Scented Candle in a Vintage Chintz Cup and Saucer

This craft idea was sparked off after a shopping trip to Marlborough, where I saw some beautiful cup and saucer candles. They were very sweet but rather pricey, and I knew I could make cup and saucer candles at a fraction of the price.

I do love candles, and I usually buy scented candles. So I thought that if I was making cup and saucer candles that I would make scented cup and saucer candles. I also love a bit of Chintz, so I set out looking for Chintz style cup and saucers to make my candles in.

To make a cup and saucer candle you will need…

Cups and Saucers, or just cups is fine too,
White wax beads,
Essential oils for fragrance,
Wax dye flakes,
Wick,
Wooden skewers,
Ribbon and flowers to decorate,


The best place to find odd cups and saucers for this craft is car boots, garden fates and charity shops. Choose cups and saucers that you think are pretty. Take them home and give them a good wash and allow them to dry completely.

Put the wax beads in a glass jug, stood in half a pan of boiling water as if you were melting chocolate. Don’t allow the water to bubble over the sides of the jug and contaminate the wax. The wax does take a while to melt so whilst it is on the hob, turn your attention to setting up the cups.

Set out the cups and saucers, and add one or two wax dye flakes to each cup; this will give your candle a pail pastel shade that is in keeping with the chintz look.

Next you need to add a couple of drops of essential oils to the cup.

Cut a length of wick that is twice the height of the cup and fold it in half. In the loop that is created, push the skewer through and then turn the skewer around to twist the wick. Lay the skewer across the cup so that the wick is suspended in the centre of the cup.

When the wax is melted, pour a small amount of wax into the cup and with a spare skewer, give the wax in the cup a stir to melt and mix the dye and the essential oil. Then top up the cup with wax slowly as to not disturb the wick. If your cup has a pattern on the inside at the top, make the top of the candle just reach below the pattern so that it is still visible.

Finnish filling all the cups in this way with the melted wax and then set the candles to one side to cool and set.

To finish off, tie a slim ribbon on the handle of the cup or around the bowl of the cup to decorate. If you are making the cup and saucer candle as a gift, you could write a special message on a brown card luggage label and tie that to the cups handle.

Perfect Valentines :: Tea Cosy Folk :: Santas Postbag::Halloween Mania :: Swindon Flowers ::Zafyna

LED Light up Bottle

By S. Roberts

You can find lots of unusual things in bottles, ships and messages, so why not fill a bottle with LED lights? What a bright idea! This attractive bottle is a great talking point; it makes a nice table decoration or a festive night-light, everyone will want one of these.

To make the LED light up bottle you will need... A clear glass bottle, a meter or so of tinsel, a loo roll or kitchen towel tube, glitter, PVA glue, and a set of 20 LED lights. You can get these ready made from with a battery compartment from the '99p Store' on your local high street. Tech confident people could make their own from individual components. DO NOT use mains fairy lights, this is a fire hazard!

First wash out the bottle and remove all the labels. Use a nice smelling detergent to rid the bottle of any lingering odours from its previous contents. Leave the bottle to drain and dry out completely.

Take the LED lights and the Tinsel, use a small amount of selotape and stick the wire directly behind the last LED bulb (the bulb furthest away from the battery compartment) to the end of the strip of tinsel.

Twist the string of lights and the tinsel loosely together and carefully push the lights and tinsel into the bottle until the battery compartment rests on the neck of the bottle.

The loo roll or kitchen towel tube will become a fancy bottle stopper that covers the battery compartment. Draw around the end of the tube onto a piece of card. A grocery box is great. Cut the disc out and push it into the end of the tube. Use a bit of selotape to hold it in place.

Cover the tube and end piece in PVA glue and sprinkle with glitter. Cover the cardboard completely so that it is no longer visible. Leave to dry.

Perch the battery compartment on top of the bottle and place the glitter bottle stopper over the top of it, so that it hides the batteries and part of the neck of the bottle.


S. Roberts write for www.santaspostbag.co.uk a free educational resource packed with creative things to do and make including traditional, religious & 21-century activities. Visit http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/christmas-fun-stuff.html for more fun stuff. SantasPostbag is in association with www.bigboystoyz.com Together keeping Christmas magical.