Gel Candle Designs

Gel Candle Designs

There are several different types of design
ideas available when making gel candles ...
part of what makes these candles so much fun.
The possibilities are seemingly endless.

Here are some of the design scenarios
for gel container candles that can be explored ...

Simple

Jeweled

Artistic

Layered

Swirled

Mosaic

Floral

Holiday

Themes

Drink or cocktail

Water habitats

Sand Art

Desserts


For me, this is the first step to creating
a candle ... What is it going to be?

Then, the glassware sets the stage ...
much of the more interesting glassware
is usually a cocktail glass of some sort.
Wine glasses are also good choices.
Small "rocks" glasses or wide "tumblers"
or short juice glasses work well for many
designs also.

Beyond a simple pour, you can embellish
the design with embedded decorations,
such as marbles, polished stones or glass,
glass beads or beaded wire, colored gravel,
wax shapes, and more. You just have to
remember that anything that is embedded
into the candle either must be wax that can
safely burn along with the candle, or a substance
that cannot burn at all ... coins, blown glass
decors, marbles, stones, etc. For drink candles
you can add pieces of wax fruit or wax ice cubes.
A note about stones ... if using these, you need
to be careful with your selection and design,
as some rocks can become too hot and are not
safe choices for candles. When in doubt ...
do not use.

For dessert candles, you can use gel as an icing,
such as a strawberry or butterscotch sundae
sauce over ice cream, or a "sticky-sweet" drizzle
of flavor to a piece of pie or cake, and gel lends
itself wonderfully as a "pie filling" with wax fruit
shapes, as you have probably seen in preserve
or fruit pie or tart candles.

Seascape or freshwater designs make very
pretty candles with the use of shells or
pebbles with gravel. Note that sand dollars
and coral fragments are not safe to use.

Here are a few tips for when you're first
learning ... start simple. Once you get accustomed
to working with candle gel, you'll be more
confident to try new designs. After you decide
to try something more complicated, it's best not
to overdo it ... again, keep it on the "simple"
side for elegant candles ... if the candle is too
"busy" it will loose some of its effect.
Also, too much of some ingredients can
actually ruin not only the look of your candle,
but the candle itself ... for instance, if you add
too much glitter, your wick can become clogged
or make your candle unsafe for burning.
Or, if you add too much color, you'll end up
with a dark candle that you can't see into ...
too much scent will destroy your candle,
making it oily and dangerous. Be sure to
follow all safety guidelines.

So, if you're a beginner, first start to think about
the glassware you would like to use ... your
first color selections and scents you'd like to try.
These are the basic design concepts ... shape,
color and aroma. You may wish to start with
a dash of specialty glitter just around the rim
of the glass, or some simple embedded objects,
although there are some tricks to using any type
of embedded object or embellishment, so, again,
my advice for beginners is to start very simple ...
you won't regret it!

Glitter can be a pretty accent for candles, reflecting
light and color, but there are some considerations to
be taken before using glitter.

First, know that too much glitter, or too fine a
glitter can clog your wick and your candle will
not burn after the wick has clogged. Also, too
much glitter can cluster around the wick and
become a fire hazard. So, glitter should be
used at a minimum ... just enough to create
a little accent.

I only use glitter around the edge of gel
container candles on the surface (right
up against the rim of the glass), or against
the glass inside the candle ... far away from
the wick. Although some glitter particles may
become suspended in the gel, I feel it's too risky
to simply sprinkle glitter all over the top of a
gel candle, allowing it to fall into the candle
without restriction, or to actually mix glitter
in with the gel. Too much glitter in a candle
is not safe ... I will post a link at the bottom of
this article for reference showing an example
of a pillar candle design with glitter that did
not work out well and was recalled.

If you are burning a candle and glitter
accumulates around the wick, one thing you
can do is to use a metal pick to move the
glitter away from the wick, or run a metal
pick (poultry lacer) up and down the wick
a few times to loosen any glitter particles
that may be clogging it.

Specialty glitters work well ... although I have
found that the ultra-fine may clog wicks most
readily. A fine grade or metallic glitter has
always worked the best for me.

Here's a tip for having sprinkles of glitter up
against the glass on the inside of your candle ...

I have found it easiest to first mount my
wick in the bottom of the container, then
pour about an inch of candle gel into the
bottom of the glass and immediately tilt
the glass all the way around so the gel goes
up the glass on the sides to within about an
inch from the top ... when it has covered all
sides I quickly turn the glass completely
upside down over a melting pot to dump
out any excess gel. This final step isn't completely
necessary if you don't mind the excess gel at
the bottom of your candle ... but, if you don't
want any sign of it (it will cause a clear layer
at the bottom of your candle), then you need
to "spill out" the excess gel.

Now, you can sprinkle glitter on the inside
walls of your glass or jar and it will stick to
the gel. This can take a little practice to
make sure that you have a smooth layer
of gel up on the sides of your container ...
if at first you end up with a lumpy mess,
simply wait for it to cool a bit and peel it
off and do it again.


Tip: If you are are not a beginning gel candle
maker, you may already use this method for
glitter ... or you may also already use this
method for "sticking" wax shapes up against
your container.

Glitter, when used correctly and with care,
can add just a hint of color and sparkle that
shimmers while your candle is burning for
a very pretty effect.

As time goes on, I hope to share some techniques
for creating some of the design ideas I've mentioned
here and I hope you will try some of them!

Happy crafting!




Here is the link in reference to safety issue ...

Recalled Glitter Pillar Candles