As a dedicated candle and soap crafter, I am always looking for fun and unique ideas for molds and containers. The idea of a teacup candles DIY came after a grown-up’s afternoon tea party at my mom’s house. She had filled a selection of teacups with a variety of colored jello, which looked amazing. I was already imagining them with candles in them.
Once I decided I wanted to make these Teacup candles, I had to find some cups to use that wouldn’t break the bank, I was shocked at how expensive they were! So, when I came across these cute little teacups going for $5 at the local thrift store, I just had to make them.
What Candle Wax To Use
Always choose a wax that is suitable for containers. I do not recommend using paraffin wax. Paraffin wax tends to shrink away from the sides as it hardens.
This is great if you are making a pillar candle that needs removing from a mold as it makes it easier to remove. When it’s used in containers, paraffin often leaves a gap around the edges which can spoil the finished look.
Soy wax would be my first choice in containers. It is extremely environmentally friendly and is clean burning meaning less soot. Soy wax burns much slower than paraffin so the candle will last much longer. It also produces a lovely pastel color when using candle dye.
The only other wax I would experiment with here would be gel wax. It would replicate my mom’s jello at her tea party. However, my only reservation would be that gel is best in glass vessels, because they’re best used with interesting embeds. Take a look at my underwater gel candle to get an idea of what I mean by this.
Gel can also be tricky to work with and requires a bit of candle making experience. Why use a wax that is difficult to work with for a candle that is otherwise very simple to make?
How Much Wax To Use
As you’ll notice below, I haven’t specified exact quantities for my candle. This is quite common for my candle crafts, as all molds are different and the one you have may require more or less wax than I’m using.
So, in order to figure out how much wax is needed, simply fill your mold or container with water, then weigh this water. Wax and water don’t quite weigh the same amount, so add a little extra to make sure you have enough.
As for fragrance, you want no more than 12% of the overall weigh of your wax to be fragrance. While you can add a lot less, if you want a noticeable scent in your candle, I would drop it any lower than 7%
For more info on scented candles, take a look at my scented candle guide that takes you through everything you need to know.
Making Vintage Teacup Candles
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Ingredients
Video
Instructions
- To melt the wax, place the wax pellets into a metal jug. Place the jug in a saucepan containing a couple of inches of water, then place the pan over a low heat.
- Whilst the wax is melting, we can prepare the teacup by gluing the wick to the bottom of the cup. This can be done with glue dots, super glue or a hot glue gun. If you are using superglue, then use a wooden skewer or pencil to hold it in place until it's dried enough to support it.
- Weigh the fragrance oil and set it to one side until needed.
- Once the wax has completely melted, its time to add the color. The amount of color you need will depend on the intensity of the wax coloring that you are using. I am going to using a super concentrated colorant, so I will need a tiny amount. If you are unsure, then just add a little at a time until you are happy with it.
- Now it is time to add the fragrance, make sure you completely blend this in.
- Take your pre wicked cup and carefully start to pour the wax into it. You will need to save some wax to top the wax up once its hardened, so leave around an inch at the top. Straighten the wick and bend or wrap it around a bamboo stick or pencil to keep it straight and in place. Then leave the wax to harden. This usually takes a good couple of hours.
- As the wax hardens you will notice that it may start to sink, usually around the wick area. This is completely normal and is what we call a sink hole. Use the bamboo stick or something similar to poke a few holes into the wax.The holes do not need to be very deep just around ¼ inch, just enough for the top up layer of wax to grip into them. This also helps to stop the wax sinking again
- Re-melt the left-over wax and use it to top up the candle, covering the holes and giving the candle a thin smooth layer.
- Once the candle has completely hardened, snip any excess wick.
- Your candle is now ready for use and enjoyed.Â
Final Thoughts
I love how the teacup candles turned out. They’re such cute little candles and a quality finish on them is very easy to achieve. I would definitely make these again, especially as props for parties. I also think they are a great gift for anyone who loves vintage décor. There’s something so cute and olden days about them!
The teacups you use are most definitely reusable. Simply remove the wick and start all over again. While soy wax doesn’t leave as much soot as some candles, from time to time you will find a little soot. You can remove this with a damp, hot cloth.
Let me know what you think of these cute diy teacup candles.
I’m new to candlemaking and want to sell teacup candles in my daughter’s coffee shop but, I’m reading on some sites that teacups shouldn’t be used. I’m so confused, have you had any incidents with these?
Hi Bonnie,
We’ve made them quite often, and haven’t had any problems. However, we haven’t sold them, and that can open a whole can of worms that you may have problems with. I would say that regular candles might be easier to sell.
What size wick did you use for the teacup candle?
Hi Kirstin,
You’ll need a small one for sure. Ultimately it would depend on the rim size of your teacup, but you should get away with a size up from a tealight candle wick. In fact, you might only get minimal tunnelling from a tealight wick. They’re super easy to use as well, almost always they come prewaxed. It might be worth a try.