Milk Carton Candles

Handmade candles make great holiday gifts. Milk cartons or half n half containers make the assembly line easy with quick clean up. I made this candle for my best friend five years ago with a half n half container (she loves it so much she won't burn it).

Supplies:

• Paraffin or Bees Wax
• Wicking
• Wick tabs
• Color chips (optional)
• Fragrance oil (vanilla or lavender is a great default)
• Decorative options: twine, ribbon, charms, tags (anything to give them personal touches)

Equipment:

• Empty half n half containers, small milk cartons or store bought molds
• Pencils or pens
• 1 large pot
• 1 medium size sauce pan
• Spoon
• scissors
• knife

Instructions:

1. Setup the molds by cutting wicks slightly longer than the molds. Tie one end of the wick to a pencil and thread the other end through the metal wick tab. Place the wick inside the mold wick tab down and rest the pencil across the top of the mold.

2. Cut the wax block into manageable size pieces. Fill the large pot with water and place the medium sauce pan on top of the water to create a double boiler. Heat on medium high and try to remain just under a boil. Place several chunks of wax into the medium sauce pan and continuously stir until melted. Add color chips and scented oils to desired levels. Pour into mold. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before adding a second layer like in the picture above. 

3. Let candles sit for about a day. Peal off milk carton or remove from mold. Trim wick. 

4. Use twine or ribbon to add flare. I attached a little tag with my friend's name on one side and the characteristic I admired most in her on the other side. I used scotch tape to laminate the tag and added some cute charms. Buttons or shells are always fun too.