DIY Crayon Candles
My obsession with bright colors got me hooked when I saw this tutorial by Brit+Co. I already had a bunch of old crayons on hand from my previous DIY crayon post and I’ve been interested in making candles lately, so this was the perfect project!
Once you’ve gathered your supplies and set up a workspace near your microwave, this project is fairly simple and would be a great craft to do with a friend. I loved blending my own colors and experimenting with different color combinations.
- Old crayons
- Glass votives (I used small juice glasses)
- Wax • Wicks
- Dixie cups (or any paper cup)
- Popsicle sticks (for stirring)
- Additional Tools:
- Microwave
- X-acto knife
- The first step is to peel the paper off your crayons. You can either use an x-acto knife or soak the crayons in water for easy peeling.
- [img src=”https://bdn.evermine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IMG_4781.jpg” width=”680″ height=”453″ class=”alignnone size-full” title=”DIY Crayon Candles | The Evermine Blog”]
- Next, fill a dixie cup with wax and microwave for 1 minute. Give it a stir and microwave again in 30-second intervals until wax is completely melted. Pour a thin layer of wax into the bottom of each votive and place the candlewick in the center. Let harden.
- [img src=”https://bdn.evermine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IMG_4790.jpg” width=”680″ height=”542″ class=”alignnone size-full” title=”DIY Crayon Candles | The Evermine Blog”]
- Using one crayon per color, fill a dixie cup with wax and top with a broken up crayon. Microwave for 2 minutes and then in 30 second intervals until completely liquefied. Let cool for 30 seconds or so and pour colored wax into the votive. Let the first layer dry for 20-30 minutes.
- [img src=”https://bdn.evermine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IMG_4799.jpg” width=”680″ height=”680″ class=”alignnone size-full” title=”DIY Crayon Candles | The Evermine Blog”]
- Repeat this process and continue to pour layers of colored wax into each votive, making sure to let them dry between each layer.
This project would make great gifts or party favors. I added a scallop shape label in the new style Doodle.
Used In This Project:
- Scallop Labels • I chose the “Doodle” style in pink and ivory.
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Rachel Beyer is an artist, designer and creative maker based in Portland, OR. She loves crafting, party planning and illustration. Rachel runs her own creative blog, Adventures In Making and also has a line of greeting cards, art prints and handmade goodies called Camp Smartypants.
These are fantastic! Such a fun idea, Rachel.
Love it! You could make candles for wedding tables in matching colors, and pretty much any holiday. I might make some with candy corn colors for Halloween!
Ooh! Yes love the candy corn idea Sarah!
I love this. My little daughter, Taunia would love this project but I know she wouldn’t want to give it as a gift. She would want us to keep them! 🙂
I love making candles, as a matter of fact that’s my project for this winter ~ I have my supplies all ready…..The only thing I have always had problems is, that after the candles dry, it totally sinks in the middle. I have rolled a pencil around wick and braced it on the glasses, but >>>>>>>> Any suggestions???????
Yes I’ve had this problem too. You can try using a lighter or heat gun to remelt just the top of the candle to let the wax settle more evenly. Thanks!
You are pouring your wax too hot.
How about adding some essential oils to give them some fragrance?
Yes I would definitely give that a try!
using crayons maybe a good idea, but not really they have a tendency to clog up the wick. 🙁
Hi Bev,
If you have trouble burning your candles you probably used the wrong size wick for your container. Consult a candle-savvy friend or ask someone at your local craft supply store. I’ve found that the crayons mixed with soy wax burns well. Hope that helps!
I think these would make really cute teacher presents for the holidays. My daughter and I are going to try to make these for her teacher.
You could even ask your child’s teacher for broken pieces of crayons that always get thrown away in the classroom. What a cool way to recycle used crayons!
What kind of wax is best? When I went to the craft store they had bricks of wax, soy wax & granulated wax. Thank you
Hi Shannon,
I used soy wax flakes for this project. Happy crafting!
Hi there, I’m trying these candles for the first time today. However, I am trying to make them red and white striped like a candy cane for the holidays. I just did my first layer which was red then followed up after it hardened with just the white soy wax flakes to make the white layer. However as soon as it hit the red layer, it’s drying with the red tint. Is there anyway to get the complete color separation without it bleeding into each other? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!
Hmmm… maybe try melting in some white crayons? They may make the wax more opaque white.
Wait at least 3 hours between each color layer for soy wax.
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hi all I have made candles with crayons but when they burn they go brown looking is that meant to happen??
hey I have tried this but mine go a brown when it burns just want to not why ??
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Do you need to mix the crayon wax with the shredded wax? I have tried this before and when the flame gets down to the crayon it goes out.(I just used crayon I did not mix any wax with it)
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My son and I had fun with these but we definately needdd to wait for each layer to dry. Also, we only had a 10 or 12 crayons and it takes a lot of crayons to fill three baby food jars. Luckily we just enjoyed the whole process together. I ended up just filling the majority of the jars with green and white wax.
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Any tips please.
I used 1 crayon with soy wax ,when I lit the wick it just seems to burn out quickly. It only stayed alight for 1 _ 2 minutes.
Have I used too much crayon and not enough wax ?
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Could you add essential oils to the melted crayon wax for making scented candles?
Another thing to make it a scented candle is to add a little bit of scentcy wax
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