Want to learn how to make pressed flower candles? Are you looking for a step by step tutorial on how to make homemade candles with flowers? If you’re looking unique homemade candle ideas this may be THE tutorial for you. We’ll show you how to make homemade candles with flowers step by step!
If you’re looking for a beautiful DIY candle gift idea you need to check out our pressed flower candles DIY! With inexpensive supplies and some creativity you can make a meaningful gift or party favor that people will actually use! With this tutorial, your giftee will be able to reuse the candle holder in the future for other candles.
This Pressed Flower Candle is Great For:
- Mother’s Day Gifts
- DIY Birthday Gifts for Her
- Summer DIY Decor or Craft
- Wedding Table Decor & Wedding Shower Party Favors
- Baby Shower Party Favors
This is a great candle making at home for beginners project! So if you’ve been wanting to learn how to make your own DIY homemade candles or you’re just curious about the candle making process we’ll do a deep dive with a full, step by step tutorial.
Making homemade candles are pretty simple and easy once you have the basic process down but we’ll share lots of pro tips you’ll want to make note of along the way!
We’ll show you step by step how to make candles with flowers. You can dry your own or purchase flowers that have already been dried online or at craft stores. We chose a wine glass for our candle but you could use mason jars, vases or any heat safe vessel for this homemade candles DIY project.
For this pressed flower candle you can use flowers from your garden OR purchase some of your favorite flowers from a florist, farmers market or the grocery store floral section.
While we pressed our flowers in a book for this DIY candle gift idea- if you are short on time you can dry flowers in a matter of minutes with an inexpensive Microwave Flower Press. These are so much fun to use and can save you a lot of time and frustration. I’ve used dried flowers to make bookmarks and they also look nice placed in a clear glass frame as decor.
We’re sharing lots of examples of the homemade floral candles we’ve made to help inspire your own candle designs. If you’re looking for a variation of this project- you can assemble a flower-decorated glass or jar and leave out the wax candle completely. Instead, place a tea light candle inside and light that. This alternative also makes the jar easier to reuse.
DIY Pressed Flower Candles Supply List:
Below you’ll find everything you need if you want to learn how to make candles with flowers. You can use any heat safe glass vessel that strikes your fancy (like a mason jar). Keep in mind that the bigger the vessel- the more wax you’ll need and the longer it will take to melt.
Flowers can take 1-2 weeks to dry the old fashioned way. If you want to speed up this process you can use a Microwave Flower Press that will dry flowers in a few minutes or or purchase flowers that have already been dried online or at craft stores.
Materials to Make One Candle:
- 8 oz Stemless wine glass or mason jar
- Parchment paper or Microwave Flower Press
- Thick heavy book (old textbooks work great)
- Fresh flowers
- Paintbrush
- Matte Modge Podge
- Tweezers
- 3 cups soy melting wax
- Heat safe bowl with a pour spout
- 6 Inch Candlewicks
- Clothespin or index card
- Essential oils or candle scent oil
- Large Stove Top Pot
- Water
- Scissors
How to Make a Pressed Flower Candles Step by Step
Below are the step by step, written directions. You’ll also find a printable version after the tutorial. This DIY candle gift is perfect for weddings, mother’s day gifts and housewarming gifts. This is the perfect DIY summer craft for adults and teens. It can also make a thoughtful party favor for those summer soirees!
1. Press Your Fresh Flowers
You don’t have flowers readily available to make this pressed flower candle. You can get flowers from the local farmers market, florist or grocery store floral area. Think about colors that look well together and visualize your flower layout before you pick out flowers. Some flowers that work well are daisies, lavender, baby’s breath, ivy, pansies and ferns. The bolder and brighter the colors- the better!
Once you have your flowers, remove them from the stems and arrange the flowers in a single layer between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper with flowers between the pages of a heavy book near the back so weight is pressing down on the flowers. Let the flowers sit in the book for 1-2 weeks to as they dry and press.
PRO-TIP: We pressed our flowers the old fashioned way but if you want to speed up this process you can use an inexpensive Microwave Flower Press that will dry flowers in just a few minutes. You can also purchase flowers that have already been dried online or at craft stores
2. Place Flowers on the Glass
Layout all of your flowers in the arrangement or order they will be applied. Using a paint brush, brush the wine glass with enough Matte Modge Podge to place a dried flower and using your tweezers, carefully place the flower over the spot of Matte Modge Podge.
