Quarantine Activities: DIY Tiny Candles From Old Candles

In this quarantine series, I have a ton of fun at-home self-isolated DIY activities that will hopefully make social distancing a little more productive/rewarding/aesthetic. All craft materials can be found online so no need to scour the store for these items (though I highly doubt they’ll be the top of most people’s quarantine grocery list). If you have one, grab your isolation buddy/roommate and let’s get crafty (:

This DIY is super easy and a combination of a few things I love - upcycling, tiny objects, and crafts. I’m sure we’ve all been burning quite a few more candles than usual and I hate wasting the remaining wax at the bottom. My first thought was to order a new candle, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay $30 and wait weeks for shipping when there was a good amount of wax left in my current candle.

For this DIY, you’ll need a cotton string/twine and a tiny container. I found a small candy tin, but feel free to use other shallow/small vessels like a tea light. However, be sure that the container can withstand hot temperatures, like glass or metal. You can also soak the string for the wick in water, salt, and boric acid (borax) to prolong the use of the wick, but this isn’t a necessary step. To anchor the wick to the bottom of the tin, I tied the wick to a small pebble. Place your old candle into a shallow saucepan of water and warm the wax and pour the contents into its new container when liquified. A spatula can help to scrap out every last bit. Yay! Melting the old candle will fill your home with your candle’s scent and you’ve extended the life of your candle for so much longer. This is perfect for cleaning out your old candle’s container so that it can be repurposed.

If you don’t have a tiny tiny container that will fit all of the old candles, consider creating a layered candle of all your favorite candles! Allow each layer to cool completely before adding the next candle layer to achieve this effect.