If you’re feeling crafty and want to send someone flowers in a slightly different way then a few DIY dried flower candles are a unique way to surprise. Flowers can be decorative in more than one way and in the case of a home made dried flower candle your special someone can enjoy an aromatic and long lasting gift.
Making candles isn’t often the first thing that comes to people’s minds as a gift idea, with many put off by the idea that it’s difficult to do and by the many options available to buy in shops and online. However, making your own DIY flower candles is much simpler than many people think and a very sweet touch to your gift giving. It is also relatively cheap to do with only a few simple ingredients that can easily be locally bought. As we’ll see in 6 simple steps you too can make beautiful DIY flower candles.
What you will need to make your DIY dried flower candles:
- Wax – We recommend using soy wax but any organic wax should do
- Cotton Candle Wick – Measured to fit your container, with a little extra length for the candle setting
- Dried Flowers – Either bought or you can dry your own
- Glass Jar or Container – You could also try using old ceramic tea cups for a unique edge
- A Pencil – We’ll use this to help the wick set
- A Wooden Skewer
- Optional: Essential oils
Step 1: Melt the wax
For this first step you should melt the wax on your hob. You can either do this with a jug or bowl in a saucepan of shallow water or with or just in the saucepan itself (use one you don’t mind getting waxy). It’s better to melt the wax slowly with quite a low heat to ensure that it cools quickly so as not to damage the dried petals with the heat of the liquid.
Step 2: Add the dried flowers to your glass container
If you’re using a transparent container then it might be a good idea to clean the container before adding the flowers and wax so no smudges or marks are left when the wax cools inside it. You can also stick some of the petals to the side of the glass if you want more of the flowers to be on display. When you’re just about ready to add the wax, add some of the flowers you want to seal inside. Don’t worry about their distribution of the flowers at this point as more can be added gradually with the wax.
Step 3: Pour the wax
Now turn off the hob and take the liquid melted wax over to the container and start to pour inside. Sprinkle in a few more flowers as you go and use the wooden skewer to ensure that they sink properly in the wax itself.
Step 4: Add the wick and the oils
You should already have your wick set to be placed in the candle. If you want to add in the oils do so after the wax has cooled for a few minutes to ensure that the heat doesn’t make the oils smoke. If you’re adding strong scents like eucalyptus only place a couple of drops in the mixture but for more subtle fragrances more is better (around 20 – 30 drops). After giving the mixture a light stir you can then drop in the wick. Make sure to keep it centred so the candle will burn evenly.
Step 5: Wrap the wick in place
Once the wick is centred and fully measured down to the bottom of the container, use a pencil across the top of the lid opening. You can then wrap the excess wick around the pencil to keep it from sinking into the still liquid wax.
Step 6: Let the wax cool
Now that everything is set in place find a cool dry place for the wax to solidify. This can take up to 24 hours to completely settle so don’t rush the process or the flowers or wick could get knocked out of place.
Once the candles are full set you can then add any additional decorations. Perhaps you may add a label with the name of the recipient or a birthday greeting if it’s for a birthday party. Whatever the celebration, your home made floral candle should be able to impress your loved ones with its light, scent and craftsmanship.
FloraQueen works with expert florists around the world to deliver the freshest quality flowers to more than 100 countries. No matter the celebration or event you can send your wishes right now to wherever they are. Send flowers with same and next day delivery with ease and share smiles today.