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The basic candle making products - wax, dye, scent, etc... will be needed. In addition, you will need one or more cookie cutters, and a baking pan.
Core Candle
A core candle will also be required. I prefer a round or square pillar candle. For this Valentine's Day project I chose a three inch round white pillar. If using a round candle, avoid small diameters, as it will be harder to form the appliques to them.
Prepare some colored wax. The exact formula is not very important since the burning properties are irrelevant. For these appliques, I used 140 MP wax with one percent Vybar 103. Pour a 1/16 to 1/8 inch layer of wax in the bottom of the baking pan. Allow to cool until solid, but still warm.
Press the cookie cutter firmly into the wax. Repeat until the entire sheet has been cut . Remove the scrap wax from around the shapes and allow to cool fully. Removing them before cooling may distort the pattern.
Place the cut outs in a bowl of hot tap water until soft. When soft, remove from water and gently burnish the sides with your finger. Immediately press against the core candle. Once the applique has taken the curvature of the core candle, place it into cold water immediately. Repeat for all appliques.
Apply tacky wax or a dab of paraffin to the back of an applique and apply to the core candle. Repeat until complete.
If desired an overdip of clear wax may be used, however this will subdue the colors and I don't recommend it.