Wood Wick Candles

[Ariannrhod]

I don't know if anyone else has encountered these yet or not but, I'd love some advice.
My in-laws-to-be, fell in love with a brand of candles called wood wicks, their main draw is that the wick is an actual piece of wood, and when the candle is lit it crackles like a fire. I love them too, they have a lovely romantic ambiance and smell delightful, however, they're $22 a candle, and I'm still living on a college students budget.
My questions are as follows, 1) is it possible to duplicate these with melt and pour stuff from my local craft store? 2) what sort of wood would be best used and should it be specially treated in anyway to make it a better wick? 3) with a candle like this would it be safe to use things like dried herbs and flowers for scents?