Easy Easter Crafts: Egg Shell Candles

My family buys their eggs from a small, local farmer and come spring, the chickens are laying a LOT of eggs!  Eggs are a great way to get more protein without actually increasing your meat consumption.  However, what do you do with all the eggshells that are left over after breakfast?  I will frequently use them in the garden to deter slugs or just toss them in the compost bin but there are a lot of creative ways to use them to decorate your house.  Making Egg Shell Candles is one of the easy Easter crafts that I enjoy because it is also a great way to use up leftover wax from candles that are just about empty.  Here is how you make them:

Egg Shell Candles

Easy Easter Crafts

Materials:

Clean egg shells
Acrylic paints and brushes if desired to paint shells
Candle scraps
Tin can for melting the wax
Cookie sheet
Old birthday candles
Newspaper to prevent messes
Directions:

1.  Save your cracked in half eggs from your last meal and wash them in warm water. Make sure to run your finger along the inside to help rinse out the inner membrane. Rinse thoroughly and let dry. If you want your candles to have colored egg shells, paint them with acrylic paint and let dry before continuing.

2.  Place scraps of wax from old candles into a clean tin can and place on a cookie sheet in an oven set on low (200 degrees).  Swirl gently every few minutes to help the candle scraps melt.  You can toss in candles that actually have wicks on them still as well.  Just use a pair of tweezers to remove the wick before pouring the wax into the shells.  Do not heat wax too hot and never leave it unattended.  You can also melt wax in the bottoms of glass candle jars by just setting them on a cookie sheet in the oven.

3.  Carefully remove the cookie sheet with the container of melted wax and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

4.  Cover your work surface with newspaper to help with cleanup.  Place the clean egg shells into an egg carton. Pour melted wax into the egg shells to fill it about ¾ of the way full.  Let the wax harden for about 5 minutes.

5. Gently insert one used birthday candle into each egg. You can shorten the candle with a pair of kitchen shears if it is too tall.  Then, carefully fill the egg to the top with more melted wax.  Let harden for several hours before displaying them decoratively and lighting.

Want more egg craft ideas?  Check out these easy Easter Egg Crafts on Pinterest!

What are some of YOUR favorite easy Easter crafts to make?