• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • DIY Projects
    • Homemade Bath and Body
    • Sewing
    • Flower Crafts/Decor
    • Thrift Store/Vintage
  • Gardening
    • Flower Gardens
    • Container Gardening
    • Houseplants
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • DIY Garden Art
  • Decorate
    • Room Makeovers
    • Spring Decor
    • Summer Decor
    • Fall Decor
    • Winter Decor
    • Home Decor Projects
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Dessert
    • Salad Recipes
    • Soups and Stews
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Holidays
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
Hearth and Vine
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About Hearth and Vine
  • DIY Projects
    • ...Flower/Gardening Crafts
    • ... Bath and Body
    • ...Sewing/Fabric Crafts
    • ...Thrift Store/Upcycle
  • Gardening
    • ...Flower Gardens
    • ...Container Gardening
    • ...Indoor Gardening
    • ...DIY Garden Art
  • Decorate
    • ...Home Decor Projects
    • ...Spring Decor
    • ...Summer Decor
    • ...Fall Decor
    • ...Winter Decor
    • ...Room Makeovers
  • Recipes
    • ...Appetizers and Snacks
    • ...Dinner Recipes
    • ...Side Dish Recipes
    • ...Salad Recipes
    • ...Dessert
    • ...Drinks
  • Holidays
    • ...Valentine's Day
    • ...Easter
    • ...Mother's Day
    • ...Halloween
    • ...Thanksgiving
    • ...Christmas
  • Subscribe
  • Instagram
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » DIY Projects

    How to Make a Lavender Candles

    August 9, 2022 by Patti Estep 9 Comments

    Jump to How-to Card
    Mason jar lavender candles, paint brush painting wax on lavender and jar with lavender flowers and ferns on sides.

    Learn how to make candles with flowers inside and scented with essential oils. A beautiful look for your home or a special unique gift.

    Trio of scented herbal candles with flowers inside.

    I noticed that some of my lavender already bloomed, so I needed to get out and harvest what was still in the bud, to dry for projects. However, I can use last season's lavender to decorate some candles. These candles have the flowers on the inside of the mason jar as opposed to this pressed flower candle post with the plant material on the outside of a pillar candle.

    This post contains some affiliate links (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, there’s no additional cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. ) i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

    Supplies including wax, pressed lavender and ferns, mason jars, wooden wicks, essential oil bottles and a wax melting pitcher.

    Supplies

    • Pint-sized mason jars
    • Soy wax (approx. 5 pounds for 12 jars)
    • Wooden Wicks  or Cotton Wicks
    • Lavender Essential Oil
    • Pressed flowers
    • Dried Lavender Flowers
    Paint wax on flowers

    Making Candles with Flowers Inside Mason Jars

    Melt the wax in a clean empty tin can or candle pitcher in a pot of water on the stove.

    Using an old paintbrush, coat one side of the flowers with wax.

    Set flower on inside of jar

    Set the mason jar on its side and slide the flowers into place.

    Wooden skewer moves flowers into place.

    You can use a wooden skewer or pencil to help place the flowers.

    Flowers inside jar before candle wax is poured.

    Once you have all the flowers in place you can set your wick. I tried using some wax but it did not stay put, so I used a little hot glue. I've used hot glue to secure wicks before with no problems.

    Additional wax on lavender flowers and ferns inside the jar.

    Using Wooden Wicks

    Next, you need to go back and add more wax around the flowers, to help them stay in place.

    This wooden wick is a new item for me and I love the way it looks. It did have some problems staying lit. After googling this problem, I found that it helps to dip the wicks in the wax first. What I did was paint additional wax around the top of the wicks and cut them short and that seemed to help. Keeping the wooden wick trimmed short is another tip.  If you are concerned use standard candle wicks or a cotton candle wick.

    Using Cotton Wicks

    When using cotton wicks, after you glue the base, wrap the top of the wick around a pencil, and lay the pencil across the top of the jar to help keep it in place. You can trim the excess wick once the candles have hardened.

    Adding Essential Oils

    Add the essential oils to the candle pitcher or tin can. I used about 100 drops of lavender oil. You can adjust these to suit your preference. The recommended amount of essential oil is all over the place, anywhere from 30 drops to as much as 300 drops per 16 oz candle. I was hoping they would be strong enough to help repel the bugs. However, it's really up to you. These candles are pretty enough to leave unscented.

    Fresh wax poured into mason jar with pressed flowers on sides.

    At first, I did not add extra wax. And as you can see here, the flowers are starting to float away from the side and up to the top.

    Fresh wax poured into mason jar with pressed flowers on sides.

    Adding the additional wax helped with this problem.  By the way, I tried using hot glue to adhere the flowers to the side but it didn't help.

    Safety Caution: Candles need to be handled properly and are considered a fire hazard. According to the National Fire Protection Association, many candles have started home fires. Never leave the candle burning unattended. Make sure the candle is set on a sturdy surface away from anything that can catch fire. Keep them out of children's reach. See NFPA's candle safety tips page for more details. 

