Materials:
Small
glass candle holders
Butterfly wrapping paper
Yellow tissue paper
Decoupage
Cuticle scissors
Small paintbrush
Damp paper towel
You
can buy whatever glass candle holders you like (or
use some you already have laying around). I bought
mine at Walmart for about $0.59. You could also find
them at thrift stores or yard sales.
I
chose butterflies for my design, but you could choose
whatever design you'd like--maybe keeping in mind
the tastes of the person you're making them for. You
can cut out pictures from anywhere, including calendars,
greeting cards, magazines. Thin paper decoupages best.
After
you have some pictures in mind, use cuticle scissors
(the kind you cut your fingernails with) to cut out
the pictures. These scissors work best on small pictures
and cut rounder corners than regular scissors. If
you're not going to use the pictures right away, store
them in ziploc bags.
You
can buy decoupage at any craft store. It is normally
found with the glue. It allows you to permanently
affix a picture to another object, giving the object
an overall glossy effect. Make sure the glass you're
working with is clean. Tear a piece of tissue paper
into small (approx. 1 inch) pieces. Using the paint
brush, brush some decoupage on to the back of one
of the pieces of tissue paper. Position the tissue
paper on the glass and then brush some more decoupage
on top of it. Continue gluing on pieces of tissue
paper, overlapping at the edges, until the entire
candle holder is covered (including the bottom--set
the candle holder on its top to dry). Brush one last
coat of decoupage over the entire candle holder. Use
damp paper towel to wipe off any excess decoupage.
After
the decoupage has dried for about an hour (or more),
position the butterflies (or other pictures) on top
of the tissue paper. First brush some decoupage on
the backs of the pictures and place them on the glass.
Brush another coat of decoupage over the entire glass
and set the candle holder on its top to dry again.
After the decoupage has dried, add 2 or 3 more coats
of decoupage after each coat has dried.
That's
it! These candle holders are only limited by your
imagination. Use different colors of tissue paper
and a variety of pictures for different themes. You
could make these with holiday themes, like for Christmas
or Easter. They also make great birthday presents,
hostess gifts, or party favors. They are very easy
to make and you can make several of them at one time.
Photo
of completed project:
http://www.crafty-moms.com/articles/102701a.shtml
About
the author:
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four.
For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas,
and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com
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