I’m fascinated by anything Victorian, so when I find vintage, Victorian looking China, I have to have it. But I’ll be honest, I’m not hosting a lot of tea parties these days and I hate the thought of these beautiful pieces being stored away for no one to see. I decided to give some of my tea cups a new purpose….
Who doesn’t need few more black candles in their home, right? And we all know… it is not nearly as easy to find cool black candles as it is most other colors. The good news… it is so easy to make your own! Not the creative type? Lucky for you, I have these tea cup candles for sale in the Me and Annabel Lee Shop on Etsy so you too can own one!
For this project, I found these vintage tea cups and saucers at a second hand store. I actually love collecting mismatched China. I have this vision of throwing a mind blowing Alice in Wonderland soiree one day… and I will of course need a shit-ton of Victorian China! Until then, I collect pieces when I can. This is something, however, that is not as simple as some of the other things I routinely pick up while treasure hunting. I have found that stores typically want to sell China as a set. I get it.. most collectors pick a pattern and go hog wild collecting every piece… so I guess it doesn’t make sense to intentionally break up a set if one is available. But…. I’m not that boring.. I want every piece to be different & unique. I’ll take a stab that if you’re someone who reads my blog, you probably also like to be different! So the problem with these sets is pretty obvious…. 1 – you get stuck with way too many matching pieces of China you’ll probably never use, and 2 – these sets cost significantly more money than just buying a piece or two. You cannot believe how many time I have picked up a tea cup to look at the price only to see a tag that says 17 piece set! oh yeah.. did I mention the sets are never full anyway! ugh! Anyway… my point is.. if you come across a special piece that happens to be a lone wolf… snatch it up! And if you’re lucky enough to have already collected some special pieces.. you’re one step ahead!
Now let’s get creative…
Supplies you’ll need:
- Tea Cup & Saucer
- Candle Wax
- Waxed Wick with Tab
- Pencil
- Saucepan
- Metal or Glass Pouring Pot (with a handle)
So here’s the thing about candle wax…. you have a lot of options to choose from. I’ll try to make this simple for you…. If you can find black candle wax, you’ll save yourself a step. It’s a bit harder to come by, but I was lucky enough to find a bag of black granulated wax at a craft store. I also found this Black Granulated Wax
You can also add fragrance to your candles. You can choose to use essential oils… OR… if you’re thrifty like me.. you can use old candles. Don’t you hate it when that favorite scented candle finally burns out?! Don’t throw that leftover wax away… save it for new candles! Here’s a tip… put that old candle in the fridge for a few hours, and the wax will come out easier!
1. To get started, boil water in your saucepan. (Water level should cover a couple of inches of your pouring cup, once the cup is submerged)
2. Add wax (plus dye or fragrance if you choose to use it) to the pouring cup. I eyeballed the amount, and simply melted more as I needed it.
3. Place the pouring cup in your saucepan… OK – so there are some differing opinions on this step. I use a large glass measuring cup with an open handle. While a lot of candle makers say to sit the glass in the saucepan… The first time I ever tried to make a candle, I had an issue with placing the glass directly on the bottom of the pan. Everytime I looked in to check on the wax, I had visions of the glass shattering up in my face from the direct heat (I have some strange history of things exploding into my eye!) Now, I use a tall saucepan, and hang the glass measuring cup over the side of the pan so it doesn’t touch the bottom. I fill the water level to cover the bottom of the cup…. this creates a double boiler effect. While the wax does melt very slowly, there is no risk of boiling or burning…
4. While the wax is melting, add the wick and tab to your tea cup. The tab should sit flat on the tea cup base. I like to drip a bit of wax under the tab and let it dry in place. To keep the wick in place, wrap the end around a pencil, and let the pencil lay flat across the tea cup.
5. Once the wax is melted into a liquid, carefully pour into half of the tea cup. The pouring cup will be HOT!! Pour slowly so the wax doesn’t splash.
6. As the wax hardens, it will settle, especially in the center near the wick. To avoid an uneven surface, I pour the wax in three layers, and let it begin to harden between each layer (maybe an hour or two).
7. Let the wax cool completely… up to 24 hours.
Now go enjoy an evening of candlelight!
And don’t forget to check out my Etsy store for more Tea Cup Candles…
If you enjoy DIY projects for your home, you’ll love this Black Upholstered Memo Board or this Black & Gold Cake Stand!
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