Teacup Candle Tutorial :)

So, I love Pinterest.  It's a source for great inspiration, and while I know some friends despise it for the feeling of inadequacy it can create, I have found so many great ideas from the site that I 'got nothing but love' for it. :)  I use it primarily to search for ideas, rather than looking at what all of my friends are pinning.  I have found that helps keep the feelings of inferiority at bay for me.

So here's the inspiration picture.  Soo sweet and adorable.  I'd seen it about a year ago, but hadn't had the perfect opportunity to make them yet.

Luckily, my sister was having a little baby shower hosted by some of the sweetest ladies we know.  These ladies have been a part of our lives, as my mom's best friends, since birth in most cases.  They are inspirations in every sense of the word.  Caring, giving, and truly beautiful inside and out.  And, these precious women would most definitely appreciate dainty and sweet little gifts such as these.  Perfect!!  :)  So, I texted my sister and said, "what about these as hostess gifts?!" and she said "I would be so grateful if you would make those!" Again, perfect!  I love doing projects like this and I know that helped take some stress off my sister - I was honored.  :)

Now for the fun part.  Shopping.  :)  We are lucky to have several great flea markets and resale shops in our little town.  I found some options for as little as 40 cents and others were a splurge at $9 (marked for $12... I may drive a hard bargain).  ;)

These were my favorites.  I adored the bird teacup.

I followed a tutorial that I found here.  I bought little wicks from Hobby Lobby.  They were 10 for $2.99.  Of course, I used a 40% off coupon, so they were even cheaper.  I used bamboo skewers that I had for grilling out (broken in half) and taped them on the ends, with the wick held in the middle.  The skewers help hold the wick in place to keep it from moving while you pour the wax.

In another effort to be frugal cheap,  I actually grated used, white and unscented candles I had in storage that I hadn't used in years.  I hate storing stuff like that, so this was the perfect opportunity to put those to use!  I grated them into my Pampered Chef glass batter bowl (love that thing!).  Once I had about 6 - 6" candles grated, I put the batter bowl in a pot filled halfway with water and brought the water to a boil.  I used another skewer to stir the wax as it melted.  I decided against adding scent for fear of messing it up... scents are just so fickle!

Pour carefully and slowly!

Sadly, I don't have any 'finished results' pictures.  But, trust me... they were precious and a hit!  Because I wanted them to be able to see the cups so they could pick their favorite, I wrapped them in cellophane and a pretty ribbon.  The final cost ended up averaging $4.50 per gift.  Pretty outstanding when you're trying to find gifts for 8!

Let me know if you like the teacups and if you have any ideas of your own to share!  I have another little tutorial in store, but would love to hear  your thoughts!

Love!
Cris