credit: www.burkatron.com

For those of us here in North America, summer (and the lovely, warm weather that accompanies it) is still quite a ways away. Candles bring a little warmth and light into our winter homes, and these easy do-it-yourself shell candles are a great way to use those souvenirs from your long-past beach trip or tropical adventure. The material list is short; you simply need seashells, bleach, wicks, wax, and a double boiler (or a small cooking pot and a glass or metal bowl that rests safely on top). If you already have tealight candles in your home, you could even disassemble them, and reuse the wick with holder and the wax for this project.

Steps:

1. Wash the seashells in a weak solution of bleach and water and allow to dry thoroughly. I have found many recommendations that suggest one tablespoon of bleach to one quart of water is sufficient.
2. Melt wax in the top section of the double boiler or in a bowl placed on top of a pot of boiling water.
3. When wax is melted, fill the shells with the melted wax.
4. Place the wicks with their holders into the filled shells; make sure that the holder is resting on the bottom of the shell.
5. Allow wax to dry and harden, which will take approximately 30-60 minutes.

And that’s it! Remember, you know your child’s abilities – they can help with as much or as little as you’d like, and really, this is a great project for adults, too!

Photo credit: http://www.burkatron.com/