I'm going to show you how to make floating candles, because you never know when you're going to find yourself in some kind of floating candle emergency situation. Like an impromptu dinner party or shotgun wedding reception.
Making floating candles is a little project that has immense reward with very little effort. Almost none in fact; if you can light a candle, you can make a floating candle. If you cannot light a candle you have my condolences on account of the fact you're just a torso.
There isn't a single night all year long that I don't have candles burning. It all goes back to when I was 4 years old and my mother bought me a pillar birthday candle that had age markings on the side like this horrifyingly ugly one on Amazon ( that I LOVE ).
1 year at the top, all the way down to 13 years at the bottom. Every birthday I got to haul the candle out of the basement, scrape the dried up centipedes off it and burn it down a full year. To this day I remember that candle yet I do not remember a single present I got from the age of 1 - 13.
So ... floating candles. They aren't exactly revolutionary but the fact that you can make them out of candles you probably already own is.
All you need are tea lights, which I'm sure 90% of you have shoved in a drawer right now, and one little tip.
How to Make a Floating Candle Out of a Tea Light.
1. Remove your tea light candle from its aluminium cup and flip the candle over.
2. Light another candle (a taper candle is the easiest to work with) and drip some wax from it onto the underside of the tea light until the metal wick holder on the bottom is completely sealed.
Just line all your tea lights up on a surface you can scrape the dripped wax off of and do them in bulk.
Stick your candles into a bowl, pond, toilet or bathtub and admire. You just made DIY floating candles because you are a DIY badass. And maybe a little lazy and cheap because you didn't just go to the store to buy some floating candles. Join the club.
When they're prepped like this the candles will last between 45 minutes and 1½ hours depending on the size of the tea light candle.
How to Make Floating Candles.
Make some floating candles out of ordinary tea lights.
Materials
- tea light candles
- taper candle (optional)
Instructions
- Remove the tea light from its metal cup.
- Light a taper candle and drip it over the base of the tea light, sealing the bottom. Let the melted wax solidify.
- Float candles in water.
Notes
- Floating tea lights don't last as long. A small tea light that would normally burn for 2-3 hours will burn for 30-45 minutes in water.
- The bigger the candle, the longer it will last in the water.
- Freezing the candle doesn't make it last longer (I tested this out).
- For bigger floating candles, use the cheap candles you can buy in a glass holder. Dollar stores like Dollarama or Dollar Tree have them. Just set the glass candle holder in a bowl of hot water to loosen the candle inside and pull it out. Seal the bottoms the same way. These larger candles will burn for around 2 hours.
- Candles with a slightly smaller bottom than top float better than candles with straight sizes.
Want to make floating taper candles? You can do that too. Here's my tutorial on how to do it.
TIPS
- For bigger floating candles, use the cheap candles you can buy in a glass holder. Dollar stores like Dollarama or Dollar Tree have them. Just set the glass candle holder in a bowl of hot water to loosen the candle inside and pull it out. Seal the bottoms the same way. These larger candles will burn for around 2 hours.
- Candles with a slightly smaller bottom than top float better than candles with straight sizes.
- Freezing the candles prior to burning them will NOT make them last longer. I tested it.
These make a fast and easy centrepiece for that impromptu dinner party you might have. Float a flower or two in a bowl with some floating candles and you're automatically inducted into the Martha Stewart hall of fame. Extra Martha points if you use white candles.
I do not have impromptu dinner parties, but you might. I'm more of an "I like to think about having dinner parties but mainly read cookbooks while watching Netflix instead " kind of gal.
That's all there is to making floating candles out of regular candles. Just seal up any area on the bottom where water might be able to get in, stick the candles in water, light them and wait for the compliments to come rolling in.
Of course, if you're just a torso you will come rolling in too.
I'll forgive the Paddy's Day thing, Karen, but only cos of the green soup, and this most brillant tip!
I was wondering yesterday when I read your post f this would work, you reading my mind??
If I'd known yesterday, I could have floated green, white and gold candles, that would be cool!! But today, just white!
Have a fab weekend!
Thanks Mimi! (wasn't St. Patrick from Wales, anyway?) Seems like some sort of coverup going on. :) ~ karen
He was indeed from Wales, and wasn't associated with the color green until the rest of the world got ahold of him.
OMG! I just thought of something else, when do you cover their bottoms with hot wax?
Hah! ~ karen
I am still trying to figure out why anyone would want to float guests in the toilet bowl. Also, at what point do you light them?
I love this idea! I've got a ton of those little white tea lights! Immensely cheaper than buying fancified floating candles, especially for an event. Kudos.
Oooh! What if you joined (with melted wax) three tealights together to make a triangular floating candle?? Gonna have to try it.
I am surprised you did not even mention St. Patrick's day yesterday. It seems very un-Karen like. You better not skip over Easter, one of my neighbors has a beautiful Easter wreath on their door already and it made me excited for what you'll show us!
