Floral Floating Candles 

It has become a common practice to not only find candles in a home, but to find that they are being used more than ever before. Floral floating candles make a very attractive display, and I guess in some ways they are safer than pillar candles since they are floating in water! You can buy floral candles in different colours and shapes, including flower shapes, at many stores these days, or you can be creative and make your own.

However you obtain your candles, make sure they have a wide base so that they will be more stable for floating. Choose the bowl or dish you are going to use for your arrangement. Add water to this container, then your candles and finally add the heads of some flowers to complete your floral floating candles arrangement. These flowers could be fresh or for longevity use silk flowers. There are some very real-looking flowers available these days. If you use artificial flowers, you have the advantage of being able to use some of them around the outside of the container too, and obviously they will last a lot longer too.

Do make sure when you make your arangement that it is as safe as possible. You do not want to set fire to your home, so make sure the flames of the candles are not close to any of your flowers.

by Michelle Gauthier

Preserved Flower Candles

Putting flowers in your candle will add a unique look, while preserving your favorite flower.

Written by Expressive Candles

We have been asked many times, how to put flowers and other objects on the outside of a candle. So, we'll be showing you how it is done. The most important thing to remember is to be safe. Putting anything on your candle such as paint, dried flowers, ribbon and other objects, poses a fire risk. While this is unlikely to happen with this project, we need to warn you before hand. We do not recommend burning any candle that has flammable material on it.

To start with, you will need a few supplies. First and the most important is a big pillar candle, at least 3" in diameter. This will help keep the flame out of reach of anything you put on the candle. You will also need to have a small white votive, or the same color votive as your pillar, an old pan to melt wax in, a paint brush, dried flowers or herbs and ribbon.

Candle making is an art, and requires exact precision in the melting process of the wax. Luckily you do not have to be exact in this project. Place the votive in your old pot; you will not be able to use this pot for food ever again. Next place the heat on Low Medium to Medium heat, DO NOT HEAT ON HIGH. The only thing we want to accomplish here is to melt the wax down to a liquid. As soon as the last solid piece melts, is when you turn the heat down to low.

Next, select what you will want to put on your candle. If you are using flowers and leaves, make sure they have been pressed. Take the paint brush and paint some melted wax onto the candle where you wish to place the flower. Place the flower on the wax before it hardens. The wax will harden quickly, securing the flower in place. Repeat this step for the leaves as well.

Another great idea is to place a picture on the candle using the method of painting the wax onto the candle. You can use many different things, but they must be flat.

After placing all your flowers and leaves onto the candle, we will need to seal the. The wax in your pot may have hardened some, so heat it on Medium Low to get the wax melted again. Brush the entire candle with wax. This will seal the flowers in place and give it a smooth finish. You might have to apply several coats. But if you use a picture, do not brush over it, this will ruin the picture and you will not be able to see the picture clearly.

Last you can tie a ribbon around your candle to top it off. Another idea is to use the melted wax and paint small metal beads onto the candle for further embellishment.

This project can be done in many different ways, using anything from flowers, herbs, pictures to beads and glitter. But keep in mind the safety of your candle. We recommend not burning candles with flammable materials on them. If you do decide to burn these candles, use large pillars, as the sides of the candle tend not to burn down. Have fun and Enjoy.