How to make candles at home. Candles with their own hands. DIY gel candles at home. Water bath only

People have been using candles for a long time.

Previously, they served to illuminate the premises, and now they are an element of decor and a way to create a romantic, festive or cozy atmosphere.

You can find many in stores different types candles, ranging from the simple to the whimsical. Similar decorations can be made independently from simple materials. Manufacturing decorative candles does not require financial costs and does not take much time, but by showing imagination and putting a piece of your soul into your product, you can create unique thing that will bring joy to you and your family.

How to make decorative candles with your own hands

What will be required

candle material. Wax, paraffin or stearin. For people who are new to candle making, it is best to start with paraffin wax, as it is easier to work with. Paraffin can be bought or obtained from white household candles or their remains.

Stearin is easily obtained from laundry soap. Grate the soap on a coarse grater or cut it with a knife. Place the chips in a metal container, fill with water so that the liquid covers it and send it to melt in a water bath. When the soap has dissolved, take it off the heat and add the vinegar. A thick mass will float to the surface, which must be collected with a spoon after cooling. This mass is stearin, it must be washed several times under water and wrapped in a clean cloth to remove excess moisture.

Wick. For the wick, you will need a thick cotton thread, for example, a braided thread or a floss twisted into a rope. Synthetic materials they are unsuitable for candles, because they burn quickly and smell unpleasant. It is easier to get a wick from ordinary candles.

The form. Various containers can be used as a mold for making candles: coffee jars, strong packaging, sand molds and plastic balls. If you decide to make a candle narrowed to the top or a round one, the container that you will use for this, for example, a plastic ball, should be cut lengthwise and a hole with a diameter of at least 1 cm should be made at the top so that the composition can be freely poured into it.

Dyes. You can take dry food colors, wax crayons or natural ingredients, such as cocoa. But paints on alcohol or water based unsuitable for making candles.

Dishes for melting. A small saucepan or bowl is suitable, which is convenient to place on the steam bath.

Additional materials. You will need them to decorate and add flavors to the product. Since DIY candles are a lot of fantasy, you can use whatever you like, such as coffee, dried flowers, shells, beads and sparkles. Candles can be scented with your favorite essential oils, vanilla or cinnamon.

Working process

  1. Grind the selected raw material and place it in a water bath. If you are using household candles, be sure to remove the wick. The remains of candles must be cleaned of black soot. While stirring, wait until the mass melts. Dip the wick into it several times so that it is saturated and set it aside.
  2. Add flavoring and coloring to the mass. If you use wax crayons, grind them with a fine grater. When using two or more colors, you can achieve a marble color. And by dividing the mass into several parts and painting them in different colors, you can make a multi-colored candle.
  3. Grease the mold chosen for the candle vegetable oil or dishwashing detergent. Fix the tip of the wick on a stick, toothpick or pencil and place it on the mold so that the free end of the wick passes through its middle and reaches the bottom. For reliability, a weight, for example, a nut, can be attached to the free part of the wick.
  4. Pour the melted mass into the mold, wait for it to solidify completely, then pull out the candle by pulling on the wick. If the candle is difficult to remove, immerse the mold in hot water.
  5. You can decorate candles in different ways, for example, spread dried flowers, blades of grass and seeds around the edges of the mold and then pour the melted mass. To make a coffee candle, you need to pour a layer of coffee beans on the bottom of the mold, pour them liquid material for a candle and put grains on top again. It is better to decorate the product with beads, rhinestones and shells after it has solidified and taken out of the mold. Decorative elements are inserted into the melted surface of the candle or attached with glue.

The first time you may have problems, but after a little practice, making candles at home will not be difficult.

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Dinner for two, conversations with loved ones over a cup of coffee, long evenings and nights working at home, a movie marathon, relaxing with a book or meditation - such moments will become even more pleasant if cozy lights flicker in the room. Are you going to a holiday? Weld an original candle - such a handmade souvenir will definitely appeal to those who are waiting for you to visit. In our article we will tell and show how to make unique decor fast and easy.

How to make a candle: instructions

The process of candle making is quite fascinating and simple, and therefore has every chance of becoming a pleasant hobby. There are many ideas for decorating such crafts; in this regard, you can experiment. However, the principle of their preparation is almost always the same.

