Make- it Mondays: Tea Cup Candles

From: Buenahelena

Happy Monday everyone! Let's have a little upcycling fun. I'm a sucker for thrift stores, flea markets and estate sales and one of the things I love to hunt for are cups. From souvenir shot glasses to silly mugs I've gathered a wide collection, so now what to do...

Option #1: The Tea Cup Candle


Materials you'll need:

• a variety of tea cups, mugs, martini glasses, whatever...
• microwaveable soywax
• a large microwavable plastic mixing bowl, preferably with a spout
• a variety of candle wicks with metal bases
• a small pin or needle
• scented oils and food coloring (optional)

Steps:

1. Clean and dry all of your cups. Who knows where, or who they used to live with.
2. Check the heights of your wicks to the cups. You'll want to use a wick that peaks slightly above the lip line of your cup.
3. Glue the metal base of the wick to the bottom of the cup. I use E-6000 glue for a solid hold.
4. Empty soywax into the mixing bowl and heat for 2 minutes or until completely melted.
5. Pour the melted soywax into your cup slowly, leaving about 1/4 " of space from the lip.
6. Place a flat support, this could be a butter knife or a chopstick, over the top of the cup to support the wax from bending or slanting to one side.
7. Use a needle to poke a few small holes into the wax while it cools re-hardens. This allows bubbles to escape and keep the surface of the wax smooth.
8. (Optional) While the soywax is still melted in the mixing bowl, add a couple drops of scented oil and food coloring and mix.

These candles make awesome gifts, especially for Valentines Day when you want a little sumpthin'-sumpthin' lighting. There are as many styles to choose from as you are willing to rummage for. I've found great 1960's, mod coffee mugs for $.50 and fine bone china cups for up to $7.00.


** I recommend using soywax in this tutorial although paraffin is also okay. They pro's of soy are that it is vegan, burns slower and cleaner than paraffin and burns completely. It's super easy to clean it out of the cups with some soap and water when your done so they can go to other uses.**