Hand-Twisted Taper Candles and Free Candle Wrap Printable

I am joining some friends today to share some handmade gift ideas. I don’t know about you, but I find being at home, I am burning candles much more than I normally do. I try to mostly burn candles made with soy or beeswax with essential oils, but I do love the way a taper candle looks once in a while, especially on a mantel or tablescape. I had noticed a hand-twisted taper candle trend online and really liked the way they looked. Always up for adventure,I thought I would give it a try myself. I found there is certainly a learning curve, and it didn’t quite go as smoothly as I thought it would in the beginning, but in the end, I did get a few respectable hand-twisted taper candles for giving. They look so pretty bundled up. Who doesn’t love a good candle and I thought they would make pretty DIY gifts too. There are free printable (for personal use) candle wraps at the end of the post for you to use if you want to give the gift of light yourself.

I also made a video of the process which involves very warm water, and patience.

To twist the candles, place then in very warm (not hot!) water and allow them to soften for a few minutes to where they are just a little “bendy”. If the water is too hot, or they are left in the water too long, the outside will start to melt. I found using a large mason jar worked well.

Once the wax is soft, place them on a flat surface like a plastic cutting board where they won’t slip, and using a dowel rod like a baking pin and press and roll until  the candle is flat. If it starts to harden, place the candle back in the water until it’s pliable again.

Once it’s flattened, slowly start to twist the candle a section at a time, smoothing the wax with your thumbs as you go. Place the wax back in the water as needed to soften while twisting. I cracked the first few I had made until I got the hang of it.

Once my candles were twisted,I let them lest on flat to firm up, and printed the candle wrap printable (below) and used one of my wax seals to embellish the wrapper. You can also use these as paper napkin rings, and jar wraps!

 

 

For more handmade gifting ideas, visit the other blogger’s projects below!

DIY Christmas Gift Tags   |   My 100 Year Old Home

DIY Christmas Gift – Clay Jewelry Dish   |   Zevy Joy

Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends   |   Happy Happy Nester

DIY Christmas Tree Scented Air Fresheners   |   My Sweet Savannah

DIY Holiday Gifts Using Essential Oils   |   Most Lovely Things

 

DIY Soap Gift Idea   |   Hallstrom Home

Fun and Creative Neighbor Christmas Gift Ideas   |   Twelve on Main

Stove Top Holiday Potpourri   |   Lemon Grove Lane

DIY Hand-Twisted Taper Candles   |   Jennifer Rizzo

Boho Beaded Keychain Holiday Gift Toppers   |   Tater Tots and Jello

Homemade Seasoning Salt Gifts   |   Finding Lovely

 

Toasted Marshmallow Mocha Creamer   |   Satori Design for Living

Flower Arrangement For Gift Card   |   Craftberry Bush

DIY Gift Basket Ideas Using Dollar Store Items   |   The DIY Mommy