Saturday, June 13, 2009

Making Unity Candles

Unity candles are often a very important part of traditional wedding ceremonies. This candle is a symbol of the union both families. The ceremony involves the bride and groom each lighting a taper candle with a large column candle in the middle. Once they have lit their taper candles, the bride and groom light the column with the flames form the tapers.

It is very simple to make these beautiful candles. By making them, you can personalize the message the message on the column candle for those getting married. The message can be a poem, Biblical scripture, or even a photo of the couple getting married.

Making the taper candles is very simple. It involves the hand dipping process. You will dip the two wicks over and over again in the hot wax until the taper candles are the desired width. After they have completely cooled you can trim the wick to ¼ inch of the top of the candle.

To make the column candle you will need to use a candle mold. Simply heat the wax and pour it into the mold until it completely cools. Prior to pouring the wax into the mold you will need to insert the wick from the bottom of the mold. Cut the wick several inches longer so that you can tie it to a pencil or other object. This will keep the wick centered while the candle is cooling.

After the column candle has cooled, you can place a poem, saying, photo, or even a wedding invitation to the candle using double stick tape or a glue gun. For a beautiful effect, consider cutting the attachment in an oval shape using the scissors that will leave a ridge all the way around the attachment.

To add beauty and appeal to the unity candles, you can make bows for them out of the wedding colors. For best results, use a piece of wire for each candle. Twist the wire in the front gently so you don’t damage the candles but enough to hold it securely in place. Don’t worry about the wire being seen as the beautiful bows will cover it up.

You will want to find some very pretty taper candle holders for these precious unity candles. Generally, the column candle will sit on a matching flat candle holder, similar to a small plate.

With the overall expense of a wedding, creating your own unity candles or allowing a friend or family member to do so as a gift will save you plenty. There are many great books available in craft stores and some bridal shops that provide step by step instructions for creating your own unity candles. The internet also offers great ideas and tips for making the process fun. Creating quality candles doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult.

The unity candle ceremony is an important part of many wedding ceremonies. You can provide the bride and groom with a wonderful trio of candles for their ceremony that they will treasure forever. The ability to add a personalized attachment to the column candle is a great incentive for making them yourself. Making additional column candles for the parents of the bride and groom or the wedding party is a great gift idea as well. You can place them in gift bags with bows that match the colors of the wedding.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Books on Candle Making

Making your own candles is a favorite craft and hobby many individuals. They find the process to be enjoyable and relaxing. Candle makers have been know to turn to their hobby in times of stress. For some candle makers, once they learn the basics they are ready for new challenges. Purchasing books on candle making can provide you with everything from basic instructions, tips, and creative ideas to make beautiful candles. Most candle making books offer wonderful illustrations as well as step by step instructions.

The type of book you want to purchase will depend on your candle making experience, the types of candles you are interested in making, and if you are making candles for fun or to sell. Take the time to explore what each book has to offer you before making a purchase so that you won’t be disappointed. You might also check with your local library for books on candle making. If you find one there you really like then you have the option to purchase it. You can also find great discounts on used candle making books online at Ebay and Yahoo Auctions.

“The Candle Maker’s Companion” by Betty Oppenheimer and Deborah Balmuth is considered to be the “must have” candle making book. It offers information for everyone including beginners and advanced. Another great choice is “The Encyclopedia of Candle Making Techniques”. This book has gotten rave reviews for providing quality information in an easy to understand form.

For those of you who have a solid foundation of basic candle making processes, consider trying “The Complete Candle Maker Techniques, Projects, and Inspirations”. The book offers great photos of forty different candles you can make. There are step by step instructions to help you make any of them that interest you. This book includes great tips and points as well to help candle makers avoid the common mistakes that affect the results of their candles.

For those of you who enjoy making candles for special occasions and holidays, the book “Creative Candles: Over 40 Inspiring Projects for Making and Decorating Candles for Every Occasion” by Sue Spear is a great book to consider for your collection. This book features candle making ideas for Halloween, Easter, and Christmas. There are also ideas for creating candles to use as center pieces and for wedding decorations.

If you are interested in doing candle making with your children, “Great Candles” is especially designed with fun candles that are easy to do with them. The book is also written in a way that children will be interested in reading it as well. The internet is a great resource to find other great candle making books to meet your expectations.

Candle making is a great pastime. You can educate yourself on the areas of candle making by exploring various books. There are books designed for all candle making levels of expertise as well as on particular themes of candles and types of candles. The market is flooded with resources in the area of candle making, so the process of tracking down a few good books on the subject should be easy as well as fairly inexpensive. Remember to check the library, local book sales, and yard sales for these books as well. Compare prices online to make sure you get the best price for the ones you are interested in.