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Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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Stacked Ombre Heart Candles

February 12, 2014 8 Comments

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles at Hands Occupied

Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday to celebrate by making a set of romantic and unique candles like these. I learned how to make candles with cookie cutters for Halloween last year, but these layered ombre candles take cookie cutter candle making to another level. But watch out – this is an addictive project. I ended up getting carried away and made myself 10 total candles. I guess the husband and I will have a Valentine’s dinner table filled with more hearts than food! :)

Supplies

soy wax flakes
red candle dye
tabbed candle wicks
double boiler (or a pouring pot plus a regular kitchen pot)
candle fragrance
waxed paper
mess-friendly baking sheet
skewer
heart-shaped cookie cutters
butter knife (optional)

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles

Directions

Add several drops of red candle dye to several cups of soy wax candle flakes in a pouring pot. Melt the wax using this technique.

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles

As your wax melts, lay a sheet of waxed paper somewhat larger than your baking sheet on it. When the wax has melted, add a few drops of fragrance.

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles

Take the wax off the stove and let cool for a few minutes, but not long enough that it hardens. Pour your wax onto your baking sheet, as shown. It can be however thick you’d like, but I had the most success when the wax was about 1 cm deep.

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles

Let your wax cool until it changes color, but is still warm. It shouldn’t jiggle like gelatin, but if it’s too hard, you won’t be able to cleanly cut out your candles.

Stamp hearts through your wax with cookie cutters, leaving them on the sheet. After you’ve stamped your hearts, use a skewer to poke a hole in approximately the middle of each heart. No need to be exact!

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles

Let your wax cool for several hours until it’s completely hard (if you’re impatient, the fridge is a helpful tool). Carefully break your hearts away from the hardened wax sheet. Put the remnants of the wax back in your melting pot, and add a few scoops of plain soy wax flakes to the pot.

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles

Repeat the wax melting, pouring & stamping process several times. Since you’re adding plain white wax to the remnants of your wax, it gets a shade or two lighter each time you melt it, making an ombre effect! So easy!

String your hearts onto a wick using the holes you poked in each one. Trim your wicks and you’re ready to go. The uneven layers and non-precise centering make each candle unique.

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles

As the candles burn, the wax layers melt together, so it’s okay of they’re not lined up or your layers aren’t perfectly identical. How awesome is that?

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles at Hands Occupied

This is a great beginner candle project and a great way to use up leftover wax or recycle an old candle. The ombre effect is lovely and a great way to add some Valentines-perfect red on pink to your place!

Stacked Ombre Heart Candles at Hands Occupied

Filed Under: Candles, How-to, Valentine's Day Tagged With: candle, candle craft, candle diy, candle making, candles, cookie cutter, cookie cutter candles, diy candles, double boiler, valentine craft, valentine diy, valentines day craft, valentines day diy, wicks

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is an artist, author and crafts designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame. In addition to running the Hands Occupied Blog and Pattern Shop, you can find her making videos & co-hosting the Very Serious Crafts podcast.

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Comments

  1. Rebecca

    February 12, 2014 at 10:36 pm

    These look so fantastic, especially having so many of them together! I want to make a whole slew of them so I can have stacks of them everywhere around my house!

    Reply
  2. Nadine

    February 14, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    I love this so many ideas in my head different shapes and colors. Flowers for spring, eggs for easter etc. But don’t you need to mix in a hard wax so they don’t melt all over the place? I have looked into making pillar candles with a mold for soy wax, but I was told that straight up soy would make a mess and I had to do at least a 50/50 soy/paraffin mix to prevent a mess.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 14, 2014 at 7:53 pm

      I’ve never minded the mess from the softer soy wax, but you’re correct! Mixing a harder wax will result in less runoff as your candle melts. Thanks! :)

      Reply
  3. poonam

    November 5, 2016 at 9:30 am

    Like this idea very much

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Valentinstag: DIY Inspirationen - Pixi mit Milch says:
    February 13, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    […] Das Brett in Herzform gefällt mir sehr gut, das DIY findet ihr hier. Die Ombré Herz-Kerzen von handsoccupied.com sind Romantik […]

    Reply
  2. Monday Roundup | The Preoccupied Squirrel Blog says:
    February 24, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    […] Stacked Ombre Heart Candles – Hands Occupied – A great craft for a cookie cutter hoarder like me. I can already tell it’ll be hard to stop myself from covering every surface in the apartment with seasonally-appropriate candle stacks! […]

    Reply
  3. Fun Stuff • 2.22.14 | The Pink Smaurai says:
    May 11, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    […] so gluttonous about all the DIYs around Valentine’s Day because I love hearts!  These heart-shaped candles are super cute, and I’ll absolutely use this technique for different […]

    Reply
  4. 25 Romantic DIY Valentine’s Day Gifts | ABC Creative Learning says:
    January 14, 2015 at 5:01 am

    […] {Kristi Murphy} 11. Rose Almond Body Oil {Hello Natural} 12. DIY Heart Pillow {Whimsy Darling} 13. Stacked Ombre Heart Candles {Hands Occupied} 14. Heart Light {Look What I Made} 15. XO Mugs {The Proper Pinwheel} 16. DIY […]

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s ab There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s about how I’m going to take the next 2 weeks off to rest & recharge. ☺️🧶 No new content for y’all means I can also take a moment to zoom out & plan what’s next. Link is in bio. 
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A note on Very Serious Crafts: In the post I discuss stepping away from the @seriouscrafts podcast to give myself more time to devote to some minor medical issues. Don’t you worry - my health will be fine, & @molliejohanson @redhandledscissors and I are still pals, and after a short break of their own, the podcast will be back! Just sans moi. 💁🏼‍♀️😆 
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See you in a couple weeks! ✌🏻#handsoccupied #knitdesign #craftdesign #sofadedsweater
Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it shoul Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it should be. ☺️🎄The past few days have been filled with a lot of catching up on festive zoom calls & raising toasts to the camera. 🥂 Connecting with people has been a welcome change of pace! Now I’m feeling ready to meet my inevitable end-of-year deadlines. 😆
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Warmest wishes for the season, my friends! ❤️💛💙
Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker beh Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker behind Hands Occupied! 👋🏻 I’ve been enjoying making Reels a lot lately, but I wanted to bop in to share a regular photo & say hello. 🤓 
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rather than giving you my bio right now, I have a question. I just got this new sweater & I can’t stop imaging how funny it would be to wear this to a knitting class ... is that bad? 🤣🤣🤣
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Pictured: a blond woman with glasses wearing a sweater that reads “all your sweaters are ugly” standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is o Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is one of the most common methods for finishing a knitting project and helping ensure its final size and shape. Learn basic blocking for absolute beginners in an easy-to-follow (non-Reel!) video tutorial! Catch the tutorial on YouTube or the Hands Occupied Blog, link is in bio. 🧶 #handsoccupied #stopswatchandblockit #KPAmbassadorsDec20 #sponsored
Had to share this perfect capture of one of my fav Had to share this perfect capture of one of my favorite weird homemade Christmas ornaments: a simple macramé Santa face with beads for the eyes and nose! My Great-Grandma made it too. 🎄
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Might have to try making a quickie Reel tutorial for this guy - I think it’s the perfect project for it, don’t you? 🎅🏼 #handsoccupied #macrame
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