The following is a post by Jami from An Oregon Cottage.
Want a fun and unique hostess, wedding, or birthday gift? These DIY coffee bean candles are just the ticket. They are quick to make, lovely to use, and they create a wonderful smell. I know, because a friend gave us some for Christmas and we’ve really enjoyed them.
Coffee bean candles are easy to customize by using different containers, flavored coffee beans and wrapping, yet they literally take only minutes to put together. I initially thought that since coffee beans are expensive these might be, too, but I calculated that a cup of beans costs us only about $1.20 (at Costco, we buy coffee for $6.00/pound). Using found containers like canning jars or buying dollar store glasses, these end up being the best of all worlds: an inexpensive, quick, easy and tasteful gift!
Materials
The simple materials you’ll need for two candles are:
- Two cups of coffee beans in any flavor that you like the smell of (we particularly enjoyed the vanilla beans we were given)
- Two tea-light candles
- Two glass containers (2-cup sizes seem best, but it would be fun to experiment). When I think about all the cool containers I find at thrift and dollar stores, I think there are a lot of possibilities. There is room for creativity here!
Filling jar
Directions:
1. Fill each container with about a cup of coffee beans. I think I may have used 1-1/4 cup. The goal is to fill the container about half-way full with the beans.
Insert tea light
2. Nestle the tea light into the center of the beans and finish the gift by wrapping as desired. See? Quick and easy!
Here are two wrapping ideas to get you started (I’m sure you’ll come up with tons more!):
Twine-wrapped vintage jar
- Use a vintage wide-mouth canning jar for the bean candle. Attach a zinc lid and wrap with garden twine.
Tulle-wrapped candle holder
- Use a dollar store candle holder and wrap with a large square of tulle held together with a colorful bow.
What ways would you customize these candles?
