Book Page Leaf Votive DIY: Upcycle Old Books and Jars
Book Page Leaf Votive Light DIY:
Upcycle old books and empty jars
into lovely fall candle holders.
Make a collection, because they’re free!
This project is great for homeschoolers or in a classroom.
All you need is old books and a collection of jars, and pencil crayons if you want color.
I remember collecting fall leaves in all the wonderful colors when I was in grade school. Then we’d flatten them carefully in big books and use them for decking the classroom for fall. Garlands and bulletin board frames and door wreaths.
My girl g’littles live here in the desert with us, so there’s not much chance for them, and their classrooms, to gather colorful leaves. Many stay green all year, and those that change, like the cottonwood trees, are mostly yellow. Which are pretty, but not your full fall rainbow.
Supplies for the Upcycled Book Page Leaf Votive DIY
- Clean, empty jars. We used an old mason jar, but any jar would work.
- Book pages. Ours were from an old book of quotations.
- Pencil crayons*, scissors, Mod Podge, 1″ foam brush*, tea light: candle or battery operated*.
How to make the Book Page Fall Leaves
Make a pattern to cut your leaves. Decide on your jar, then make the leaves an inch or so shorter than the height of the jar.
We chose to make our pattern like a simplified maple leaf. Fold a paper in half, then cut a rounded bottom, notch it in, then make a point slightly upwards, back towards the center, then curved up and to a tip along the fold. Here’s a picture:
We used pencil crayons to color our leaves. Our favorite pencil crayons are Prismacolor, but any brand will work.
Draw veins in a darker color, then fill in with any colors from the fall palette. Use more than one color on a leaf. For some reason we didn’t have orange, so ours are more red and yellow, even some green and violet.
After coloring, we scrunched the leaves up. I mean, which fall leaf you’ve ever picked up is smooth, right? Unfold the leaves carefully.
Now you’re ready to Mod Podge.
Brush a layer of Mod Podge onto the jar roughly the area of one of your leaves.
Lay a leaf onto the glue, and press firmly until it’s firmly adhered.
Brush another leaf area, overlapping the leaf you just put on the jar. Keep going around the jar until you’ve covered the entire bottom of the jar.
Let the jar dry, then cover completely with a layer of Mod Podge, over the leaves and jar.
Let this dry thoroughly. Mod Podge is clear when it’s dry, allowing the light to flicker through around the leaves.
Add a tea light to your jar or jars and instant autumn magic happens.
If you make several jars in different sizes you can use them in your fall tablescape, with acorns and more scattered leaves and other fall items.
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