Crafty Christmas Candle Displays

Flower pots aren't just a springtime accessory. Use them in the "off-season" as Christmas candleholders. Place a piece of wet florist foam inside a pot and insert greenery and berries around the outer edge of the foam, leaving space in the middle for the candle. Keep the candle in place with florist's picks. Drill three or four pilot holes into the bottom of a pillar candle and insert florist's picks; poke the picks into the florist's foam.

Light the night with these layered luminarias. Cut the top off a 2-liter bottle for the outside of the ice mold, and create a hollow place for the candle by inserting a 1-liter bottle into the 2-liter. Add a few inches of water to the 2-liter bottle and drop a line of cranberries into the gap between the two bottles. Freeze one layer solid, then add more water and berries in the gap and freeze again; add a final layer and freeze one last time. Unmold and place a candle in the center.

Create a frosty winter look with silver hurricanes. Adhere snowflake or other swirling motif stickers to the outside of a glass hurricane. In a well-ventilated area, spray with silver metallic paint. When dry, peel off the stickers to reveal the pretty unpainted shapes beneath.

Repurpose old sweaters or wool socks as candle cozies. Cut sleeves or socks to slip over glass candleholders and hem the edges to prevent fraying. Make the cozies a little bit shorter than the candleholder, to prevent the material from getting too close to the candle flame.

Turn canning jars into candle holders. Simply fill the jars partially with water, add a floating candle, and tie a ribbon around the lip of the jar.

For drama on a stairway or tabletop, line up vases filled with fresh cranberries and a votive candle. To keep the berries fresher longer, immerse them in water.

Fill a clear shallow tray with moss and small votive cups arranged in rows. Wrap a ribbon around the outside of the tray and place on a cheery red table runner for an easy Christmas centerpiece.

Two versatile Christmas elements -- candles and greenery -- come together to create this beautiful illuminated display. Coat flat greenery sprigs with spray adhesive. Wait for a few seconds for the adhesive to get tacky, and then gently press each piece to the glass container, with the ends hanging from the bottom of the container. Allow the greenery to dry for a few minutes and then trim the bottoms of the greener with sturdy scissors, so the ends are flush with the bottom of the container.

Beribbon plain votive cups in holiday colors for a seasonal display. Measure the height of your votive cups and cut ribbons to this length. Overlap ribbon strips and adhere to the votive cup with heat-resistant adhesive. Add sequins for extra sparkle.

Editor's Tip: Make these votive cups in multiples to give as Christmas gifts.

For a woodland look, hot-glue nuts around a pillar candle and wrap with a piece of twine. Display the embellished candle in a tray with kumquats and evergreen sprigs.

Editor's Tip: Use this idea for both Christmas and Thanksgiving. Add fall leaves for Thanksgiving, then swap them out for pinecones for Christmas.

Add a little dazzle to a set of candlesticks by stringing bells around each candle or candleholder. They may not jingle -- but the bells' reflective sheen will gleam.

Turn a stack of miniature cast-iron stars into unique candleholders. Find the star-shape bolts, which were used to secure tie-rods in 19th-century buildings, for just a few dollars each in antiques and thrift stores.

Give glass hurricanes a temporary Christmas look with patterned papers and adhesive squares. Wrap the paper around the hurricanes, trimming to fit, if necessary. Place the adhesive squares on one edge of the paper and overlap with the other paper edge, pressing to adhere the edges.

While the candle glows inside, the outside of these votive cups will sparkle. Coat juice glasses with clear crafts glue and roll in clear glitter. Use hot glue to attach silver braid trim around the glass rim. Crown the votive cup with a shiny bauble, like a rhinestone earring or brooch.

Graceful taper candles look even more elegant when paired with pretty candle rings. To make these floral rings, cut doughnut shapes from florist foam using round cookie cutters. Lightly wet foam and place on sturdy candlesticks. Push stems of flowers and greenery into the foam. (We used spray roses, stars of Bethlehem hypernicum berries, and hydrangeas.)

Display white pillar candles en masse along a mirrored table runner. Fill in the centerpiece with fragrant greenery boughs, small oranges or kumquats, and pinecones. Or weave Christmas garland on top of the greenery, instead of adding oranges and pinecones.

Make a fresh Christmas centerpiece with wreath bases, pearl beads, and scarlet carnations. Soak the florist's foam wreaths in water and cover with red flowers. Hot-glue pearl beads the centers of the flowers. (You can also use miniature ornaments; just hot-glue the hanger end into the flower.)

This favorite Christmas treat is sweet to eat and to use as a decoration. Wrap the candle base with double-stick carpet tape and press candy canes onto the tape around the diameter of the candle.

For a quick and inexpensive candle upgrade, create a fabric cuff. Cut a remnant to fit the candle and hem the two long sides. Wrap the strip around the candle, fold the unfinished edges under, and pin it in place with pearl-head pins.

Craft whole artichokes into beautiful votive holders. Simply slice off the top of the vegetable and use a melon baller to carve out the top portion, creating a hole large enough for the candle.

Put a twist on tradition with candleholders that masquerade as pretty presents. Balsa boxes covered with punchy lime and magenta holiday papers and topped with pretty bows create the playful look.

Reflect upon the season with votives designed to show off some sparkly jewelry.