So, arm yourself with the following materials: standard household candles; cotton thread; a container for melting wax; dishes for a water bath; molds made of tin, plastic or glass; pencil or stick for setting the wick.

Procedure:
1. Take care of fixing the wick in advance. Tie one end of the thread to the holder, and lower the other to the center of the form.
2. Cut the candles into bars and place them in a melting container over a water bath. The fire should be slow, wax continuously stir. The liquid will be ready when there are no lumps in it.
3. Pour some melted wax into the bottom of the modeling container. Fix the wick in the middle, wait about a minute until the part hardens.
4. Fill in the remaining liquid.
5. After 24 hours, the work will completely harden, cut off the excess length of the thread.
6. Natural light is ready to use.

DIY decorative candle ideas

lavender candle

Fragrant and soothing lavender will create the right atmosphere for meditation, reading and taking a bubble bath.

Complete the standard set of materials with essential oil, lavender sprigs, and a small glass jar.

Fasten the dried flowers along the edges of the vessel, and then fix the wick and fill the container with a part of melted wax. Please note that the lavender must be placed strictly along the edge so that it does not catch fire during use. Heat the second part of the liquid again over low heat, adding a few drops of lavender oil, and slowly pour into the mold.

Put a cute composition near your favorite interior items, it will complement any design.

coffee candle

If you are a fan of this blessed drink, be sure to try creating your own composition that will fully suit your taste.

There are 4 ways to make such a decorative element.

1. For the first one, you will need the same tools as for an ordinary craft, as well as whole coffee beans. They need to be added to heated wax and filled with a mixture of prepared containers. Since the grains vary in size and configuration, each result will be unique.

2. You can decorate a ready-made candle with fragrant grains. It is enough to fix the grains with glue or fix them on an uncooled plane, gently pressing them with your fingers.

3. Make a small candle. Remove the product from the mold and place in a larger vessel. Free place fill with grains.

4. If you want the product to delight you with a pleasant coffee smell, add ground coffee to melted wax just before pouring. A burning light will fill the room with an incredible aroma.

lemon candle

Lemon peel can serve original candlestick. Such an art object will complement the country style, loft, as well as Scandinavian and modern design.

To create 4 crafts, you need to prepare: the appropriate number of threads, wax, water bath accessories, a couple of lemons. If desired, add aromatic components or dye to the substance. In this case, we introduce lavender oil and dried flowers into the composition.

So, to start, cut each lemon in half and get rid of the pulp. Next, heat the wax and include aromatic and floral elements in it, stir. Secure the wicks and pour the mixture into each half of the lemon. Finally, place the product in a cool place until it hardens. Please note that the refrigerator is not the most suitable option for these purposes, as the liquid may freeze unevenly.

Glitter Candle

I want to make every holiday even more memorable and bright. In this case, a beautiful decor with sparkles will help you, which you can easily make with your own hands. It will allow you to decorate the house for a party or become an unusual gift for your friends.

In the manufacturing process, you can use both homemade and purchased base. Having prepared a candle, glue and glitter, you can begin to work. To create a flicker only on separate area, you can use adhesive tape, thereby highlighting the necessary area. Cover the surface with a good layer of glue and, holding the part over a sheet of paper, sprinkle liberally with glitter. Let the glue dry, then carefully remove the tape.

For a truly unique product, you can shower it with multi-colored glitter, and thanks to the tape strips of various widths, you can achieve a multi-level pattern.

Such a decoration will look chic as a New Year's entourage.

Multicolored candles

As you know, candles are not only plain and dull, but also multi-colored and bright. To create such a decor with your own hands, you will need a little material, patience and a few hours of your time.

In addition to the basic ingredients for brewing, you will need wax crayons of your choice of colors and, if desired, aromatic oils.

Having prepared a clear liquid and a glass cup with a wick, rub and melt the first colored wax pencil. After that, mix it with wax and pour it into a container. To make the pattern beautiful and unusual, tilt and fix the cup until each layer hardens. When all layers are ready, let the product harden completely.

That's all! Multi-colored lights with a beautiful pattern are ready.

Candle molds

Thanks to paper molds, you can make a natural lamp of interesting geometric configurations. Their variety depends only on the stencil that you have chosen.

