Butterfly candle holders are easy to make and a great gift idea. The
materials are very inexpensive, and you can use your imagination for a
variety of designs. To get started, you will need:
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.
Picture of completed project:
http://www.crafty-moms.com/articles/102701a.shtml
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer, mom, and owner
of four home and family web sites. For scrapbooking, card making,
gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.
This article provided by the Family Content Archives at: http://www.Family-Content.com
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