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Shabby Chic Mercury Glass Candle Holders

Fine Craft Guild — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:59:00 +0000

Mercury glass is so popular right this minute and I’m fully supporting this trend.
I love its shabby chic look, and how you can transform plain glass object, from vase to goblet, into a magnificent vintage silver mirrored home accent.

Eg. Look what I picked up : two darling glass candle holders.

Add this magic wonder: Looking Glass, which is a glass spray that make glass look like vintage mirrors, and voila. This antiqued metallic finish creates a shimmery, reflective surface which enhances the candle’s light. Perfect for candle holders for the holidays, parties, and weddings.

I bought all this for the holidays, but I still have them around and I think these silver mirror votives are pretty year-round. Yes, it’s Mercury glass galore throughout my house.

Mercury Glass Design Ideas

Here are some other design ideas for you that you can either purchase online as is, or make your own:

Shabby Cottage Chic Mercury Glass Votive Set Silver	Shabby Cottage Chic Scalloped Mercury Glass Votive
Large Gold Globe Mercury Glass Votive (star motif) 4.5 “ x 4 “ (diameter x height).	Gold Mercury Glass Votive (flower motif)
Lazy Susan Fluted Silver Mercury Glass Hurricane	Antique Fleur de Lis Garnet Pink Mercury Glass Votive
Fuchsia Pink Mercury Glass Candle Holder (with rhinestones)	Antique Fleur de Lis Dark Pink Mercury Glass Votive-Large
Chic Vintage Mercury Glass Cabinet Knobs, Drawer Pulls & Handles 4pc ~ Style #K5 Kitsch Mercury Glass Cabinet Knobs with Nickel Hardware

What I like about the last three candle holders is the idea to paint on the inside of colored glass votives or drinking glasses. Adorable. And I’ve added the last picture of the cabinet knobs to get your creative juices going: you can spray any kind of home accent.

Make Your Own Mercury Glass Home Accents

How to use this product is simple:

0. Do read the instructions on the can and follow them.

1. Prep your working area: choose a well-ventilated, easy to clean-up location

2. Spritz your glass with water;

3. Spray with Krylon "Looking Glass" spray paint.

Wait till paint is cured before usage.

Materials Needed

First up, get yourself one or two 6 oz. cans of ‘Looking Glass’ Mirror-Like Spray Paint, which you can buy online for $12/each.

Next, to make your own mirror-like mercury glass candle votives, look for used glassware at your local Sally Ann, or get inexpensive new glass votives & candle holders at your local home ware or dollar stores.

This one here on the right is just $1.99 at Ikea, for example. Now is a perfect time to look for some candle holders as they are on sale everywhere.

Creating Cool things with Mirror Paint – Next Step….

You can actually achieve two looks with this ‘Looking Glass’ spray:

1. the mercury glass – look that I talked about here, and

2. the regular mirror-look that I’ll talk about in an upcoming post. The method is the same in that you spray the paint on the back of glass and let it cure dry, however, you do not need to add the water first. You work on a dry surface instead. When it’s cured, paint over it for a smooth finish and to avoid scratches in future. But, more about this later, as I want to show you an actual project using this.

One drawback of this is that this product comes in an aerosol can, which, ahum, is not environmentally friendly.

Soy Wax Candle Making

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:55:00 +0000

2012 comes with a commitment to myself it to live more soulfully and to reflect that on the blog. So, out with the paraffin candles and in with the soy candles.

Let’s make some candles! Here’s the howto.

Soy Wax Candle Making Supplies Needed

soy wax flakes (European readers / I get it here: Soy wax flakes
wick
100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils (Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemongrass, Orange, Peppermint, Tea Tree)
Clean recycled glass or terracotta containers, such as marmalade jars, lemonade glasses, pretty little terracotta vases or vintage porcelain cups ‘n saucers
Double-boiler
Pitcher, with spout
Sticks to hold wick in place
Blow-dryer

Step-by-step Candle Making Instructions

a. Preparation: Cover a table with a oil cloth table cloth as your work table.

b. Pre-warm your molds in a warm (not hot) oven for 10 minutes before you need them. Leave them in the oven until right before you pour your soy wax into them. So, at this point, you turn your oven on to pre-heat it. Or, you can pre-heat your molds by heating it up with a blow dryer just before use – see later.

c. Tie the wick to the stick, and lay the stick flat on top of your glass containers. measure the length of wick where your wick reaches the bottom of your container and cut it to size. Lay sticks with attached wicks next side by side each container at your candle cooling place.

d. Melt your soy wax flakes with a few drops of essential oil in the double boiler.

e. When your wax is completely melted, set it aside to cool down for a few seconds.