We select the appropriate template, and then print it on the printer. It is advisable to use thick paper. We cut and glue each blank, as indicated in the photo. To prevent the paper from disintegrating during the pouring of wax, it must be coated on the outside with paint and allowed to dry. As in other cases, insert the wick and fix it, and then pour it into the stencil. When the liquid hardens, all you have to do is remove the paper.

Even the usual one is perfect as a form eggshell. The production process is similar to the previous one and requires a minimum of effort. Nevertheless, products made using such patterns will be a wonderful decoration in any interior and at any time of the year, but especially at Easter.

flower candles

Candles made using this technique will become wonderful decor and exquisite gift. Despite their incredible beauty and sophisticated look, needlework will only require time and effort from you.

We make the preparation and let it freeze. At this time, we will prepare various dried flowers, berries, leaves and other natural jewelry. When decorating, we will use the decoupage technique. To do this, you need another candle, any tweezers and a tablespoon. Having warmed up the spoon, we carefully press the prepared gifts of nature into the surface, thus forming a unique pattern. If any of the elements does not look too attractive, you just need to cover it with a new layer of paraffin, and it will sparkle with new colors. To do this, holding the wick, lower the product into heated paraffin.

Aroma candles

Do you want a truly magical atmosphere to reign in your room? Then fill the space with the wonderful aroma of pine needles, lime, mint, lavender, bergamot or vanilla. Of course you can buy finished products in the form of air fresheners, but it is much better to envelop the house with the smell of candles created on the basis of natural ingredients. Plus, it's pretty easy to do. Smells will suit any, they can be combined with each other. We will tell you how to make several options for such multifunctional jewelry.

Decorate products with fragrant needles. In this case, you can make candles yourself or buy them in a store. We get the freshness of needles from the slight heating of real branches of cypress, pine or spruce.

Degrease the candlestick with an alcoholized cotton pad, and place the pine needles under pressure for several hours to make them flatter. At the bottom of the candlestick, for example, a glass or jar with wide and high walls, apply 10-15 drops of liquid wax and fix the work.

Lubricate the finished branches with glue or spray with adhesive spray and fix them on the glasses so that their lower parts hang down a little. When the glue dries, trim the edges of the plant. Note that the needles should not be placed inside the container, since in this case the fragrant plume will not come out. If everything went well, you will notice a beneficial effect - evaporation conifers pacify nervous system, will help you relax after a hard day, and will also make it easier to recover from a cold, as the needles are famous for their antiseptic properties.

Try creating a mix by adding a few drops of different essential oils into melted wax. Combine lemon and rosemary for a toned body, bergamot and lavender for relaxation, geranium and rose for calm and balance. Tandems of cedar and lemon, cloves and orange will also help to carry away all sorrows. Vanilla, jasmine, ylang-ylang will create an atmosphere for a romantic evening.

The whole process is identical to smelting from any other material. The main difference is that our goal is still the creation transparent composition. That is why we must choose a transparent container, as well as use the dye with care so that our product does not lose its originality. If you decide to place any elements inside the candle, the main thing is to place them at the level at which you want to see them (for example, the details strewn to the bottom will remain there). Suitable for decoration glass balls, sea shells, flowers, leaves or dried fruits.

Video: How to make decorative candles - Master class

Greetings to all readers of our blog! If you like to make something with your own hands, then this post should please you. Because today we will tell how to make candles at home. We will need:

  • pot of cold water
  • pot with boiling water
  • old paraffin candles
  • children's wax crayons (such as Crayola)
  • cans for beer and gas drinks
  • sunflower oil
  • shells
  • creatiff in huge quantities. 🙂

How to make a multi-colored candle at home.

1. Melt the old candles in a water bath, after separating the wick. Mandatory condition: you need to heat a piece for each color separately.

2. Now we make multi-colored chips from crayons. And dilute it in melted paraffin.

3. Lubricate the form for cutting (for example, a can of Coca Cola drink) sunflower oil to keep the wax from sticking to the mold.

4. Fix the wick on a pencil or a tube for juice and lower it into a candle mold so that it is located vertically in the center of the jar and touches the bottom. Place the mold in a bowl of cold water.

5. Pour in the 1st portion of the colored melted paraffin. Wait a little for the paraffin to harden. If you add pieces of ice on top and fill it with a portion of paraffin of a different color, you will get a relief candle shape.

