Making Forever Candles

Forever candles are basically wax candles that have been repurposed into tea light holders. Instead of burning a wick that feeds off the wax of the candle, you create a hole in the candle that holds a tea light. When the tea light burns, it looks as though the exterior candle has been lit--yet it never burns down. The tea light can be replaced as necessary so that the candle will appear to burn forever.

Things You'll Need

• Tea light in aluminum holder
• Candle mold
• Candle wax
• Microwave or stove-safe container

Instructions

Quick and Simple Forever Candle

1. Choose a pillar candle to be the outside of your forever candle.

2. Burn the pillar candle for an hour or two, until there's a pool of molten wax in the middle that's wide enough to hold a tea light in an aluminum holder or shell.

3. Extinguish the pillar candle. Snip the wick as far down in the molten wax as you can.

4. Press a tea light down into the molten wax at the top of the pillar candle. Make sure that it's got an aluminum mold, holder or shell around it to keep its wax from running together with the pillar candle's.

5. Let the pillar candle's wax firm and set around the tea light. Now you can burn and replace the tea light as necessary--the pillar wax exterior will last forever, as it never really burns.

Forever Candles Made from Scratch

1. Heat candle wax on a pot over the stove or in the microwave, in which case you should use a non-metal container. You can use leftover wax from old candles or "fresh" candle wax purchased from a craft store. Heat the wax until it's entirely liquid and can be poured.

2. Fill a candle mold (of any size or shape, so long as it's wider than 3 inches across) to within 1/2-inch of the top with molten wax. Don't bother to insert a wick.

3. Let the candle wax firm up enough to support a metal tea light shell or holder. This usually happens fairly quickly--within five or ten minutes--but specific times will depend on what kind of wax you use. Check back every minute or so until you get a feel for how long your choice of wax takes to set up.

4. Press your tea light holder into place. Pour more molten wax--you might have to reheat it--into the mold around the tea light holder. You need to have the shell of the candle around the tea light. Make sure not to pour wax into the tea light holder itself.

5. Allow the candle to cool and solidify completely--about ten minutes in the refrigerator or a little longer on the counter should do it--then remove it from the mold. Place a tea light in the tea light holder you built into the candle. Light the tea light candle. Let it burn. Replace it as needed, keeping your forever candle unburned.

Tips & Warnings

• Never leave a burning candle unattended. Be careful when handling molten wax. Never leave candle wax unattended on the stove--it might represent a fire hazard.