Handmade votive candles are wonderful small gifts, and making them is a good way to use up beeswax left over from other candle making projects. Just about any small, shallow vessel, such as a Jelly Jar, Sea Shell, or even a Lemon Skin, can be put to new use as a votive. To make the potted terra-cotta candles shown at left, start with a collection of three- or four-inch flowerpots. You can add a bit of citronella, available at hardware stores, to the melted wax for bug-repellent outdoor candles.

Votive How-To
1. Close the drainage hole with a penny or a bit of aluminum foil.

2. In an old saucepan, melt a block of beeswax.

3. Tie a 6-inch length of medium gauge wick (called "W-2") to a twig or pencil. Dip the entire wick in the wax, and pull it straight with your fingers. Suspend the wick in the center of the pot. Pour a tablespoon of wax into the pot to secure the wick in the bottom; let harden for 15 minutes.

4. Fill the pot three-quarters full in three stages, allowing the wax to harden a bit after adding each portion. Remove the twig, and trim the wick.