6. Fill all the colors in this way in layers, let the candle harden a little. And then carefully remove it from the mold (you can even cut off the thin walls of the jar)

7. One candle turned out to be striped, and the second is embossed.

8. If you want to make an original candle with sea ​​shells or coffee beans, you need to place them closer to the walls of the jar, otherwise they will not be visible.

Candle making is a very exciting process, during which the most interesting ideas come to mind. incredible ideas! Try it and you will surely succeed!

Video how to make a candle

Flickering lights of candles will make any evening warm and cozy. They will create a romantic atmosphere when two meet, good New Year spirit. Candles are a symbol home comfort, hence the wedding tradition, when parents light the "hearth" of a young family.

Despite the fact that you can find a wide variety of candles on sale - in shape, color and even aroma - it is not difficult to make them yourself, and you will enjoy the process itself and the result.

Candle decor option

DIY candle decor

At home, you can easily make wax or gel candles, simple and scented. The process itself is not difficult, from the materials you will need:

    paraffin or wax (for starters, you can use ordinary white household candles);

    thread or thin cord made of cotton;

    dishes for a water bath;

    dishes in which wax will be melted;

    candle mold (made of glass, plastic, tin).

As a form, you can use small jars from under baby food. After pouring and solidifying the candles, you can decorate them - you will get a beautiful candlestick.

Candle making process:

    Place the thread in the form in the center, securing it on a wooden stick for convenience.

    Melt the paraffin by placing it in a small container and heating in a water bath until completely dissolved and a homogeneous consistency.

    Pour some melted paraffin into the bottom of the mold, securing the tip of the wick.

    When the paraffin hardens slightly, continue pouring it further, adjusting the wick.

    After filling out the form, leave to solidify completely, for about a day, then cut the wick, leaving a convenient end for ignition.

You can use the candle no earlier than a day after the candle has completely solidified.

Important! The melted paraffin is very hot, follow the safety rules when working.

Do-it-yourself candle decor for the holiday

Candle decor option

Decorating candles with your own hands

The idea of ​​​​decorating candles with your own hands

DIY candle decor

Ideas for creating candles

Do-it-yourself candle decor for the holiday

Candle decor option

Decorating candles with your own hands

DIY candle decor

The idea of ​​​​decorating candles with your own hands

DIY gel candle

The unusual design of such a candle is achieved by adding decorative elements to the transparent form. It can be - shells, beads, glass pebbles, flowers or pieces of fruit. The form is filled with a special transparent candle gel.

Post decorative elements inside the form it is possible in different ways: those elements that will be laid on the bottom will remain there after solidification. But during the filling process, you can add new decor, and then it will "hang" or settle down on the surface of the candle.

You can also add coloring or flavoring to the gel. The clear gel looks especially impressive when the color is uneven, such as going from a dark color at the bottom to a lighter color at the top of the candle.

It is not worth decorating the form in which the gel candle is filled - it is aesthetic in itself. It is also better to choose a candlestick transparent, simple - so you can at its best show the beauty of the candle.

Do-it-yourself candle decor for the holiday

Candle decor option

Decorating candles with your own hands

The idea of ​​​​decorating candles with your own hands

DIY candle decor

"Delicious" candles

To create beautiful and original lamps you can use the peel of half an orange or lemon instead of a mold. After freeing them from the pulp, pour wax into a stylized mold, after adding dye and essential oil.

You can make a coffee candle in different ways:

    adding coffee beans to melted paraffin;

    gluing them to the surface of the candle with glue or still warm wax;

    inserting a smaller ready-made candle into a large form, fill the gap between them with coffee beans.

It is easy to make a candle in a bowl in the form of ... ice cream. Melt part of the wax and pour it over the wick in a bowl. Let the other part cool slightly and beat with a whisk. Then make a wax ball with an ice cream scoop and place in a bowl. Can you make these balls? different color by adding color and fruit flavors. Put paraffin "whipped cream" on top, decorate with decorative berries, pieces of "fruit".

Lighting up the family hearth

The rite of ignition of the “family hearth” is an obligatory part of the wedding celebration. Candles are decorated for him, observing the style and color palette weddings. To decorate them, you can use:

    flowers from fabric, foamiran, polymer clay;

    rhinestones, sequins.

Often several decorative elements are used at the same time. For example, satin ribbons or lace can be additionally decorated with beads, and flower arrangements are combined with ribbons and rhinestones. An easy way to decorate candles is to wrap them in lace and glue on rhinestones. More complex - flower arrangements, dot painting.

