MAKE THE STAR

1. melt the coloured wax in a double saucepan as described above (or in a crock pot)

2. Prepare a mini tray—a tin lid, biscuit tray, baking tray etc, lined with glad wrap

3. Dip the wick assembly into the wax so that it is well coated in the wax. This is called priming the wick—once the candle is made this wax will provide the fuel for the first lighting.

4. Pour some wax into the glad wrap only about 4mm thick—this will cool quickly, so be ready to cut with your cookie cutter once the wax feels like play dough. Using the blunt end of a bamboo skewer, or a blunt pencil, make a hole in the centre of the star

MAKE THE MUFFIN

1. Pour the wax into the muffin tray

2. Once there is little bit of wax forming on the bottom of the ‘muffin’ stand the wick in it, using a skewer to control its position

3. The wick will remain standing alone, but may require a little help by placing a pencil alongside the wick

4. The next day these will come out of the tray ( in summer you may need to refrigerate for a short time)

STEP 3 MAKE THE ICING

1. Melt the white wax

2. Allow some to cool in an ice cream container, stirring it now and then; spoon it onto the muffin as it cools and thickens

3. Immediately thread the star over the wick so it sits in the warm ‘icing’