For a great housewarming gift, consider making a trio of these candles housed in miniature paint cans. You can buy brand-new cans in an art supply store. Then the fun begins. Make several batches of wax, each in a colour that matches the band of gift wrap that encircles the can. Tie a ribbon around each can and attach a colour-coordinated gift tag.

You will need:
Scrap paper for template
3-inch-diameter paint tin
Tape measure
Scissors
Patterned gift wrap
Self-healing mat
Ruler
Pencil
X-Acto knife
6-inch length primed papercore wick
Wick tab
Mold sealer
Chopstick
Double boiler
1 tablet wax dye (or more or less to achieve desired shade) to match paper
2 pounds paraffin wax, melting point 129ºF
Wooden spoon
Candy thermometer
Oven mitt
Ldale with lip
Skewer
Kraft paper
Spray adhesive
1/2 yard ribbon in red
Gift tag

1 Measure and cut a rectangle of scrap paper that wraps around and covers can, adding 1/2 inch extra for overlap at back, using tape measure and scissors. Use this as template to make band for tin from patterend gift wrap as follows: Lay gift wrap, wrong-side facing up, on self-healing mat; lay template on gift wrap. Use ruler and pencil to trace template. Use X-Acto knife to cut out. Set gift wrap band aside.

2 Trap one end of wick in jaws of wick tab. Place wick tab in bottom of tin, securing it with mold sealer. Tie opposite end of wick to center of chopstick, laying chopstick across top of tin. Set tin aside.

3 Boil water in bottom half of double boiler. Melt wax dye and paraffin wax together in top half of double boiler. Stir until blended, using wooden spoon. Heat until mixtre reaches about 150ºF on candy thermometer. Do not let wax get hotter than 180ºF.

4 When mixture reaches desired temperature, turn off heat. Put on over mitt to hold can while pouring wax. Can will get hot. Titl tin and use ladle to pour wax into tin onto interior wall, then stand tin upright and continue to pour until wax is 1/8 inch from rim. Let wax cool 1 hour. Wax will shring, forming well near wick. Poke hole in wax skin using skewer , and fill well with melted wax. Allow to cool. Repeat process as necessary.

5 Let candle set 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

6 Untie wick from chopstick. Trim wick to 1/2 inch, using scissors.

7 Cover work surface with Kraft paper. Apply light coat of spray adhesive to back of gift wrap rectangle. Wait 5 minutes or until surface is tacky. Wrap band around tin, overlapping band in back.

8 Wrap ribbon around tin and tie bow.

CAUTION: Candles made in metal containers get hot. Do not handle tin until it cools. Be careful handling candle when lit. Keep the container away from children.

Excerpted from Instant Gratification Candles: Fast and Fabulous Projects by Carol Endler Sterbenz and Genevieve A. Sterbenz. Copyright 2001 by Chronicle Books. Excerpted with permission by Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.