Candles are performed in uniform style with wedding glasses. On the table of the newlyweds, such a composition looks aesthetically pleasing.

Do-it-yourself candle decor for the holiday

Candle decor option

Decorating candles with your own hands

The idea of ​​​​decorating candles with your own hands

DIY candle decor

New Year's Eve Romance

New Year's holidays are conducive to creating a warm, romantic atmosphere in the house, and candles do an excellent job with this task. You can decorate them using the decoupage technique - then an ordinary white candle will turn into a fabulous one.

Need to cook:

    candle-column, preferably large, wide;

    decoupage napkin with a New Year or winter theme;

    decoupage varnish.

Simplest - cold way when a napkin is placed on a candle and simply gently smoothed over the surface, leaving not a single air bubble under the napkin. The top of the candle is varnished.

Another option - the elements of the napkin are placed on the candle, covered with wax paper on top, then the candle is slightly heated with a hairdryer.

You can decorate a candle with natural elements using burlap, tree branches, dried berries, cinnamon sticks. Relatives and friends will be happy with such a gift not only on New Year, because candles are a symbol of warmth and family happiness– are appropriate in any home all year round.

Video: DIY candle decor

50 interesting photo ideas for decorating candles with your own hands:

Candles are an attribute of many holidays and. Candles create the very atmosphere that helps to relax and plunge into the world of harmony. To learn how to make candles with your own hands, a master class will be essential, this is the easiest way to master the manufacturing technology and create real works of art from paraffin.

Master class for beginners: multi-colored decorative candle in a glass

We won't need special devices or expensive materials. Buy in store:

  • several white candles;
  • plastic cup with thick walls;
  • thin wooden stick;
  • clothespin;
  • wax pencils;
  • several cans of condensed milk, green peas or corn.

We will cut the candles into small pieces, set aside the wick, it will be useful to us for making our candle.

Preparing the wick

To keep it securely, we make a small hole in the bottom of the cup and stretch a wick into it, with outer side tie a wooden stick to it. Stretch the wick and secure it with a clothespin on top.

Melting the wax

The basis of the master class on decorative candles with your own hands is the process of making wax. To do this, find a pot that can fit five jars of wax at the same time. We heat water in it, put the same amount of wax in each jar, add finely chopped pencils to the jars. We are waiting for the wax to melt and the masses to become homogeneous.

Filling the form with paraffin

At the very bottom we pour white paraffin, in which we did not add a pencil, then pour wax of different colors in turn, the faster this is done, the softer the borders between the colors will be. The brightness of the color can be changed by varying the number of pencils added.

Removing the candle from the mold

Let's wait until the paraffin completely hardens (1.5-2 hours). After that, you can carefully remove it from the glass.

DIY decorative candle ideas

When you have mastered the manufacturing technology, you can start experimenting and unusual decoration. We offer you some simple but original ideas.

Candles with ice

You will need a round shape, paraffin, ice, a wick, a jar and a pot of water to melt the paraffin, wax crayons for color. All manufacturing steps are the same as described above, but the wax must be of the same color. We fix the wick in the form, pour out the pieces of ice, then fill in the paraffin so that the surface is even. Leave the blank until the paraffin is completely dry, then drain the water and take out the candles. How more pieces ice, the more massive the patterns will be.

Japanese style round candles

To create such an option, we need special round shapes for making candles. They can be purchased at the store or ordered online. We melt the paraffin and pour it into the mold, after a few minutes we pierce the mass in the middle with a wooden stick, insert the wick and fill the hole with paraffin. When the wax has completely hardened, carefully pull the craft out of the mold, print out the hieroglyph on the computer and attach it to the candle, run it over it several times with a hot iron to glue it.

Aquarium Candle

If you were invited to a birthday or any other holiday, and you don’t know what to give the hero of the occasion, you can create a whole work of art - an aquarium candle. To do this, we need a small round container, similar to an aquarium. It is necessary to pour decorative small pebbles into it, fix the wick and place the figures of fish and jellyfish, shells as close as possible to the glass. Before pouring, tie the wick to a stick so that it stands straight and does not go to the side. To make the composition transparent, nothing can be added to the paraffin.

