Fill pre-loved china with scented wax to make a stylish teacup candle

What you need...

• Crockery
  
• Saucepan
  
• Bowl, heatproof
  
• Wax
  
• Candle dye: green, red
  
• Wick
  
• Skewers, two
  
• Paper, greaseproof

instructions

1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil then turn it down to a gentle simmer. Put wax in a large heatproof bowl, being mindful not to overfill it. Place the bowl on top of the saucepan and leave until the wax has melted.

2. Wash and dry crockery. Use sticky tack to secure a wick end centrally to the bottom of a cup. Fix a skewer across the top of the cup, take the wick over the skewer and tape it onto the side of the china. Check the wick is central and held firmly into position.

3. Add a few spots of dye to the molten wax and stir gently to disperse the colour evenly. Test by spooning a little wax onto greaseproof paper and leave it to set. Continue adding a few drops of dye at a time until you’re happy with the shade.

4. Pour the wax carefully into the cup leaving a gap of 8mm at the top. Leave to cool and set for about one hour, by which time a dip will have formed around the wick. Re-melt the wax and top up to create a flat even surface. Leave the candle to set, then trim the wick to 1.5cm.