise the heat of the melted wax can make the wick float as it lifts off of the surface and cause a fire.
@yoshi: I estimate that each candle cost me about $4 to make, but that was with the 40% off Michael’s coupon that I used and includes all the supplies: wax, wicks, fragrance, and tea cup. It took a lot more wax than I anticipated.
@Indie B: The premade wicks are Yaley Enterprises, and I bought them at Michael’s.
Thank you so much for this! I’m actually using the same tea cups you have pictured in the last photo! Bookmarked!
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Mrs. Cookie, Denver
Age and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst
Engagement Date: September 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: May 8, 2008
Venue: Ten Mile Station
About Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
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