Vintage Boho Candle Set

For my upcycling project, I wanted to create something functional, aesthetically pleasing, and sustainable using old food jars and glasses. After considering different options, I decided to make candles, as I was in need of some but found store-bought ones too expensive. My aesthetic for this project was Boho Vintage—a warm, timeless, and free-spirited style that blends antique elements with handmade decor.

The Boho Vintage aesthetic is all about personal expression, mixing old with new, and embracing cozy, artistic vibes. You often see it in home decor and fashion, incorporating vintage glassware, warm tones, and natural elements. The Bohemian Influence originated from the hippie movement of the ‘60s-‘70s, influenced by nature, art, and travel. Vintage Influence is from nostalgic styles inspired by past eras, often incorporating thrifted or antique items. In boho vintage aesthetics, you see a lot of earth & muted tones like greens, terracotta, beige and some pastels like pinks and blues. For home decor you see a lot of
furniture with antique wood; textures like macramé, linen, and velvet; and decor elements include vintage mirrors, warm fairy lights, and plants. This is the vibe i was going for when starting my project.

For this project, I focused on vintage glassware, textured designs, and earthy colors. My goal was to create candles that feel like nostalgic home decor pieces while also being practical and eco-friendly.

Research and Inspiration

I researched various candle-making techniques and upcycling ideas to refine my process.

• Mosaic Candle Holders: vintage-style candles that have intricate, colorful glass patterns
• Handmade Soy Wax Candles: many small businesses make eco-friendly candles with custom scents and natural wicks
• Apothecary-Style Jars: these are commonly used in vintage decor, often repurposed into candle holders
• Macramé and Boho Decor: incorporate elements of textural contrast, like lace or wrapped twine

Each of these influences helped shape my approach to making candles that are unique, visually interesting, and fit within the Boho Vintage aesthetic. I took influence mostly from the textures and colors from mosaic and macramé candles. For one of my glasses I planned on taking some pebbles and glueing them on the outside of the candle so that when lit, the candle reflects the colorful light of the pebbles. I thought about also using the soy wax candles but I didn’t want to buy wax if I didn’t need it and I ended up having enough so I didn’t get to experiment with that, I think maybe in the future I will.

Materials and Process

When choosing what to use for my candle holder, I realized I didn’t have too many empty food jars to use and also not enough wax to fill any glasses. So I went to the thrift to get some vintage looking glassware, old candles, and pebbles. After going to the thrift, I ended up finding five glasses, an old candle and some scented wax(like the one that comes in little squares to melt in an electric candle plug in), colorful pebbles and all of this together cost $18. When looking at the store for candles, one small one was $20. With the things I got from the thrift, I was able to make five candles. Five candles that I made for the price of one from the store, I think I will keep making my own candles.This reinforced the idea that upcycling can be both budget-friendly and environmentally conscious.

These are the glasses I found and got at Goodwill. I am super happy with what I found! Since some of them are colored already, I decided to not stain the rest because I want a nice variety of colors for this candle set. The squared glass is the one I plan on glueing pebbles to make the texture fun and radiate colors when it is lit.

One of the old candle wax packs that I found was scented and the other was not, so I ended up melting the two together and making them one. This was to tone down the scented one a little bit because it was a little much for me. To melt the wax I started with boiling water in a small pan on the stove, once this water was boiling I added my wax into a separate pot and put that over the boiling water. Then I just waited for all of my wax to melt. While I was waiting for the wax to melt, added my wicks in and put clips on them to balance on the glass to hold them straight while the wax cools. I then poured the melted wax into my glasses on aluminum foil to help regulate the temperature of the glass. The wicks were a little fragile so I took the clips off as soon as I could so they wouldn’t break apart. I did this same process for the candle that I had in my apartment. I waited until the wax cooled to about 120°F before pouring to prevent the glass from cracking.

For the square glass, I glued colored pebbles onto the outside using E6000 glue. This was to create a unique light reflection when the candle is lit, and also to add some texture. This was a pretty tedious process because I don’t like when the same color of pebble is touching or right next to each other. So I would put the pebbles on the glass how I wanted them and then took a picture of how I liked it, then would go back and glue them on. This took a while and at first I was going to do this before putting the wax into the glass, but I was worried the hot wax would affect the way the glue dried. So I decided to glue the pebbles on after I poured in the wax. Below is a picture of my process glueing the pebbles on.
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I also considered adding dried flowers inside the wax but decided against it after doing research and finding that obviously flowers are pretty flammable and you should only use them in candles if they won’t be close to the wick. Since my candles are on the smaller side, I thought this was not a very safe idea and decided not to put any flowers in them.

Final Artifact & Comparison to Goals

Overall I am proud of how they all look like they could be seen in stores and kinda look better than the ones you see in there because the ones in stores are more modern than these. A lot of my functional goals were met which I am very happy about. The candles successfully provide light and a pleasant scent. The upcycled materials mean the project is sustainable and cost-effective. The variety of glasses used adds an aesthetic mix of vintage and handmade appeal. The pebbled candle design also successfully creates unique light reflections when lit.

For my artistic goals, I found I met a lot of standards I had tried to set for myself. The final set matches the Boho Vintage aesthetic with warm, vintage glassware and handcrafted details. The textured and colored glass adds variety and enhances the cozy, nostalgic feel. The overall aesthetic is better than store-bought candles, in my opinion, which often look too modern and lack personality. The project successfully balances functionality with personal artistic expression. The handmade details, like pebble texture and the wicks, contribute to the rustic charm of the set.

Challenges & Adjustments

• Not Enough Wax: I underestimated the amount of wax I needed so I had to melt additional old candles to fill the last two glasses completely, and even with doing this one of my candles isn’t filled all the way like I would like it to be
• Fragile Wicks: some of my wicks were too thin and broke easily, so next time I would maybe switch to a different one
• Glass Thickness Concerns: I was initially worried about whether the glass could withstand the hot wax, but after testing one thin glass, I realized they were durable enough
• Scent Issues: The thrifted wax had a scent that was slightly overpowering, so I mixed it with unscented wax to tone it down

For the Future

• Refining Scents: I found that I kinda get a headache from the current fragrance, so next time, I would buy essential oils for better control over scents and to make sure I really like it before making the candle and then figuring that out
• Experimenting with Larger Glasses: I want to try wider glasses so I can safely add decorative elements like pressed flowers
• Expanding the Project: Since I have more empty jars but not enough wax, I plan to get more wax and make more candles to use as gifts for loved ones and friends
• Trying Different Wax Types: I want to test soy wax for a more eco-friendly alternative that burns longer and cleaner

Final Thoughts

This project demonstrated that design is not just  about aesthetics but also about functionality. My candles are practical, cost-effective, and visually appealing to fit what I like in my apartment, aligning perfectly with the Boho Vintage aesthetic. I’m proud of how they turned out and excited to continue experimenting with new materials and techniques in the future. By upcycling materials and incorporating handmade elements, I was able to create something unique and personal while contributing to sustainability. I plan to continue making candles in different styles and might even explore selling them in the future. I also love that my apartment smells good right now.