October 11, 2025 — Melbourne, VIC
Today marks the official start of Halloween prep in our house—and this year, it’s all about turning the unseen into the gloriously spooky seen. I love making memories through creative projects, but I don’t love the waste that can come with seasonal decor. So, I like to balance it out with as much upcycling and reusing as I can. Which, yes, means I hoard. But today? That hoarding paid off.
The Candle Origins
- Candles: 17 years old, moved with me across states.
- Holders: Gifted during my mother-in-law’s decluttering spree many moons ago.
- Saucepan: Wedding gift from 18 years ago, now retired from food use due to non-stick concerns.
These items have waited patiently in cupboards and corners, and today—sparked by my daughter’s return from a Sovereign Hill camp with a hand-dipped candle—they finally got their moment.
Turning Candles Black (Without Chemicals)
I didn’t slow my roll long enough to research how to turn candles black properly—I’m far too impatient to see outcomes once I start a project. I tried rubbing charcoal on one, but it barely made a dent. Paints and sprays were out of the question thanks to my HCTD and the sensory overload they bring. So, I turned to the stash: a few black crayons I’d kept since the kids were little.
I melted the crayons with one of the candles in an old saucepan—the old “too dodgy for cooking, perfect for crafting” wedding gifts from nearly two decades ago. At first, the colour looked weak. But my daughter, fresh from her candle-making session at camp, informed me that the colour intensifies after dipping in water. We kept going.
There was a dicey moment when the saucepan wasn’t wide enough to roll the candle properly, and our guinea pig candle came out gloriously imperfect—melted, chaotic, and absolutely Halloween-worthy. The wax got too hot, so we pivoted: spooning the cooled-but-still-melted wax onto the candle turned out to be the magic trick. It was satisfying, messy, and gave each candle its own personality.
Dripping Technique: Fast, Forgiving, and Fabulous
I’d seen the red crayon drip idea on Pinterest (credit here: https://pin.it/1TWIwO4Zu) melt the crayon with a flame and let it run down the candle like blood. It was fast, fun, and didn’t require perfection (thank goodness). My daughter joined in, and we found our rhythm. Only trouble was when my eyesight became blinded by the light of the flame, but I’m not sure if that was the flame or my POTS (not the old ones, the condition Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).
When using the gas lighter (which ran out quickly), I found it easiest as a right-hander to hold the crayon at the left side of the candle—around the 4 o’clock position—and drag it to the right, touching the top edge so the wax dripped down naturally. When we switched to using the candle’s flame itself, I flipped the setup: flame on the left, drip zone on the right, so my hand didn’t get singed.
It was such a joy—quick and visually striking. The red on black looked sensational, and the whole process was perfect for impatient artists like me with low energy for long tasks and who thrive on chaos and creativity.
Sensory-Aware Crafting
This project was:
- Low on fumes and chemicals.
- High on texture, color, and satisfaction.
- Fast, flexible, and perfect for kids (supervised of course) and impatient grown-ups alike.
Final Thoughts
Halloween doesn’t have to mean buying new. It can mean reclaiming the old, celebrating the imperfect, and making memories with what you already have. These candles are a testament to that—and to the joy of letting chaos be part of the charm.
Happy Halloween from our Dysautonomia-Haunted House to yours.
A.K. HUNTINGTON 
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