Then carefully brush a layer of Mod Podge over top of the dried flower. Repeat with more flowers until you are satisfied with the design. Let the Matte Modge Podge dry for at least 1 hour. If your wine glass wants to roll around as you work, place a rolled-up kitchen towel inside the glass to weigh it down.
3. Place the Wick in the Glass & Hold in Place
Place a 6 Inch Candlewick inside the glass and hold in place with a clothespin or an index card. Make sure the wick is touching the bottom of the glass.
4. Melt Wax & Infuse Essential Oils
Melt 3 cups soy melting wax according to the manufacturers instructions. When completely melted, add in the essential oils (use whatever combination and quantity you want to reach your desired fragrance levels).
Pour the melted wax into the jar. Allow the candle to set on a flat surface for at least 8 hours (or overnight) until the soy wax has hardened. Most soy wax melts turn yellow after being melted but will become white again after cooling. Don’t be alarmed! Your candle will not be yellow!
Note that some soy wax brands are ok to microwave, however, most are not safe to microwave. In most cases, you will use the double boiler method to melt the wax. This is where you place your heat safe bowl inside a water filled pot and place the pot on the stove over medium heat to melt. Stir the wax continuously until the soy wax is fully melted and clear.
5. Trim Candle Wicks
Remove the clothespin and trim the wick with a pair of scissors. The wick should stick out of the candle about 1/4-1/2 inch. Check the glass for any dried flowers that haven’t fully adhered. You can touch them up with another coat of Matte Modge Podge (I had to do this with my candles).
Store your candles in a cool place that is out of direct sunlight as this can melt the candle wax and cause the color of the flowers to fade. You can find a printable version of this homemade candle with flowers DIY below!
If you’ve enjoyed this pressed flower candle tutorial check out some of our other DIYs!
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Pressed Flower Candles DIY
Below you'll find everything you need if you want to learn how to make candles with flowers. You can use any heat safe glass vessel that strikes your fancy (like a mason jar). Keep in mind that the bigger the vessel- the more wax you'll need and the longer it will take to melt.
Materials
- 8 oz Stemless wine glass or mason jar
- Parchment paper or Microwave Flower Press
- Thick heavy book (old textbooks work great)
- Fresh flowers
- Matte Modge Podge
- 3 cups soy melting wax
- 6 Inch Candlewicks
- Clothespin or index card
- Essential oils or candle scent oil
Tools
- Heat safe bowl with a pour spout
- Large Stove Top Pot
- Water
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Paintbrush
Instructions
Press the flowers. Arrange the flowers in a single layer between 2 sheets of parchment paper and place the parchment paper between the pages of the back of a heavy book. Let the flowers sit in the book for 1-2 weeks to as they dry and press.
Decorate the jar. Brush the jar with Mod Podge where you want to place a flower and, using tweezers, place the flower over that spot and then brush a layer of Mod Podge over the flower. Repeat with more flowers until you are satisfied with the design. Let the Mod Podge dry for at least 1 hour. If your jar or cup wants to roll around, place a rolled-up kitchen towel inside the cup to weigh it down.
Melt wax according to package instructions and once melted mix in the essential oils (use whatever combination and quantity you want to reach your desired fragrance). Some wax brands are ok to microwave, however, most are not safe to microwave. In most cases, place your heat safe bowl inside a water filled pot and place on your stove over medium heat. Stir continuously until the wax is melted and clear.
Place the wick in the center of the jar and hold it in place with a clothespin. Pour the melted wax into the jar. Allow the candle to set on a flat surface for at least 8 hours (or overnight) until the wax has hardened. Most wax melts yellow but will become white again once cooled. Don’t be alarmed, the candle will not be yellow.
Remove the clothespin and trim the wick so that it only sticks out of the wax by about 1/2 inch. Once the candle is fully burned, clean it out and put a tea candle or more melted wax in the flower jar.
This is an abbreviated version of this DIY pressed flower candle tutorial. An expert, step by step tutorial with photos can be found at our website below.
Notes
We pressed our flowers the old fashioned way with a large textbook but if you want to speed up this process you can use an inexpensive Microwave Flower Press that will dry flowers in just a few minutes. You can also purchase flowers that have already been dried online or at craft stores
Save Our Homemade Candles DIY for Later on Pinterest!
