Corky Candle

I love making new things from old stuff!

Hope you've been enjoying some fine wine during this autumn harvest season...
and saving those corks.
The vineyards around here have some really wonderful wineries.
It's always fun to go wine tasting and if you don't have any corks at home, ask the winery for some of theirs. They always have plenty.

Today's project is:

Cork Candle

You'll need:
~32 corks, approximately
~old candles
~bucket filled 1/2 way with sand
~one new candle (about 1" less than the height of two corks)
~plastic grapes, optional
~glue gun

You need to find a large can or vase that you can use a form to use while you glue the corks together. Make the bottom layer first. The glue the upper corks onto the bottom ones, and glue them side by side. Hold for a few seconds each time to let glue dry.

In the meantime, take your old candles and put in an old metal coffee can, and place this into a pot filled with water (double boiler) and heat up to melt the candles.

this part you should do outside...
After your cork circle is completed, make an impression in the sand bigger than this. Put the cork circle into it. Push the sand snugly (but gently) up to the outside of the cork circle. (This will keep the wax from oozing out.) Use a can to tamp down the center so it is even. This will be the base of your candle and you don't want it lumpy.

Place the candle into the middle and pour the melted wax around it up to the top of it.

Let cool overnight. Then lift gently out the cork candle and brush off the excess sand back into the bucket. You can hot glue a cluster of plastic grapes to one side if you wish. ( just make sure it doesn't interfere with the candle wick)

tip of the day:
If you have removed tape from something and it's left a sticky residue, a quick fix is to sprinkle baby powder on it, and rub it around then shake/wipe it off.
This works for pine sap too. Sometimes it gets on my clothes or shoes.
I bought some tea cups and saucers from the thrift shop, and they were taped together. When I removed the tape it left a sticky mess. But the powder worked wonders, so I could handle them easily.
Of course these will be for outside use (upcoming project). If you were to drink from them, use Goo Gone.
Of course, Goo Gone will take it off for good, it just takes more time.

That's all for now...
Dee