I want our children’s memories of Halloween to be positive, festive, and warm. We choose to minimally participate (early evening trick-or-treating on our block and to grandparent’s homes, in fun rather than scary costumes), while aiming to create positive and gentle memories for them to carry with them as they grow.
Part of this memory making involves crafts. Below are instructions for a craft loved by the whole family.
Mini Pumpkin Beeswax Candles
This project was so much fun, the favourite part being scooping out the ‘guts’ of the pumpkins. For some reason, the cool factor of this task was upped a notch due to these being tiny pumpkins. We were so thankful to receive beeswax from a friend who operates an amazing candle company, Candles for Hope. Marlese donates all proceeds to a free birthing centre in the Philippines.
Materials
- beeswax
- wick
- metal plates for the base of the wick
- scissors
- mini pumpkins or gourds
- lighter or matches
- double-boiler
- ladle
- spoons
- pliers
- baking tray or other tray to contain beeswax drips
Instructions
1. Cut the tops off the mini pumpkins.
2. Cut a hole in the top, and scoop out the insides. Use a knife to clean up the opening after.
3. Melt the beeswax in the double-boiler (you really don’t have to grate it, just cut it into chunks – ours were in roughly 2″x3″x1″ chunks)
4. Place the wick in the pumpkin to figure out where to cut it – allow for extra and then trim later on.
5. Thread the wick through the metal base and then use the pliers to clamp it tight. 
6. Place the wick and base in the pumpkin and secure in the centre by using a clothespin (thanks to my genius husband for this idea – he is the logical-sequential brain behind my crafting operation!).
7. Using a ladle, scoop and pour the melted beeswax into the pumpkin, right up to the top. 
8. Once cooled, remove the clothes pins. To make these more halloween inspired, add a jack-o-lantern face using a permanent marker. Light and enjoy!
Don’t miss our latest FREE resource: Pumpkin Mini Inspiration Pack PDF: Fun pumpkin activities, recipes, poems, and recommended stories for your book basket.
This post was shared as a part of Simply Natural Saturdays at The Pistachio Project, Thank Goodness It’s Monday at Nourishing Joy, and Natural Living Monday at Modern Alternative Health, Simple Lives Thursdays at Real Food for Less Money, and Unprocessed Fridays at Girl Meets Nourishment.
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