3/18

Make Your Own Photo Candle

Budget: $$, D.I.Y. Project, Home Decor, Homemade Gifts, One Day Project, Sponsored, Video
By Laura Gummerman

Have to do this! Transfer a photo to a candle! (click through for tutorial) You guys know full well how much we love photos here at ABM, which makes our ongoing Canon USA collaboration a dream come true. Like, we have a major “heart-eyed emoji” crush on them, so we have lots of fun doing all kinds of photo-related projects. Emma had mentioned a few months ago that she had seen that it was possible to transfer photos onto candles, and I raised my hand and wiggled around in my seat like a first-grader saying, “Oh, me, me! Let me do it!” until she agreed. Score! It’s actually a pretty simple process and takes only a little time to complete (you could do it in a half hour for sure), so this is definitely a perfect project for a Saturday afternoon crafting session. I thought it would be fun to make a tall rectangle candle as well as a short one and print out one of my favorite PartyParty app photostrips, but you can customize your photo candle based on the picture or the candle shape you want to use.

Have to do this! Transfer a photo to a candle! (click through for tutorial)Supplies:
-white tissue paper
-8.5×11″ card stock
-scissors and clear tape
–white candles (I got the 3×3″ and the 3×9″ sizes)
–embossing heat tool
-wax paper
–Canon PIXMA MG7520 printer

Here’s a little video to show you exactly how I did it!

NOTE: In all my research, the toxicity impacts of burning the candle down to the ink are minimal, comparable to using non-organic soaps or drinking decaf coffee. But if this is something that’s on your radar, you’ll want to keep these for just decorative uses. Personally, I don’t plan on burning my candles that far to avoid the faces getting all weird and warbly. 🙂

Have to do this! Transfer a photo to a candle! (click through for tutorial) I would print on the less shiny side of the tissue paper. I printed ours on the PIXMA MG7520 photo printer, which was incredibly easy and printed the photo perfectly. Just be sure that the side you want to print on is facing down in the paper tray. And make sure to hold the wax paper tight against the photo while you use the heat gun. Pay attention to how close you are to the photo and how hot your heat setting is. You want to be able to see the photo melting onto the candle, but you don’t want to melt the actual candle itself. The candle you choose also makes a difference in how well the image transfers. The more dense the wax is, the better the image seems to transfer. It still works on the softer wax, but the image isn’t as crisp and you melt the candle a bit more when using the heat gun.

I really wasn’t lying when I said it’s a pretty quick project and these make a great gift or table decor for a wedding or birthday event as well. Like I said, it’s totally up to you if you want to actually burn your candle or not. You can also leave it as a decor-only item if you wish and that way you won’t have creepy melted faces at some point. 😉

Hope you get a free afternoon soon to make your own candles, I think you’ll be glad you did! xo. Laura

Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman, Video and Music by: Jeremy Larson.  Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess Actions.

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