Welcome to the IHC Craft Room, where we keep things beginner-friendly, a little bit messy, and always fun. I’m Mary, and today we’re diving into my biggest fall candle project yet. Today we’re going big – like really big. I made the largest candle I’ve ever tackled: a 24 oz fall scented dough bowl candle topped with colorful wax pumpkins, leaves, and acorns. It’s rustic, cozy, and perfect for autumn décor or gift-giving.
Materials & Tools You’ll Need
For this project, I used:
- Container soy wax (main candle)
- Pillar soy wax (toppers)
- A large wooden dough bowl
- Stabilo 8 cotton wicks + wick stickums
- Cypress Fig fragrance oil (a crisp, woodsy fall scent)
- Liquid dye: yellow, red, orange, brown, green
- Kitchen scale, thermometer, measuring cups, stir stick
- Heat-resistant gloves (trust me, a must!)
- Silicone molds in fall shapes
Candle Maker Math (Don’t Panic, It’s Easy)
This is by far the largest candle I’ve ever made, so before I melted a single pellet of wax, I did a quick water test.
- Bowl held: 800 g of water
- Wax is lighter than water (about 14%), so that equals 688 g of wax + fragrance oil
- Target fragrance load: 10% → 625 g wax + 63 g fragrance oil
Voilà! That’s how we landed on this being a 24 oz candle.
Step 1: Measure Wax & Fragrance Oil
I started by measuring out 625 grams of container soy wax pellets for the main pour. It always looks like a mountain at first, but trust me, it melts down to much less. Then I measured 63 grams of Cypress Fig fragrance oil. Pro tip: I always line my scale with parchment and paper towel because fragrance oil is a slippery little menace, and I don’t need my kitchen scale smelling like the woods forever.
Now, let’s talk scent: Cypress Fig opens with bright red berries, shifts into frosted mint with a hint of spice, and dries down to woodsy cypress, fir needles, and cedar. It’s crisp, fresh, and cozy – like a forest walk in early autumn.
Step 2: Wick the Vessel
I gave my bowl a good rinse, dried it completely, then attached 4 Stabilo 8 wicks in a straight line down the center using wick stickums. Floating wicks = my actual nightmare, so I press them down hard and secure. Then I topped the wicks off with some wick centering tools to make sure they stay straight while the candle cures.
Step 3: Melt & Mix
Microwave melting instructions from the manufacturer say “30-second bursts,” but nope – no patience for that here. I do:
- 1 minute → stir
- 1 minute → stir
- Then 30-second bursts until melted at 160°F
At 160°F, I stir in the fragrance oil for a full 2–3 minutes. Yes, it feels long. Yes, I complain to myself every time. But it ensures the oil fully binds to the wax, which is what gives you consistent scent throw from first burn to last.
Step 4: Pour Slowly
Once the wax & fragrance oil have been thoroughly stirred it will be time to start pouring. Pouring too fast = messy disaster (trust me, I’ve been there). So take your time & pour slowly and steadily until close to the top. Don’t forget we need to leave space for our fall toppers.
Then set the candle aside to cure for at least 24 hours.
Step 5: Make the Autumn Toppers
While the main candle cured, I made the toppers using about 200 g of pillar soy wax. Pillar wax is firmer than container wax, so it pops out of molds without breaking. I divided the melted wax into small portions, then added 3-4 drops of liquid dye in fall shades: red, orange, yellow, green, and brown. After a really good stir, I poured each color into silicone molds shaped like pumpkins, acorns, and leaves. I left everything to cure for 24 hours before demolding. Some came out perfect, some… not so much (looking at you, overfilled leaf mold).
Step 6: Attach the Toppers
Once the toppers cured for 24 hours, it was time to decorate. I arranged them around the edge, melted a thin layer on top with a heat gun, and pressed them into place. Quick tip: don’t melt too much wax on top, or you’ll have a waxy crime scene instead of a pretty candle.
Step 7: The Burn Test
Lighting a 24 oz dough bowl candle is not for the faint of heart. I wanted to see if my 4 × Stabilo 8s could keep up.
- 25 mins → melt pools forming, scent just starting
- 1 hour → solid 2-inch melt pools, strong flames
- 3 hours → pools merging, scent decent but not powerhouse-level
- 4 hours → almost full central melt pool, hot throw still a little light but overall burn was clean
Verdict: Success! If I wanted a wider melt pool, I’d try Stabilo 12s next time, but the 8s worked well for my chunky toppers.
Final Thoughts
This was such a satisfying project. Big, bold, and very autumn. The toppers lasted through a couple of burns, the wax adhered beautifully to the vessel, and it just looks stunning as a centerpiece.
Would I tweak the wicks? Maybe. Most likely. Would I make this again? Absolutely.
If you’re looking for a statement fall candle project, this is it.
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Thanks for hanging out with me in the IHC Craft Room. Fall is such a perfect season to slow down, light a cozy candle, and make something with your own hands. I hope this project inspires you to do just that.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so we can keep crafting together all season long. Toodleloo!
