And as with pretty much any craft project, there are kits you can buy rather than trying to assemble all the supplies yourself. Depending on the kit, the specific style and design of the candle is usually set. A kit for a small aquarium candle has all the supplies needed specifically for an aquarium candle, though you can usually add a bit of your own creative flair to the final product.

Some kits are a bit more generic and don’t restrict you to a certain type of candle. A basic kit like this should contain enough candle gel for at least one candle, wicking material, tabs for attaching the wick to the bottom of the container, a glass container for your candle and a selection of dyes and scents for the gel. Of course, a full set of instructions should also be included.

Kits for specific designs will also include the decorations to “float” inside the gel, like little glass fish, turtles, roses or pretty much anything at all.

With kits that don’t include the embeds, you will have to come up with those yourself. You can’t just drop anything into your candle though. If you have any intention of actually burning your gel candle at some point, make sure that everything that goes into it is not going to burst into flame. No natural plant material, like flower petals or leaves should be use nor anything made from plastic.

You can buy safe embeds from gel candle supply stores, or just look for any small decorative knick knacks made out of ceramic, metal, glass or stone. Check your local craft store for plenty of ideas and options.

One last note on gel candle making kits. Find out what brand of candle gel is inside. For safe candles, you should stick to the authentic Versagel brand of gel. For kits designed to make embedded candles, the gel should be the high-density type. Kits containing low-density gel are not made for using with embedded decorations. If you try to add them, they will just settle through the gel and end up sitting on the bottom of the candle.