My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Melting Wax for Floral Art

Read up on handling hot wax if you are unsure of how to do it safely. Research your materials to make sure you know the difference between its flash-point and melting point. For Floral Art the temperature of the wax rarely exceeds the minimum melting point.

Melting wax

Pour boiling water into a large pot or double boiler. Set a smaller pot into the water and add a small amount of wax. Set aside to give the wax time to soften, become pliable or melt. If you need a continues supply of liquid wax place the double boiler on a stove top and switch on the lowest setting. You want the wax to barely melt. Work in small batches to have control over the melting temperature.

If you are colouring the wax decide how many batches you are planning to use and set aside equal amounts of colourant for each batch. If you alter the colour during testing add or subtract colourant for the other batches. I use wax crayons to colour my wax because it is easy to control the end result.

For most projects I use the stumps of Paraffin wax candles (left over from other designs) that I clean and melt down because it is so economical. Soy wax is an eco-friendly option or try natural (but pricey) beeswax.

Don’t pour leftover wax down the drain. Scrape the wax into a small bag and keep for future use. The disk for my FLOAT design was made from the last bit of wax leftover in a pot.

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

2 March 2011 Wax Disk

I loved how peaceful this smooth wax looked when combined with the tulip and tendrils. Like a lily floating on a pond.

14 March 2011 Making a Wax bowl using a mould

Dip shapes into wax to create a bowl

18 March 2011 The Floral Hourglass Wax Foundation

Pour a foundation from cardboard and wax

8 March 2011 Cover fruit with wax

Dipping red grapes in pale wax creates a cloudy layer that is not only anti-bacterial (prevents fruit from spoiling and releasing the ethylene gas) but also gives depth and...

4 December 2013 Large wax snowflakes

Artificial snow can be very "chemical" and flowers deteriorate quickly when exposed to it. It also dissolves in water. I use candle wax as "snow"

15 December 2011 Spiral wire support pressed into a candle

The wire spirals are supported on wire sections pressed into the wax

4 December 2013 Large wax snowflakes

Artificial snow can be very "chemical" and flowers deteriorate quickly when exposed to it. It also dissolves in water. I use candle wax as "snow"

Related Designs

3 February 2011 I've got my head in the clouds

Wax and Rainbow Oasis keep the flower heads in place.

1 March 2011 FLOAT

Reflex Tulip and Passion Fruit Tendrils in a wax disk

18 March 2011 SHAPE

Chrysanthemum Hourglass

13 April 2011 Harnessing the Wind

14 February 2013 Making it work somewhere between a rock and a hard place

Sometimes creative blunders becomes creative inspiration

28 December 2016 A Jingle Cotton Christmas

Cover a wreath frame with bark and cotton for a textured Christmas wreath design

15 November 2023 Freeze… just for a moment!

Not quite winter but also a bit late for autumn design that is somewhere between sparkle and flying leaves.

14 March 2011 MOULD

A mould is a hollow container or profile used to give shape to molten or hot liquid material as it cools and hardens.

15 December 2011 Rocking around Three Candle Trees

Wire spirals twisted around candles to make small Christmas trees for the Christmas Eve dinner table

27 December 2017 Can it be?

Craft a pine tube to display a soft and snow filled winter scene

20 January 2021 Hope Bubble

That good old double vase trick... but this time I deliberately added a bubble between the two layers to create a third circle in the design.

30 December 2020 All is Calm, All is Bright

An easy to do ahead of time winter wonderland themed design for the calm days just after Christmas but before New Years Eve.

4 December 2019 A Very Merry eucalyptus-collar-candle Christmas!

An easy and naturally fragrant winter white candle decoration to bring nature into your house this Christmas.