Gel candle projects come in a variety of shapes, sizes, styles and themes. You can create small candles, large candles, colorful candles and plain ones. You can decorate your gel candles with accessories perfect for any occasion.
Make Two Fun Gel Candles
Before you get started on creating your own gel candles, be sure you are familiar with how candles are made or are working with someone who has experience. While gel candles are great decorations and offer you a great deal of creativity, they are still flammable and you can get hurt while making them if you do not take precautions. A gel candle making kit can help you get started.
Whether you are making gel candles with your kids, your friends or just yourself, you will enjoy these gel candle projects.
Beer and Soda Candle Project
Gel is the perfect medium for creating beer or soda candles. The process is simple. You begin with your mug or soda glass. You want a thicker glass, as this will provide you with a sturdy framework for your "drink" candle. Begin by affixing the wick string to the bottom of the glass with hot glue and letting it set. You can use a ruler to make sure you center it. Put your melting pan on the stove and add the gel wax to it. Gel needs to get to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit in order to melt, so you need to be patient. Never leave melting wax unattended.
Stir regularly until the wax reaches the melting point. Continue stirring until it is completely melted. This is the point where you carefully add your color dye. You can purchase liquid candle dye at most craft and candle making shops. For your beer color, you can use yellow, gold or even green for St. Patrick's Day. Use golden brown for soda.
If you plan to add fragrance, this is also the time to do it. You can find beer and soda fragrances if you shop for them, but fragrance is not necessary if you're just going for the look. During this process, if you are making a beer candle, heat up the mug in the oven for about ten minutes. Then pour your wax carefully, using protective gloves and goggles. Be sure to leave room at the top to add 'foam'.
If you are making a soda mug, you want the mug at room temperature or cooler, because it will help you to make "bubbles" in the wax to give your candle the fizzy look. As the wax cools lightly, you can add glittery cubes to be "floating embeds" in the wax for "ice cubes". However, this takes patience and practice.
As for the foam on your beer candle, once the candle is cooled enough to begin firming, you can heat standard paraffin, white wax and stir well, then pour a thin layer over the top of the beer candle. If you went for green with the St. Patrick's Day candle, be sure to add a minute amount of "green" color to the foam as well.
Sea Castle Gel Candle Project
If you want to get creative with your gel candle, use a bowl shaped glass container that you heat for a few minutes in the oven. Be sure to begin with your wick hot glued into place and in the center. Add a coating of sand to the bottom and then a light layer of gel wax to seal that sand in place. Wait for that to cool, and then repeat the process to all sides, using a thin layer of gel wax to seal the sand in place about halfway up the bowl.
Use seashells, beads and other 'sand castle' type items around the edges, sealing them in place with the gel wax. Once you have fully decorated your 'container', you can melt gel wax and color it blue, adding it in layers to the container. Pour slowly and carefully to help minimize the bubbles. If you are feeling really creative, you can start with a base blue and tip the candle container lightly to one side so that it is higher on one side than the other. Wait for it to cool enough to begin to firm, and then add another portion of blue-green wax to create a wave effect.
A Fascinating Hobby
Gel candle projects offer so much room for creativity that you may never run out of ideas for new ones. Let your imagination run wild, but make sure you still take the necessary candle making safety precautions.
