Ice Candles with Snow Recipe

Ingredients

2 boxes of wax
Various old crayons for color
Cardboard container of your choice (suggestions would be milk cartons or chip containers)
Spray oil
Double boiler (or a small pot and a larger pot)
Scrap cardboard
Crushed Ice
One candle taper
Various small Christmas decorations
Hand mixer and bowl

Preparation

Step 1

Empty your container and spray the inside with spray oil to help prevent the candle from sticking.

Cut your candle taper to the height of your container.
Use the bottom end of the candle, shaving the top so that the wick shows.

Choose what color you would like your candle to be and prepare some crayons.
The average candle needed approximately 5-6 crayons for color.
Peel the crayons and set near your work for when you are ready for them.

Using your double boiler, your next step is to melt the wax. If you do not have a double boiler, fill a larger sauce pan about 1/3 full with water. Place a small saucepan inside and add your wax to it.

About 1 box of wax to make one candle.
Break your wax into pieces and add to the small saucepan.
Allow the water to boil.
This will start your wax to melt.

Add your crayons one at a time until you have the color that you would like.

Center your taper in the middle of your container and fill around it with crushed ice. (Crushed ice gives a better look than cubed).
Fill the container with crushed ice up to 1″ from the top.

Pour your melted wax over the ice, filling the container all the way to the top.

Wait for the wax to get solid. Give it about an hour so that there will not be any “incidences”.

Hold your candle over the sink and gently peel the cardboard container off of the candle.
Ice candles are fragile, so hold it gently as you peel.
The melted water will run off into the sink.

Cut a scrap of cardboard for your candle base about 2 inches wider than the diameter of the candle.
This leaves about an inch of cardboard showing on all sides.
At this point, set the decorations that you would like to use near your work station.

Using your double boiler method, melt 1/2 box of wax.
Once it has melted, pour the wax in a small bowl and using your mixer, beat the wax just like you would beat egg whites. (Start off slowly at first so as not to splash hot wax on yourself).
As the wax starts to cool, it becomes white and frothy.
When it has reached the point where it is just beginning to hold its shape, spoon the wax around the base of the candle.

Mound it like snow.
We also added some to the top to look like drifts.
Working quickly, while the wax is still not set, push your decorations in. If the wax sets before you get them all in, add more melted wax to the decoration and re-apply. It sets quickly.

Clean up Tips:
Be sure to scrape off as much wax as possible before running under hot water.
This could clog your sink!!
You may want to consider cleaning your utensils in boiling water and then pouring the hot water outside.