Written by  Marina Chernyak

Decorative candles and accents give any table top or corner an added flair that simply brightens up the room. Whether these candles are actually lit up for aromatherapy or simply placed there as decorations,
its aesthetic value cannot be discounted.

Although these candles come in a wide array of shapes, sizes and colors, they can become too monotonous and boring after some time. As time goes by, the colors fade and to some degree, the once pretty candle loses its luster. However, this does not mean these candles have to be tossed out or tucked away in a closet somewhere. By simply sprucing these up with some beaded accents, ribbons, pebbles, and even paint, these can become new, attractive conversation pieces for your home.

There are many ways one can jazz up old candles. Typical materials needed for such a project would be sewing pins, beads, raffia or other natural type of ribbons (although regular ribbons will also do wonders! The raffia or natural type of ribbons just give the candles a more rustic feel to it), and a hot glue gun. Of course, these materials will vary depending on the type of accent you decide on. You may even opt to design the candle directly, or use votive candle holders and work from there.

Here are some ideas that may inspire you to breathe new life to old candles:

1. Beaded Candles. There are several ways to bead a candle, the simplest of which is to mark your pattern on the candle base. Be sure to mark lightly so it does not destroy the natural look of the candle. On these areas you marked, push a pin through the bead and into the candle. Make sure your pins are not too long as they will protrude through the candle, especially if you opt to use thinner ones. Be sure, also, that the pin head is slightly bigger than the bead so it can hold it in place.

Another way to bead a candle would be to use string your beads on a bead wire or nylon string, long enough to go around the width of your candle. You may make this as thick or as thin as you would want. After stringing them, wrap it around the candle base and hold in place with pins.

2. Raffia and Stones. For this type of an accent, you would need a nice plain candle stand (something like a dish) wide enough to hold your candles and still have enough room for the pebbles and colored stones to be scattered around it. This works best with a set of candles of different heights. Tie the raffia around the middle of the candle. You may accent this with a contrasting ribbon to make it pop. Arrange these on the stand and scatter the stones around it.

3. Stained Glass/Mosaic Candle Holders. To get a stained glass effect, you will be using a votive candle holder, or perhaps a larger transparent heat-proof vase. You will also need Japanese paper or cellophane of different colors and clear drying glue. To create the mosaic pattern, cut out bits of the paper or cellophane then glue these around the vase. Be sure to slather on the glue neatly and not too thickly so it does not look to obvious when it dries. Place the candle inside the vase, light it up and enjoy the pretty colors it makes.

4. Handpainted Candles. This works best for think and large candles. You will need acrylic paint, brushes and your imagination for this. Imagine the candle as your canvass and just go at it. It would help if you
had a stand for your candle while working (a table top will do) because you will need to give it time to dry before handling it. The difficulty with this project is getting the design all around without smearing
the paints, but it’s doable!

1. Trace your pattern onto the pillar candle using the point of the wood skewer. Trace lightly so that the line is barely visible.
2. Place a straight pin through a bead and stick it into the candle on the line. Make sure the straight pins will fit through the hole in the bead and the head of the pin is larger than the hole to keep the bead from slipping off. Continue to add beads to complete the design.
3. Place sequin pins into the sequins and randomly place them around the beaded pillar candle for added sparkle.

Read more: How to Make Beaded Candles | eHow.com

Marina Chernyak  is the co-owner of 1001Shops LLC, an online store of fine imported products like Music Boxes, Venetian Masks and a lot more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Paul_Caparas

Buy soap making kits:

Cool Kids Soap Kit $19.99 from: Joann.com