The key item you need - a microwave flower press - is a kiln-fired pair of terra cotta slabs with a heavy wool felt lining. This remarkable unit presses flowers in less than two minutes (instead of the three weeks it takes in a traditional press) and preserves the colours brilliantly.

STEPS

Put on some Christmas music and pour yourself a libation.

Count on making a mess. Arrange newspapers and paper towels on the kitchen counter and stove top to catch waxy drips.

Melt beeswax in a tin can (you can buy sheets of beeswax, which melt faster than big blocks). I like beeswax because it's stretchy and gooey, so it makes a nice flexible seal for the flowers. Paraffin is more brittle so it tends to chip, crack and crumble when used as an appliqué medium.

Start pressing flowers. Roses take about two minutes. More delicate flowers or leaves may take only one minute.

 Dip your paintbrush into the melted beeswax and dab it all over the back of a pressed flower. While the wax is still hot, press the flower onto the surface of the candle. Then paint lots more melted wax over the surface of the flower so it’s preserved under a thin layer of translucent wax. If you're attaching screws to the candle surface, brush on a couple of layers of beeswax and then press the screw into the soft wax. 

When you’ve finished covering the candle with flowers or screws, paint over any blank spots with more beeswax so the whole candle is the same texture and colour.

TIP:  If the appliqué thing doesn’t grab you, try carving designs on the surface of candles using a chip carving knife or traditional v-tool, available at craft stores or Lee Valley. 

Carving wax is way easier than carving wood, so it’s a great project for beginner carvers. You can carve geometric patterns, your company logo (urf!) or wavy, curly ivy vines. Then if you’re really hot-dogging, paint a contrasting colour of beeswax in the lines you’ve carved.  Use subtle wax colours for the 'paint' or it can look garish. Trust me.

Stuff You’ll Need for Flower Encrusted Candles

Microwave flower press (Available at Lee Valley, $29.95 – Item GM420)

Natural coloured beeswax, either sheets or chunks (available at Michaels and other craft stores)

Tin pie plate for melting beeswax

A bunch of fresh flowers, pine needles, cedar, rosehips, or leaves

Big candles (at least 4” in diameter so the dried flowers on the surface are not too close to the flame)

½-inch paintbrush

P.S. If you order your flower press or carving supplies from Lee Valley - www.leevalley.com 1-800-267-8767 - by these dates, you can get your stuff before Christmas)

P.P.S. This is Joanna Sheen's GREAT BOOK about using a microwave flower press!  Includes about 30 great flower applique projects for furniture, boxes, frames and vases.