I was provided a candle making kit by and a discount code from Grow and Make. All opinions are my own.

Do you remember your first craft in a box? My first craft kit was Shrinky Dinks. Santa brought me and my sister our own boxes of Shrinky Dinks.

We spent hours tracing patterns onto plastic sheets, coloring the shaped objects and waiting patiently for the dinks to shrink.

My adult self would later question the chemical compounds in the Shrinky Dinks that kept the plastic shapes from melting onto the baking sheet.

I forgot about the Shrinky Dinks until two weeks ago when I received the DIY candles in a box from Grow & Make. My first thought when I received the Soy candle making kit was,

“What if I screw this candle making kit up?” There was no Plan B

The week before I was contacted by Grow & Make to write a product review for one of their kits. I was knee deep in my rebrand so I was thrilled Grow and Make found my new blog. We made an instant handmade craft connection.

I forgot about the Shrinky Dinks until I received the DIY candles in a box from Grow and Make.

I was familiar with the Grow & Make brand, because of their Instagram feed.

The popularity of this eleven-year-old company was a reflection of the founder’s mission to get people to live a more sustainable, simple life.

Grow and Make’s mission is to inspire people to use their hands and time to create. I loved that their kits are made in Portland, Oregon. If the goal was to rediscover our crafty side, I was all in for the challenge.

Of course, my crafty side was limited to glue and wine corks. So completing this vanilla candle kit that included a thermometer and soy wax was a bit intimidating.

The instructions were simple and straightforward which is how my mind works best. The candle making kit included directions to melt the soy wax and included 2 wicks; not much room for error.

I reread the directions a half a dozen times.

Suggestion: Do not overthink the wick install step. It is the first step on how to make soy candles.

Simply stick the wicks’ metal bases to the bottom of the candle tins with a bit of the adhesive (included in the kit). Follow, with the popsicle-like sticks to keep the wicks in place until the hot wax cools.

Like ski-school, just make french fries with the wood craft sticks and keep the wick standing in the middle.

I set my candle tins and wood sticks on a separate serving tray so I could move the tins closer to the cooktop.

The kit included everything, but an empty aluminum can needed to melt the soy candle wax. I grabbed a 14 oz. can of pineapples. Make sure to grab an aluminum can large enough to accommodate the entire bag of the soy wax.

With a clean, empty aluminum I created a double boiler situation to melt the vanilla wax chips.

I placed the prepped candle tins close to the cooktop so I could easily pour the hot wax into the two candle tins.

When the soy candle wax had the consistency of Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup, it was time to pour the wax into the candle tins.

I used the thermometer, but the syrup analogy was just as effective.

I poured a generous amount of melted soy wax into each canisters. Leave the sticks in place until the wax sets.

I wish I could have recorded my expression when I took a look at my candles after they had cooled! My face beamed with the unexpected feeling of pride that I had just learned how to make soy candles.

In their petite, twinning cuteness, I was so excited over my handmade gifts.

At that moment, all I wanted to do was make more candles. I did not expect to have so much fun with a brown paper wrapped package that arrived on my front door the week before.

All that worry, for nothing. I did not screw up the candle making kit. I had created my very own soy candles.

What a fun gift idea for kids in college who need a study break, or a friend undergoing chemotherapy and needs a distraction. This is such a perfect gift for someone looking to use their hands to create.

There are so many ways to brighten someone’s day with something as simple as creating candles. I had so much fun! Grow and Make is offering $5.00 off your order with the TRYDIY discount code you can use here.

this post was sponsored by grow & make