Make a wish!
I can hardly believe it, but this summer our little Dave turned FIVE. It feels like just yesterday that he was a tiny anxious puppy, so it’s honestly hard to wrap my mind around his five years.
Anyway, I obviously felt like I needed to go all out celebrating since it was a big one. I threw him a pretty epic pajama party since there’s nothing he loves more than sleep. (See it all here.) But I got hung up on one thing—in my mind, I thought it would be easy-peasy to track down a dog birthday candle. I assumed that Amazon probably had a million different bone and paw print candles in all different colors and sizes. WRONG: there was not a paw print-shaped candle to be found.
We went ahead and celebrated Dave’s birthday with just a big number five candle, but for the rest of the summer, I kept thinking about how we could make a really cute birthday candle for our pups. It couldn’t be too hard to DIY, right?
As part of our project to make easy resin dog tags, I ordered a little tray of silicone paw print and bone molds. When we were done making the resin tags, I realized the paw print molds could make a perfect barkday candle. And honestly, it was way easier than I expected. You don’t need very many items, and you can create an adorable topper for your pup’s barkday cake.
I’d be bad at my job if I didn’t take a hot second to also plug our upcoming book if you’re looking for more barkday party ideas. There are a ton in there, including the Dog-Friendly Buttercream frosting shown in the top photo.
Of course, please remember that lit candles are dangerous. Only use candles for decoration and not when actually serving a treat to your dog. As always, be extremely careful when working with candles and fire.
I had so much fun making these and from now on I’m going to be making one for every barkday party we attend. They really add that Instagrammable fun to any barkday treat!
Scroll on down for step-by-step instructions! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
DIY Dog Birthday Cake Candles
Ingredients
- White soy candle wax chips
- Pieces of colored crayons
- Waxed candle wick
- Toothpicks
- Popsicle sticks (for stirring)
- Silicone tray in paw print shape
- Scissors
- Glass microwaveable bowls
- Pipette (optional)
Instructions
- Lay silicone mold flat in front of you. You'll want to visualize where the wick of the candle will go and where the pick for the candle will go for each shape. If necessary, cut the mold by rows into strips so you have easy access to these spots. (See image.)
- Use the toothpick to poke a hole in the mold for the wick, and then thread the waxed wick into the mold, trimming it down for size. Then insert the toothpick on the opposite side of the shape. (See image.)
- Eyeball the amount of soy wax chips you'll need to fill your mold (probably 1-2 loose cups) and microwave it in a microwave-safe glass container for 10 second intervals stirring frequently with a popsicle stick until your wax is completely melted.
- In a separate small microwave-safe glass, melt down a few chunks of broken crayon (with all paper peeled off) in ten second intervals, stirring frequently with a popsicle stick.
- Once the crayon is fully melted, mix in the white candle chips to create a colored liquid. Pour into silicone tray mold. If you want to do a multi-color candle, use a pipette to fill up different parts of the mold with different colors.
- Once your mold is full, allow to harden completely. Then gently wiggle candle free from mold. Trim wick and prepare to use.
Notes:
Please remember that topping your dog's treats with a lit candle can be dangerous. Only use candles for decoration and not when serving a treat to your dog. As always, be extremely careful when working with candles and fire.
