I found a great tutorial for making candle holders from re-used items.
Karen and I went to the thrift shop and bought an assortment of cheap, likely-looking things. I opted for matched pairs built around glass vases. The tutorial suggested decorative wooden pieces as toppers and bases, but I couldn't find any so I went mostly with coasters and thick foam cutouts.
I got a rainbow of acrylic paints and mixed custom colors. The glue suggested in the tutorial, E-6000 is awesome, though I should have left it more time to dry. It provides some hold immediately, but doesn't fully set for about 24 hours. The pieces kept coming apart as I moved and tipped them for painting.
Here's what they looked like after assembly but before paint:
And here are the final products - amazing the difference a coat of paint makes!
I'm really pleased! The black pair could also be used as candy dishes, or to present a fancy brownie or other treat on a paper doily.
I was also really happy to realize that over-sized snack jars make great craft material storage:
The project had a pretty high up-front cost because I had to buy all the paints, brushes, and glue. Next time it will just be the cost of the thrift store items. I'm so excited to make more of these!
