Candle Making Classes

Ever wonder what you might need to start making a candle?? This is the set up I use for one of the candle making classes I teach. As you can see, most of the items used for candle making can be found in your home. For safety reasons, if you decide to use some of your kitchen utensils for making candles you shouldn't use them in the kitchen again. And as a reminder...keep solidified and liquid wax away from your kitchen sink. All wax is bad for your drain. Pour left over wax in either ice cube trays to reuse later or in a metal can to throw away. If you save the wax to reuse for later then remember to label what type of wax it is. Happy Candle Making!!

Candle Making Classes

Explore the art of candle making!!! I currently offer candle making classes in San Antonio, Texas through Northside and Northeast Community Education.

Candles taught include: Container, pillar, tea lights, votive and tapers using soy wax, palm wax, beeswax and paraffin wax.

Contact me through my blog if you have any questions regarding the candle classes.

Candle Smiles!!
Jamie

Pine Cone Fire Starters!!!

These Scented Pine Cone Fire Starters were very easy to make and make wonderful winter gifts! I used a six count muffin pan, sprayed the pan with mold release, filled each cup with some dry leaves, filled it half way up with scented/colored pillar palm wax, added wick and then set the pine cone or pine cones in the wax and let set. These are scented with a pine forest scent and smell wonderful!

Scented Snowball Votives!!

These are Peppermint Patty Scented Snowball Votives! The votives are made from pillar palm wax. I added peppermint patty scent and no color. Then I melted a pillar paraffin wax with some steric acid. I added peppermint patty scent and no color. I waited for the paraffin wax to congeal and started to whip it like icing with a fork. When it started to get clumpy, but still very hot to the touch, I gobbed it on my votive. I made sure to get every inch of the sides and on the top. If all parts of the sides aren't covered well, then you could have a blow out and have hot wax spilling out from the side of your candle. This votive burned beautifully! It burned slow with a nice steady flame. The palm wax, a clean burning wax, burned and left a soft shell that was the paraffin wax. These still need to be treated like a pillar candle when burned and fold in the edges of the candle when warm if needed. It also needs to be burned on a candle holder in case there is any wax spillage. These are going to make wonderful holiday gifts!

Hurricane Coffee Bean Candle!

I made this Coffee Bean Hurricane Candle for my friends birthday. I used hurricane paraffin wax with a melt point of 156 F and added steric acid to it. I also made Chai Tea scented soy wax tea lights to go with it. This way you are burning a clean burning candle inside. I added a layer of rice to the inside bottom of the hurricane candle after I made it. The tea lights sit on top of the rice and absorb the heat from the metal tea light container. This ensures the tea light will not melt the bottom inside of the hurricane candle.

Hurricane Candles!!!

This was my first hurricane candle! I have always wanted to try one of these. I used a paraffin wax with a melt point of 160F. I should have added some micro but did not have any at the time, so I will see what happens with out it. As you can see the edge is uneven and ugly. There was shrinkage (have to figure out why) and I had to pour the wax out from the middle of the candle after the wall appeared solid and there was a skim of wax on the center top. To even it out I turned it upside down on a skillet to smooth it out. I also put some rice in the middle of the hurricane candle, so when the tea light burns it will not melt the bottom of the hurricane. I haven't tried this before but I heard it works. Next on my list is one made with coffee beans!!!!

Water Candles!!!

These water candles were really fun to make. The pillars were made from a paraffin wax with stearic acid added, no color and Apricot Freesia as the fragrance. The wax around the pillar was paraffin wax with vybar 103 and a bit of an orange color block. I am wondering if a pigment or liquid dye would have produced more vibrant colors? Many books suggested using micro wax but I did not have any on hand so I kept searching and found that someone had tried vybar 103 instead. Hope it works just as well. I can't wait to make some more of these!!!!!!