    Homemade candles with flowers inside mason jars.

    I wonder if the temperature of the wax would make a difference. I also spray-painted the lids with gray spray paint, just because I liked the contrast with the white wax.

    Box with a planter spritzer, pressed lavender, ferns and three candles with flowers in mason jars with lavender tied to the neck.

    Candles with flowers inside. Don't they make a nice homemade gift?

    Patti signature

    More Candles Crafts

    • Mason Jar Oil Candle
    • Spring Mason Jar Oil Lamps
    • DIY Wine Bottle Candles
    • DIY Teacup Candles
    • Orange Peel Candles

    Mason jar candle with lavender flowers on the insides. Lavender stems tied to the neck with twine.
    trio of scented herbal candles ~ Press Flower Mason Jar Candles ~ gardenmatter.com
    Print

    How to Make Candles with Flowers Inside

    Make some candles with flowers inside mason jars that not only look pretty, but may also help to deter pests.
    Active Time30 mins
    Additional Time1 hr
    Total Time1 hr 30 mins
    Course: DIY Projects
    Yield: 1 Candle
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $10

    Equipment

    • Candle wax pouring pitcher
    • Old pot
    • Paintbrush
    • Hot glue gun and sticks

    Materials

    • Pint sized mason jars
    • Soy candle wax
    • Wooden wicks
    • Lavender essential oil
    • Pressed flowers
    • Dried lavender flowers
    • Hot glue or glue dots

    Instructions

    • Melt the wax over low heat in a clean empty tin can or candle pitcher in a saucepan of shallow water on the stove.
    • Using an old paintbrush, coat one side of the flowers with the melted wax.
    • Set the mason jar on its side and slide the flowers into place.
    • Use a wooden skewer or pencil to help place the flowers.
    • Soak your wood wick in wax to help it stay lit.
    • Once all the flowers are in place, you can set your wick with a little hot glue or use a glue dot.
    • Go back and add more wax around the flowers, to help them stay in place.
    • Remove the candle pitcher from the heat and add the essential oils to the candle pitcher or tin can. I used about 100 drops per candle.
    • Pour the scented wax into the mason jars.
    • Let the wax cool and trim the wicks to about 1/8 to 3/16 inches.

    Notes

    1. Keep the wooden wick trimmed to about 1/8 inch for better burning.
    2. You can substitute beeswax for soy wax but it might cost more.
    3. Spray paint the lids with gray spray paint, if desired.

    More DIY Projects

    • Make Your Own Corn Heating Bags
    • How to Make Your Own Birdseed Cakes
    • Make an Emergency Candle Kit for Power Outages
    • Homemade Dusting Spray

    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Paula

      August 12, 2022 at 9:35 am

      Great idea and easy instructions Patti. Looks wonderful and I have lavender that I dried. Now to get another mason jar. These would be great gifts also. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        August 12, 2022 at 9:47 am

        So glad you like them Paula.

        Reply
    2. Sabrina

      November 25, 2020 at 11:49 am

      Hi Patti,
      Was just wondering about using glue to stick the flowers, did you say it worked or it did not?

      Thanks for your response,
      Sabrina

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 25, 2020 at 11:52 am

        Sabrina, I haven't tried using glue however it might work well. I'm not sure what will happen as the candle burns. Might be worth a try.

        Reply
    3. Kim

      February 06, 2020 at 5:06 pm

      Is it safe to burn candles with dried flowers in them? I’m wondering if the flower would essentially become a hazard.
      These candles are beautiful but I don’t know what I don’t know.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 07, 2020 at 6:58 am

        Kim, the flowers are pressed against the glass so it is unlikely that they will reach the flame. However, if they break off after the candle has burned way down it is possible. Still, like any candle, you would want to keep an eye on it.

        Reply
    4. Peggy Connally

      October 19, 2016 at 5:45 pm

      Very Nice and easy enough for me to do. 🙂

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        October 20, 2016 at 8:44 am

        Hi Peggy,

        So glad you liked it. Of course you can use any scents you want but they do turn out pretty.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply
    5. Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

      July 21, 2016 at 5:40 am

      Gorgeous! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Follow Me

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Patti profile pic

    Hi! I'm Patti

    Join me to create lots of fun DIY projects including crafts, gardening, home decor and tasty recipes.

    more about me

    Popular Posts

    Blue jean crossover bag

    DIY Crossbody Bag from Jeans

    tabletop water gardens

    How to Make an Indoor Water Garden

    Echievera planter

    What to do With a Stretched Succulent

    Fabric bowl covers in 3 prints

    How to Make Fabric Bowl Covers

    Collage of flowers including russian sage, pink hydrangeas, coneflower and yarrow.

    10+ Long Blooming Plants

    Chicken black bean tortilla casserole

    Chicken Black Bean Casserole Recipe

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About
    Privacy Policy
    Disclosure Policy

    Sign Up Here!
    for our weekly
    newsletter &
    special offers

    • Shop
    • Web Stories

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Hearth and Vine