Double Wicked Seashell Sand Candle

I got the seashell sand candle idea from Bob Sherman’s Candle Making book.

It’s one of the most detailed and informative books I have read on candle making. He’s a well known candle maker and has been at it since 1971.

The only drawback to the book is that it doesn’t have much information on vegetable waxes. You can find out more about him and read some of his free updated articles at One Stop Candle.

To make the sand candle you can either press your hand or an object into the wet sand to make a shape for the mold.

For this one I just pressed the bottom of a large vase into the wet sand. I wanted a wide one and had some extra wax to use.

For sand candles you need to heat the wax a little hotter than usual before you pour it. I used two wicks so it would burn better. It was easy straightening out the wicks since they had paper cores and tabs to hold them down.

I added the seashells around the edge after pouring the wax and it was ready to come out in about four hours. Before pouring I added a coconut scent since I thought it would match with a seashell/beach theme. Next time I would like to make a more interesting shape but it was fun.

If you want to see it in action, check out David Constable’s video demonstration on how to make a sand candle.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?