- Home >> Lifestyle: Candle
Making:
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- Canning
Jar Candles
by RACHEL
PAXTON
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 old wide 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!
Author:
copyright Rachel Paxton 2001
Rachel Paxton is a freelance
writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook
containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes,
gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and
more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.
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