Weddingbee 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:

• Microwaveable Soy Wax Flakes (Michaels)
• Fragrance Oil (Michaels)
• Pre-made Wicks (Michaels)
• Vintage Tea Cups (Goodwill)
• 2 cup Pyrex Measuring Cup
• Thermometer
• Super Glue
• Scissors
• Tongue Depressor or Skewer
• Newspaper
• Hot Mitts

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.