Autumn Candle Holders

I saw a picture of something similar to this on Pinterest so I had to give it a go.  The picture showed the candlelight flickering through the leaves and the Autumn colours make the room feel so warm and cozy.




Step 1 - Assemble the items

 - Autumn Leaves
I looked like a crazy foreigner in the park across from my house collecting leaves... I had the dog with me and had attached him around my waist so I could have my hands free... but the Korean's definitely thought I was a lunatic!  Make sure you get a range of sizes and colours.  Turns out the smallest ones were the ones I needed most and I ran out of them way too quickly!

 - Wide Glass Jars / Glass Vases
I went to the Korean equivalent of a dollar store and chose a few different shaped glass jars and vases.  The have to be wide so you can easily get the candle in and out but the overall size is entirely up to you.

 - Glue / Mod-podge
For my Commonwealth buddies the easiest and cheapest thing to use is PVA glue which is a little watered down - about 3 parts glue to 1 part water.

For my American buddies this is basically a home recipe for Mod-Podge (which doesn't exist in Aussie-land).

If you are confused by both then basically what you are looking for is a white glue that dries clear - and a little watered down!

 - Varnish
I had a big pot of furniture varnish lying around from when I built the coffee table... (I must remember to blog that too...)  But I am pretty sure you can pick up small pots of varnish at any hardware store.  I like a gloss varnish because it gives it a nice shine - and protects the surface in a way the glue doesn't.

 - Ribbon (Optional)

 For the glass jars I used a stiff wide ribbon to tie around the top and hide the ridges where the lid would join.  I think the Jars work best for gifts because you can put the candle inside, put the lid on, and then tie the ribbon!

Step 2 - Putting it all together

First the leaves need to be pressed and dried - put them between sheets of absorbent paper in a heavy book - I just used two sheets of printer paper and a handee towel because it was all I had in the house!  Leave for a couple of days - just to be on the safe side.


Make sure the glass is nice and clean and then paint a layer of the glue directly onto the glass. Place the leaves onto the glue - if you want to overlap the leaves then glue the underside of the leaves as well.  Once they are all in position  leave to dry for a while (until the glue starts to clear) and then paint a layer of glue over the top of all the leaves.  Leave to dry overnight.


Once everything is really dry paint a layer of Varnish over the top and then leave overnight again. Once the Varnish is dry you can tie the ribbon around the top (or not if it's a vase)... and then it's finished!