Mason Jar Candles with Lavender Flowers

Learn how to make beautiful mason jar candles with dried lavender, pressed leaves, and scented with essential oils of lemon eucalyptus and lavender. A beautiful look for your home or a special unique gift.

This is the year of the cicadas where I live, and I don't know if it's just me, but it sure seems a little extra buggy outside. I decided to make some pressed flower mason jar candles to deter these pesky insects. Especially after reading an article from the CDC ranking lemon eucalyptus essential oil right up there with DEET, as an effective repellent.

Update: After further reading, it turns out that the CDC is discussing the benefits of a synthesized plant oil derived from lemon eucalyptus, and not the pure essential oil when comparing it with DEET for effective use in repelling insects. Natural oils such as essential oils are exempt from registration from the EPA and although are considered safe their effectiveness is not known.

I also noticed that some of my lavender already bloomed, so I needed to get out and harvest what was still in bud, to dry for projects. Now I can use last season's lavender for the candles.

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Making Candles with Dried Flowers in 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 the mason jar on its side and slide the flowers into place.

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

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.

Using Wooden Wicks

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. If you are concerned just use a cotton 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.

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

Adding Essential Oils

Add the essential oils to the candle pitcher or tin can. I used about 100 drops per candle with 40 lemon-eucalyptus and 60 lavender. 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 decided on 100 because both lavender and lemon-eucalyptus are strong scents. Also, I wanted to make sure they would be strong enough to repel the bugs. However, it's really up to you. These candles are pretty enough to leave unscented.

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.

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.

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.

Candles with flowers in them. Wouldn't it make a nice homemade gift?

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Mason Jar Candles with Pressed Flowers - Perfect for Summer Parties

Yield: 1 Candle

Active Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Estimated Cost: $10

 Make some pressed flower mason jar candles that not only look pretty, but they also deter those pesky insects.

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Materials

• Pint sized mason jars
• Soy wax
• Wooden wicks
• Lemon eucalyptus essential oil
• Lavender essential oil
• Pressed flowers
• Dried lavender flowers

Tools

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

Instructions

1. Melt the wax in a clean empty tin can or candle pitcher in a pot of water on the stove.
2. Using an old paintbrush, coat one side of the flowers with wax.
3. Set the mason jar on its side and slide the flowers into place.
4. Use a wooden skewer or pencil to help place the flowers.
5. Soak your wood wick in wax to help it stay lit.
6. Once all the flowers are in place, you can set your wick with a little hot glue.
7. Go back and add more wax around the flowers, to help them stay in place.
8. Add the essential oils to the candle pitcher or tin can. I used about 100 drops per candle with 40 lemon-eucalyptus and 60 lavender.  
9. *Optional - spray paint the lids with gray spray paint,

Recommended Products

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  100% Midwest Soy Container Wax by American Soy Organics (5 Pound Bag)