How to Make Nature Luminary Candle Holders

These easy to make and beautiful natural luminary candle holders are a great year round decoration for a front porch or balcony. You can also use them indoors to make your living area come alive!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• White tissue paper squares
• Canning jars
• Sand
• Votive candles
• Pretty leaves (thin and flexible leaves work best)
• White kids' glue
• Bowl
• Soft paintbrush

1. Make sure the jars are all completely clean and dry on the outside. This will help your craft glue and leaves stick to the jar.

2. Make a mixture of glue and water, using a ratio of 1 to 1. Mix in a bowl and stir with a paintbrush.

3. Brush the glue onto a portion of the glass jar. Use a minimum amount of the mixture, as the undercoat is used only to hold the tissue paper in place.

4. 
    
   You can buy small squares of white tissue paper as part of a kit or make them yourself.

   Lay the tissue pieces flat on the sides of the jar. The paper can overlap and should stick to the mixture, becoming slightly transparent. Cover the entire jar with the white tissue.

5. Brush more glue over the top of the tissue pieces. Be gentle as the paper will tear more easily the more saturated it becomes.

6. Let the tissue dry on the jar for about 5 minutes. It will not be completely dry.

7. Cover a leaf flat against the jar with another layer of tissue paper. You will need leaves that are still resiliant and that have not gotten "crunchy" for this project. You will use the same technique that you did with the plain tissue paper, but now you will trap the leaf firmly underneath. Place as many leaves as you like on the jar in any pattern that you choose.

8. Allow the jar to dry for at least 24 hours. If the paper begins to peel up, touch up the area with a little more glue.

9. 
    
   Use several of these luminaries to make your outdoor porch look cozy and romantic. Once you master the technique you can use it on any glass candle holder.

   Pour sand around a votive candle in the bottom of the jar. This will help keep the jar from tipping. When you light the candle, the silhouettes and even some of the colors of your beautiful leaves will show up against the warm background glow.

Tips & Warnings

• Never leave open flames unattended or light luminaries around small children. Using luminaries can present a fire hazard, and you should always have the means on hand to extinguish a rogue flame.