LOOKING 4 SOMETHING?

Honestly WTF

DIY Satsuma Candle

Posted by on

A friend of mine DIYed her own candles, made from the peels of Satsuma oranges, for a recent dinner party. I was so excited by this simple yet clever idea, I had to share the tutorial on HonestlyWTF. My only regret is not discovering this sooner when Satsumas were at their absolute peak in December. Hopefully, you’ll still be able to snatch up a few at your local grocery store or farmer’s market and impress your guests at your next dinner party!

You’ll need:

  • Satsuma oranges with stems attached
  • olive or vegetable oil
  • a serrated knife
  • a spoon
  • matches

The stem side of the Satsuma will be the bottom and base of the candle. Lightly score a ring around the top 1/3 portion of the orange. Peel off the top.

Because Satsumas are known for their loosely attached peels, the orange should easily be removed. Gently separate the orange from of the peel with the help of a spoon. Slowly work the spoon towards the bottom and pry the orange out from the sides, making sure not to break through the middle.

Once the flesh of the orange is taken out, the pith connecting the outer stem should remain. The pith will be the wick of the candle. Snip the outer stem off with a pair of scissors so the candle can sit flat.

Pour a few glugs of olive oil into the orange, leaving just the very tip of the pith exposed. Use the spoon to submerge the top of the pith into the oil for just a few seconds. It’s now ready to be lit! *** Tip: if you’re having trouble lighting the pith, it’s probably because it has too much moisture. Try letting the peel dry overnight (without oil) and don’t forget to submerge the tip into oil for a few seconds before lighting.

Depending on the length of the pith, the candle should burn for at least a couple of hours. Remember, never leave candles unattended while burning! xx


(all images via HonestlyWTF)

Similar Posts

79 Comments

  1. Alice    January 17, 2012

    Oooh, I saw this on Instructables the other day but I never thought that a specific orange would work better!
    I haven’t tried this yet but I’m excited to! The aroma must smell wonderful!

  20. Laure    January 17, 2012

    LOVE THE IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can believe you find this idea;) So nice
    ilovedoityourself.blogspot.com

  26. shradha    January 17, 2012

    I tried doing this a few weeks back, but its actually really hard to get the ‘wick’ lit. After about 30 mins, i gave up….
    If anyone has persevered through it, or knows the trick, share, please!

  28. Jena    January 17, 2012

    Works with a navel orange, too, as long as a little stem is on the end! So beautiful and smells wonderful! Thanks for posting!

  37. Ella    January 17, 2012

    Hey, first of all, I want to say you’ve got a lovely blog, I’m a blogger based in México who’s just starting in this whole blogging world, so I wanted to invite you to check out my blog and maybe follow it if you like it! Thanks and greetings from México!

    xx
    E

    http://byebye-blondie.blogspot.com/

  40. Vanessa    January 17, 2012

    I’ve seen this DIY before and forgot all about it! Definitely adding it to my to do now though!

  42. AP    January 18, 2012

    Another cool idea is to use the other half as a top, and cut out the shape of a star in the part where it attaches to the tree. the hole is needed, because otherwise it would burn, but it also looks so pretty! the whole mandarin will light up like a lantern :D

  43. Kat    January 18, 2012

    What an amazing idea! I’m definitely using this when we have friends round for dinner on Sunday. Thanks!

  45. Virtual Makeup Artist    January 19, 2012

    So simple and yet so beautiful. I have the nostalgia of a time where people was making a lot of things with their own hands. I think that the modern life makes us loose our individual creativity . (Sorry English is not my first language).
    …………………………………..

    http://virtual-makeup-artist.com/

    …………………………………..

  46. Alef Bet Jewelry    January 19, 2012

    This is wonderful! Would look beautiful on a table! I saw this used as placecards as well, the two together would be so impressive!

  48. {gemmifer}    January 20, 2012

    They’re also known as clementines, or are very similar to them. Most markets in the Northeastern US should have crates of clementines stacked up right now… but not for long!

  49. jet    January 21, 2012

    aaaw this is remembering my childhood, at xmas time my mum made them as well.
    it was excithing when they were working.;-D
    And beautiful and lovely smelling, thank you for making me smile;-D
    Have a great fun weekend as well;-D

  51. sara    January 22, 2012

    I got it to light right away using a “cutie clementine” mandarin orange and plain old olive oil. I let the orange dry overnight. My other trick was to just pour the oil directly over the wick when adding to the orange, instead of pushing the wick into the oil after it is added. Worked like a charm! And it burned for a delightfully long time!

  52. VIE    January 22, 2012

    so cool, did not have that orange but Clementines are in here in Texas.
    I made a bunch of them and have one in bathroom in window in bedroom ON A CERAMIC DISH for safety thanks

  57. Lisa    February 4, 2012

    Awesome idea but it didn’t work for me. I tried on the oranges listed in the directions and on a normal orange. Both lit for 10 seconds then died. So then I dried them out over night and tried again but it still didn’t work :(

Leave a Comment