DIY Candles

I'm a huge lover of candles. My mum always has them burning at home and they give off such a sense of warmth and cosiness. I purchased a couple of rose scented candles a while ago, and neither of them burnt so well... They burnt straight down the middle, not evenly at all. So when the wick was all gone, I was left with a lot of wax in the jar. Instead of just throwing it away, I decided I would melt them down and create a new candle to prevent waste and to hopefully make them burn a little more evenly. 
I thought it would take ages to do this but it didn't take too long at all, and it is actually pretty simple to do. All you will need is: a pretty jar, wick, wick pin inserts, a pencil & wax. I got everything I needed from my local Hobby Craft, and used the left over wax and jar I already had. You can also buy wax ready to melt down from different craft stores. 

1. Remove the wax from jar (if re-using old wax). 
2. Place in a microwavable bowl/jar (one that doesn't matter if you cannot use it again, or can only use it for candle making). I used an empty jar which I cleaned out.
3. In one minute increments melt the wax in the microwave, stirring after each minute until completely melted. 
4. Whilst the wax is melting, get a small amount of the already melted wax and use this to stick down the wick pin inserts, with the wick tucked underneath. I did this twice to have two wicks in my jar (I'm hoping two will make the candle burn evenly). Cut the wick a lot longer than you will need it and wrap around a pencil and balance on top. This will keep the wicks out of the way when you are pouring in the wax.
5. Once the wax is melted, you have to work pretty quickly as it sets fast. Pour the wax into the jar and leave to set. 
6. Once set, cut the wick down to size. 
I really enjoyed doing this little DIY and I was really pleased that I didn't let my candles go to waste! It's also a pretty fun activity for if you're feeling like getting a bit creative but don't have that much time.