Jelly Jar Candles

Candlelight dances and flickers in these old fashioned candles, reminding you of the Christmases of yesteryear. A bow of raffia or string of bead wired around the rim add a finishing touch if you like. A wonderful way to reuse jelly jars from all that summer canning!

Materials and Equipment:

• left over wax from candle stubs or beeswax sheets, or new wax purchased at a craft store
• a foot or more of candle wick
• a penny or wick clip
• an old pot
• a tin can (12 or 14 oz works well)
• tongs or silicon oven mitts
• scissors
• a used jelly jar
• a pencil
• tin foil
• an old spoon as a stirrer
• raffia or beads and wire (optional)

Instructions:

These instructions make one candle, but feel free to make as many as you like by using more wax, wick and jars.

1. Cut a piece of wick that is a few inches longer than the jelly jar. Tie one end around the penny or press it into the wick clip. Place it into the jar. Tie the other end around the pencil so that when the pencil is laid across the top of the jar, the wick is straight. Set next to the stove on a counter on top of a piece of tin foil (to protect the counter from wax spills).
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2. Pour a few inches of water into the pot and boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to simmer and place the tin can in the water. Add your wax to the tin can. You will need enough wax to fill the jelly jar, but this can be added in increments as you go. Stir the wax with an old spoon to help it melt. Hold the can with the tongs if it tries to tip.
3. Pour the melted wax into the jelly jar.
4. Repeat steps three and four until the jar is full of wax, leaving a 1/2 inch to the rim unfilled. Allow to cool.
5. Tie raffia or a string of beads around the top if you like, or leave the candle unadorned.
6. Make several of these candles and mass them together for a lovely effect!