If you are looking for a fun gift to make for any occasion, then personalized candle making may be something you would like to consider. There are many ways to make personalized candles, depending on how much time and money you are willing to spend.

With just a little extra time and effort, you can make a personalized candle out of an otherwise ordinary candle gift that the lucky recipient will love.

1. The simplest way to make a personalized candle is get a normal candle at your local candle store. Even general retail stores like Walmart sometimes have candles for sale. Candles come in all shapes and sizes, but almost any candle can be personalized.
2. Anything smaller than a tea light will be difficult to personalize. For tea light candles, you can normally purchase a big bag for a low price. These candles are great as favors for guests at a wedding or baby shower. The easiest way to personalize is to use either a graphics program on your computer or a word processor. We’ll stick with the Word processor since it is easier. First, draw a circle the same dimensions as the lid on the tea light, or better yet use a circular label sheet. Then select a nice font, like cursive script or Corsiva. You can enter then names and date of the event into the circle. Print out a sample on plain paper to make sure the look and size is right. Once you have the desired result, you can print your tea light label stickers. Finally, apply the sticker onto the top of the tea light.
3. For jar candles, you can create a square-shaped personalized label. Since you have more area to work with, you can download free graphics from the Internet. Search the web for “free clip art” and download the images you want. Once again print out a sample on plain paper and then print the label. If you don’t have a color printer, you can go to a local copier and they can make a nice label for you. Stick the label on the jar. Now you have created a unique gift personalized just for that special person.
4. For tall pillar candles, you can get those engraved at an engraving shop (look in the phone book under engravers). The artwork and text can come in different colors. If you are artistic, you can even buy candle-engraving kits online and do it yourself.
5. How about those 1oz votive candles? For a professional looking gift, get cellophane bags and colored ribbon. Wrap the candle in the cello bag and tie it up with the ribbon. Then attach a personalized tag to the ribbon. These candles can also be engraved.
6. If you can make candles, then there are limitless possibilities. You can use different fragrances oils to create scented candles. You can use embeds for decoration. Cookie cutters and molds are also useful for designing the right shape.

In summary, you can take an ordinary store candle and make it a very special gift with just a little more effort. Your friends and loved ones will cherish these gifts for years to come.

About the Author:
Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. For more personalized gift ideas, go to Personalized Baby Shower Favors and for more candle gift ideas, see Baby Shower Candle Favors.

As featured in the story “A Candle For Christmas” from the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm)

Materials:

• 1 wax carton (quart) (milk, fabric softener, or orange juice)
• 1 pound of paraffin wax
• 4 or 5 old crayons
• two trays of ice cubes
• a double boiler (or an empty coffee can and a saucepan)
• 1 piece of ordinary white package string about six inches long.

Caution: Do not heat paraffin directly over the burner. Paraffin is easily combustible. Use a double boiler or a two-pound coffee can set in a pan of water. I put the coffee can on top of home canning jar rings (the rings, not the flat lids). If the can is not set on top of something, the concave bottom creates a vacuum when the water begins to heat up, plus if it’s on the bottom of the pan, it’s just that much closer to the burner.

Trim the top part of the carton off so that what remains is about six inches high.

Cut the string so that it is six inches long. (To make a wick that lasts longer, try braiding three pieces of string together.)

Melt the paraffin wax over medium heat in a double boiler or a coffee can in a pan of water. Use three-quarters of a pound for a somewhat smaller candle or use all four squares for a larger candle. Once the water begins to boil, it will take 10 or 15 minutes for the paraffin to melt.

Break the crayons into small pieces and add to the paraffin. If the crayons are added first before the wax is melted, the color makes it difficult to see if all of the paraffin is liquefied.

Use a pair of tongs (a scissors works, too), and dip the string into the paraffin. Dipping the string will ensure that it is coated with paraffin since the ice cubes may prevent some sections from coming in contact with the liquid wax. Hold the string so that it is in the middle of the carton and fill the carton with ice cubes. Pour the hot paraffin over the ice cubes.

The candle will be set in about 30 minutes. Let the candle stand for another hour or two until most of the ice cubes are melted. Pour off the water. Peel off the carton. Place the candle in a tray or on a plate to catch the rest of the water from the ice cubes as they finish melting. Let the candle dry for a day or two.

The candles I have made with a single piece of string only burn for an hour or so and burn quickly enough so that most of the paraffin remains intact. To use the paraffin again, melt the candle and pour the wax into other containers to make solid candles.

~ Solid Candles ~
To make solid candles, select several glass containers. Pint or half-pint canning or jelly jars work well. For the wick, measure out a few more inches of string than is needed to reach the bottom of the container. Tie the string around a pencil. Put the pencil across the top of the container to hold the wick in place. When the paraffin and crayons are melted, pour the liquid wax into the container(s). When the candle is set, snip off the wick about a half inch above the wax.

~ Scented Candles ~
To make scented candles, put three or four teaspoons of vanilla extract into the bottom of the double boiler (or the coffee can) and then add the paraffin and crayons. When the wax is melted, pour into containers.

About The Author
LeAnn R. Ralph is a freelance writer for two newspapers in west central Wisconsin, is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers’ Assoc.) and is the author of the book, Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm) (Aug. 2003); trade paperback. For more information about Christmas In Dairyland, visit ruralroute2.com. bigpines@ruralroute2.com

There are several unique, exciting and interesting baby shower favor ideas that will work well for almost any shower. Whether traditional or alternative in nature, the following are popular baby shower favor ideas:

• Bath and Body Items
• Notepads
• Pictures
• Gift Certificates
• Coupons
• Gift Baskets
• Designer Candles
• Baby Bottles with Candy

No matter what baby shower favor idea you come up with, keep in mind that the majority of your guests are coming with one intention in mind, and that is to spoil and entertain the mom to be. Some important considerations when planning a shower include the food items, cake and games that will be played by visitors.

The mom to be or any friends of the family is likely to take an active interest in your planning efforts. If you are uncertain what favors might be well received, go over the guest list with your mom-to-be and try to get a feel for the personality of the ladies attending. You might find for example that a large majority of the moms that will be attending have children of their own. If this is the case don’t hesitate to include helpful childcare or baby items that any mom would be appreciative of.

Some baby shower favor ideas are generated from the party theme itself. For example, if the motif of a shower is a color, such as green, you might consider acquiring some melon, lime or pear flavored hand soaps and lotions (that will of course, be green in color). You might even consider some “gag” gift items as party favors including stickers (which are sure to be well received from the children of guests).

Planning a baby shower requires an investment in time and energy. There is no reason to spend the majority of your planning time attempting to find appropriate party favors. There is a vast selection of products available, and ideas are easily discovered when one takes a moment to consider the shower theme, guests and mom-to-be’s expectations.

About the Author
Corporate gift strategist Adriana Copaceanu specializes in helping entrepreneurs increase their referrals through the strategic use of gifts. She offers a customized worry free gift giving service to fit the budget of any size business to assist them in standing out from the crowd. See her gift basket gallery here: www.abcgiftsandbaskets.com