Are you looking for a fun activity to do this spring? Make sushi-inspired candles using colorful sheets of beeswax! Before you get started, use our catalog to search for books and materials related to sushi and get inspired! We think you will have just as much fun as our participants!

Materials

Beeswax sheets and wicks can be easily purchased online or at your local craft store. The natural sheets have a wonderful but intense honey smell. For this activity, we pre-cut our sheets in advance to ensure we would have enough for at least 20 participants.

Instructions

Decide what kind of sushi to make, then cut the beeswax sheets into long one-inch strips. Visualize what colors will be used and if you want them to represent a specific ingredient. White works well for the rice and green for the seaweed, but you can be as creative as you like. Orange wax can be used to replicate the fish eggs you might see on a sushi roll.  

Layer the strips in different colors to create the effect of using different ingredients to fill the rolls. Save your scraps!  We made a Maki-inspired roll by using leftover pieces of other strips. You can also make three smaller rolls that fit into a larger roll. The larger roll creates a triangle that can be easily shaped into a heart. Don’t forget to add your wick into the center before you begin your roll.

A hairdryer can be used on a low setting to warm the layers to create better adhesion. With the layers warmed slightly, press the edges together. You can also warm the sheets and melt the wax entirely to make a mochi-inspired treat. Here you can see an example of what Taro-flavored mochi looks like!

There are a lot of examples online for how to make sushi candles–experiment with different methods and decide which way you prefer to roll. Here are a few examples of what our participants created: