Pillar candles that glow in a variety of jewel-tones from the chunks of different colored wax that make them up are a very seventies look. And they are surprisingly easy to make, as well as tailor to a more updated and sophisticated look.
You will need quantities of wax for your pillar candles, wax dye and a few pillar candle molds. An array of different sizes and shapes of pillar candles in a 'candlescape' makes a lovely centerpiece or home altar adornment.
Making pillar candles is a several step process that you may need to spread over several days. You must first make the color chunks, and only when they have hardened can you make the pillar candles themselves.
Melt a quantity of paraffin wax in a double boiler, not directly on the burner. Don't use your good pans for making pillar candles--purchase some pans specifically for wax melting at a thrift shop. Once you have used a pan for melting wax, it is almost impossible to get all the wax out of it again. Using wax dyes, color the wax whatever colors you wish. You will be repeating this process several times with different colors, so make sure you have an assortment of items to harden the wax in.
You can make the color chunks for your pillar candles in old ice cube trays, or simply pour the dyed wax out onto an old cookie sheet, or into a plastic container. Whether you want regular or irregular chunks for your pillar candles is up to you. Allow the dyed wax to harden. Thick brick-like color chunks can be made in ice cube trays. Thin irregular chunks of color can be made by breaking up a sheet of wax hardened in an old cookie tray.
Now you're ready to plan your color-chunk pillar candles. Do you want a brick-like array of chunks, or a random hodge-podge? Much will depend on the width of your pillar mold. Prep your mold according to the manufacturer's directions; different mold types have different ways of dealing with the wicking. You may wish to spray the mold with a kitchen spray so that the candle will slide out easily when cooled.
Create an interior assortment of colors that pleases you. Fill the pillar candle mold up with chunks. Have a few color chunks that come up over the brim of the mold, if it suits your fancy. Now pour white wax into the mold to fill in all the gaps left between the chunks.
For a less random look to your pillar candles, make cutout shapes of colored wax with heated metal cookie cutters. Brush a little melted wax on the shapes and stick them to the inside walls of a square pillar mold. Then fill the mold with white wax as above.
For the quintessential seventies look, don't use candle molds at all for your pillar candles--use old (cleaned and dried) wax milk cartons with the tops cut out. Now you're really groovy.
