I love all things spring and Easter. The celebration of new life, the renewal of heart and home, and the gift of rebirth are invigorating after the long cold winter. As Easter approaches my children and I clean our home top-to-bottom, search for signs of spring outdoors, and decorate our space with nature-inspired Easter crafts. In the past years we’ve made nature printed air-dry clay Easter eggs, wet felted spring eggs, and naturally dyed Easter eggs – so many egg crafts! Eggs are a symbol of new life among many cultures and religions and have been so for a very long time. For Christians at Easter time, the egg is a reminder of Jesus breaking free from the dark tomb through His resurrection.

For this year’s project we made some egg-shaped beeswax candles. This candle making project is nod to traditional candle making when people would use whatever molds on hand to create candles, in this case, eggshells. In all honesty, using a silicone egg-shaped mold would probably be easier, but by using eggshells you can make a lot of candles at once for much cheaper. Plus, cracking and peeling away the eggshell to reveal a perfectly shaped egg candle is immensely satisfying.

Below you will find a step-by-step walkthrough for making these egg-shaped beeswax candles along with tips, tricks and jelp with common problems.

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Egg-Shaped Beeswax Candles

Equipment

• Sewing needle
• Skewers or chopsticks
• Thermometer (optional, but helpful)
• Double boiler or slow cooker (dedicated for beeswax)

Materials

• Eggs
• Egg carton
• Sewing needle
• Beeswax pellets
• Cotton braided wick
• Plasticine, play dough or clay
• Piece of thick paper or thin cardboard (i.e. from a cereal box)
• Tape

Instructions

1. Prepare the egg shells: Make a small hole at the pointy end (top) of the egg. The hole needs to be large enough for the wick to pass through. On the opposite end of the egg make a bigger hole, about the size of a pea. Empty out the contents of the egg into a bowl by blowing out the egg. Then rinse the inside of the egg with warm water and let the egg dry.
2. Melt the beeswax: Melt the beeswax pellets in a double boiler, designated crockpot or very carefully on an electric stove top until fully melted. The optimal melted beeswax temperature for pouring candles is between 68 to 70°C (155 to 158°F). Beware: Beeswax can ignite at high temperatures!
3. Cut and prime the wick: Cut the wick into length of 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5 in) long. Place the wicks into the melted beeswax for a couple minutes. Remove the wick and place it straight on a piece of cardboard or wax paper to stiffen.
4. Insert the wicks: Pass a primed wick through the holes of the eggshell. Leave the wick poking out about 2 cm (1/2 inch) from the top of the egg and about 5 cm (2 inches) from the bottom.
5. Plug the top of the egg: Using a bit of plasticine, play dough or clay to plug the top of the egg. This will help prevent the wax from pouring out and keep the wick straight.
6. Make a mini funnel: Using some thicker paper or thin cardboard and tape, make a mini-funnel that will fit into the bigger hole on the bottom of the egg.
7. Pour the wax: Pour the melted beeswax into the larger hole of the egg. A large egg will take about 4 Tablespoons to be filled. Use skewers or chopsticks to support the wick if needed.
8. Top up the wax: Beeswax shrinks when cooled so you may need to top up the wax.
9. Cool and cure the candle: Let the beeswax cool and harden for at least a few hours in a warm spot. Once the beeswax has hardened carefully peel the egg shell off. Trim the wick. The candle can be used right away but it’ll burn even better if it’s left to cure for about a week.
10. Flatten the bottom of the candle (optional): To flatten the bottom of the candle, cover a frying pan with aluminum foil and set on the stovetop on low heat. Carefully rub the bottom of the candle over the warm surface to melt the bottom flat.

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Decorating your candles

A simple and beautiful way to decorate these beeswax candles is with decorating wax and beeswax shape cutters. You can find these tools a various online shops. I purchased mine at a small Canadian mom-own shop called Maplerose.

Common problems

My candle has a crack in it: Cracks in beeswax candles can be the result of the candle cooling too quickly or the wax being the wrong temperature when poured. To prevent cracks let your candles cool in a warm place and make sure you pour the beeswax when it between 68 to 70°C (155 to 158°F).

My candle has lines in it: Lines in the beeswax candles occur when the beeswax is poured at too cool of a temperature. Make sure you pour the beeswax when it between 68 to 70°C (155 to 158°F). To get rid of the lines use a hairdryer to warm up the exterior of the candle.

The eggshell is sticking to the candle: Sometimes the candle with stick to the sides of the eggshell. This seems more likely to happen if the wax is too hot when poured. To help prevent this issue pour the melted beeswax at a lower temperature. another option is to swirl a bit of melted coconut oil into the eggshell right before pouring the wax.

The eggshell left white membrane on the candle: Sometimes the white inner membrane of the eggshell will stick to the beeswax. To remove the white membrane use a damp rag to wipe the film off. Easy-peasy!

Nature Printed Air-Dry Clay Easter Eggs

How to Make Wet Felted Spring Eggs