Faithful Beginnings: Fall leaves and a mason jar!

1. Dry beautiful, colorful fall leaves. A heavy book will do! We put them between pages!

Drying should take only about two weeks.

But Mod Podge should NOT be applied to your dried leaves if you are intending to use them for this jar candle project.

Use ONLY dried, pressed leaves that have NOT been coated with Mod Podge when you make this candle jar.

2. Smear Mod Podge all over the sides of the jar. Do not apply Mod Podge to the bottom or the grooved lid area. (For large areas like this, I prefer using a regular brush, but a foam brush will work also).

3. Place your dry leaf right onto the Mod Podge and press into place. Brush over the leaf with more Mod Podge.

4. Continue adding leaves and Mod Podge until your jar is covered with leaves. I like to overlap a few, but keep in mind that overlap areas do reduce the light that can pass through. I find that lighter colored leaves work best. Use the darker leaves as accents.

5. Once you have finished placing your leaves around the jar surface, use the flat end of your brush to create a stippled pattern in the Mod Podge areas NOT covered by leaves. This step will create a more pleasing pattern than will brush strokes when light shines through these "open" areas on the jar.

6. Let the candle dry thoroughly and then apply a second coat of Mod Podge, again "stippling" the open areas.

7. Let the jar dry several hours or overnight. Overspray with acrylic spray. When dry, pop a tea light in the bottom and you are done!

I am thinking that several of these, in different sizes, would be gorgeous on a Fall Party table. And you can continue using them right through Halloween and Thanksgiving.

And then... fill them up with buttons, pompoms, fall theme stamps, pumpkin seeds for next year's harvest necklace, orphaned beads....

I hope you enjoy the warm glow of your fall candles as much as I am!