How to Make Candles for Outdoors

You will not believe what a gorgeous effect plain simple candles can give to a festive occasion such as a wedding or big birthday, even out of doors. One of the very best displays I have ever seen, turned the whole entertainment area into a fairy land with paths lined with candles.

This not only provided sufficient light to see where one was going, but it looked truly magical.However, candles out of doors can present a problem, because the slightest breeze will put them out. There are several solutions, all equally simple. You can use candle lamps, for one. One gets these glass containers – such as storm lanterns — in a variety of shapes and forms, suited to a every kind of occasion, from a barbecue to the most elegant dinner.

If one wishes to have many candles outside, e.g. lining a walk way, of course the cost of so many candle lamps will be prohibitive. But again, there are simple solutions to the problem. You can make strictly outdoor container candles in terracotta pots, using sash cord instead of a wick. Such candles will smoke some, but burn with a very large flame that will not easily be blown out by wind. Prime the sash cord in the same manner you prime a normal wick and it is not necessary to use a wick sustainer.

Set the pot on a protected straight surface, pour in a little molten wax to seal the hole at the bottom and fix the sash cord. Once the initial wax has set, top up the candle. (Add citronella to your wax mixture, thus ensuring that your decorations will also keep bugs away.)

Another wonderfully simple and effective way of using candles out of door is to plant ordinary house-hold candles in sand inside ordinary brown paper packets (and you can even cut designs in the packets for extra effect) or use empty 2 litre plastic coke bottles!Start collecting the empty 2 liter plastic Coke/Sprite etc. bottles well before the occasion. The more candles you can put out of doors, e.g. to line paths, the more magical it will look!

The best effect is achieved by using bottles that all look the same/ are the same color. Cut the bottoms of the bottles off and plant them upside down in the ground/lawn. Now you have a perfect “candle holder” in the neck of the bottle, as well as a shield against wind in the body of the plastic bottles. The candle light reflects against the plastic and the atmosphere created by many such coke-bottle-candles is amazing!

Depending on the breeze, some of the bottles will eventually be slightly melted, but you will be able to reuse at least 50% of them for another candle-lit festive occasion. Floating candles are also eminently suitable for use out of doors; don’t fill the container in which the candles float all the way to the top – thus providing a wind-barrier for the candles, ensuring that they won’t go out.

It is quite astonishing how wonderful a few floating candles and a few flowers can look in a shallow, simple glass, perspex, stainless steel or silver container! If you can, always choose a reflective container. To make such decorations even prettier and more festive, sprinkle rose petals or small flower heads among the candles on the water.

If you want something more dramatic than candles to use outside, you can always use flares – and you can also make these yourself. Flares, in fact, are a great way of using up old wax.Use bamboo sticks and dip them, to a depth of 10 – 15 inches (about 25 -30 cm) until you have a wax section of approximately one inch (2,5 cm) thick. Wind a strip of fabric or bandage (at most twice) around the wax, inserting a length of wick (about 2 inches/ 10 cm) between the wax and the fabric/bandage. To finish off the flare, dip it in colored dye 3 or 4 times.