Personal and Sentimental Last Minute Gift

We are down to the Christmas wire and I can feel some of you panicking. It's because I'm right there with you! All of a sudden there are people oozing out of my brain that I haven't thought to buy a gift for. Luckily I had this waxy trick up my sleeve.

Make a candle in a tea cup. This works best if the cup is something treasured or simply beautiful. It would be a great use of an odd set of cups you've inherited but have no real use for. The cup I used for this candle was one my husband remembers his mother drinking out of. There is only one and no one was ever going to be drinking out of this special cup. You can also find lovely odd pieces at the thrift store. Then, unless you are a beekeeper, head to a craft store and grab some beeswax and wicks

See what the wax looks like in the hive here. 

I haven't made candles since I was about 12. Remember making them in milk cartons? Those were with paraffin wax and weren't even scented. This little project took just a few minutes. If you don't count the hundreds of hours tending bees and an hour or so rendering the wax. If you buy yours at the craft store it will be in pellets or a big block. I poured these wax discs myself.

Read about rendering beeswax here. 

You start by grating the beeswax into a bowl so that it will melt faster and more evenly.

I melt it in the microwave 30 seconds at a time. Don't forget that whatever you melt beeswax in will be unusable for anything else. Designate one bowl for this project. 

I stuck a wick in the bottom of the cup. You could glue it to keep it in place but mine seemed to stay secure. Just pour a little bit of wax in the bottom and let it set in place, then continue.

 Use a knife to keep the wick straight. When the wax is thoroughly melted quickly quickly pour it into the cup.

Allow the wax to harden. You will see that the color changes to a beautiful honey yellow.

You could add color and scent to candle in the melted stage but I thought it was lovely in its natural state.

This is a very inexpensive project and takes only minutes. If you are baking challenged this is a very sweet home made gift of a different sort. 

Merry crafty Christmas!