How to Make Sand Candles

Instead of throwing away the last part of a candle, why not make some cool sand candles with your scraps? You can use sand candles every day of the year. Sand candles are also fairly simple to make. Here are some easy-to-follow instructions for anyone who has ever wondered how to make sand candles.

First, gather your materials. Get some sand from a local beach or your garden center. You will also need: a newspaper, knife and fork, pencil, an old pan, a spray water bottle, a dishpan, large bowl, or cardboard box lined with a plastic bag, any type of object you want to use for a mold (such as a bowl, cup, shoe, or cookie cutter), some old crayons, and broken candles and stubs.

Now, you will need to pour some of your sand into your dishpan and spray it with water. Use your molds to make shallow spaces in the sand. You can also dig a hole or any shape you want. For each sand candle you make, you'll need a candle stub for the wicks so make sure to set these aside for later.

To heat and pour the candle wax, melt the broken candles and stubs in an old pan over medium heat. As the candles melt, use your fork to dip out the wicks and lay them on a newspaper. For added color, you can add an old crayon stub to the mixture to dye your candle the color of your choice. Once the wax has melted and the wicks have been removed, you can pour the hot wax into the sand holes.

Wait about five minutes or until the wax starts to harden and put a candle stub in the middle for the wick. If you are making a wide candle, you will need more than one wick. If you don't have a candle stub, use one of your used wicks tied to a pencil and lay it across the top of the sand hole. This way the wick will sink into the center of the candle.

Small candles will take about an hour to harden and larger ones take a bit longer. Be sure not to try to take your candle out of the sand too soon. Make sure it is thoroughly cool and hard and then lift it out sand gently. Brush the extra sand off and you now have your very own sand candles!