Making candles with stamps

As I was creating cards with the new Catherine Pooler Date Night Collection my kiddo had the brilliant idea of trying them out for candle-making.

We had made candles as new year gifts back in 2018 and both of us had thoroughly enjoyed the process … sadly, she didn’t remember much of it BUT I am so grateful she wanted to re-create the experience.

This time, though, she decided to watch what I do and then put her own spin on it while working independently.

I used the luscious inks on my trusty Gelli Arts gel plate for some beautifully mellow shades. Something happens when you transfer inks from the gel plate onto tissue paper … it yields a much softer effect than when you stamp directly on paper. I used a mini plate so was able to incorporate the shape of the plate itself as a design element.

I had enough tissue paper to make two candles, so I chose to go plain with the first one and stamp some of the Hip Hearts on to the second one for a more fun look.

And here is what my kiddo did!

I am so proud of this video for one reason: my six-year-old initiated the idea and saw it through completion.

She set up the camera, checked that she was inside the frame throughout the shoot, assisted with post-processing (learning how to hyperlapse a video and which parts to edit out and stitch together), did a voice over — and as a cherry on top designed her own logo on my iPad using Canva. There is no way I was this creative or this driven when I was six! Truly, I’m in awe of her.

She plans to launch her own YouTube channel this summer. I hope you’ll encourage and support this young creative! For her candle, she used Catherine Pooler’s Hip Hearts stamps and Memento Inks.

Have you ever tried making candles with stamps? Or with your help plate prints? Let me know in the comments.

Published by mansimakes

Hi there, I am Mansi, a self-taught artist based in Silicon Valley. I was a full-time communications professional for two decades, with a desk job and a six-figure salary until I decided to become a mom. Motherhood, as many will attest, can be extremely exhausting, especially in those first years. Art became my quiet place. It restored my sense of self. It gave me renewed energy. It helped me become a better mom. I was led down the path of creation by instinct and “discovered“ in early 2019 by a fellow kindred spirit at one of my art pop-ups who asked me to join her entrepreneurial venture. While I immersed myself full time in the role of CFO and co-founder of this women-led venture supporting local women makers, I missed experimenting with mixed-media. So, in 2021, I've decided to focus my energies full time in finessing my craft, producing more online tutorials and offering in-person art workshops for both adults and children. Thank you for joining me on this adventure as I experiment, learn and continue creating custom pieces of joy.

2 thoughts on “Making candles with stamps

  1. These are all so beautiful! I really love your daughter’s video too. I used to heat up candles with a heat gun and impress stamps into the soft wax, but I’ve never tried this method of decorating them. I’ll definitely be giving it a try.

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