getcrafty :: popular topics :: candles :: votive

View entire thread: Need advice from Vancouverites

Posted by breewell on 2004-10-20 20:09:50      Post Subject: Need advice from Vancouverites



Hello there,
In exchange for my mom finally hosting an open house at her place in North Van, I have agreed to do all the cleaning, decorating and cooking for the event. Problem is I haven't lived in Vancouver in almost 6 years and have no idea what resources still exist. The open house is for my Brother's graduation, and so the Vancouver extended family can finally meet my new husband. I don't want to go too crazy, but I do want to get flowers and candles (I love the gourd votive idea Ursonate mentioned and am hoping to steal that). If anyone can suggest good cheap places to get wholesale (or at least not already in bouquets) flowers, or any other party planning resources I would be much obliged. The open house is in mid November and I think I will come to town a week early. Even when I did live there, I was in east van, and rarely strayed too far from the commercial drive area. Now most of my friends from there have scattered all over the world so I don't really know what's going on in the city.
Thanks for any advice!
Bree

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View entire thread: free time at college-need project ideas

Posted by craftfetish on 2006-09-29 15:23:52      Post Subject:

For holiday favors, you could make decorative candle wraps. Buy cheapo votive cups and tea lights at the craft store. You can decorate them however you want.

I have used a decorative holiday hole punch through some vellum secured with wire before.

You could also decoupage. Or I've seen some cool things with beads and wire knitting.

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View entire thread: Crafts with candles

Posted by lizzymahoney on 2007-10-24 11:07:22      Post Subject:

Things to do with votives?

Making an advent wreath with simple votive cups set into it would be good. Or how about a menorah in blue and white, or perhaps a Kwanzaa array of colors?

A votive on a small support could be placed in the middle of a bundt or angel food cake. While I don't care for the idea of baking inedible stuff into cakes no matter when or how it will be removed, there's that idea of baking wedding charms into a cake with ribbons to pull them out. So the festive cake with the candle in the middle of the ring would have ribbons laid over the sides of the cake with charms down in the hole under the candle.

I think votives could be frozen into distilled water in cupcake or mini-bundt tins, then floated in a punch bowl or small pool. This would need to be really cold fluid or water, or a very short display because the ice will melt and the candle will drop and splutter out.

I've decorated many candles with melting crayons. Hold the tip of a crayon *near* a flame and as soon as it softens use it to paint on the candle. I've done it to tapers and columns, so I think it would work with votives as long as the motif is small.

In my hippie candlemaking days, I sometimes filled large conch shells with wax and a wick. Eventually i learned that that doesn't make a great candle, but a tea light or votive can be set into them. Often a small shell will be needed to support the shell. If needed, tiny shells or small pebbles can fill the shell to support the candle.

Soda and beer cans are the right size for votive luminaria, but the sharp edges once you've cut a design are a real drawback.

You can embed shells or tiny charms or stones around the base of the candle with melted wax. With colorful candles, you'd have to sacrifice one to the cause, unless you like the look of white wax against a fuschia candle. You already know the caveats on melting wax, right? So a tiny bit, either in a djanting pen or with a stiff paint brush in wax over a double boiler, blob it onto the charm and affix immediately. If you are concerned that they could slip or shift off, then scribe a bit with a pin or other sharp right under the eventual placement. That way the hot wax will seal the charm to the candle in position.

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View entire thread: Crafts with candles

Posted by sarabell on 2007-10-24 02:06:43      Post Subject:

what about making some votive holders? or buy some plain ones and schnazz them up a bit....

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View entire thread: Crafts with candles

Posted by njean80 on 2007-10-23 19:52:49      Post Subject: Crafts with candles

I''m looking for crafts to do with scented votive candles. Does anyone have any ideas? I have made towel cakes & put them on them but was looking for something different. Any help would be great.

Thanks

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View entire thread: What would you love to unwrap?

Posted by sheofthescepteredisle on 2005-05-10 12:57:05      Post Subject: What would you love to unwrap?

As last year, I am making all my Christmas gifts and cards. I like to do it through the year so I am not stressed and rushed, and can afford nice materials.

Last year I made some wintery gifts, like scarves and hot wheaty bags, and some holly leaf votive holders. I am quite happy making wintery things as well, but perhaps not holly leaf votives, and Christmassy things if that makes sense? So perhaps a votive holder that would look just as good in Summer.

Anyway, the point of it is, if you were unwrapping a handmade Christmas gift, what would you want to find in your package? I can knit (but not too complicated!) sew, crochet, I cook, papercraft, and am open to trying new things! Ideas please- I would be so grateful!

