1. Begin the gel wax candle holders by first washing the wine glasses
and votive holders and allow them to dry completely.
2. The second step for the gel wax candle holders is to place the
votive holders inside the wine glasses and get an idea of how much wax
you will need to add below the votive holders, to have them be flush
(or near flush) with the top of the wine glasses. Then remove the
votive holders.
3. Get your pot ready. Gel wax is very easy to clean up, so you don't
have to have a "dedicated" candle cooking pot, although it does help.
The gel, once cooled, will simply peel off from the inside of the pot.
Then the pot can be washed with grease-fighting dish detergent. Cut the
gel wax with a knife, then use a spoon or your hands to pull out chunks
of the wax to put in the pot. Don't be afraid to use our hands. Gel wax
is very clean and using your hands is usually the easiest way to get it
out! Try to over-estimate rather than under-estimate the amount of wax
you need, since any extra is re-usable (when it solidifies, just put it
back in the original container to be re-used).
4. Heat the wax over the lowest heat setting on the stove until it
begins to melt. Never use a microwave! You can stir the wax to speed up
the process.
NOTE: Usually when working with gel wax you
should NOT stir it, since this introduces bubbles. But since we want
bubbles in the candle holders, stirring is fine.
Once it is all melted, you are ready to move
on to the next step. DO NOT let it sit long on the heat after it has
melted, as it can get too hot. Follow the manufacturer's instructions
exactly. They may suggest using a candy thermometer. Gel wax is highly
flammable, so use caution. Never leave the pot and watch it constantly.
If it does ignite, do not pour water on it. Instead, extinguish by
covering with the lid or use baking soda.
Note: If you would like to add fragrance or
color to the wax, do this now. Use only fragrance and color that is
meant to be used for gel candles.
5. Gently and carefully pour gel wax into the bottom of the wine
glasses, up to the level that you approximated. Once this wax is
hardened, you want to sit the votive cups on top and have the votive
holder rim be near flush with the outside rim of the wine glasses.
Allow this gel wax to harden (this will not take long… about
10 minutes).
NOTE: Usually there are plenty of bubbles in
the gel wax, but if there are not enough to your liking, you can easily
introduce some. While the wax is still liquid, place a straw into the
wax and blow to introduce bubbles!
6. Place the votive candle cups inside the wine glasses on top of the
solidified gel wax. Center them as best as you can. Warm up the
remaining wax over to the stove and then carefully pour the wax into
the wine glass, outside of the votive cup holder. Fill the wine glasses
up near to the top. If you need to introduce more bubbles, follow the
tip in step 5.
7. Allow the gel wax candle holders to solidify. Add a tealight or
votive candle to the inside cup and enjoy!
