How to Make Candles with Seashells and Sand

Make candles with sand and seashells to remember the perfect vacation! The candles look like they are made out of sand on the sides and the tops have your beautiful seashells embedded in colored wax. This project is great for arts and crafts lovers and makes great rustic candles that are perfect for a beach house. Lots of fun for kids.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paraffin Wax
• Food Coloring
• Beach Sand
• Container for Sand (bigger, deeper containers, for bigger longer candles. Casserole dishes work well.)
• Seashells
• Double Boiler
• Piece of String
• Small flat rock

1. 

   Go to the beach and collect a bucket of sand and the seashells that you will use to decorate your candle, also find a small, flat rock slightly bigger than a pebble.

2. Once you have the sand home, put it in a container such as a casserole dish. And dig a whole in the sand that is the size and shape of the candle that you would like. If the sand is too dry you may need to dampen it slightly so that the hole keeps it's form.

3. Tie the piece of string to the small rock (the string will be the wick, and the rock is used to weigh it down). The string should be long enough to reach the bottom of the hole you dug in the sand.

4. 

   Heat the paraffin wax in the double boiler until it melts, and add food coloring to adjust the color of your candle.

5. Dip the rock and string into the wax and carefully make sure that the entire string is coated in wax. Extend the wax-coated string and allow it to dry.

6. Once the string is dry, let the rock rest on the bottom of your hole in the sand while you extend the other end of the string (the rock makes sure that the bottom of the string does not float up when you pour the candle wax).

7. While holding the top of the string, carefully pour the melted wax into the hole and let sit. You will need to hold the wick up for several minutes, so that it doesn't sink into the wax when you let it go.

8. Once the candle wax becomes semi-solid, arrange the seashells in the wax so that they are nicely displayed. Now wait for the candle to harden completely (you may want to refrigerate to speed up this step).

9. 

   Once the candle wax is completely hardened, empty the container and discard the excess sand. A thin layer of sand will stick to the sides of your candle, and you can gently brush the rest away. You now have a beautiful homemade candle, that will remind you of the beach!

Tips & Warnings

• For a beautiful variation, try making a wide, shallow candle with multiple wicks!
• If you need to trim the wick, do it at the end of the process.
• You can always cut off the bottom of your candle to make it flat enough to sit on a table.
• These candles make great gifts!
• This is a great project to do with kids; however since there is hot wax involved, they will obviously need help pouring the wax and close parental supervision.

[lotsnmore]

on 2/20/2009 Love it, 5*

[janellephant]

on 2/5/2009 This is really cool, it gives your house a bit of an islandy feel! 5*

[janellephant]

on 2/5/2009 This is really cool, it gives your house a bit of an islandy feel! 5*

[FrazzledNanny]

on 2/2/2009 Thank you for the great gift idea. I can't wait to try. 5*

[elyria]

on 2/2/2009 Sounds like a great project and would make a beautiful gift! Thank you for sharing!