Dress Up Your Store Bought Candles!
Magickal Tips for Holiday Candle Decorating & Wax Melt Making by Silver RavenWolf
When I think of candles and wax melts my first thought is always — Comfort! Those alluring scents, the glow of the flame or wax burner in a dim room…sigh! Cozy! Magickal! Inspiring!
Maybe you want to make candles and wax melts this year for magickal friends and family, or perhaps you would like to decorate store bought ones. Here are a few tips and tricks that are easy on the budget and filled with super enchantment!
Store Bought Candles You can add that special magickal touch to any purchased candle. Those shown in the picture are from the dollar store. You can individualize the candle for a specific person by choosing their favorite scent, color, and their needs in mind. On these candles I added ribbon from my craft stash, printed one of my designs off of my computer, and used a handy Xron machine to affix the image to the glass candle (you can also use regular glue). Mix a bit of favorite herb powder with glitter and sprinkle on top of the candle. Add a conjuring bag filled with magickal goodies. Want a sweet prosperity candle? Choose a sugary food scent, glue gold candy wrappers to the outside of the candle and add a decoration or red ribbon and peppermint candies or candy canes. Empower the candle for prosperity manifestation, or simply fashion your chant around the concept of good fortune. Add a little note to the candle telling the person that it was designed especially for them, and if you threw in a specific need, let them know the intent. One of the nicest gifts I ever received came from a circle member who empowered a candle for me and tied a small vial of magickal oil around the candle. The little paper that came with it said, “Use when you are truly in need.”
The photos below show soy candles that I poured in simple tins, then decorated the lids with my button designs.
Bayberry Candle with my CrossroadsCrow design.
To make the tins more unique, I added embellishment buttons around the lid edge.
Create a card to go with your candle gift that states the intent of your working.
For the Magickal Candle Maker! — Try Wax Melts
If you have the time, but not a whole lot of money (or you’d like to do something that’s fun and new) you might try your hand at making soy wax melts. I chose soy here because most blends these days are a one-pour project and clean up is very easy, particularly if you are a busy person. Since wax melts don’t require the testing of wick sizes, color or fragrance amount (which can impede burn on a candle if not done properly) chances of screwing up, money lost and dashing out for a gift at the last minute because your project bombed are extremely minimal. Read the soy package instructions carefully, follow the product’s directions, and you are good to go. If you have all the supplies you need for your wax melts, it will probably take you less than an hour to produce several highly fragrant, lovely melts. As soy is non-toxic and plant based, wax melts are project-safe for the supervised family. Slap on the holiday music, fire up the double boiler (some soys are even microwaveable) and you’ve got a great way to keep everyone occupied for an hour or two. Clean-up is easy as most soy messes (read the label of your product) can be washed away with warm soap and water.
Soy Wax Melt Supplies
As with the store bought candles, you can add a variety of herbals, and they don’t have to be powdered because they won’t impede the burn. Excellent choices for holiday melts include cinnamon chips, allspice, & cloves, or you can experiment with resins, such as Dragon’s Blood (more power), Frankincense (High Spiritual Vibrations), and Myrrh (the universal blender). Rule of thumb, if you don’t know your herbs (what is toxic and what is not) — only choose food grade herbals for your wax melts.
Crystal, Frankincense & Myrrh in wax melting pot -- Start the magick right from scratch!
To keep your melts from clouding (which can happen with soy) warm the molds first (not too hot, just warm) and be sure your molds are super clean before you start. Choosing wax melts gives you a wide variety of molds. I’ve used candy molds, cake molds, and soap molds to choose the right size or shape for my intent. The pictures below show melts made with two cake/candy molds. Can’t find the right size molds — everything seem too big? Break-away styles (where the wax is poured into plastic clam shells or designer bricks) are popular. Just add instructions that your design can be easily broken and the pieces placed in the warmer in the gift giving box or bag, and be sure to add that the warmer can be cleaned easily by popping the tray or dish into the freezer for a few minutes. Melts slip right out — no fuss, no muss.
Dragon's Blood Wax Melts made with Cinnamon, Dragon's Blood Resin & Scent
By actually making the melts yourself you can empower the wax to your desire during the melting process… when you add the color, fragrance, and when you load the melts with your chosen herbal. You can also add items in the melting pot that won’t go in the finished product. For example, I have a crystal I always place in the pot to encourage the brew to have more power. I also stir my wax mixtures with a special, copper rod.
Electric Warmers Promote a Smokless Environment creating a long lasting aroma.
If you want the herbals to ride the top of the wax melt, you can add them to the mold first, though this may give you air bubbles (just so you know). You can also pour about 1/4 inch of wax into the mold, then quickly add your herbals. Some magickal folks also add bits of gem pieces. Allow wax to set a few minutes, and continue pouring. Be sure you do a test pour to determine if your soy is really one pour (just because the package says it is isn’t necessarily the case) or will require a second pour to prevent center sinking. Again, with wax melts, the sinking isn’t that big of a deal, but a smooth backed product does look more professional.
Wax melt shapes add to the magick -- these egg shapes with hearts scented and loaded with frankincense and myrrh are a visually appealing gift.
If you are giving wax melts as a gift, be sure that the recipient has a wax or tart melter. Made of ceramic, glass, or metal — you can find inexpensive, tasteful designs to give along with those special bits of magick! Wax melts are a perfect choice for spiritual workers such as healers, reiki practitioners, card readers, astrologers, as they can let the melts scent the working area for several hours allowing the enchantment and the aroma to continually fill the room. They are perfect for busy families, particularly if you use an electric warmer, because they are smokeless and give comfort for long periods of time. Its amazing just how much holiday cheer you can zap into a room with a simple, little wax melt!
Thank you so much for reading this article. Please feel free to add your comments and suggestions — we are definitely a magickal village!
Peace with the Gods Peace with Nature Peace Within! So be it.
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