|
Butterfly candle holders are very easy to make and they're a great gift idea. The materials are
inexpensive, and you can use your imagination for a wide variety of attractive
designs.
Materials required:
· Small glass candle holders
· Butterfly wrapping paper
· Yellow tissue paper
· Decoupage
· Cuticle scissors
· Small paintbrush
· Damp paper towel
You can purchase whatever style of glass candle holders you like (or even use some
that you already have laying around). I bought mine at our local Wal-Mart
store for about $0.59 each. You can also find them at thrift stores and yard sales.
I prefer butterflies for my design, but 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. Thin paper decoupages
work best.
After you have some pictures at hand, use a pair of cuticle scissors (the kind you cut your fingernails with) to cut out them
out of the publications. Cuticle scissors work best on small pictures as
they cut more uniform round corners than regular scissors. If you're not going to use the
pictures right away, you can store them in ziploc bags.
You can purchase decoupage at any craft supply store. It's usually found in
the same section as the glue products. It allows you to permanently attach a
photo to another object, giving the object a nice glossy effect.
Make sure the glass that you're working with is very clean. Tear 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. Brush one last coat of
decoupage over the entire candle holder. Use a sheet of damp paper towel to wipe off any excess decoupage.
After everything has dried for an hour or more, position the butterflies (or other
photos) on top of the tissue paper. First, brush some decoupage onto the backs of the
photos and position them on the glass. 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.
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of
the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club Cookbook, a cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner
ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, frugal living, and family fun,
visit Rachel at www.creativehomemaking.com.
More Interesting Articles
|