Sustainable Haven Blog

Sustainable Styling Secrets | DIY Honeycomb

Working on our new photo shoot was definitely one of the highlights of my HAVEN journey so far. Turning all of our raw ingredients into these gorgeous vignettes takes so much creativity and effort, but the process yielded many awesome DIY decor ideas that I can't wait to use again. One of my favorite projects was creating faux honeycomb for our Polish shot. 

The texture is so awesome and I could see it working really well at a dinner party as part of the table decor. A few pieces broken onto a charcuterie platter that's served with a local honey would be a really beautiful touch. Here's how we did it!

 

Before you get started, please note that beeswax is a type of natural fuel, so you're going to want to melt it slowly at a low temperature and monitor its progress at all times, never leaving it unattended. Beeswax is tough to get off of surfaces, so be sure to use tools you don't mind messing up. If you don't have these items, check out your local thrift shop to see if you can source them secondhand. 

You'll need:

  • Beeswax
    • Pellets are the easiest way to work with beeswax but one ounce blocks are also pretty handy, too.
  • Shallow Metal Pan
    • Cookie sheets will work best if you want a really large piece.
  • Bubble Wrap
    • Enough to cover the surface of your pan.
  • Parchment Paper
    • Cover your work surface and anything you don't want to get waxy.
  • Double Boiler
    • Crock pots also work really well to melt wax, although it will forever become your wax crock pot so make sure you don't mind. 
    • I make my double boiler using a dedicated pot for boiling water and a metal melting pitcher that has a handle I can hang over the side of the pot. The handle helps the pitcher sit in the boiling water without tipping. It's also much easier to pour beeswax from a pitcher, so this is the method I suggest.
While you're prepping your work space, put your pot of water on to boil or set your crock pot to its lowest setting. Cover your work surface in parchment paper to protect it from spilled wax. Also line your metal pan with a layer of parchment paper if you'd prefer it not to get waxy. Then, use one layer of bubble wrap to cover the pan's surface. Place the bubble wrap with the bubbles facing up, as those are going to give you the texture you're after.
After your water's boiling or your crock pot has gotten hot, place as much beeswax as you think you'll need into your melting vessel. Don't worry if you don't melt enough beeswax to cover your surface completely the first time because you can melt and pour in rounds. As your wax is melting, continually monitor its progress and keep the heat very low.
Once the wax is golden and completely liquid, remove from heat and allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes. Put on your protective gloves and then you're ready to pour. To make a sturdier sheet of comb, pour 1/2" wax over bubble wrap. As you can tell from my wax below, it doesn't have to be perfect.
Leave the wax to cool for 30 minutes or so, then carefully flip the sheet over (a flat, parchment-coated surface is best to work on for large sheets). While the wax is still just a bit warm, peel the bubble wrap away and, voila, faux honeycomb! So pretty, so easy.

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