Re-purposed: Wax melts
 

Hi All,

I have a serious addiction to yankee candles, especially the wax melts/tarts, I just love them but find I have loads of used wax & hate to throw it out (bit of a hoarder!) so I melt them all together to create a new scented candle. The one in the pic isn't great, it's the 1st one I tried, I give most of them away. They are so easy to make and if anyone wants any used wax melts just let me know, I have a constant supply!!!

Best regards,
colmsmum.

Their lovely. I have made some candles and when they are set, melt a saved bit of wax and dip the underneath of the candle into the melted wax then dip the candle into a basin of sand. This covers the underneath of the candle in a thick layer of sand and looks fab. Great presents or on the BBQ table. The more colourful the better.

Thats a great idea Betty, it'd be lovely in the summer (yeah right!) on the patio table with a few shells around it on a glass plate....mmm....you got me thinking there, must borrow some sand & shells next time I go to the beach!

Well done and great job. Never thought of reusing the wax to make new candles, id just throw them out. Thats another reason why i love Jumbletown as there are brillant ideas on the green tips and before and afters. its amazing what can be done will a little imagination.

Thanks Linn, they're so simple to make & the best thing is, depending on what colour melts you buy, you can make them to match your decor. That one is a xmas one & was lovely on a plate surrounded by pine cones, cinnamon sticks & dried orange slices.

candles
 

What a good idea to use them to make more. I bet it looked lovely with the pinecones and cinnamon sticks too. Well done.

Candle wax
 

Hi y'all I once used old coloured candle wax to cover a large vodka bottle. I just melted the wax and let it drip down the bottle (you know the very large ones that you have to ask the publican for). It was beautiful and I used it to collect loose change. I collected E370 one time, but unfortunately one of the kids broke it one day so I now have a new vodka bottle and am hoping to do the same with it. Will post pics when it is done. (in the next century) lol...

can i ask how you melt the wax????? microwave, oven ????????

Hi okidoki,

It's a bit hard to explain but I'll try! First stick a skewer through the middle of each wax tart, you can put on as many as you like. Half fill a shallow plastic tub with boiling water. Dip the wax melts into the water and rotate them until all the edges have touched the water. You must do this quickly so it keeps it's shape. The boiling water should melt just enough wax to keep the candle together. Then just let it sit for a while to harden. Take out the skewer and thread the wick through the hole down the centre. That's it! Should take about 10-15mins in total.

Best regards,
colmsmum.

you can also just use an old saucepan and melt the wax on the cooker. Not too much heat and keep stirring. The minute it is melted remove saucepan from the heat. Hot soapy water will clean the saucepan when you've finished.

You would need a mould for this and I'm not sure how the colours would react, but you could make some interesting shapes.

oh wow, this sounds brilliant. Where do u get the wicks? I have a yankee candle in a glass holder. The wick has nearly run out but loads of was left around the side of the glass. How would i get this out to re-use? Pity to throw it away. Would it be possible to re-use this and put it into a tea light holder to create a new tea light? I use an oil burner all the time and go through a lot of tea lights!!

Hi Jennifer,

You can buy the wicks on Ebay or in any good craft store. As regards the excess wax, when this happens my jars I use a tiny screwdriver (from a xmas cracker, lol) to break it off then I put it into an oil burner, it's essentially the same as the wax tarts. To prevent them burning down the middle in future, let a pool of melted wax form before extinguishing or buy a topper for them, they're brilliant.

Best regards,
colmsmum.

Candles/Wax/ Etc.....
 

Hi Candle Lovers..........

Here is my tip for saving lovely expensive candles or indeed any candle; light candle & extinguish after an hour (approx- depends on candle!!). Let the now softened centre around wick go a little hard. Carefully scoop out just enough of this semi hard wax to make room to pop in a tea light, making sure it is level with top of original candle. It always works.....saves a fortune on repalacing candles, particularly the gorgeous ones you want to light & yet want to save!! This way you can have your cake and eat it. No drips & safer if you happen to FORGET you have a candle lighting & go out. When tea light is finished, just replace...new candle.....

You can also put a tiny drop of essential oil on the top of your candle (underneath the tea light) & the heat from the tea light will diffuse this & give a scented candle effect.

Happy tea lighting
Regards.
Bibi.

And I thought I was the only one who did this, lol! Never thought of the essential oil though, must give that a shot, thanks for the tip bibi.