Fall Craft: Leaf Candle Jar

Quick, before you start decorating for Christmas, here’s one last Fall thing from me. I’ll confess this craft did not turn out as Pinterest worthy as my mom and I had hoped, but hopefully we’ve done the trouble shooting for you.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Beautiful fall leaves – they’re going fast so grab some today. You can let them dry out for a few days or use the method below to dry them fast.
• Newspaper or something to cover your work surface
• Jar with a SMOOTH SURFACE – this is key, don’t use a mason jar or anything that isn’t smooth. I suggest using jars from pizza sauce, jelly, etc.
• Mod Podge (glue)
• Paintbrush

Step 1: Gather some leaves

Step 2: Lay the leaves out on a paper towel. My daughter is into using the microwave lately and she just about put the entire plastic bag in. Don’t do that.

Step 3: Place another dry paper towel over the top and microwave in 30 second intervals until you feel that the leaves are dry but not brittle.

Step 4: “Paint” jar with a generous amount of Mod Podge. Hint: Better to complete steps 4 and 5 in small sections instead of “painting” the entire jar first.

Step 5: Place a leaf on the Mod Podge and add more Mod Podge on top. Apply very liberally – don’t worry it will all dry clear.

 

Step 6: Allow jar to dry 24 hours. It really takes that long, especially when you pile on the Mod Podge.

Step 5 ½: (a secret step you hide from the kids): Smooth leaves down as much as possible and apply even more Mod Podge. Our leaves still stuck up a little bit, but we’re thinking the smooth surface would make a big huge difference and they would stick better. Tip: Don’t use the same brush you used before unless it’s completely dry from being washed. I ended up soaking my leaves with the leftover water on the brush and some of them ended up brown. I should have really gotten the water out of the brush or used a fresh brush.

Here’s the final product:

This could be a really great way to get your kids involved in prepping for Thanksgiving. This would make a great gift for them to bring to a family member’s house for Thanksgiving or something they could display proudly on their own Thanksgiving table.