For a long time I have wanted to make a sand candle like the ones I made as a kid. Recently I came across a rock I painted back in junior high school and it got me thinking once again about making a sand candle. So, today’s Friday field trip is a nostalgic trip back to my childhood to make some sand candles.
Back in junior high, our candle making was very basic – we melted candle wax in a tin can over a hot plate. Rather than spoil the nostalgia, I decided to make my sand candle from memory and forgo any formal candle making research.
Candle makers probably use thermometers, scents, colors and other ‘fancy’ equipment for accuracy and safety. My equipment is some wax and an old pan. I did purchase a package of votive candle wicks from the craft store that I happen to notice when I stopped in to pick up a 1 lb. block of wax. I think in junior high we just used twine dipped in wax. So, I am going a little bit ‘high tech’ with this project. ;)
To make a sand candle, sand is used as the mold for the candle. At low tide, the candle ‘mold’ is made in the sand. I made an oval shape in the sand and then poked a stick into the bottom in three places to make three ‘legs’ for the candle to stand on. It’s a very simple premise. And then, before the tide comes up again and the wax has hardened, I dig the candle out of the sand. Sand adheres to the hot wax, creating a sandy outside to the candle.
I really didn’t want to keep the wax its natural white color. Thinking a light lavender color may be pretty against the sand, I checked to see if I had a lavender crayon to add a little tint…nope. I chose a ‘sea green’ crayon from the colors I had and threw it into the pot with the wax.
I used an old pot that I keep specifically for various craft projects –like tie dyeing, or other projects where I don’t want to ruin my good pans. I melted the wax using a double boiler method, melting it slowly since I wasn’t sure about the safety of melting wax and wanted to be as cautious as possible.
Once the wax melted, I used a pot holder to carry the pot out to the mold in the sand. After I poured in the wax I needed, I poured the remaining wax into shells I found on the beach after adding wicks from the bag I had purchased.
And, that is it! The hardest part is timing the tide! If you don’t have a beach, you can certainly use this method with a bucket of sand…and then you don’t have to worry about the high tide coming in and taking your candle out to sea! ;) I was so excited about my nostalgic creations, the next day I couldn’t wait for it to get dark so I could light them!
Now that I got that out of my system, I wonder what other crafts from my past I can recreate…
Until next time…
Thanks for visiting. Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
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