Rolling beeswax candles is perhaps one of my children’s favorite activities for the home, a task that needs tending more often in the autumn and winter seasons here. Most days, rolled candles array our mantle or tabletop, ready to light whenever the mood of our home needs a little twinkle––whether a family meal or a hum-drum school day. And every Friday night, when the kids set the table for our family Sabbath meal, the candles neatly wedge between our food and plates and flowers. I keep spare sheets in our bureau near the dining table, to quickly roll in a pinch, as they also make the perfect handmade gift for a loved one, a new neighbor, or a seasonal celebration of any sort.
With a little guidance, even preschool children can help with this activity. I’ve purchased this set several times and have never had any trouble with broken sheets or brittle-ness. And of course they always smell divine. It’s a nice starter set, as it includes everything you need, but I do recommend you also purchase an extra spool of wick, as we tend to run out of the pre-packaged wick before the wax sheets. I’ve considered contacting the same company to see if they offer an option to purchase only the wax sheets, but I haven’t done so yet. It seems silly to keep purchasing the same set when we have wick already.
We usually half the large wax sheets into smaller squares, which I recommend unless you’re looking to create particularly long or wide candles. I also encourage my children to keep their fingers straight and to roll slowly like dough––gentle, but tight rolls––as they initially want to use their finger tips to push and sometimes fold the wax instead of rolling it. This has happened a couple of times, and we’ve simply massaged the wax back together into a roll.
Sometimes I prefer the tidy, smooth lines of a tapered beeswax candle, which you can purchase nearly anywhere now. If you prefer the same, especially for special holiday meals later in the season, I’ve purchased and loved these. This fall, I hope to melt and dip our own candles with the kids, a more occasional activity as it requires more time and clean-up. I would love to hear if you have any favorite beeswax sources, for sheets or lumps of wax? I’m sure other readers would like to hear, too.
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This blog post was all it took for me to order the kit you recommended. My little girls and I just made several sets of these for ourselves and Christmas gifts and I am in love! So easy and really cost effective! I never knew…
Ordering a starter kit now!
Thanks for the lovely post; this makes me want to go make candles! As for another place to purchase wax sheets, have you checked out Mann Lake? You can buy sheets and wicks separately here: https://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/category/page162.html
Bethany, I just watched your simple living video and wonder if you could share a link to the Moleskin planner you mentioned you like using? I’m on the hunt for a better planner. :) Also, this candle project looks SO lovely.
Of course! Here‘s the one I’ve purchased the last few years. They make it here in the same exact former only a little smaller, if you prefer it. I tend to like the extra writing space the extra-large size offers. ;)
Thank you so much!
Hi Bethany,
We’ve also purchased that kit before, as well as melted and poured out own. Does THAT ever give you an appreciation for the science as we’ve noticed the difference in burn time, etc. We also wanted to find a better way to purchase sheets. https://www.wicksandwax.com/waxsheets.htm We now use this source: It’s Canadian so may not suit your purposes, but it should be fairly simple for you to find a similar US source. Good luck!
Your photos are absolutely magical. Beeswax candles are so photogenic! :) I have ordered the exact same starter set and have been really happy with it as well. Thanks for the reminder of a great fall weekend activity with the kids.