Flowerpot candle tutorial

I came home with a fantastic haul of tiny terracotta flowerpots from a car boot sale a month or two ago. I often stick a lit candle or a tealight in a flowerpot but I fancied taking it one step further with my little collection. Here's a quick tutorial for making flowerpot candles.

You will need


Flowerpots or other small containers of your choice
Wax. I bought some with added stearin (hardener) from here. Here's another online option.
Container wicks. I bought mine from the same online shop as above.
Double boiler (bowl placed over a pan of simmering water)
Scoop or small pot to transfer wax to pots (I used an old sippy cup)
Duct tape or sealing tape
Scissors
Sharp knife
Baking tray or plate
Foil or greaseproof paper

If your pots are secondhand like mine, then wash them out. I was impatient to get going so I dried them on a baking tray in the oven at 100 degrees C for ten minutes or so.

Once the pots are dry (and have cooled) seal the drainage holes with a piece of duct tape or sealing tape.

Cover a baking tray or plate with foil or greaseproof paper and put the flowerpots on it. If your pots are of different sizes like mine then place a container wick in each one and cut them to size so that the top of the wick is about 1cm above the top of the pot. Remove the wicks from the pots and set aside.

Melt the wax in a bowl over gently simmering water.

When it has melted completely, scoop some into each pot until the level is about 1 cm below the top of the pot. I had a little extra wax so grabbed our kitchen penny pot, an old bovril teacup, and made an extra candle.

Let the wax cool for a few minutes until it has a skin on the surface and is a soupy consistency. Use the knife to pierce a hole in the skin and insert the wick.

As the wax solidifies you can move the wick slightly so that it's in the middle of the candle.

As the wax is cooling tap the pots to allow any bubbles to rise to the surface. Allow the wax to solidify completely before lighting.

Having a small candle-lighting session each evening before nestling under a quilt is a good thought. I'm glad I made these.

I was at a bonfire-themed Underground Farmers' Market in London yesterday. It was a fabulous event but it means that I'm running a little behind. I'll make a mosaic or two from the Making Winter flickr pool for tomorrow and draw this lovely week to a close.

Meanwhile this week's bloghop is here. There's so many ace seasonal projects - do go and take a peep.