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View entire thread: Crafts with candles

Posted by cathie_Filian on 2008-01-05 11:59:55      Post Subject:

Here is a project from the "Under $5 Gifts" episode of Creative Juice. We transformed inexpensive votive holders by gluing large silk rose flowers around them. They look stunning in a set of 6 going down the center of a rectangle table or a single one on a bed side stand. I have seen so many different shades of large roses, even velvet ones.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m104/cathiefilian/project%20pictures/1flowervotive.jpg
This is a great project for Valentines!

For Complete Instructions Visit: Under $5 Gifts

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View entire thread: mosaic tile christmas ornaments?

Posted by Katydid on 2004-12-07 13:36:54      Post Subject:

Thanks everyone!

Lizzy - I had that thought exactly after picking up a mosaic votive holder that I have. Too heavy to be held up by a tree.

I ended up doing wire/bead snowflakes like something I saw on craftster, and glass balls with acrylic paint.

It's all coming out nicely.

I would like to experiment with the mosaics though - coasters sound great!

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View entire thread: need prizes for a bowling party that's tomorrow!

Posted by Athos on 2004-11-10 20:17:37      Post Subject:

oh, those are such great ideas. i wish i had more time to craft. i made pretty cute goody bags, filled them with a votive candle, a mini tub of playdoh, candy, gum and a little blowing streaming.

i followed instructions from HGTV i think on how to make a gift bag out of a business sized envelope. then i stamped little phrases on the front with a celtic alphabet stamp set. the sticker i made from a friend's photo. here's a picture!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/athosdelafere/bowling.jpg

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View entire thread: centerpiece ideas for dinner party- please!

Posted by WildSnowflake on 2007-06-16 15:34:37      Post Subject:

$50 per table or the whole event?

BTW.. if you are going to use the sand idea previously mentioned, make sure that the container is waterproof. Sand soaks up moisture and if you set up the centerpieces the night before... chances are that the sand will get wet (and heavy)... a lesson learned the hard way. probably ditto with salt

have you consider indian lanterns?

you can also take a styrofoam halfball form and cover it with various seeds and have some herb sprigs sticking up.

tealights, etc always work well so youo could take a clear rectangular box. layer it with herbs, sands , and then have some tea lights sunk into that with some flower heads between them. i would go with lots of yellow, orange, and purples.

or see if you can borrow hookahs (tell the store that you will advertise for them). now that would make an impact.

PS: you can also core an apple and place a votive holder inside that so that it can hold your oils.

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View entire thread: Vintage Buttons

Posted by deborahthecraft on 2005-01-17 18:35:41      Post Subject:

necklaces and bracelets as well as earrings(readymade had a tutorial last summer) but also broches would be lovely.Coasters,glued on candles or votive holders,around mirrors or picture frames(especially lovely with a combo of marbles and shells)...

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View entire thread: Help me write my artist blurb - was Chair Ideas

Posted by smudgy_cat on 2005-02-07 12:50:11      Post Subject:

I ended up making Chair-a de los Muertos while my sister did Garden Chair.

My chair was painted purple, with some bright pink dry brushing on top. I used some bright red mixed with a bit of purple to add some accent color.

The seat was covered in black fabric, and I painted silver skeletons on the chair (a skeleton couple, a skeleton cat, bird, and parts of skeletons wherever they'd fit on the legs and seat). From the back of the chair, I screwed in eye hooks and hung things so they dangled a bit.

I also stapled a dowel on the back to hold some gold fabric as a bottom drape. My shrine dangles were:
*test tube vase made with 3 test tubes wired together and wrapped with purple and red ribbons
*a bunch of fake grapes tied with red ribbon
*a little wooden box covered in glitter with a smiling skeleton in glitter on the top

On the seat of the chair were:
*votive candle holders epoxied to the chair
*picture frame covered in glitter and shiny things (held onto chair with a pearl necklace that was stapled on either side of the cushion

The final thing I added were christmas lights. I wound 3 strands of lights around the chair legs and arms. It looks quite festive when plugged in. My husband suggested an alternate title of Electric Chair.

My sister's chair was less tacky. She basically covered every surface with grapevines and fake flowers. The seat was upholstered in a floral brocade fabric. For an added touch of whimsy, I added a tiny stuffed rabbit (one of those mcdonald toys) to the arm of the chair.

Once we were finished, neither folding chair was able to fold.

I'll see if I can get pictures posted.

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View entire thread: Tons of Bottles! What to do?

Posted by Chelsea on 2005-05-23 18:50:41      Post Subject:

I can't picture coca cola bottles....are they colored glass?

You could glue them together in a circle around a metal base and it could be a pillar candle holder.

