In our effort and desire to spread cheer during the holiday season, we can sometimes feel stress or frustration when we can’t figure out the perfect gift for that certain someone.

This DIY striped and scented candle is a fantastic option. Personally, I’m a big fan of homemade gifts whenever possible (for giving or receiving), especially during the holidays, because they are truly a gift of one’s self.

This gift – DIY scented and striped candles – is customizable in so many ways; you really can make it the perfect gift for just about anyone. I’ll show you what I mean throughout the tutorial.

DIY Level: Easy

Giftability: A good option because of customization options

Materials you’ll need to make the scented candles:

Glass jars (small and/or narrower are generally better; be sure they are head-tolerant)Soy wax flakesCandle wicksCandle or essential oils for scent (this example uses frankincense, tea tree, and peppermint)Pourable glass measuring cup, at least 2 cupsUnwrapped crayon bitsin your choice of colorsSuper glue (not shown)Bamboo skewers (not shown)

How To Make Scented Candles: A step by step guide

Begin by pouring your wax flakes into your pourable glass measuring cup. A good rule of thumb is that the amount of liquid wax you get is slightly over half of the amount of flakes you use.

Microwave on high for about three minutes. Of course, microwaves vary, so you’ll want to keep an eye on this. If your flakes liquefy before three minutes is up, stop the microwave and take them out; if it’s not long enough, stir the flakes and put them back in for longer.

While your soy wax flakes are melting, it’s a good time to attach your wicks to the glass containers. Pull out your super glue.

Place a dab of super glue on the bottom of your wick plate.

Position the wick where you want it in your glass jar, then use a bamboo skewer to press it into place (if you can’t fit your fingers down in there). Wider glass jars might benefit from more than one wick; as you can see here, three wicks will work beautifully.

When your wax flakes have liquefied, pull them out. You’ll notice that the heaping 2-cup measurement of flakes has turned into about 1-1/4 cups of liquid.

Now is the time to scent your candles. For this bottom layer, which will be white although the liquid looks yellow, I used about 10-15 drops of frankincense essential oil.

Quickly stir the scent into the melted wax with a skewer.

Pour the wax into your glass containers.

You’ll want to keep your wick centered and straight as the wax cools and hardens, to keep it in place. I placed bamboo skewers across the top of the glass jar to hold the wick in place.

You might choose to wrap the tip of your wicks down around the bamboo skewer for a more secure hold, if there’s a chance that the wick might get bumped out of place. Whatever you choose to do, let your bottom layer of wax cool and harden completely. This works best when done slowly, at room temperature. Cracking can occur in the wax if you try to cool it too quickly, like outside or in the fridge or whatever.

When the bottom white layer is done, it’s time for the second stripe. I chose green. Fill your measuring cup up with the same amount of soy wax flakes, then add small bits of crayon on top. The smaller bits help the crayon wax to melt easily along with the flakes.

Melt the wax (plus crayons) the same way as you did your first white layer. Then add your scent.

For the green stripe, I chose the closest scent I had to something woodsy and piney – tea tree essential oil.

Pour the green wax over your white stripe. Pay attention to the width of the stripes in your jars; you can do whatever you want, of course, but I tried to keep them equal.

Let this second stripe cool and harden completely, about an hour or so (less time for smaller containers, more time for larger ones). I love how the wax lightens up as it dries.

For the final stripe (red), I chose peppermint essential oil. Repeat the process as before. One tip: after each wax batch is done, quickly wash out your measuring cup with hot water and soap. It’s easier to do it while the wax is still liquid. This is especially important to do between colors, like after the green and before the red.

If you find yourself a little bit short on the amount of wax you need to complete the stripe, simply melt some more wax flakes and pour them into the glass container while the top stripe is still liquid. The wax will merge together, so any color discrepancies will disappear if you do it quickly enough.

Remove the bamboo skewer supports when the top layer has cooled and hardened completely.

Trim the wick to be about 1/4″ to 1/2″ from the top of your candle wax.

All done! These candles will be such a fun gift – they not only look great, but they’ll smell great, and different, as they burn through each of the three stripes. Such a great aromatic surprise. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving. Kind of.

I really like how the three-wick candle turned out.

It’s a cute squatty size from the outside, too. Such a simple and satisfying DIY project, these striped and scented Christmas candles are.

However you choose to give this season, I hope it brings you and your loved ones much joy.