Tip: if you haven’t put your molds into the over to preheat, you can now pre-heat your glass containers with a blow-dryer for a minute so they become slightly higher than room temperature. By preheating the molds, the wax will cool more evenly. Wax poured into a cold mold will give ‘drag lines’ along the sides of your votives.

e. Place stick on top of each jar, with wick in the center. Pour the soy wax into your containers. Make sure the wick goes all the way down to the bottom of your container, and is in the center.

f. Let your wax candles cool for a few hours until solid.

g. Rather than cutting the wick, tie a colored bead in it for decoration.

h. Label each jar with its scent, content and maker, and perhaps a message of love.

Tips

Tip 1. Add tiny color code tag to jar before pouring to easily identify scent later

Tip 2. There are no natural candle dyes on the market. As candle dyes are synthetic, it’s best to go without it. If you insist on a dye, then tint it in the color of the flower essence you are using as that will at least ‘feel’ most natural. And always use special candle dye rather than ‘crayons, food coloring, etc, etc.’

Tip 3. The double boiler method is the safest (but slowest) way to melt wax, but NEVER leave your melting wax unattended on the stove.

Tip 4. Soy wax will hold the fragrance of the essential oils better than paraffin wax, so you’ll need less oil.

New Year Table Centerpiece

Fine Craft Guild — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:55:00 +0000

We all celebrate New Year’s Eve in our own merry way. This year, my hubby & I are not planning to give a party but to kind of quietly stay at home instead…, (although Italy is FULL OF SURPRISES and one can never be sure as to what kind of fun might actually happen…).

So, for this reason, I looked for a festive table centerpiece ideas that will be suitable for New Year’s Eve in a simple sort of way. Centerpieces that will create a bit of atmosphere throughout the evening, add some ‘bang’ at midnight, and ideally won’t cost hours ‘n’ hours of crafting or decorating work on my part.

Well, I found 4 inspirational centerpiece ideas. Let me share. Do one or do all!

Inspirational New Year’s Eve Table Centerpieces

1. Unique, Rustic, Calm Candle Display

What’s so special: the mesh, the vintage clock, the orange pomanders, the vintage ‘Happy New Year’ tag, and last but not least, the ease that it’s all group together. Not this picture, but as a bonus: a tag reminding us to get the champagne out of the fridge!

image source: DIY Showoff

2. Pretty Noisemakers for Instant Party Bang at Midnight

What’s so special: pretty, easy, fun. Pretty: love that construction paper & thin art paper wrapped around each store bought noisemaker/horn. Will look great next to a bottle of champagne. Easy: just wrap it around and secure with sticky tape, and cut top into long strips. Fun to look at, and gives an instant party feel to the evening, even though it’s just you and your hubby… + noisemakers can be recycled for future party use. Love that green aspect of it too.

My take: I might like to add some sparkles or glitter on the paper ends, to give it a bit more dazzle.

image source: bhg

3-4. Display Golden Bubbly Champagne without the Alcohol

Better Home & Garden’s fortune bubbles mad not be as photogenic as from Martha’s glorious glitter large sorbet glasses filled with gold and clear ball-shaped ornaments to simulate real champagne bubbles, but BHG’s idea is more soulful and I’m going for it.

Pairing both idea will give both splash & be a fun activity. Again: easy to do. We can write the wishes for the new year during the evening and then add them to the glasses as we go along.

image source: bhg

My take: perhaps we can make some special bubbles with new year resolutions….., and keep those on display for a while….

image source: martha

More …

New Year Party Ideas

Candle Making Supplies

Fine Craft Guild — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:36:00 +0000

Candles are fun at Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year,… and every other day of the year as far as I am concerned… plus: candles make great gifts. So, this Fall I want to learn how to make our own candles. I thought to prepare for this upcoming Fall craft project (a lot) by familiarizing myself with what craft tools I will need.

Here is an overview of candle making supplies under research, and what I found:

Candle Supplies

1. Metal Candle Molds

After digging around I realize we will need high-quality, professional molds such as these, as they give great results every time. And in this particular candle making mold package that I am eyeing, each mold includes 3 ft (76 cm) of wicking, a wick rod and retainer screw, mold sealer, and …. instructions!!!! Very good.

I have previously made candles with toilet paper rolls, and while I love the environmentalism in that, it is most suitable for the one-off candle project. But once you are going to make 10 or more (I am, as I am planning to give them away for XMAS…), I am stepping up to the plate of aspiring to create professional candle making results.

