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Ice Cube Candles
by Jennifer, Wisconsin
skill level: easy
cost: under
$5
craft time: about 40 minutes
several red, green, or blue taper
candles
a clean, empty tin can
paring knife
a plastic fork
a pot to
heat water in
string and pencil, or an additional taper candle
masking
tape or duct tape
ice cubes/crushed ice
one well-washed cream, milk, or
juice carton, size one pint
newspaper
Cover your workspace with
newspapers.
Make sure your cream or milk carton is washed very
clean.
Slice off the top folded part so that you have an open box.
Pierce
a small hole in the bottom of the carton and thread a piece of string through
the hole long enough to reach the top of the carton.
Tie a knot underneath
the bottom of the carton to hold the string.
Seal the hole thoroughly with
masking tape so that no wax will leak out.
Tie the other end of the string
to a pencil or Popsicle stick and lay the stick across the top, open end of the
carton.
This is your candlewick; make sure the string is taut. NOTE: Instead
of this, you might simply prop a store candle inside the carton, but beware that
it doesn't sag or melt when the hot wax is poured in.
Crush some ice cubes by
putting them in a plastic bag and whacking it against the counter, or take a
hammer and crush the cubes.
Crush fairly finely.
Pour the crushed ice
into the carton, making sure the wick stays straight. Set aside.
Slice the
colored taper candles into small chunks.
Put the wax chunks into the clean,
empty can and set the can inside a deep pot with 2 inches of water.
Heat the
water VERY CAREFULLY, just enough to warm the can and melt the wax
inside.
Do not boil, and do not leave the room while you are melting the wax,
since wax is flammable. Children MUST be supervised.
When the
wax is melted, fish out the bits of wick with a plastic fork and
throw them
away.
Holding the warm can with a potholder, pour the melted wax carefully
over the crushed ice in the carton.
It will congeal almost instantly, but
allow it to harden for between one and two hours.
Peel the carton carefully
away from the candle.
Set the candle on a plate overnight to allow any
remaining ice to melt and drain away through the holes in the wax.
The
result is a lacy, artistic candle that is very nice for Christmas, but could
also be used for other holiday.
These look especially nice set on
doilies.
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