Use them as "supports" between shelves in an open bookshelf type of thing in each of the four corners. If you can put a dowel through them (cut a hole or smash out the bottoms) it might be stronger...dunno if four glass bottles would be strong enough by themselves - plus the rod going through them would be sturdier as far as holding the bookshelf together anyway.

What didn't look right about the vase idea? If it wasn't the shape of the bottle just the look of the bottle you could always glue paper to it or paint it to make it different. If it was the shape, then I don't know.

Don't know how far you want to go with this, but you could also cut the top of the bottles off to make votive holders (paint the glass or cover with something to change the color with this too)

A windchime.

Edit: why can't I come up with stuff when it's MY project I want to make??? I promise you, if it was me with a bunch of coke bottles I would be posting the same question. :)

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View entire thread: Trash to treasure!

Posted by EclecticAnnie on 2006-08-02 12:37:02      Post Subject:

I LOVE finding junk and making it new! I just got a bookshelf from a neighbor that I sanded and painted with leftover paint from my bathroom. I also just knitted a welcome mat/rug out of plastic grocery bags. Looking forward to making some rag rugs - either braiding, knitting, or weaving on my Amish loom.

Last year, I turned old clothes into stuffed animals, and jean pocket purses for kids' Christmas gifts. I also melted down candle stubs and bought some wicks and wick holders and poured the wax into teacups or old votive cups. I used clean spaghetti sauce jars to hold hot cocoa mix I gave as a gift, as well.

I use cardboard egg cartons for starting seeds indoors in the spring. I use old plastic tubs for planters.

I turned an old bedspread and a sheet set into curtains. I tossed a circular, tassled, tablecloth over a curtain rod too.

I could go on and on - and probably do a whole website on how to renew or reuse or repurpose things around the house.

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View entire thread: Valentine's gifts

Posted by indieinkgrrl on 2005-01-18 21:08:30      Post Subject:

so far i have decorated glass candle votive holders with conversation hearts (i just glued them on with craft glue-i got this idea from a post on craftster).

i would also like to make a heart shaped candle embedded with conversation hearts. i have candle wax, wicks and heart shaped molds but i didn't know if i had to treat the conversation hearts with any coating or if i could just lay them in the wax when it is still soft...i have seen candles like this in stores but never did it myself. anyone try this before?

thanks,
Danielle

::indieink!::
vist us at www.darksideoflight.com/indieink.htm

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View entire thread: Christmas Gifts- What are you making?

Posted by happyhats on 2006-11-10 21:29:11      Post Subject:

It's going to be a simple year for me. Most of my friends and family are getting a handmade ornament and a handwritten poem. The kids of the family are getting melted candy ornaments.

My father in law is getting either tea or beer bread.
My best guy friend is getting a pillow I found with the I Ching on it and probably a few votive candle holders (he's planning on moving out of his parents house this year, and needs home decor things)
My best guy friends parents really helped me a lot this year and I want to get them something small too. I'll probably get them a big tub or popcorn or a nice coca cola set with a small serving of coffee (the mom is a coca cola buff, and the dad loves coffee)

I've gotten a few small books for my boyfriend and an awesome pin up pop up card so far. I'm also going to get him a Giger calendar I found, and possibly a planner or journal (he loves journals).

Now just to actually buy things! But I need money first!

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View entire thread: what to do with tons of CDs?

Posted by JediEmpressMel on 2005-08-16 03:10:57      Post Subject:

It's not really making anything out of them, but you just put a votive candle on a cd, and it makes a nice holder for them. Plus it reflects the light which looks cool.

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View entire thread: i have a zillion baby food jars

Posted by sarabell on 2005-03-04 01:26:16      Post Subject: i have a zillion baby food jars

i have a zillion baby food jars and i've glued my share of those flat marbles on them. actually, it was pretty cool because i glued different colors and patterns on the back of each marble so they were more interesting. but how many of these freaking things do i need? like i needed more votive holders in the first place. with a up & about baby and a rambunctious toddler, it's not like i can have them out all over the place.

any good ideas for them? i'm about to toss a bunch of them but i know that i'll kick myself for doing it. it always happens. i toss something i've had forever and have a use for it less than a week later.

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View entire thread: Need creative (cheap!) wedding flower ideas!

Posted by rabbitLovesBear on 2005-09-13 08:43:11      Post Subject:

My suggestion is to read indiebride: http://kvetch.indiebride.com They have some amazing ideas and list places that will ship flowers right to you on the cheap. Just bring basic supplies and a bunch of hands the night before and you will have beautiful flowers.

To save money, I had smaller reception bouquets with little wine glass votive lamps http://www.save-on-crafts.com/wincanlamfro.html which filled out the table. The reception site let me borrow the glasses so I just paid for the cost of the paper.

