Pumpkin candles

I know I've been really terrible about updating this blog, but I promise I'm getting back into the swing of things now. I have just been so busy with a million things, but everything is starting to wind down now. One reason why I've been so busy is because my birthday was last week! October 21st to be exact. I had a really great weekend away in San Diego with my boyfriend and then had a ton of fun with my friend Erin at Stone Brewery in Escondido (beer blog post to come asap). This weekend I had a little soiree in my backyard to celebrate with a few other friends as well. I made some cute decorations and took out the Christmas lights to se the mood. Anyways, let's get down to brass tacks. This DIY is for the rad little pumpkin candles I made to decorate the party!

What you'll need:

• mini pumpkins (not gourds!! they won't work, get the normal orange pumpkins)
• soy candle wax chips
• metal anchored waxed candle wicks
• a spoon/knife
• metal bowl and pot or a double boiler

What I did first was hollow out my pumpkins. If you've ever carved pumpkins, you already know what to do. Cut off the top of your pumpkin and then use a large spoon to scoop out all the gunk and seeds inside there. Try to make the inside as smooth and pulp free as possible to avoid getting floaties in your candle wax.

Once your pumpkins are ready to go, you need to place your wick. I recommended getting the wicks that come with a little circular anchor on the bottom because it save your the trouble of having to worry about your wick moving after you've poured the melted wax. take your wick and wedge the metal base into the center of the bottom of your pumpkin.

After you're done preparing the pumpkins you can start melting your wax. I chose to use soy wax chips because I find that they're the easiest to work with and cheaper too! You can also add a scent to your candle if you'd like. When you purchase your candle wax at the craft store there should be a little section of essential oils near by. You can use any of these in the wax to create an aromatic candle. Most waxes will tell you to melt it in a double boiler, but I don't have one of those. What you can also use is a metallic bowl over a pot of boiling water.

The chips are pretty thin, so they melt fairly quickly. (If you're making a scented candle, you'll want to add you essential oil to the wax once it's completely melted. Essential oils are very strong so don't over do it! Use a dropper and put in just a few little drops.) Once your wax is melted you can pour in into your pumpkins.

Once you pour all the wax, you just have to wait for them to harden. Don't let them sit in the sun to dry! That's bad for the wax and the pumpkin. Set them in a shady area outside for about an hour to let them completely harden. Check on them every so often to make sure the wick is still correctly placed. 

As soon as your candle is ready, just trim the wick and you can start burning it! They make lovely fall decorations for your patio and they'd make really great center pieces for your thanksgiving table, rather than your typical candelabra. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween as well from me and my spooky cat!