Saturday, May 19, 2012

Dollar Store Candle to Shabby Chic

As a craft-a-holic, I tend to go through Dollar Stores and Thrift stores thinking "what can I make out of that?"  So this project is for all the other thrifty crafters out there that enjoy taking dollar store stuff and making them look like boutique items.

The Supplies:
-Tall pillar candle
-Wide lace that will go around the candle - this was left over from a spool of lace that I had from Hobby Lobby, but since you only need about 6" or 7", you can probably find this in your stash or possibly the remnant bin at your favorite craft or fabric store.
-Ranger Distressed Inks -Shattered Straw & Antique Linen
-Double sided tape - cut the same length and width as the ribbon
-Pastry Liners or Cupcake Liners
-Art Glitter Elements - #26 Redlands
-Art Glitter Small Beads - #80 Solar
-Art Glitter Ultra Fine Opaque Glitter - #65 Old Gold
-Soft Brush or Make-up Brush
-Ornate Cameo or Pendant Blank - this, again, was from my stash, but you can probably find something at a thrift store, yard sale, or check out the findings from Vintaj.  Just be sure it has an opening at the bottom to attach your crystal.
-Prima Flowers
-Connie Crystal Raindrop crystal
-Eye Pin
-Jump ring
-E6000 glue

1.  Start by measuring your lace around the candle and trim so that the ends will meet smoothly.  (at the back of the candle)  Lay the lace on paper or a protected surface and lightly dob the Distressed Inks on the lace to give it an aged look - Not too dark or there won't be enough contrast between the lace and the background that you'll be forming next.  (Optional step - my Pendant was antique silver and I wanted to "tarnish" it, so I dobbed the Distressed Inks on it as well)

2.  Measure and trim your double stick tape to the same size as your lace.  I used Red Line Tape that comes in a 8" x 11" sheet.  Remove the paper backing on the tape and carefully position the tape on the back side of the lace.  Leave the red protective plastic in place.

3.  We're going to do three layers of "inclusions" into the face of the tape. The first is the Art Glitter Elements.  Pour some out into a pastry liner or cupcake liner.  Beginning at one end of the lace, press the lace face down into the Elements.  Lift and repeat all the way down the length of the lace. Elements are very chunky and some of the chunks are too big for this project.  Brush the larger pieces off the lace with a brush or your finger.  You just want some of the smaller pieces to stick to add texture and deep color.  Pour the excess Elements back into the jar.

The second layer will be Art Glitter Small Glass Beads.  Pour some of the beads into a pastry liner and again press the lace, face down, into the beads, so that they fill in more of the areas where there is no lace.  Tap the lace over the pastry liner to remove excess beads.  Pour the leftover beads back into their jar.

The third layer is the Art Glitter Ultra Fine Opaque glitter.  For this layer, hold the lace, front side up, over a pastry liner or card stock, and pour the glitter over the lace.  The glitter will fill in the areas that the Elements and Beads did not cover.  Use a brush to press the glitter into any remaining exposed tape.  Tap the excess glitter back into the pastry liner.  Use a soft brush or make-up brush to brush off any excess glitter that may have temporarily stuck to the lace.

4.  Carefully remove the red tape liner from the back of the lace, making sure not to pull the tape away from the lace.  Find the center part of the lace that will be the front of the candle and line it up where you would like it on the candle.  Working from the center, out to the ends, gently smooth the lace/tape onto the candle.

5.  Bring the eye pin through the hole of the Crystal and bend so that the eye is about 1/8" above the top of the crystal.  Bring the straight end up and wrap it tightly around the shaft below the eye.  Trim off the excess.  Then us a jump ring to attach the crystal to the bottom of the pendant blank.

6.  Use E6000 to glue a Prima Flower to the center of the pendant.  Once that has set, use E6000 to glue the pendant in place on the lace and add more flowers at the top of the pendant.







6 comments:

  1. How creative. I love it. I may use this in a Fall theme for my Oct. Fest party. Thanks!

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  2. Nice way to dress up a ho-hum candle!

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  3. Very pretty - this would make an excellent gift!

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  4. That is so cute, I would of never thought of that. I am definitely making me one or maybe a few! Lol solar installer

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