Creative Crafting

Candle holders are very easy to make and they’re a great gift idea. I have been making them for years for just about every occasion and person.  The materials are inexpensive, you can even use items you have around the house.  Just use your imagination and come up with some great ideas that match your lifestyle.

Basic materials required:

·  Small glass candle holders
·  wrapping paper (thin if you can find it)
·  tissue paper
·  Decoupage medium
·  Small scissors (I use cuticle scissors)
·  Small paintbrush
·  Damp paper towel

You can purchase whatever style of glass candle holders you like. You can also find them at thrift stores, yard sales or in your own home.  At one time I even used glass baby food jars.

You can select whatever design you’d like, keeping in mind the tastes of the person you’re making them for. You can cut out pictures from calendars, greeting cards,  magazines, or other sources that you may have handy.  Go to the craft store and you can find scrapbook paper that works really well.  Thin paper for the decoupages work best, so keep that in mind when getting your designs.

When you have found pictures you would like to have use a pair of cuticle scissors to cut out them out.  Cuticle scissors work best on small pictures as they are easier to use on corners than regular scissors. Store any pictures you are not going to use in a small plastic storage bag.

Decoupage can be purchased at any craft store in the same section as glue products.  It allows you to attach the picture to another object giving a glossy effect.

Make sure the glass that you’re working with is very clean, I usually use an alcohol pad that come in little packets to clean your hands to clean away any grease or dirt.  It will not leave any residue.   Start by tearing a piece of tissue paper into one inch squares. Using a paint brush, brush some decoupage onto the back of one of the squares of tissue paper. Position the tissue paper onto the glass and then brush some more decoupage on top of it. Continue adding squares of tissue paper, overlapping at the edges until the entire candle holder is covered, including the bottom. Now place the candle holder on its top to dry. Once dried brush one last coat of decoupage over the entire candle holder. Use a sheet of damp paper towel to wipe off any excess decoupage as you don’t want any ridges from the dried decoupage to spoil the overall holder.

After everything has dried for an hour or more, position your photos on top of the tissue paper. First, brush some decoupage onto the backs of the photos and position them on the glass, continue in this fashion until you have all the pictures you want on the holder.   Brush another coat of decoupage over the entire glass and place the candle holder on its top to dry again. After the decoupage has dried completely, add two or three more coats of decoupage after each coat has dried.

That’s all there is to it! These candle holders are limited only by your imagination. You can use different colors of tissue paper and a variety of photos to create different themes. You can make your candle holders using holiday themes, such as Christmas or Easter. Your butterfly candle holders will also make super birthday gifts, hostess gifts, or party favors. They’re very easy to make and you can make several of them at one time. If I can do it, anyone can.

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