Final run from Margit’s summer-kitchen workshop • In 14 active carts • 212 left
Margit's Self-Spinning Candle Carousel
Margit's Self-Spinning Candle Carousel
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Margit's Self-Spinning Candle Carousel
Spins all by itself on the warmth of one tealight
Margit Lundquist, 76, has cut candle carousels in her summer kitchen in Lindsborg, Kansas, since 1984. Her right hand has started to shake, and the fine whiskers won’t come out clean anymore. These are her last 212.
“People think it runs on a battery. I tell them it runs on warm air and patience. I don’t want them in a box in somebody’s closet. Somebody should sit and watch it at night.”
Margit Lundquist · Lindsborg, Kansas
What comes in the box
In the design you choose
Fits on any table or windowsill
Takes any standard wax tealight
Ready in about a minute
What makes Margit’s carousels turn
Eight little blades, each bent to the same angle. The warm air from one tealight is enough to turn the wheel.
The whole wheel rests on one single steel point. Almost nothing holds it back, so it keeps turning as long as the candle burns.
Thin as a leaf, on purpose. “Make it heavy and it’s just a candle holder. Make it light and it dances.”
Polished bright metal throws little spots of candlelight across your walls and ceiling as it turns.
Nothing to charge, nothing to switch on. Strike a match, and after about a minute it starts to go around.
Lift off the wheel and the figures, and it all fits back in the box until next winter.
“Heat-driven candle carousels came to America with Swedish families, and many homes in Kansas and Minnesota still bring one out every Advent. The idea is simple and very old: a light wheel, a fine point to balance on, and a small flame. When the blades are bent evenly and the wheel is light, it turns smoothly for hours. It is one of the few decorations that children and grandparents will sit and watch together.”
Annelise Borg · Curator of Scandinavian-American Folk Traditions · Heritage museum, Kansas
Choose your design
Perfect for
Why it keeps turning, winter after winter
- Polished metal. Bright, rust-resistant and easy to wipe clean.
- Balanced by hand. Every wheel sits on a single steel point.
- No electronics. Nothing to break, nothing to charge.
- Fine detail. Whiskers, hearts and curled tails cut into every figure.
- Stores flat. Comes apart in seconds and fits back in its box.
If it doesn’t earn a spot on your table, one email to info@cedarandtinco.com is enough. Margit would rather have it back than have it sit in a closet.
Good to know: Use a regular wax tealight. Battery tealights don’t give off warm air, so the wheel won’t turn. The metal is light on purpose, so set it up gently. Place it away from open windows and drafts, and never leave a burning candle unattended.
Product details
| Contents | 1 candle carousel (tealight not included) |
| Material | Polished stainless steel (Reindeer: with glass candle cup) |
| Designs | Cat · Owl · Dala Horse · Reindeer |
| Size | About 6 in tall, wheel about 2½ in across (15–16.5 cm) |
| Candle | Any standard wax tealight |
| Setup | About one minute, no tools |
| Made by | Margit Lundquist, Lindsborg, Kansas — 212 carousels remaining |
| Made so far | About 2,600 carousels since 1984 |
The Last Winter
The Last Winter
A note from the summer kitchen:
Margit Lundquist has cut candle carousels in the old summer kitchen behind her house in Lindsborg, Kansas, every winter since 1984 — about 2,600 of them. She made the first one for her gray cat Smulan, who sat every night in front of her grandmother’s brass angel carousel and followed the angels around. Last winter Margit’s right hand started to shake, and the fine tin whiskers won’t come out clean anymore. There will be no further run — the last 212 carousels are on her shelves, and when those are gone there are no more.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- Every carousel is hand-packed and ships from the US
- About 6 in / 15 cm tall, wheel about 2½ in / 6.5 cm across
- Takes any standard wax tealight (not included). Battery tealights give off no warm air, so the wheel won’t turn
- Sets up in about a minute, no tools. Never leave a burning candle unattended
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET). Whether it’s about your order, which design to pick, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Light it, watch it turn for a week, and if it isn’t right for your table, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and US shipping is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Margit cuts each figure from thin, polished metal — the body with hand snips, the whiskers, hearts and curled tails with a fine saw. She bends the eight blades of the wheel to the same angle and balances the whole wheel on a single steel point, so the warm air from one tealight is enough to turn it. Every carousel is packed at her kitchen table. Small differences from piece to piece are part of it.