Scented Soy Candle in a French coffee cup

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With only three weeks until Christmas, I’m sure you are already thinking about finding unique and original gifts for all your family and friends. But if you are like me and you’d rather create Christmas gifts instead of just buying them, a scented soy candle in a French coffee cup can be THAT special handmade gift that you are looking for.

I’ve been wanting to try and make scented candles for ages. And I’ve heard so many good things about all natural soy candles that are chemical free and even burn longer and clearer than paraffin candles do, I knew I had to give them a try.

But I couldn’t find soy flakes (the main ingredient) anywhere in my country. That’s one of my major problems with many of the amazing projects I find on Pinterest – I save and put them on my “Projects I want to try list” but when I find the time and decide to go ahead and make them, I can’t find the supplies …

I eventually found soy flakes online and was sooooo excited that I would finally be able to start my first adventure in making homemade scented soy candles! Or maybe I was just beginning to feed my candle obsession?! … I confess at that point I started to imagine small and large candles that would scent our home for many years to come :)

So I gathered my supplies: soy flakes*, a wick, chopsticks or skewers (to hold the wick), a pouring pot to use for double boiler (find something similar here*), a white coffee cup (find something similar here*), waterslide decal paper* with French graphic, lavender essential oils (my all time favorite), scissors.

To know exactly how many soy flakes to melt, completely fill the recipient you will be using for your soy candle and double that quantity.  So if you are using a coffee cup, like I did: 2 coffee cups soy flakes => 1 coffee cup soy candle  

Let me tell you about the coffee cup first – I used a simple white coffee cup and I decided to Frenchify it by using one of the beautiful French graphics from The Graphics Fairy (biggest fan, you already know that). Of course you can use other lovely (heat resistant) recipients you have in your home, some small jars or vintage tea cups will look adorable, there are quite a few possibilities that you can get creative with.

First I printed the French graphic on waterslide decal paper and I cut it using my scissors.

I filled a small bowl with water, I put the French decal in the bowl, let it sit for a few seconds and applied it on the white coffee cup by sliding the paper underneath.

I used a paper towel to remove the excess water and let it sit for a few minutes to dcry. If you need more details, you can find here all about waterslide decal paper transfers.

Now let’s get to the scented soy candle making part!

The first thing to do is to secure the wick to the bottom and to the top of the coffee cup, so it won’t move after pouring the melted soy wax. Some wicks come with small stickers that will help you easily secure the small round metal of the wick to the bottom of the cup but you can also use double tape or a few drops of melted wax to do that (like I did). For the top securing of the wick (right in the middle of the cup) I used two Chinese chopsticks (you can also use skewers) and some rubber band. 

Then I melted the soy flakes using a double boiler. As you can see, the soy flakes are white before melting.

And after the water underneath your pot containing the flakes will start to boil, the soy flakes will turn into a yellow-ish colored melted soy wax. Stir using a wooden utensil and remove the pot from the double boiler when completely melted.

Let the melted soy wax sit for about 10 minutes before adding 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oils.

You can skip the essential oils part if you want an unscented candle, but it is important that you let the melted soy wax sit for at least 10 minutes before pouring it into the coffee cup. I’ve seen it mentioned in a few articles on Pinterest that if the soy wax is too hot when you pour it, it will crack around the wick when completely hardened.

Pour the melted soy wax into the coffee cup and let it sit for a few hours.

The soy wax will gradually harden and it will change its yellow-ish color into a whiter version.

You can let it sit over night and then you can gently remove the chopsticks and trim the wick. 

Light it and enjoy the most amazing scented soy candle ever, all handmade, 100 % natural and super Frenchic! :)

I was surprised by how easy it was to make a scented soy candle and I absolutely loved the final result. You can use your favorite essential oils and even aromatherapy-adjust-it to every season :) Or use your friends’ favorite essential oil scents if you are planning to transform it into a lovely gift for someone special.

Use your favorite angel statue, some painted and distressed Shabby books, some origami French paper stars and a Christmas tree branch and you’ll have an amazing vignette for the upcoming holidays.

I’m planning to enhance the magic of Christmas by making more scented soy candle with hints of vanilla, cinnamon or orange. Or maybe some spicy ginger and a drop of mandarin? :)

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Have you ever tried making homemade scented candles using soy flakes and essential oils? Would love to hear your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below.

Don’t forget to smile,

Diana

If you make some projects inspired by any of my posts, please use them for personal use only. And don’t forget, on Instagram you can hashtag them using #bydreamsfactory or tag me using @bydreamsfactory. Have fun creating! :)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links so you can easily find the products I love. See more of my favorites {HERE}. 

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