How to make a vintage sundae dish candle

Glassware comes in so many pretty decorative shapes and sizes that you will have no problem in locating lots of lovely containers to experiment with. Hunt around at home and when you are out and about. We found these really delicate vintage sundae dishes at a local yard sale (car boot fair)?and thought they were ideal for use as candle containers.

Finished piece

What you'll need

Melted soy wax, fragranced or unscented, enough to almost fill the sundae dish
Scissors
Waxed candle wick
Glue dot
Glass sundae dish
Bamboo skewer
Metal food twist tie
Ribbon, to decorate

Step one

Make the melted soy wax and cut a length of waxed wick 4in/10cm longer than the height of the dish. Stick a glue dot to one end of the wick, then stick this to the middle of the bottom of the dish. This will keep the wick in place when you pour in the melted wax. (The picture above shows the wick being positioned in a glass preserving jar, not a sundae dish, but the method is the same.)

There is no need for any embellishment, except, perhaps, for a discreet gingham ribbon tied around the neck in a bow.

Step two

Wrap the other end of the waxed wick around the middle of the bamboo skewer, securing with the twist tie. Place the skewer centrally across the top of your sundae dish.

Step three

Place the dish on a heatproof surface and carefully pour in the melted soy wax, leaving a gap of about 1in/2.5cm between the wax and the top of the dish.

Step four

Let the candle set in a safe, draft-free place. Make sure the skewer remains centrally placed over the top of the dish, with the wick set in the middle of the candle, so that the candle burns evenly when lit. The room temperature and volume of wax will affect the amount of time it takes for the wax to harden completely. Ideally, allow 24 hours.

Step five

When the wax has set completely, remove the skewer and cut the wick to about 1in/2.5cm from the top of the candle. Add any embellishments you wish. As the dish itself is so pretty, we felt only a simple addition was needed, so we tied a bow of narrow, purple gingham ribbon around the neck of the dish.

Tip: Using Glass Containers

When using vintage glassware as candle containers, make sure the glass is free from cracks or fractures before preparing for use. Also, allow the wax to cool a little before pouring into vintage glassware, to prevent it from breaking or cracking.

Variations

Why not use pretty vintage teacups and saucers as candle containers? You could even create a whole tea-set using a combination of different but complementary patterns. Wrapped in gathered cellophane, tied with a ribbon bow, each cup and saucer would make a wonderful gift, as would the vintage glass sundae dishes.