How to make DIY tea light candles in seashells the easy way
I am one of those people who love taking long walks on the beach and collecting all kinds of seaside treasures. Our yearly beach vacation is the highlight of my year. There are baskets full of seashells all over our house and I love crafting with them. While it’s not a new idea to make candles in seashells, I want to show you how to make them easily without having to buy different supplies. All you need are simple tea lights from the dollar store, grocery store, or wherever else you can buy them.
How to make DIY tea light candles in seashells the easy way
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I usually buy a big pack of tea lights at Ikea and always have them at my house. So I didn’t have to buy anything for this project which is always nice. You can also use small amounts of wax that are left in jar candles around the house or old pillar candles but then you have to buy the wick. Or of course, you could just buy new wax chips and wicks from the local craft store. To me, the easiest way is using tealights!
Try to pick seashells that are around the size of a tealight but you can certainly use larger ones too. I made some larger ones and added two wicks instead of one.
Materials needed to make seashells candles
- tea light candles
- various seashells
- shallow cooking pot, pan, or saucepan
- metal spoon
- pyrex glass measuring cup with pouring spout (or wax melting pitcher)
Video tutorial
Check out my short video tutorial to show you how I made them and how easy it really is. If it doesn’t load then you can head to my YouTube channel instead to watch.
Step-by-step full tutorial
I counted the number of seashells and used the same amount of tea lights plus an additional tealight in case I’d spill some of the melted wax along the way. This way I ensured that there is enough wax.
Step 1: Separate wax and wick from the tin cup
Pull the wax out of all the tin tea light cups. Turn the wax disc around and remove the little flat bottom metal piece with the wick by simply pulling it out. They are the perfect size candle wicks and you don’t even have to trim wicks like you usually have to do for homemade candles.
You can also just break the tea light wax disk to get to the inside so you can remove the wick.
Step 2: Place wicks into seashells
Take the wicks with metal flat bottoms and place them inside the deepest part of the shells. The underside of the metal wick part was sticky already and all I had to do is press it into the seashells to stay in place.
If yours aren’t sticky you could add a dab of hot glue or melted wax to the bottom to make them stay in place.
If you have a large shell then you can use two wicks.
I like using the leftover metal tins to stabilize the sea shells. If you place the seashells on top of the tin cups on a flat surface before pouring the wax then they won’t wobble.
Step 3: Melt the tea light wax
Take all the wax from the tea lights and place them in the glass measuring cup. Put a shallow cooking pot with water on the stove and place the glass measuring cup inside. Turn the stove on to low, and keep stirring the hot wax with a metal spoon, while slowly melting the wax. I made sure not to boil the wax.
(As an optional step, you could add some drops of essential oils to the melted wax. I always have some in the house to use. I chose to not add it to my sea shell candles.
Step 4: Pour melted tea light wax into seashells
When the wax is fully melted, take the glass measuring cup out of the cooking pot and pour the melted wax into all the seashells. Wait until the wax has hardened and you are done!
Quick tips for making candles in seashells
- Make sure your seashells are clean and dry.
- Keep your seashells stable on a level surface, the tealight tins work great for that.
- If your wick pulls out from the flat metal bottom part, you can stick it back in!
- Attach the wick to the deepest part of the shell. If it doesn’t stick you can use some hot glue or a dab of melted wax to make it stick to the bottom.
- For larger seashells, consider using more than one wick.
- You can use wax dye and essential oil or fragrance oil for your sea shell candles.
- The wax hardening time can take longer depending on the room temperature. If you pour your seashell candles on a tray then you can easily put them in the fridge for faster hardening!
- You can paint the surface of the shells before making the candles for some extra interest. This is great for kids, so they can be part of this craft as well since pouring the wax can be a bit dangerous for smaller kids.
Photos of finished tea light candles in seashells
These beautiful decorative candles make great gifts or if you have a beach wedding you can make them as wedding favors in little bags or for summer table settings. I can also picture them placed around the bathtub for an extra special relaxing bath time.
RELATED: You might also like my mussel shell craft that looks like flowers if you are looking for more seashell craft ideas.
Make sure to pin this project for future reference below!
You should definitely try to make your own DIY seashell candles!
More beachy boho decor crafts
- DIY macrame wreath with thick wool and macrame yarn
- easy macrame planter basket using only two knots
- How to make a trendy boho square knot bracelet and matching fringe earrings
- How to make a macrame necklace (plus three different ways to make it)
- How to make macrame earrings on hoops
- DIY beginner macrame garland
- How to make a giant cotton rope garland with macrame tassels
- How to make seashell tassels
- I also recently made a chandelier for our patio umbrella using a seashell windchime and solar fairy lights. You can see more photos in my blog post about how to measure a patio umbrella replacement canopy.
Tschüß,
How to make tea light candles in seashells the easy way
Candles in seashells are a fun craft to make with all your collected seashell treasures. Let me show you the easiest way to make them by using premade tea lights.
Materials
- tea lights candles
- various seashells
Tools
- shallow cooking pot, pan, or saucepan
- metal spoon
- pyrex glass measuring cup with pouring spout (or wax melting pitcher)
Instructions
- Separate wax and wick from the tin cup
Pull the wax out of all the tin tea light cups. Turn the wax disc around and remove the little flat bottom metal piece with a wick by simply pulling it out. They are the perfect size candle wicks and you don't even have to trim wicks like you usually have to do for homemade candles.
You can also just break the tea light wax disk to get to the inside so you can remove the wick.
- Place wicks into seashells
Take the wicks with metal flat bottoms and place them inside the deepest part of the shells. The underside of the metal wick part was sticky already and all I had to do is press it into the seashells to stay in place.
If yours aren't sticky you could add a dab of hot glue or melted wax to the bottom to make them stay in place.
If you have a large shell then you can use two wicks.
I like using the leftover metal tins to stabilize the sea shells. If you place the seashells on top of the tin cups on a flat surface before pouring the wax then they won't wobble. - Melt the tea light wax
Take all the wax from the tea lights and place them in the glass measuring cup. Put a shallow cooking pot with water on the stove and place the glass measuring cup inside. Turn the stove on to low, and keep stirring the hot wax with a metal spoon, while slowly melting the wax. I made sure not to boil the wax. - Pour melted tea light wax into seashells
When the wax is fully melted, take the glass measuring cup out of the cooking pot and pour the melted wax into all the seashells. Wait until the wax has hardened and you are done!
Notes
- Make sure your seashells are clean and dry.
- Keep your seashells stable on a level surface, the tealight tins work great for that.
- If your wick pulls out from the flat metal bottom part, you can stick it back in!
- Attach the wick to the deepest part of the shell. If it doesn't stick you can use some hot glue or a dab of melted wax to make it stick to the bottom.
- For larger seashells, consider using more than one wick.
- You can use wax dye and essential oil or fragrance oil for your sea shell candles.
- The wax hardening time can take longer depending on the room temperature. If you pour your seashell candles on a tray then you can easily put them in the fridge for faster hardening!
- You can paint the surface of the shells before making the candles for some extra interest. This is great for kids, so they can be part of this craft as well since pouring the wax can be a bit dangerous for smaller kids.