Canning jar candles are very easy to make, make great gifts, and are only limited by your imagination!
To start all you need are some narrow-mouth canning jars, wire ribbon, potpourri, votive candles, small glass votive candle holders, and craft glue or a hot glue gun.
If you don't have any old canning jars, you can find some very
inexpensively at thrift stores and yard sales. Wire ribbon can be a
little expensive. Look for it at yard sales and at craft store clearance
sales. The after-Christmas sales a great time to stock up. One roll of
ribbon will make several canning jar candles. Potpourri you can make
yourself or buy on sale. Votive candles are inexpensive at stores like
Target or Walmart, and you can also find glass votive candle holders
very inexpensively at Walmart. You want one that will set in the rim of
the canning jar.
You can fill the canning jar with whatever you
wish. Potpourri is one of the easiest fillers. I bought a nice
autumn-scented potpourri and added some orange slices I'd dried in my
food dehydrator. You can also add dried cranberries, apple slices, or
cinnamon sticks.
After you fill the jar, you set the candle
holder inside the mouth of the jar. The top of the candle holder should
be even with the top of the jar. You might have a little trial and error
before you find just the right candle holder. Place the candle in the
holder and then use the ribbon to tie a big bow around the neck of the
jar. That's it! (You might want to use a little craft glue or your glue
gun to tack the ribbon in place).
You can glue some dried fruit,
flowers, or other decorations on the bow for a more decorative look. You
can also put other things in the jar besides potpourri. I've seen one
half filled with white sugar with a short white taper candle set down in
the sugar. Very pretty! And that one doesn't require the candle holder.
At Christmas you can purchase small ornaments and place them in
the jar instead of the potpourri. Any small figurine would do--in the
spring you could use little bunnies.
Maybe fill a jar with
marbles or layers of colored sand. Even pennies! Use your imagination.
These candles make great gifts and are also fun to make for yourself. If
you get tired of one just empty it out and start again!
Originally published at Suite 101.
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer, mom, and owner of four home and
family web sites.
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