Candle Cupcakes From Wax Discards

I wanted the title to be 'Cupcake Candles from Crap Wax', but figured it might get censored.

:)

This is actually a dual Instructable—making beauty from garbage and also how to make some pretty cool candle cupcakes!

Last summer, I started tinkering with making candles out in the Las Vegas sun, letting the outside heat melt and fuse the wax. I did an Instructables about it.

Solar Candle Making

One of the things I discovered was that outside by my hot tub where I burn the majority of my candles, the Vegas heat easily melts pillar candles (no flame needed!), so I started collecting old Yankee candle jars to re-purpose as spa candles.

While I was cleaning one out there still was about an inch of wax left, and I wanted to keep it for reuse, so I poured it into a plastic condiment cup and when it cooled I was surprised to find it looked like a cupcake.

During the winter I throw all used / burned out / broken candles into a large container. I also buy used candles from Goodwill, yard sales, estate sales, etc.

You can never have enough candles (or shoes).

However, used wax is dirty, with bits of wick, carbon, dirt, and other contaminants.

I use a bar drink strainer (yard sale .50) and melt the wax using a Crème brûlée torch.

Since the cupcakes are relatively small, I don't need to set up a double burner or leave a large amount of wax out in the sun. For bigger projects in the future I will make an Instructable for how I approach that.

Yeah, you were wondering when I would get to this, weren't you?

I use a third hand holder to keep the wick in place, and I pick up extra condiment cups when I get takeout food.

They're pretty good and last pretty long, as long as you DON'T point the torch at them.

Here you can have as much fun as you like, pouring small layers of different color wax, or melting one full candle to make a single color cupcake base. I like doing several colors, pouring a small layer, letting it cool, then pouring a different color.

This is an arduous part of the candle making. I have to coat the top of the candle on the order of 10-15 times with a white candle, making sure I drip wax down the sides as well to give it that 'icing look'.

There are varying opinions about creating sprinkles for candle cupcakes since sprinkles contain sugar and sugar will bring ants. So instead, I used colored candles, using a cheese grater to make sprinkles.