Cost: I am planning on ordering all my supplies online at Dickblick and qualify for the free delivery, so I am not including driving/shipping cost. Prices for candle molds seem to range from about $18 and up, which is a bit of an investment, but I think it is worth it. I am planning with just getting a couple of the simple shaped ones, as I think I will decorate the candles with other materials, and sometimes, I like plain and simple, just a nice color and smell and warmth…

2. Candle Dyes

I like lavender, orange, red and white, and I hope we can mix them to make some nice pastel and duo-tone candles.

These candle dyes come in a 3/4 oz blocks. You can use 1/8 of the block for approximately 2 pounds of wax.

Cost: This stuff is inexpensive at only $1.99.

3. Candle Thermometer

This Candle Thermometer is important for determining the correct temperature for pouring candles.

It’s measured in Fahrenheit and marked with correct pouring temperatures for a variety of candle techniques.

Sounds like professional results are coming up, right?! OK. Great. Let’s get it.

Cost for this candle making gadget: $7.99.

4. Premium Wax

The good stuff: this Premium Wax is specially designed for candle making. I gives superior mold release and requires no additives. Its melting point is 148°F (64°C).

This is obviously our most essential candle making supply. I am going to buy a couple of packs, even though it contains a whopping 4 lb of wax per pack.

Cost: $13.40 for the large 4 lb pack.

Costs: $4.50 for 100 yards! That makes a lot of candles.

Cost: $48 for the melter kit plus $39 for a set of 10 squeezer pens. An investment, however, we can use this set for all kinds of crafts involving wax.

6. Candle Paint – Metallic Colors, Set of 6

This set contains one bottle each of: Gold, Silver, Copper, Metallic Red, Blue, and Green.

Decorate and paint candles for gifts, parties, and holidays with this water-based liquid wax.

This product dries dimensionally and burns cleanly. A fine-tip applicator allows for detailed 3-D effects straight from the bottle.

For more variety in style and texture, brush or daub wax. Colors can be mixed.

Cost: $16 for the set of 6 metallic colors

Note: there is also a set of regular colors, but I think I will begin with this set, and probably order the other set later.

7. Candle Scents

At some stage do I want to learn how to add my own essential oils to my candles. In the meantime, we may have to go with tried and proven scents such as this.

I like the smell of vanilla, so that’s what I chose. However they also have cinnamon, lavender, ‘the holidays’, bayberry and mulberry.

Each 3/4 oz (21 g) block, contains a concentrated scent of your choice for candle making. We have to use one eighth of the block for approximately 2 lb (about 900 grams) of wax, so just one pack of this will last me for even a couple of 4 lb-packs of candle wax.

Cost: $2

No melting and no mess! Beeswax candles are beautiful, natural, and easy to make. These candles smell faintly of honey and have the special qualities of being smokeless and dripless. Activa’s Honeycomb wax comes in a box of six 8" × 16" (20 cm × 40 cm) sheets. Each box also includes 6 wicks and illustrated instructions for a wide variety of candles. Bright Assorted Colors — 8 sheets and 8 wicks. Christmas Assorted Colors — 8 sheets and 8 wicks.

I am also considering to experiment with beeswax. It is said to be easier. This set you don’t have to melt, so that is going to be handy for ‘fast and furious’ last minute extra candles. These are pretty bright colors, so they might make fun girl gifts.

Costs: $27 for 8 candles, and a fun time.

BEESWAX BLOCKS YELLOW 5-LB (in 1-lb blocks)

This is the highest quality beeswax with wonderful scent at wholesale price.

The candle wax manufacturer says: "This beeswax is 100% natural and filtered, cosmetic grade. Beeswax is the oldest and purest wax in the world. This beeswax is 100% natural. At honey harvest time the honeycombs are carefully opened to allow for honey to drain from the comb. The bees seal the honey into the combs with wax "capping" placed over every cell filled with honey. This capping is removed at harvest and is used in the production of our beeswax which is scented with the sweet aroma of honey." Mmmm… very romantic. I have to play with this. This beeswax comes in 1 lbs, 2 lbs, 5 lbs and 10 lbs packs. I think I’ll opt for a 5 lb. pack. Cost: $25. I heard you can combine paraffin wax with beeswax (ensure a minimum of 55% beeswax) to manage the budget a bit, so I want to experiment with that.

Candle Making Pouring Pot Kit

This easy to use candle making kit is great for any level candle maker. Making candles can be fun for the entire family. This kit includes pouring pot, Thermometer, 1# of wax, 3 votive cups, 9 wick assemblies color, scent and instructions.

