Melt wax as given in the basic procedure in a single or two or three desired colours separately. Add crayons or candle colours or dyes. Take three trays and grease it with coconut or any clear vegetable oil and pour each of the three melted colour wax into each tray approximately in 1cm thickness. Keep aside for setting. When the poured wax is nearly set, cut into desired shapes using a knife or moulds (star shaped, heart shaped etc). Now your chunks are ready.

Grease a desired container (thick round or square mould) and fill three fourth of the container with the chunks made earlier. Press them as close as possible against the sides so that the colours will be seen through at their brightest. Now take a wick slightly longer than the container height and prime it. ( Dip the wick three to four times in boiling wax at equal intervals to get a coating of wax over it. This makes the wick straight) Now place the wick in the middle of the chunks inside the container. Melt plain wax and pour it into the container until the surface of the mould is level. Keep aside for setting.

Instead of making chunks, you can use coloured candle ends left over after use. Pull out the pieces of wick inside before using them as chunks.

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Dry Flower Candle :

Any thin petal colourful dry flowers and leaves or herbs can be used to decorate candles. It can be done by simply gluing them to a ready made candle or over dipping it with a thin film of paraffin wax or by pouring another coat of melted wax over the flowers or leaves glued to the ready made candle.

Any plain candle of any shape and size such as thick pillar candles, slender and short ones can be used for decorating. Collect colourful and shapely flowers and leaves. Keep them in between sheet of papers and iron them on top to make them dry.

Method 1 : Sort through your dried flowers and leaves, select a few according to size and arrange them around the candle to see how they look. Once you have decided on the suitable flowers and leaves for the required candle, put glue around the edges and along the stem and hold them in place with a piece of paper over the leaves or flowers and press them in place.

Method 2 : Spray or brush the candle with glue and attach the leaves and flowers. To attach small blossoms, spray or brush the sides of the candle with glue and roll the candle in a layer of the blossoms. Holding the wick with pliers, dip the candle in hot paraffin wax and pull out gently, slowly, to avoid uneven drips. Immediately submerge the candles in cold water. Make sure all of the water is off the candle and repeat the waxing process.

Method 3 : Take a rigid mould, a little bigger in diameter than the candle; 1/2cms approximately and grease it. Place the candle inside the mould. Fill the gap with dry flowers and leaves. Now pour the melted wax and fill the container. Keep it aside for setting. Pull out the candle by the wick after 4 to 5 hours from the mould. Now the dry flower candle is ready for use.

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Frosted Candle :A ready made candle decorated with beaten wax gives a snowy effect.

Melt wax and leave it for setting. Plain wax or any other pastel shades of dyes can be used. When the wax starts solidifying, beat it with a fork or an egg beater until it froths up into a foam. Now using the fork apply the froth on the candle. Before it hardens sprinkle golden or silver glitters if required. This candle is ideal for a party table.

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Layered Candle (Rainbow Candle) : You can give layered effect by pouring different coloured waxes one over the other after each colour sets. You can use two to three colours or the rainbow colours as given here.

Take a thick square or round rigid mould. Take equal pieces of wax in seven different bowls. Keep the seven colour dyes or crayon pieces ready. Melt the wax in the first bowl and add red colour, pour it into the mould. When it is almost set, pierce it with a knitting needle and fix the primed wick. Repeat the process with the rest of the colours. Pour the coloured wax one over the other after the previous ones sets. It will take approximately 1 hour for the wax to set. Leave it over night in the mould and pull it out of the mould the next day.

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Ice Candle : Adding ice cubes gives an uneven, fizzy texture with random holes on the surface.

Melt the wax with the desired colour. Grease a rigid mould with oil and pack 1/2 of the container with small ice cubes (larger the cubes, the larger will be the holes) or crushed ice. Stand the mould in a bowl or a dish. Now place the primed wick in the center or thread the wick through the hole in the mould and suspend the wick vertically in the mould by tying it to a split cane or a toothpick. Pour the melted wax into the container. Now leave it for setting. The setting time will be lesser than usual as ice is added. As the ice cubes melt, the water runs out through the hole in the mould and different shapes of holes form all around the candle which will give a unique effect to the exterior of the candle. Carefully remove the candle from the mould by pulling the wick.

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Flower Candle : You can make beautiful flowers with thin layers of wax.

Take a flat plate, grease it and pour melted wax on the plate approximately, a layer 5mm thin. When it is half set, take a knife and cut small pieces in the shape of semi circles. Roll this pieces from one end to make a small rose flower.

Place a primed wick in the middle. Make many such roses and decorate it under any other finished candle. Light shades will give the flower candles a beautiful look.

We can also make green leaves with green colour wax, following the same method as the flower. Leaf shapes should be cut out from the thin layer of wax. If required, you can press veins on it with a knife and even shape the sides of the leaves by cutting it.

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Perfumed Candles : Candles can be perfumed by adding perfumed oils like jasmine, lavender, sandal wood etc or dried and crushed scented flowers to melted wax.

Lightly crush dried lavender or Jasmine flowers with a pestle and mortar. Do not powder. Colour the wax as desired. Dyes can be blended to give a deep shade such as blending of red and blue dyes gives a beautiful shade. Pour the colored wax into a prepared mould as explained in the basic procedure. When the wax is on the point of setting, sprinkle the crushed flowers or one or two drops of any scented oil and stir it in with a wooden or metal skewer. For a lighter and less dense effect, whisk the melted coloured wax with an egg beater or an electric mixer. Pour this frothy wax into the mould and stir in the crushed flowers or scented oil before it sets.

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