To give a new look to old candles or new candles, there are several quick and easy things you can do. You may wish you had a candle with a certain theme or design but couldn’t find one. Why not make your own?
First of all, take some pretty gift wrap and cut out a design or two that you like. These can be Christmas, Valentine’s Day, birthday or everyday. Paste the designs around the candle two or three times depending upon how many will fit. You can then take some glitter glue and glue it on the outside edge of the designs. You now have a new look to an old candle. You can make the candle to match the theme of a party very easily this way. If you burn candles a lot, put the design low on the candle. Do not let the candle burn down to the paper. The paper will burn if it gets very hot.
For another idea, take your glue gun and, starting at the top of the candle, let streams of hot glue dribble down the side of the candle. Go all the way around the candle with the strings of hot glue for an added dimension to an old candle.
If you have worked with wire, you can wrap wire around the bottom of the candle two or three times and add a shape or design at the top. If you are good at shaping the wire, you may want to personalize your candle with an initial.
Another idea for decorating old candles is to paint them. Using acrylic paint, add a design or picture of your choice all around your candle. Or, you can paint just one side and have a focal point. Multiple colored strips vertically or horizontally painted around the candle will add color and design to your candle.
If you have any stamps, you can stamp a picture on a piece of tissue paper, or toilet paper. Carefully color in the design with markers. Now lay the candle on its side and lay the picture on the candle. With a hair dryer or heat gun, let the wax under the picture get soft. The paper will absorb the wax and become a part of the candle. You can transfer one of your children’s drawings to a thin paper, add it to a candle and give the candle as a gift to a family member. Remember that you CANNOT burn the candle down to the paper design. The paper will burn should the heat from the flame get too close to it.
For a snowy looking candle, you can spray some mounting glue all around a candle and then roll the candle in a plate of Epsom Salt. The Epsom Salt on a deep-colored red or blue candle looks especially pretty.
You may also decorate a candle with beads. Seed beads are very small beads which can be used to form a design or an initial on a candle. You can just slightly heat the candle and then push the beads into it. Do not get the candle too warm or you may distort the shape of it. You can also roll the bottom of the candle in the seed beads for a colorful, decorative candle.
You may want to decorate your candle with bigger beads, doilies or lace. Just look around your house and see what you can find to bring new life to those old candles or to change the look of a new one. Have fun with it but be safe!
