Tin Can Luminarias
Tin soup and vegetable cans (empty and clean)
Small, short candles or small Christmas lights
Hammer
Nails
Fill the cans with water and put them in the freezer overnight, or until the water is frozen solid. The ice in the can prevents the can from denting when making the design.
Decide how you want to use your luminarias. You can use them with a candle inside of them, or you can use Christmas lights inside. If you use candles, the closed end of the can will be the bottom. If you use Christmas lights, decide which end you want as the bottom. If the luminaras are going to be used on a table or mantle, make a hole in the back of the can for the light close to the open end of the can. The closed end will be at the top, so that less light escapes, and your design is brighter.
If you want to hang the luminaria, make one hole each on opposite sides of the open end, and tie string through the holes to hang it with. It will look like a bucket with a string handle. Make sure you put a hole near the bottom for the holiday light.
Make a pattern for your design before you begin. Make a sort of “connect the dots” pattern. Make trees, bats, jack-o-lanterns, haunted house, etc. Take the cans out of the freezer one at a time, so the ice doesn’t melt. Poke holes in the sides of the cans with the nail to make patterns. When you put a light or a candle inside of the can, the holes will glow.
Embellished Candles
Source: Sunset magazine - December 2002
You can easily dress up plain votive candles with seasonal images by melting wax chips (available at craft stores) and using cookie cutters to punch out shapes. The resulting wax designs are attached to solid-colored votives to make personalized gifts.
Use a disposable foil pan or an aluminum foil-lined pan to hold melted material. When pressing down on the cookie cutter to create your shape, push gently but firmly.
Place wax chips in a foil or foil-lined pan. To create a thin sheet of wax, use 1/2 cup of wax chips in a 9-inch pie pan.
In an oven set to 350 degrees F, heat the wax until the chips dissolve, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let the wax cool for several minutes. Test by inserting a skewer into the wax; when the tester comes away clean, the wax is ready.
Use cookie cutters to press out seasonal shapes, such as bats, jack-o-lanterns,or ghosts. While still warm, remove each cut shape from the wax sheet and gently mold it against a candle so that it is slightly concave and will fit around the candle. Set aside the molded wax on a clean surface.
After cutting out desired shapes, place the pan with remaining wax back in the oven. When wax has re-melted, remove pan from oven and, using a plastic spoon, drip two or three drops of warm wax on the side of one candle at a time. Gently press a cut shape over the wax dripping to affix.