DIY | poured mason jar candle
I am so excited to share today’s DIY with you! For one, because I have a new DIY logo… and two, because I love making candles. Last christmas I made a candle for every single lady in my family and a few of my close friends, that’s around 45 candles. It was so much fun… shopping at thrift and vintage stores to find cool and unique glass containers… melting the wax, coloring it, and wrapping them all up… I want to do it all over again! I have a fantastic seller on Ebay who I buy all my supplies from John at Superior Candle Company (tandj999) who always has the best deals on bundles and kits – and the wax/supplies is of terrific quality. If he doesn’t have any listed, send him a message through Ebay, and he will list a kit just for you. Candle making supplies are every where, Michaels, Etsy, Ebay, and many other craft stores – but my favorite by far is from him. Before you get started, make sure you have all the supplies below and that whatever glass you choose is nice and thick, thinner glass can crack from the flame of a candle.
Candle Making Supplies: pouring pot (you can find these everywhere from Michael’s to Amazon), wax flakes – each of my bags are 1 pound, wicks, wick stickums, scent oil, mason jars, color beads, wick holder sticks, and a wooden spoon. Everything except the mason jars (purchased at Michaels) and the wooden spoon (found at a thrift store) are from the candle making kit on Ebay. These mason jar’s are 5″ tall by 3″ wide and they take a full pound of wax flakes.
For this project we won’t be needing that inner seal part of the mason jar lid, so you can remove it. Wipe out the inside of your jars to make sure you have a clean surface to pour your candle wax into.
Some wicks are shipped or packaged looking a little wild or crooked – no need to worry – run your fingers along the wick to smooth it out. Simple as that.
Next, take your stickum and apply it to the metal base of your wick – this then sticks to the bottom of your jar to firmly hold your wick in place.
Then drop your wick into your jar and center it as best you can. I used the end of my spoon to push the stickum down firm on the bottom of my jar.
Next up, the wick holders. They are basically two little wooden dowels with tight rubber bands on each end. Used to pinch your wick and hold it taut in the center of your jar while you pour in your candle wax and while it is setting. Do your best to balance your wick right in the center of the jar, otherwise it will be crooked once the wax is set.
Now the best part! Melting your wax! Keep your flame on low through this whole process. It is best to keep the wax warm enough to melt, never hotter and never boiling. Stir and stir until all your wax melts down. White wax will look yellow once melted.
Now for the color and scent! I know that John from Ebay says not to use his “crummies” as color but I do because it is easy and I can make multiple colors using the good old primaries, red, blue, and yellow. Since the ratio of pure white wax to these little beads is like 10 to 1, my colors always turn out pastel – which I love. If you want a bright colored candle I suggest using his color blocks that he includes in his kits. If you want a specific color, you will definitely need to practice. I wanted a muted turquoise color to match my ‘pool‘ colored card stock from Paper Source… using the color wheel, 2 parts blue + one part yellow = teal (I added a little green too just for fun). Then you can pour in your choice of scent. Almost every major scent is now made in candle making oil. For this candle, I chose Warm Vanilla Sugar.
You are supposed to wait until your wax is the consistency of a Slurpie from 7-11… before you pour it into your jar – which normally takes about 20-30 minutes to cool to that desired texture. Unfortunately, the day we did this DIY shoot it was almost 90 degrees in beautiful Southern Cali and after sitting for almost an hour it was still beautifully clear. So I poured it anyway, because we were running out of time and light. Wax always looks darker when it is the molten state.
How to clean your pouring pot: If wax has cooled and it left stuck inside your pot, throw it back on the heat for like 10 seconds. Once nice and melted again, I take a paper towel and my spoon and wipe the inside clean. Over and over until there is no residue left. That’s all there is to it – no soap or water needed.
Batch number two! Soft pink was the desired color and the scent was Pink Sugar.
