On Saturday I shared a fall farmhouse table setting that featured jar candles (thank you all for the sweet comments!) and I promised to show how to repurpose the candle jar once the candle has been used up …
… because if you’ve visited my blog for any length of time, you know I love repurposing jars!
On my fall table I used two jar candles that had beautiful scents.
Both are perfect for fall, and the colors went so well with my table setting.
For safety reasons, you should always trim the wick to 1/8″ before you burn your candle.
When only 1/2″ of the wax remains in the jar, it’s time to stop burning it.
But what do you do with the jar now?
I’m going to show you how to create a twinkling potpourri light that’s pretty enough to give as a gift!
How to Create a Twinkling Potpourri Light:
Supplies needed: (includes affiliate links for your convenience)
empty and clean candle jar
battery operated micro string lights
twine
glue gun & glue sticks
mini ice cube trays would work best, but I used a regular one.
Instructions:
First, you’ll need to remove any wax remaining in the jar.
My favorite method is to fill a pot halfway with water, bring it to a boil, then remove it from the burner. Place the jar in the hot water and put a skillet on top to keep it from tipping over.
As the wax melts in the jar, use hot pads to lift the jar out of the water and pour the wax into ice cube trays.
Once the wax has cooled, pop the cubes out of the tray, and save them to use in candle warmers. This way you don’t waste any of that wonderful fragrance!
You may need to return the jar into the hot water a few times until all of the wax has melted.
Use a dish scrubber to clean the jar thoroughly.
Put a few pieces of potpourri in the jar – just enough to cover the bottom. Then push a few inches of the mini lights in.
Continue adding more potpourri, working the lights in at the same time.
Secure the string light wire by hot gluing twine around the top of the jar.
Add a mini burlap bow to the front to finish it off.
You can set the lights to glow continuously or to “twinkle.” How cute is that! 🙂
I was compensated by American Home™ by Yankee Candle® at Walmart for this project, but all opinions are my own.
Learn how to create more decor from repurposed jars with these projects …
Vaya con Dios,
Very cute idea and I also think the peppermint jar is sweet, too.
Wow. How pretty fun, frugal and Fabulous!
Happy Fall
Those scents sound wonderful…I’ll have to check them out! I love your project, Angie…those little lights come in really handy for decorating and projects. Great hint about saving the scented wax!
Where’d you hide the battery pack?
I love the idea of the leftover wax for the candle warmers!
Mechelle, It’s tucked behind the jar with the antique book resting over it to hid it. The battery pack could be hot glued to the back of the jar also.
I adore your suggestion to pour the leftover way into an ice cube tray to be used as wax melts- genius! #client
I’ve also seen mini led battery operated lights that are holiday shapes, stars, trees, santas for Christmas and pumpkins, ghosts etc for other holidays. You can hide the battery packs with other decorative items near by
Pretty cute! I like the way the string lights look but I was thinking in order to avoid the cord and having to plug it in how it would work to use the little battery-operated votives. Of course you wouldn’t have the twinkling effect. Might be worth a try, though.
Duh. I just looked this tutorial over again and realized that these lights operate with a battery pack!! Nothing like being a little obtuse! So much better than plugging it in!
Love all 3 jars only the peppermint one wouldn’t look as good at my house as the level of peppermints would be too low to be pretty! I’m wondering if I could do several rolls of narrow ribbon using a screwdriver to make slits in the lid???
When I melt my ends of candle wax out of the jar, I pour some boiling water into the jar to melt the wax, let it cool, then pick the wax off the top of the cold water, throw the water onto my flowers. Usually, I bring the kettle out to the yard so I’m not handling a hot jar (Klutz with a capital K!). NEVER POUR IT DOWN YOUR SINK DRAIN. That’s probably obvious to everyone who is not a g beginner!
Angie,
I like your potpourri jar with the lights. Where do you put the battery pack?
I just tucked it behind the jar Nancy.