Summer Camp Crafts: Havdalah Candle Craft From Old Candles

Remember the story about the huge bag of unsightly old candles that accidentally ended up at our house, and how I decided to make upcycled candles? Well dear readers here is confirmation that indeed there are no accidents, as that bag of candles that was destined for the garbage (in any one else’s house, and almost ours as well!) became festive striped havdalah candles. (We use the havdalah candle on Saturday night when Shabbat is over to usher in the new week, and it needs to have two or more wicks.) I almost can’t believe it myself, and the gorgeous array of candles that we created have been decorating the top of our piano for the last week or so, just waiting for their moment in the spotlight. I’ll admit, I did do several versions of this craft, some more complicated than others, and for the time being I’m sharing the most simple version as it is a perfect summer camp craft to do right now, preferably outdoors! So gather the supplies (if you don’t have any old candles hanging around, maybe do a candle drive in the neighborhood or among friends and family, I’m sure there are folks out there who have some hiding in the cabinet waiting for their turn in the spotlght!) Okay, lets get crafting!

You’ll Need:

paper coffee cups, or waxed paper cups, small size
old candles, colored and white/creme
old wax crayons (or buy some) to color the white/creme wax
wicks, each wick should be about twice the height of the cup, and you’ll need two wicks for each cup to make havdalah candles. I recycled the wicks that were in the center of the recycled candles, you can purchase lengths of candle wick at the art supply store if necessary
recycled tin cans from pickles, corn etc.
small/medium sized recycled containers for holding wax
a large low pot (like a flat bottomed frying pan)
a portable electric burner or kitchen stovetop
oven mits
wooden skewers
toothpicks or a yarn needle for poking a small hole in bottom of cup
tape, preferably electric tape or duct tape
a freezer or a big tub of ice or LOTS of patience waiting for layers to cool
adult supervision

How To:

Using an old cutting board and designated knife for candle crafting, carefully cut up candles and sort according to color. Many candles have a colored outer layer and a white/creme inside, so if that is the case, peel the outer layer. If you have long or large candles with a long center wick, be careful to preserve that wick when cutting the candles, as you can use it, I did!
Place tin cans in pot, as many a can fit, hopefully at least six or seven, but five is fine too. Each can will be used for a designated color, always.
Fill can with wax. If using white wax colored with crayons, fill each can with wax and add a peeled crayon (1 color only) to the can. Once wax is melted you can add another half a crayon if you’d like a deeper color.
Carefully add water to the pot without getting water in your cans.
Now heat up the pot on the stove (you could use a single electric burner for this and do it outside, recommended to avoid mess) and the hot water will start to melt the wax in the cans.
Stir the wax with skewers if you’d like to speed up the process.
While wax is melting prepare your cups as follows: Mark the center of the bottom of the bottom of the cup with a dot, and using a toothpick poke a small hole in the exact location of your dot. Insert the tip of one length of wick through the hole and pull through a tail of about 2 inches. Carefully insert the second wick through the hole, while trying to keep the hole just barely big enough to fit both wicks. Twist the two tails together and securely tape to the bottom of the cup, making sure the hole is well covered by the tape. This will be the TOP of your candle. Turn the cup over and twist the lengths of wick that are inside the cup together. Cut 2 slits oppositve one another in the top of the cup, and insert a piece of skewer into those slits. Now wrap the wick around the skewer and tape in place if necessary. Okay, now we are ready to pour our wax!
The first layer of wax, at the bottom of the cup will be the top of the candle, so choose your colors accordingly. If you have more white than colored wax, use the colored wax first for the nicest effect. I recommend pouring layers that are no more than 1/2 inch deep, so that cooling time will be as short as possible. Each layer needs to be cool before pouring the next layer in order to avoid colors mixing and the mud that may result. Patience is really important for the best results. Carefully remove a hot can of wax from the pot using an oven mit, and pour roughly 1/2 inch of melted wax into the cup, being careful to pour the wax in the middle of the cup. Now place your cup in the freezer, or in a container of ice. Once the layer is mostly hardened you can pour the next layer. If you end up pouring the next layer too soon, and the two layers mix, just take note to wait longer next time! Continue pouring layers and cooling them to fill the height of the cup. On the last layer, cut the wick off the skewer and carefully imbed it in the layer before wax hardens. Set cup aside to cool completely.
Once the candle is cool to touch, you can peel off the cup, the funnest part of all. It is hard to wait, but if you peel off the cup too soon you may damage your candle, so be patient.
Save your tin cans for your next candle making session and check with your local kashrut Rabbi as to whether you need to kasher the pot if you need to return it to the kitchen!
Enjoy using your havdalah candle, and consider making a bunch to use a gifts, happy crafting!

We only use one havdalah candle each motzei (after) shabbat, but they sure do look gorgeous as a group! I’ll admit, the piano is still serving as an art gallery for our collection of 20 or so candles, as they are so festive and fun.

If you have a turquoise couch these candles will certainly look great in your living room too! These two were actually made by two of my teens, teen daughter made the pink one and teen son made the all stripes of color with no white, as he had planned. Truthfully I was busy trying out all kinds of options (that I’m not sharing here at the moment) so mine didn’t come out nearly as lovely and “perfect” as theirs did. I’m so happy they joined me for this craft, it is not always so easy to get the kids interested in Mom’s latest creative adventures, but I think candle making is something that is hard to resist for most, so give it a try in your family!