Stay tuned for upcoming candle making projects, gorgeous candle pictures and other candle making tips and how to tutorials.

Consider Craft Gift Certificates…

Blick Gift Certificates. Buy Before December 18th for FREE Holiday Delivery!, or…
Go for FREE SHIPPING on orders totaling $200 or more

The 5 Building Blocks of Candle Making

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:23:41 +0000

Like everything in life, the more you do something, the more you learn and the better you get at it. The same is true for candle making. Through experience, we have learned what works, what doesn’t, and what techniques produce exceptional results. I have written articles previously about different aspects of the candle making process, but I wanted to put it all together so that your results can be exceptional, too.

Elements of Soy Wax Candle Making

Follow these 5 Building Blocks of Soy Wax Candle Making and you will be on your way to candle stardom:

Soy Wax Candlemaking Kit
FREE SHIPPING on orders $200+

Make 4 candles in frosted glass containers. Kit includes: Soy wax, 28 oz 3 dye blocks (red, yellow, and blue), Vanilla scent block, 0.5 oz 4 frosted glass containers, Candlemaking thermometer, 4 wicks, Detailed instructions

1. Believe it or not, the wax you use is the most important part of the process. As my son would say, “No Dah, Dad!” You will find that Soy Wax is much more forgiving and easy to use. Paraffin wax is more difficult. All soy waxes, though, are not the same. 100% soy wax is not ideal for candle making because is can crack when it cools, and syneresis occurs more in 100% soy wax. Syneresis is when the fragrance sweats at the top of the candle. Soy blends work better (soy and other natural vegetable mixed), but some companies blend soy wax and paraffin. If clean burning is important to you, look for all natural soy wax blends. For a hint of where to find a good blend, check out the link in the signature block.

2. Wick choice for your candle is another very important consideration. The size of the wick is not determined by the height of your candle, but by the width of the container. The rule of thumb is the wider the container, the thicker the wick.

Thin wicks absorb less liquid wax, therefore produce less vapor fuel and a smaller flame. A thicker wick absorbs more wax and produces a larger flame. This becomes important when your container is wide. A larger flame produces a more even burn circle out towards the edge of the wide container.

When you purchase your wicks, they should be marked with the recommended container size. If they are not, compare the options that you can find. Containers in excess of 3.5 inches should have the thickest wicks. Containers between 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches should have a medium sized wick. And, jars less than 2″ need only the thinner wicks. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have thicker wicks in smaller jars, but they will burn off the wax more quickly.

No matter what container or wick size you choose, it is also very important to center the wick as perfectly as possible. My supplier provides a measured “target”. I place the candle (this works best with glass jars) on the target so that the perimeter of the candle matches one of the rings. The center dot in the target then matches the exact center of the jar. This is more accurate that eyeballing it. Then, use a popsicle stick with a small hole in the center to hold the wick while you pour and while the wax cures.

3. Most of us burn candles because they smell good, so it is very important to use a quality fragrance oil. Carrier is an ingredient in the fragrance oil that helps the oil to solidify and blend into the wax more efficiently. If the manufacturer uses a carrier of lesser quality, then the blend and burn performance of the wax and wick is directly and negatively affected. If you notice a big price difference in certain fragrances, the type of carrier used may be of lesser quality in the cheaper formula.

4. Colors very often decrease the performance of candles. You see, colorants and dyes are not combustible, and they often can clog a wick. If you have ever noticed that a wick can get a mushroom shape, too much colorant is the culprit. If you add a lot of color, use a thicker wick.

5. Choose a size and shape of container to give an optimal burn. Glass and Ceramic containers are great to use. The glass should be annealed, though. Annealing is a heating process to remove stress from a material. Most containers that you would get from a craft store or candle supply company are safe.

The ideal shape for a candle is cylindrical, because that matches the burn pattern of the wax. The proportion should be at least as tall as it is wide. And, don’t use too tall of a container in proportion to width. As it burns to the bottom, there is less oxygen to fuel the flame, so the flame will start to flutter and mushroom. Position the candle away from drafts so that it will burn evenly.

To summarize, use a quality soy wax blend (no paraffin). Containers designed for candles are the best option. Use thicker wicks for larger candles. Also, use a thicker wick if you like to use a lot of color. Take notes on the effect of varying amounts of fragrance, color and wick size.

Before you know it, you will be able to produce the exact results that you are looking for. Good luck and have Fun!

By Dave Krigger.

Andrea Rousseau and Dave Krigger are a husband and wife team who own http://www.keystonesoycandles.com. Go Here for information on candle making.