How to Make Diwali Candles
Diwali celebrations mark the beginning of the Hindu Festival of Lights. Fireworks are set off and buildings are illuminated, while people decorate their homes with diyas, traditional earthenware lamps, and candles. Diwali celebrates the banishing of darkness with light or the triumph of good over evil. The colorful lights honor the goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tall, thin, pillar candles
- Candle paint
- Paintbrushes
- Acrylic paint
- Air-dry clay
- Glitter
Instructions
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1
Choose a few tall, thin pillar candles to decorate for Diwali. The candles should be no less than about two inches in diameter and no more than three inches. A rougher finish works best for taking paint.
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2
Paint each pillar candle with a coat of white candle paint, available in craft stores. These paints stick to wax easily, creating a surface for acrylic or tempera paints. The candles can still be burned after painting. Let the candle paint dry for about three hours.
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3
Paint colorful designs on top of the candle paint. Try polka dots, stripes, wavy lines or geometric designs. Let the acrylic paint dry for at least two hours.
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4
Warm and knead some clay in your hands, adding a little glitter to it as you go. Work the glitter into the clay so you can see it easily.
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5
Make a flat "pancake" from air-dry clay that is wider than the candle base.
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6
Roll another portion of clay into a long snake. Fold one end of the snake against itself, creating a small snail shell coil. Turn the coil so the opening is about ½ inch larger than the base of your candle. This ensures the candle will fit.
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Set the coil on top of the flat base and build the coils on top of each other to create a small cup. Lightly squeeze the coils onto the pancake base and against each other. Let the cup dry overnight.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also paint the clay candle holder or mix together different colors of clay to make a whorled design.
References
- Photo Credit Sean Gallup/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
