I love candles. Ironically, I’m extremely sensitive to smells, so I only light unscented ones. But there’s just something about that soft glow that gets me feeling warm and cozy. I have several flameless candles in our family room, set on a timer to light up our space a little more once it gets dark. I think it makes the room feel more inviting.
I also have a few candles in other areas of the house, including my reading table in our bedroom. I recently remembered a crafting trick I used years ago to “personalize” a candle, so I decided to use it to update that space.
Those used to be plain beige-colored candles! I’m going to walk you through how to transfer an image onto a candle (with a wax surface). It’s super easy!
First, grab whatever image, design, or photo you desire and copy and paste it into a Word document. (Obviously, be aware of copyrights if you grab them online). Adjust the sizing to what it needs to be to fit properly on your candle.
Then, take a regular piece of white tissue paper and cut it to fit a piece of computer paper (8.5×11″) or smaller. Use a few small pieces of tape to adhere the tissue paper to the top of the computer paper. My printer won’t pick up a piece of tissue paper because it is too thin. This way, it’ll pick up the paper with the tissue paper already attached. Then, print your image(s).
Cut the image down to size. Lay it over the candle in the place where you want it. Using a heating tool, apply heat to the paper. Move the heating tool around, being careful not to keep it in one spot for too long or you will start to melt the wax. You want to swirl it around the tissue paper, keeping a couple of inches between the paper and the heating tool. You can also use a hair blow dryer, but this method will take a lot longer because the heat is not as hot or concentrated. This process should take less than 30 seconds, depending on the size of your image. In the picture below, on the right, you can see how the tissue paper will look as it starts to adhere onto the candle. (You may have to click on the picture to see the larger one with more detail.)
This technique also works on battery-powered flameless candles as long as they have a wax coating.
The benefit to using this technique on flameless candles is that you never run the risk of burning your candle so low that it starts to ruin/melt your image. I think they also make great gifts!
If you have a rubber stamp that you’d like to use, it’s even easier – just stamp directly onto the tissue paper (in any color).
The picture of Mary with baby Jesus that you see below is an image of a piece of art I just grabbed off Google Images. I wanted you to see that photos work well too. You can use any photo you want, for example, a family photo, or a photo of a loved one. You just have to be sure to scan it or copy and paste it into a Word Doc and transfer it onto tissue paper first. Do NOT try to heat an actual photograph onto a candle.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. But you can also visit my Instagram account @createdbeloved and this entire tutorial is in video form saved in my Instagram Story Highlights.
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Created Beloved 