How to Make DIY Vintage Teacup Candles
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I made the sweetest DIY vintage teacup candles this week, and I can’t wait to show you how they turned out! But first, let me show you some of the teacups I used for this project…
I found this pretty set of floral teacups at an antique market recently. So far, a couple of the teacups have ended up as scoops in my flour jars.
But I’ve been saving some of them with this particular project in mind!
The details on these pretty teacups blew me away.
From the raised design on the outside of the cup that reminded me of antique lace, to the pretty floral pattern on the handle and inside the cups.
I could go on, but I’m also so excited to dive into the DIY with you. So let’s get to the candle-making!!
Can You Really Make a Candle in a Teacup?
First things first… can you really make a candle in a teacup? And is it safe?
Yes, you really can make a candle in a teacup! And yes it’s perfectly safe!
What Makes a Good Candle Vessel:
Lets talk about what it means for something to be considered a good vessel for a DIY candle.
The container needs to be fireproof and withstand the heat of the flame. (So no plastic!) The candle vessel should have no holes or cracks where melted wax could leak out. The vessel should have a flat bottom so it won’t easily wobble or tip over. And lastly, the container you choose should be deep enough for your candle, roughly 3-7 inches deep.
Teacups hit all these requirements, making them a great option for a DIY candle vessel!
Candle Making Supplies
Before we dive into the DIY teacup candle tutorial, let’s talk about what all you’ll need for this project:
- some candle wax
- a scent of your choice
- a vintage teacup
- a candle wick
- a wax pot to melt your wax in
I used this DIY candle making kit from Antique Candle Co. The kit comes with everything you need to make your own candle – minus the teacup.
Tap to Shop this DIY Candle Making Kit
I’m a huge fan of Antique Candle Co.’s candle making kit because it makes this project so easy and fun for a beginner candle maker like me!
Best Places to Find Vintage Teacups
Thrift Stores are a great place to find affordable vintage teacups. You can try checking in the bigger chains like Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity’s Restore. But don’t forget to look at the smaller local thrift stores in your town too!
In addition to thrift stores, you can try looking for vintage teacups at antique shops, yard sales / garage sales, at vintage & antique markets, on Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Craigslist, Poshmark, etc.
Be sure to check out my ultimate guide to thrifting for your home for more thrifting tips and tricks!
I found the teacups below at the Liberty Antique Festival!
And the teacup below here is one I found in the old barn next to our farmhouse. It would have belonged to my Granny!
I know right?! Wait till you hear what scent I chose for these… It’ll really warm your heart!
Step by Step Tutorial for DIY Teacup Candles
Alright enough about the teacups I chose. Let’s dive into the step by step tutorial for how I made these DIY vintage teacup candles.
How to Make a Your Own Candle in a Vintage Teacup
1.) Choose your Vintage Candle vessel
A vintage teacup makes a great candle vessel!
2.) choose your candle scent
Antique Candle Co.’s kit comes with pre-scented soy wax in a scent of your choosing. I promise you this kit is way easier to use, and way less messy than the soy wax flakes.
Plus all the scents are tried and true! So you don’t have to guess your way to find a combination of oils / fragrances might smell good to you.
For my DIY teacup candles, I chose the scent Momma’s Kitchen. It’s heavenly, and a year-round favorite in our home!
Think homemade apple pie cooling in the window… it’s so good!! It also just felt like the perfect candle scent to pour in my Granny’s old teacup.
3.) attach your wick to the bottom of your teacup
Next you’ll want to attach the wick to the bottom of the teacup. Antique Candle Co.’s kit comes with handy wick stickers for this step.
4.) melt the scented wax melts in your candle wax pot
I used this mini hot plate to heat up the wax pot and melt the candle wax. Be sure to stir as the wax melts. It doesn’t take very long at all!
5.) secure the wick
While your wax melts, secure the wick with this handy gadget (also included in the kit).
6.) pour the wax into your vessel
I forgot to secure the other candle wick before pouring the wax. But it still turned out fine!
You just want to make sure you don’t move the wick around after pouring the wax. Moving the wick can affect how your candle cures and ultimately how well it burns.
7.) Wait 24 hours for your candle cure
This is honestly the hardest part of the project. But it’s worth the wait! Waiting the full 24 hours ensures that your candle fully cures so that it will have a better burn.
8.) trim the wick and enjoy!
Don’t forget to trim your wick. Simply cut the wick down to 1/4 inch and enjoy. This is the fancy wick trimmer I use, but scissors work great too.
I love how my DIY vintage teacup candles turned out!
They look darling and they smell amazing thanks to Antique Candle Co. I think Momma’s Kitchen was the perfect scent for my vintage teacup candles!
These DIY vintage teacup candles would make a great homemade gift idea for Mother’s Day, Christmas, etc!
It also makes for a fun girls day – get a couple girl friends together, everyone bring theyr own teacup, and spend the afternoon making your own candles together!
The DIY project is also such a fun way to repurpose any teacups you might have collected or thrifted lately.
I know I can’t be the only one with a habit of collecting random dishware when I’m out at thrift stores or antique shops!
Don’t forget to pin this for later!
Thanks for stopping by the blog today! I hope you enjoyed today’s post. And if you decide to try it out, let me know how it goes. I’d love to see your finished DIY teacup candles!
If you loved the idea of making your own candles in vintage teacups, be sure to check out this post where I made my own DIY candle in vintage milkglass!
Also in that post, you’ll find a list of all different types of vintage candle vessel ideas for you to try. There are some fun ideas on the list that you might not have thought of!
Until next time…
Thank you for the tutorial! I’ve been wanting to make tea cup candles and appreciate the recommendation for the candle kit. How many tea cup candles were you able to make with one candle kit?
Thanks, Karen
From Arizona
Hi Karen! Each bag contains 8 oz of wax cubes. It really just depends on how big / small your teacups are. I think most are 6 oz. But in general I would say 1 bag should make 1 teacup candle. If your teacups are not too big, you could probably get 3 teacup candles from 2 bags of wax cubes. Antique Candle Co’s wax kits come in all different sizes so you can pick and choose how much wax you order. It’s such a fun project, I hope you enjoy it!