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View entire thread: DIY wedding ideas?

Posted by cayta on 2004-05-24 10:15:06      Post Subject:

Speaking of flowers, I got 200 long stemmed red roses from Sam's delivered to my house the day before the wedding for $113.00. Seriously. I wasn't even going to have any flowers but 200 was MORE than enough for my entire wedding party, centerpieces, my bouquet, boutinneers (sp?) and corsages. I highly recommend them. Also, the votive candle and lollipops are a great idea. Our wedding was on Nov. 1st, so being the day after halloween, we had a 6ft long candy table filled with baskets and piled high with different candy for guests to take home in little bags. It was a hit! Sam's also had 2 foot long Pixie Sticks! How cool is that!?! I don't know if any of these things will apply to what you are looking for, but I wish you lots of luck with the planning. I do recommend hiring a professional or having a friend give you a massage the day before. It helped me beyond measure.

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View entire thread: DIY wedding ideas?

Posted by Echo on 2004-05-24 00:07:34      Post Subject:

First of all - congrats!!

My SIL is getting married on July 24, 2004 & I just got married a year ago (yesterday!), so this is all fresh in my mind. Some of the DIY things we've done:

+ SIL is doing a cupcake tree instead of a wedding cake. She will decorate with bright, vivid silk flowers.
http://www.cupcaketree.com/

+ My mom knows how to sew, so she's making my SIL's wedding dress and my matron of honor dress. For my wedding, she made my SIL's dress (she was my maid of honor) and my daughter's little dress. My mom also did all of the flowers & decorations (we had a decorated arch) - she used to be a florist.

+ I designed the wedding & bridal shower invitations (I am in the process of starting up a business making custom announcements) and we printed them off on the computer.

+ For our wedding favors, we wrapped up scented votive candles in tulle, then attached a business card that read "This candle is a sign of our love and appreciation for brightening our day and warming our hearts." Those were really, really cheap! My SIL is wanting to do lollipops & those should be pretty easy as well.

+ We got married at a lake (so is my SIL), so we didn't do a lot of decorating. My SIL is going to put Tiki torches up around the lake and maybe even floating candles (which can be homemade or bought). The reception will be at my ILs home around their pool, so they are planning on using the floating candles in there as well.

+ Instead of a traditional guestbook, my SIL is getting a picture of the two of them matted & framed, then having the guests sign the mat.

I'm sure that sites like weddingchannel.com & theknot.com have tons and tons of tips! Good luck, congratulations, & happy wedding planning!!

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View entire thread: Crafty Wedding DIY ideas help!

Posted by MrsSchirmer on 2008-01-27 20:54:28      Post Subject:

I just got hitched in August and had a BEAUTIFUL wedding on a VERY modest budget (we did it all for just under $5,000). We had friends and family helping every step of the way and that really made the difference.
We were able to keep cost low by doing the following:

1. Had reception at the same outdoor setting as the ceremony.

2. Made invitations. This took some time but was lots of fun and they
came out so great.

3. Found a florist (good family friend- which helped a LOT) who offered a \"do it yourself\" day for the family. Myself and my wedding party went to her house and spent a good part of the day creating all the arangements, boquets etc. In order to keep everything fresh- we had to do this the day before the wedding- ** not recommended for uptight or extremely overly stressed brides.

4. Had the wedding in the afternoon and served drinks and hors d’oeuvres- we had 6 items prepared by a catering company and the rest we came up with ourselves (delegated to reliable, close family and friends who we knew could handle the recipes )

5. Decorated with inexpensive candles- we got really cute glass jars from Specialtybottle.com . They were inexpensive and looked great with votive candles in them with little ribbons around the tops. We saved a couple hundred dollars and they looked wonderful in the outdoor setting.

6. Served beer and wine instead of liquor. This was a tough decision but a good one. No one seemed to notice and on a hot summer day a nice chilled white wine or champagne is just as elegant as a cocktail.

7. Home made favors. This can be tricky- but again, if you plan ahead you can have a great time with close friends making things people will enjoy. Again, look at Specialtybottle. A friend of mine made an inexpensive spice-rub and packaged it in 4 oz. tins with custom stickers at her BBQ / pic-nic themed wedding. The favors were so professional looking and she spent a little over $1.50 each.


Our wedding was a lot less formal than most- but that''s what made it fun and memorable for us. .. For all the future brides out there, please TAKE TIME TO ENJOY THE PROCESS! It will all be over before you know it- so spend time with friends and family and make every moment your own. Don''t let anyone talk you into making your day anything other than a reflection of yourself and your partner.

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