DIY // beeswax birthday candles

I love coming up with crafty ideas for events, but DIY-ing special touches for a birthday celebration is the best of all. These small touches will be remembered long after the candles are blown out and the cake (or cake donuts, as the case may be) is eaten.

So for Joanna’s birthday I wanted to make something extra special, with a boho-chic vibe that reminds me of her personal style. Claire already made her a recipe for the ultimate birthday cake — a Momofuku-inspired funfetti cake with lots of yummy, special components. So I thought I’d do a DIY for something fun to put on top!

Add a thoughtful handmade element to any birthday celebration with handmade beeswax candles! for the full tutorial head to jojotastic.com

This project is actually super simple. Basically, you create a mold for your desired candles, make two halves and sandwich them together!

Tools

Materials

Add a thoughtful handmade element to any birthday celebration with handmade beeswax candles! for the full tutorial head to jojotastic.com

Start by preparing the mold for you candles. Tape a piece or parchment paper down to your cardboard, then run washi tape all the way around the cookie cutter, leaving about a 1/4-inch overhanging from the bottom of the shape. Cut the tape at all corners and curves, then secure to the parchment piece.

Add a thoughtful handmade element to any birthday celebration with handmade beeswax candles! for the full tutorial head to jojotastic.com

Next, melt your beeswax. I picked up a mini-crockpot from Goodwill for crafting, but you could just as easy place a heat-proof bowl over a pot of boiling water and liquify the wax in a double-boiler. Prep your mold with a quick spray of vegetable oil to avoid sticking, then spoon the beeswax into the mold.

Once you’ve filled it about a 1/4-inch, pop it in the freezer for about 20 minutes, or until completely solid, then carefully push it through the bottom of the mold.

Add a thoughtful handmade element to any birthday celebration with handmade beeswax candles! for the full tutorial head to jojotastic.com

For the top half of the candle, repeat the steps above, but before placing in the freezer to cool, add your desired decoration. I went with dried rose petals for a boho-chic style and nice smelling addition.

Add a thoughtful handmade element to any birthday celebration with handmade beeswax candles! for the full tutorial head to jojotastic.com

When finished cooling, remove the top half from your mold, now you have the two halves of your birthday candle.

Add a thoughtful handmade element to any birthday celebration with handmade beeswax candles! for the full tutorial head to jojotastic.com

All that’s left is to assemble it! Arrange half a toothpick at the bottom of your candle, spoon on a little hot wax and press into place. Cut a short section of hemp cord to serve of the candle wick and arrange overhanging the top. Place a few droplets of hot wax on the base layer and firmly press the top layer onto it — essentially you are ‘gluing’ the two halves together.

Add a thoughtful handmade element to any birthday celebration with handmade beeswax candles! for the full tutorial head to jojotastic.com

Dim the lights and enter the birthday girl… don’t forget to make a wish!

Add a thoughtful handmade element to any birthday celebration with handmade beeswax candles! for the full tutorial head to jojotastic.com

This method can be used to make candles of any shape, all you need is a metal cookie cutter and et voilàI couldn’t resist making a wiener dog shaped candle for Joanna! What candle shape would you make?

Project and styling by Gwen McKenzie for Jojotastic.

Photography by Meghan Klein

pssst… more DIY projects right this way!

Leave a comment and let us know what you think of this beeswax birthday candles tutorial! And if you make any, be sure to post a photo and tag @jojotastic on Instagram so we can see.

Behind The Blog

Joanna Hawley-McBride is a Pacific Northwest-based social media strategist, content creator, and former textile designer. Joanna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Jojotastic, a lifestyle blog focused on Joanna’s work-in-progress cabin, finding the best pair of underwear through #UnderwearThesis, and empowering women to explore nature — all in her signature unfiltered style. Her work has been featured in Domino, CNBC, and Eating Well.

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