Wednesday, October 5, 2011

A Crafty Fall "Candle"!

Ooh, I got the bug today!  Usually I'm downstairs working on projects for work, etc...but I had to wait for paint to dry today and I got that little bug that says "ooh, I have an idea!"

Up until now, I have had no fall decorations up.  1) I don't have any  2) I don't have any fabulous shrubs to bring in clippings  3) I didn't really feel like it.

Well, today I got the inspiration, and I did it all with things that I already had on hand!  I betcha you can figure out a similar little craft with things you have on hand, too!

First, the inspiration:

I found this old rusty wheel in the woods beside our house (yes, it was okay that I was out there), and it looked interesting to me, so I kept it.  It has sat for about 4 months in the basement now, and I just kept mulling over what to do with it.  Well, today it sang to me:  "I want to be a Candle Holder!"

Well that's fine and dandy, but I don't have a candle anywhere near that size, and I'm sure not going to buy one (have you ever noticed how expensive big hunks of wax are?) just for a rusty wheel!

So I thought...
And thought...
And then I saw this:
That, my friends, is our empty coffee can from Trader Joe's.
Hmmmm, I thought.  That's about the right size for a candle in that wheel.

And so I gathered the following:

1.  Burlap
2.  Rope-like trim leftover from another project
3.  A small piece of white cotton cord
4.  Hot glue gun
5.  Scissors

First, I glued the trim around the top & bottom edges:


Then I glued on a strip of Burlap--enough to make two layers so you couldn't see the coffee can through it! (Make sure to be lining up your seams, so you just have one bad side...).  I also put a circle of burlap on the top.
And I put on a few extra pieces of the trim around the top & bottom to make it look more finished.

Ooh, are we starting to get the vision?

Next, I did something scary...
Matches, meet cotton cord.
I wanted to make a "wick" that would pop out of the top, but I wanted it to be burnt so it looked a little more believable.  So I went over by the sink to do it, not knowing if it would just fizzle out or start a blaze and go down in family history.  As it turns out, it was something in-between.  I was able to blow it out, but I did have to dab it in some water to make the red embers go out!  So yes, the sink was a good idea.

Then, I punched a hole in the top of the "candle" with a screwdriver and hammer, and threaded the "wick" through it.  To secure it, I flipped it and glued the tail to the underside of the can:


And here she is!

Ooh, I could squeal!

Then, to honor the time of the year and get at least a little fall into the house, I scrounged around the yard for pretty leaves and stuck them through the burlap (that's the advantage of burlap--it's such a loose weave you can put whatever you want in it).


Can you guess what kind of leaves the ones on the candle are?  Gooseberry! Who knew?
*I am noticing that my little leaves are starting to wilt.  I think I need to dry them, then put them back in*

And here it is on the table with a corn husk pom pom.  Instructions for that easy little project are found on one of my favorite blogs, Centsational Girl.  Check it out, she's great.  And of course, I have a John Deere decoration on there, too.  Joe has one little statue scene for each of the seasons.  When you marry a farm boy, you take some things along with it.  Tractors in my kitchen comes with the territory.


Hooray for Fall!


I'm linking up to Kate's Fall Craft Link Party, found at Centsational Girl  and
 

 For more great Fall crafty ideas, check out other bloggers' links!

2 comments:

  1. Thats an awesome idea Becky!! The little tractor sure looks familiar!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hee Hee, I'm glad you like it...and I'm glad you recognize the tractor!

    ReplyDelete

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