Huge difference in the final color right!!! Because the day and night was so hot, it took almost 24 hours for these to cure completely. It never takes that long. But you should let them set at least 24 hours before lighting. Now you will need to trim the wicks to about a 1/2″.
I think these would be perfect ‘thank you’ gifts for bridesmaids or if you are feeling really crafty they could be favors. Maybe use smaller jars if you choose these for favors – to cut down on cost and production time. Here are two different and cute ways to say ‘thank you’. Supplies: Thank You stamp – mine is from Paper-Source, fabric, stamp pad, scissors, and bowl to trace around. We are going to make a fabric cover for the top of the jar. Trace an appropriate circle onto fabric and cut it out.
Now stamp your desired design onto the center of your fabric.
Next, drape your fabric circle over the top of the jar – with no lid. We will use the lid to seal the fabric over the jar. Screw on tight and tug at the fabric from the sides until it is even.
If you choose, add a little twine and tie a bow. SO cute!
Option #2: stamp on cardstock. Same supplies except we are exchanging fabric for card stock. Trace the removable lid onto your card stock and cut out the circle. Then stamp your design right in the center of your card stock circle.
Place the card stock inside the lid, replacing the seal.
Screw on tight and add your twine bow. Adorable!
That’s it! This candle making tutorial can be used with any type of jar or glass… the possibilities are endless! I absolutely love making candles and I hope that this DIY will help you to love it too!
As always, if you create a project from one of my DIY tutorials – please send me pictures! I would love to see them!
{DIY credits} Photographer: Studio 11 / DIY: Jen | Something Turquoise / Mason jars and twine: Michaels / Candle making supplies: Ebay (tandj999) / Thank You Stamp: Paper-Source
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Awesome! Thanks for the sources too. I shared on fb.
Very clever, loving the ease of it but it looks so darned complicated!
Great candles! Used to make them years ago in molds, but this is better! How much wax do you melt per mason jar?
Hi there! I used about a pound of soy candle flakes per mason jar :)
How big are the mason jars that take the full lb of flakes?
The jars in my example are from Michaels and they are 5″ tall by 3″ wide… :)
I was thinking about doing this for everyone for Christmas gifts:) any ideas on how to tweak them to make them more holiday?;) also, how much wax goes into making one of your candles? Thanks so much!!
Hi Kaycee! For starters, the color… red, green or white. You can use holiday fabric for the tops, or holiday paper… maybe hang a mini-candy cane from the side. This size candle takes 1 pound of soy flakes.
Ahh thank you!!! I cannot wait to get started! Are the kits the cheapest way to acquire all the materials I’ll need? Do you have a Pat Catans’ craft shop near you? Is it cheapest to buy online/ eBay or amazon?
I think that the Ebay kits are the easiest way to get all the materials… not sure if it’s the absolute cheapest – but definitely easy!
Where did you purchase your dye? I noticed tandj999 sells the beads not the actual dye:(
Hi Casey! I am so glad that you are SO excited about making these candles! I promise if you read through my instructions it will all be clear… there is no die, only beads and perfume!
Very cool! Do you know what the approximate burn time is for these candles?
I’m not sure of the average burning time… but I have burned these exact candles for at least 10 hours and they have burned about 1/3 of the way down. Hope this helps!
WOW! Thanks for the easy step-by-step instructions! :) Do you recommend a particular oil for the scents? I like my candles Yankee strong, and would love to have my own that I make burn with a strong smell! Thanks again!
The only oil I have ever used is from the kit I listed from ebay. You use one bottle of scent per pound of wax and it is VERY strong! :)
LOVE THIS IDEA!!!!
Hi there! This looks awesome and I’m definitely going to do these as Christmas gifts :) Question: to make these do you HAVE to use a special pouring pot or could you use a normal pot?
Hi Brittany! You don’t HAVE to use the special pot but it makes heating and pouring easier. After you use a pot for candle making, I wouldn’t use it for cooking!
