Pressed Flower Candle Craft


A gorgeous Mother’s Day craft kids can make that is incredibly simple, this DIY Pressed Flower Candle Craft is both practical and beautiful.

A super simple DIY for the prettiest homemade candles using homemade pressed flowers. This craft takes less than 30 minutes to make and is a beautiful homemade gift

DIY Pressed Flower Craft

Nearly every time my daughter plays in the backyard, she brings me a handful of pretty flowers that she’s picked just for me. I also find them in her pockets all of the time when doing laundry!

And it’s not just her: my daycare kids are always picking a flower or two to give to their moms at pick up time. It’s so sweet and thoughtful (and believe me, it barely makes a dent in the backyard flower population).

While thinking of an easy Mother’s Day craft that my daycare kids could bring home to their parents, I thought it would be fun to do something incorporate pressed flowers – and these DIY candles seemed perfect!

While younger kids can’t do every step of the craft themselves, they can pick the flowers, help press them, and also arrange them on the candle. Older kids can take the reigns a bit more, with supervision.

You can press your flowers in a variety of ways – conventionally using a flower press or heavy books, the microwave flower drying method, or using an iron. I show and describe the iron method in the craft instructions below in case you’re short on time (as a flower press will take 7 to 10 days).

Ella and I had previously made pressed flower bookmarks at the Manhattan Children’s Art Museum, simply using contact paper and pressed flowers, and they would be a great way to use up any leftover flowers you may have.

More pretty pressed flower crafts include:

These pretty flower candles make such a great homemade gift, whether for Mother’s Day, a special birthday, or even Valentine’s Day or Christmas gifts, if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with flowers all year-long (or plan ahead with your pressed flowers).

These would also make a great way to display pressed flowers from a special occasion or vacation. 

Check out our quick video for how to make these cute candles and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe to make these yourself!

 

How to make Flower-Pressed Candles, using pillar candles and freshly picked flowers

Materials to Make DIY Flower Candles

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: if you have a heat gun, that can make the flower setting process faster and more fool-proof, but it is not necessary for this craft. Only use one if you are confident using it.

A gorgeous handmade gift for a birthday, Mother's Day or to display pressed flowers from a vacation, this easy candle craft uses pillar candles and fresh picked flowers for a beautiful piece of homemade decor

How to Make a Pressed Flower Candles DIY

Fold a piece of white paper or cardstock in half, open and set aside.

For this craft, you will want the petals removed from the flowers so that they lay flat against the candles.

Carefully remove the petals (and perhaps a few leaves) from your flowers and place on half of the open, folded paper.

Fold the paper so that the flowers petals are securely inside.

You can either press your flowers using a flower press for about 7 to 10 days or use the microwave or iron methods. Follow the instructions that came with your specific flower press if using that method.

To press your flowers quickly using a clothing iron, place the folded paper on top of a couple of kitchen towels and then lay another one on top.

Turn off the steam function of your iron and set the heat to low. Press the iron down on the paper (through the towel), but do not move back and forth as if you were ironing clothes. Press down in several spots for 30 seconds at a time, for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Check that the flowers are dry before turning off the iron and proceeding to the next step.

Arrange the flower petals (and leaves) on the candle in your desired pattern.

If you want to cover all sides of the candle, you will need to do one side at a time to prevent the petals from falling off.

When you are happy with your design, place a piece of wax paper over the design. You want to avoid touching the iron to the wax paper, so ensure that your piece of wax paper is long and wide enough to prevent this.

On medium heat setting, iron over the wax paper to set the flower design.

The aim is to slightly melt the wax paper, but avoid melting the actual candle. Move the iron around, like you would with clothing. This will take about 2-3 minutes, depending on the heat of your iron.

You can remove the wax paper immediately to see if the flowers are secure. If they fall off, place a new piece of wax paper overtop and repeat the process.

 

Pin this Gorgeous DIY Candle Craft:

A simple DIY for a gorgeous homemade gift using pressed flowers, this DIY Candle is the perfect Mother's Day gift or special way to display pressed flowers from a vacation.

Grab your free printable for our DIY Pressed Flower Candle craft:

Pressed Flower Candle Craft

A simple DIY for a gorgeous homemade gift using pressed flowers, this DIY Candle is the perfect Mother's Day gift or special way to display pressed flowers from a vacation.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Active Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Estimated Cost $5

Materials

  • Assorted small flowers
  • Pillar candles

Tools

  • Clothing iron
  • Wax paper
  • White paper or cardstock
  • Kitchen towels or rags
  • Flower press

Instructions

  1. Fold a piece of white paper or cardstock in half, open and set aside.
  2. For this craft, you will want the petals removed from the flowers so that they lay flat against the candles.
  3. Carefully remove the petals (and perhaps a few leaves) from your flowers and place on half of the open, folded paper.
  4. Fold the paper so that the flowers petals are securely inside.
  5. You can either press your flowers using a flower press for about 7 to 10 days or use the microwave or iron methods. Follow the instructions that came with your specific flower press if using that method.
  6. To press your flowers quickly using a clothing iron, place the folded paper on top of a couple of kitchen towels and then lay another one on top.
  7. Turn off the steam function of your iron and set the heat to low. Press the iron down on the paper (through the towel), but do not move back and forth as if you were ironing clothes. Press down in several spots for 30 seconds at a time, for about 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Check that the flowers are dry before turning off the iron and proceeding to the next step.
  9. Arrange the flower petals (and leaves) on the candle in your desired pattern.
  10. If you want to cover all sides of the candle, you will need to do one side at a time to prevent the petals from falling off.
  11. When you are happy with your design, place a piece of wax paper over the design. You want to avoid touching the iron to the wax paper, so ensure that your piece of wax paper is long and wide enough to prevent this.
  12. On medium heat setting, iron over the wax paper to set the flower design.
  13. The aim is to slightly melt the wax paper, but avoid melting the actual candle. Move the iron around, like you would with clothing. This will take about 2-3 minutes, depending on the heat of your iron.
  14. You can remove the wax paper immediately to see if the flowers are secure. If they fall off, place a new piece of wax paper overtop and repeat the process.

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© Jennifer Tammy
Project Type: Mother's Day / Category: crafts

This simple DIY candle makes a gorgeous handmade gift – it’s simple enough for kids to help make, but it also makes a thoughtful gift for a friend from you!

For more simple Mother’s Day craft ideas, check out our Mother’s Day Unicorn Card printable (with video) or our Handprint Roses (with video).

A simple DIY for a gorgeous homemade gift using pressed flowers, this DIY Candle is the perfect Mother's Day gift or special way to display pressed flowers from a vacation. A gorgeous handmade gift for a birthday, Mother's Day or to display pressed flowers from a vacation, this easy candle craft uses pillar candles and fresh picked flowers for a beautiful piece of homemade decor

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