Master class on making gel candles

Recently, gel candles have become especially popular. The manufacturing process is exciting, because you can come up with any composition using shells, figurines, sand, flowers. The gel can be poured into any glass container with thick walls.

We offer you a master class on gel candles with your own hands, with which you can prepare gifts for your loved ones for the New Year.

First, let's prepare the materials:

  • glass for mulled wine with thick glass;
  • pouring gel (you can buy ready-made or make at home);
  • 3 cinnamon sticks;
  • dried carnation flowers;
  • dry slices of lemon;
  • small snowflakes made of hard material;
  • wick.

Fix the wick in the glass, fill the container with gel, then carefully lower all the jewelry into it. The liquid is quite viscous, so all objects will be on the surface or in the thickness of the gel. If you want some of the decorations to be at the bottom, then they need to be put in a glass before pouring.

To prepare the gel you will need

  • gelatin - 10 gr.;
  • water - 40 gr.;
  • glycerin - 70 gr.;
  • tannin - 4 gr.

Dissolve gelatin in water, add 50 gr. glycerin, put the mixture on a slow fire and stir until it becomes homogeneous. Then we prepare the second mass - the remaining 20 gr. glycerin is combined with 4 gr. tannin, the mixture will be cloudy, to achieve transparency, it must be boiled for a few seconds. Let's combine both sweep, the candle gel is ready!

Coffee scented candles

Can be cooked at home scented candles that will delight not only beautiful appearance, but also soothing or tonic odors. We present to your attention a master class on coffee candles with your own hands.

Required Ingredients:

  • paraffin;
  • juice box (it will replace the pouring mold);
  • wick;
  • coffee beans;
  • ribbons for decoration;
  • vanillin.

We put the paraffin in a water bath, and at this time we will prepare the form for pouring. To do this, it is better to use a small box of juice, cutting off from it upper part. In our case, the candle will turn out to be square, but if you wish, you can take a different shape and make it round.

When the form is ready, we fix the wick. We tie one end to a toothpick, which must be placed on the top of the mold, and fasten the wick from below with a few drops of melted paraffin. Pay attention to the thickness of the wick: the wider and more massive the candle, the thicker it should be.

Back to paraffin. When it is completely melted, add vanillin and coffee beans, heat the food on the fire for another 10 minutes - until pleasant aroma. Put 10 at the bottom of the mold coffee beans, fill half the mold with paraffin, wait 2 hours. Then pour 10 more grains on top and pour the remaining paraffin. We leave the wax for 12 hours, then carefully cut the mold and take out the finished candle.

Making wedding candles at home

Traditionally, two thin candles are used at the wedding, which symbolize the bride and groom, and one large one - family hearth.

You can make your own wedding candles. The master class will help you create real works of art. Let's prepare the materials:

  • form for thin candles;
  • form for round candle"family hearth";
  • paraffin
  • 3 wicks
  • lace, fabric flowers, ribbons for decoration;
  • contours on glass for decorating thin candles.

For the manufacture of wedding candles paraffin should be white. First, prepare a large round candle. To do this, install a wick in the form, pour paraffin, wait a few hours until it hardens. Candle "family hearth" is ready.

Carved candles - work for true masters

If you decide to learn how to do carved candles with your own hands, a master class will not be enough. First you need to prepare multi-colored containers where the candle will be dipped, they must be maintained at a constant temperature (75-90 degrees) using a water bath.

So, for work, we need to prepare materials and tools:

  • a container with paraffin of different colors;
  • paraffin blank (candle base);
  • container with cold water;
  • sharp knife;
  • acrylic candle varnish.

The blank can be made independently by pouring paraffin into a round or square shape, the most hard work starts later. When the candle is ready, it must be dipped 30 times in containers of paraffin. different colors, but after 1 time be sure to lower it into white wax. Then we put it in for a while cold water, cut off the smudges to level the base and you can get to work. Remember that a drawing or pattern needs to be thought out in advance, since everything will have to be done very quickly - the paraffin will harden in 15 minutes. The easiest way to carve is to cut with a thin knife small areas and bend the ends. We will tilt the first row in one direction, the second in the other, etc.

To protect the thread, dip the finished craft in acrylic varnish.

Making candles at home an exciting activity which requires care and perseverance. Try to make one simple candle, and you will not notice how you learn how to create carved compositions. We will also reveal secrets.