You can also use tin cans when melting down the wax, I have done that in the past but you have to be careful not burning yourself as they do not have a handle. I just wore potholders. The good thing about it is that you can toss them when you’re done!
thanks for sharing this! I have 2 empty square Yankee candle jars that I’ve been wondering how to refill. I don’t think Yankee even sells the square ones anymore, and I really like the shape. I’m sure they are much smaller than the mason jars, so maybe I could do 1/2 recipe for 2 of my candle jars?
Hi Marie! Yes… that would work, or you could find another container like a tea cup or wine glass to pour the left over in!
I love this! Definitely something I am going to try! Thanks for posting.
Thanks for the source-I ordered a starter kit !
What a great idea. Definitely will try this. My granddaughter is using Mason jars with candles for outside evening wedding and these would tie right in.
I am into anything using Mason Jars. Love the ideas
Thank you for this post. So specific and great photos. I want to do this for my moms birthday here in a few weeks and I’m really excited. I’m just having trouble deciding what color and what jar I want to use! Thanks for your info and hard work!
I was wondering if you could tell me if the oil in that came in the kit say if its a essential or a if its fragrance?
My friends and I have been wanting to make these was so excited to find you instructions.
Hi Kay! I know the oils that come in the ebay kit are strictly for candle making or burning in oil pots… if you email the kit company they answer any questions like this that you might have :)
Ok thank you I will check on ebay today.
Have you by chance tried tye-dye?! I realize if it could work, it would be time consuming, doing one color at a time and letting that set up before you add another color. Also, it may get so hot it melts the first layer… lol. Anyway, just wondering if it was something you had tried. If I give it a shot I’ll be sure to post how it turns out!
Hi Lindsey! Yes I have poured in multiple layers… usually making a couple candles at one time, it looks really cute! The wax will not melt the layers underneath, your wax should never be that hot anyway… I’ll be waiting to see pictures of yours :)
I want to do this for family for gifts thank you…..
Wondering if you’ve had any problems with the wax shrinking after pouring? If it shrinks, do you just top it off with more wax or do you have to start over by melting it all again? Help! Love the idea, though!
Hi Sarah! This exact wax doesn’t really shrink at all, especially if you pour the wax once it has cooled… good luck!
Hello! I can’t wait to try this! I’ve been to e-bay and looked up the seller you talked about. I have one question…the soy beads~are they the “crummies” you talk about? He lists so many that sound like they could be fragrance, too. These beads are what you can use to add color or create different colors to the candles, right? Thanks!
Hi Laurie! The Ebay seller has soy flakes, that are white, which is melted down to make the bulk of the candle. He also sells soy beads – aka crummies, that you can use to color your candles or place on top of your finished candle as decoration. The fragrance is in the little white bottles. You will need to pick your bead colors and your fragrance choices within the kit that you purchase. The seller also has listings that include large disks that are pigment and fragrance in one – for ease of use. If you have any questions about individual listings, email the seller – he is great with communication. :)
OMG I found this on Pinterest!!! THANK YOU@!!!! This is by far the BEST ever tutorial on making a candle! I love it…cannot WAIT to try it out. I will ck out the ebay link, but we do have a Michaels here too. Thanks again from MI.
Love this idea. I was wondering is there any smoke from melting the wax. Also how strong is the odor when your making them? Sorry to ask but I have a lung disease that makes it hard to do. I wanna try this but thought I would check with you. Thanks.
Hi Patty! There is absolutely no smoke from melting the candles while making them. When burned the amount of smoke actually depends on the type of wick used, sometimes thicker/stronger wicks are more difficult to blow out and seem to smoke for a while after extinguished. Other wicks that I have used don’t have this problem – I couldn’t tell you which are which, best advice is to blow out your candles outside, just to test your wicks. The odor is only from the fragrance you choose, if you prefer no fragrance – you don’t have to add it! The plain soy flakes are unscented. Hope this helps!
Love ur ideas!!!