Magali - At the risk of bringing the wrath of all things Irish down on me ... I'm not very into St. Patrick's Day. I don't drink and I look terrible in green. :( I *did* however make broccoli soup for dinner if that counts. I'm also not HUGE on Easter decorating but I'll definitely be doing something for it! ~ karen
Now this I think I can (and will) manage for the weekend. Perhaps you have an answer to the dilemna I have with floating candles - I love them but the kitties think I've just given them a pretty new water dish until *sizzle* there goes a whisker! Any tips for that????
Funny, I've never met a cat yet that will allow itself to get burnt.
Feline version of a heat seeking missile lives here...turn to drain the pasta in the sink and guess who's warming her belly over the flames from the gas stove top? Singed whiskers and human heart palpitations later and candles are only lit in very deep hurricane vases - you can float them in there too though so still pretty.
I've had a cat set his pantaloons on fire when I left pillar candles burning on the coffee table. Thankfully, I got him extinguished before he even knew he was aflame! We don't burn candles in the house anymore :(
PS - Cat's name was Crackhead. Seriously.
great tips, karen.
if you need the candles to last even longer, pop them in the freezer for a few hours. that would extend their burn time for say, a party or something. that is, if you ever let guests into your house :)
Amyjk - I've heard that about freezing candles, but I've never actually done it. Perhaps I'll do an experiment this weekend! Thx. ~ karen
Excellent - I've always wanted to know if it does actually make a difference. I've also heard that it can make candles crack but maybe this depends on the kind of candle?
Oh and I've heard that just refriferating is as good as freezing - who knows? Hopefully you will after the weekend!
Awesome! What a great idea! How do you manage to think up a new idea every day? I am in awe!
Kim - Thank you for noticing. Yep. Occasionally it's a struggle! ~ karen
For Christmas my aunt gave all of us girls two big packs of nicely scented tea lights and nothing to put them in. I've been dropping them down into jar candles that have burned down too low. Now I have a new use for them.... as soon as I get a pretty bowl. Yard sale anyone?
Genius, Karen -- so glad to know about this! I have several of those bags of 50 votives from IKEA hanging around. Think I'll try it today, in fact.
This also gives me an idea for a cool, arty (expensive!) salad bowl I got for my wedding but have never used because it's blue. As a general rule, I don't do blue in my house -- but with water and (free!) floating candles in it, just might work...
P.S. LOVE your styling in the dining room shot. Fabulous photo!
Thanks Jennifer! That's how my dining room table currently looks. I fool around with it every few weeks. Just to keep the accessories in the house on their toes. ~ karen
I like this tip. I bought some floating flower candles from Dollarama and they went out in about ten minutes - booo! I will try this instead.
Jo - I know those candles! I saw them at Dollarama the other day and I remember thinking ... Humph. Those'd go out in about 5 minutes. So actually you did twice as well as I thought you would with them! ~ karen
Another use for tealight candles and a tip for the people who don't like to burn their beautiful pillar candles - burn them just enough to create a well large enough to pop in a tea light candle.
CJ - I do that the odd time myself! Excellent tip! Thanks. ~ karen
Your so technical --- thingamabob!
how confused would guests be if you floated them in the toilet bowl? Just sayin'...
Sandi - It's *me* who would be confused if there were guests in my house. Who let them in??? ~ karen
oh sandi, love the way you think!
I have fake redback spiders hanging from my ceiling in the main loo, which I have sometimes 'forgotten' to tell visitors about.....
yep visitors are *welcome* here too!
I know I am about a year late on this. but wouldn't this be a great idea for potty training a little boy!!!
And I'm 3 years later . . . it cracked me up big time! OK Honey, try and put out the fire . . . good job!! From another Janice, spelled the right way, hah!
I was actually potty trained this way with floating candles. Fireman has to put out the fire.
ps: according to a dictionary of candle terms (pps: WHY does such a thing exist??) the thingamabobs are called "wick tabs." I prefer thingamabob.
I have this fear of burning the house down by accident with an unattended candle (almost done it a few times !) Floating the candles in water would make it almost impossible to accidentally burn the house down!
Couldn't you just smash it? Lol
Rebecca - That made me laugh out loud! Weirdo! :) ~ karen
Very pretty!..I haven't been in a very floaty candle kind of mood lately...but thanks Karen it is a great tip and I too Love your bowl:)
I was thinking the same, how can I ever accomplish this without that bowl? Its a beauty for sure! Although am contemplating putting some of these in the hot tub.. now how pretty would that be!
Thanks Karen, Have a great weekend!
Paula! The hot tub thing is a good idea. Unless of course you're in the hot tub. I must say I've done these floating candles in different bowls and a clear bowl reallyyyy makes all the difference. Really makes everything sparkle. A deep glass dish would work too! Here's the recent incarnation of my bowl from Structube. It's white. Not quite as nice. http://www.structube.com/en/catalogue?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=2055&category_id=971 But only $30! ~ karen!
That bowl right there is worth the unhealthy obsession!! Man I love that bowl! Now... to float me some candles.... well after I run out and buy a new bowl of course!
Shauna - Of course! ~ karen