Creative Candles to Craft

Choose ribbons in muted colors and lacy designs. Wrap them around votive holders or pillar candles, using double-sided tape to hold in place. Layer ribbons for interest and add small gems for sparkle.

Editor's Tip: Make sure to remove wrappings on candles before burning too far down the wick.

A strip of white paper and raffia tied in a knot instantly transform a colorful candle into a natural accent. Just make sure you remove the wrapping before burning.

Turn your home into an oasis of warmth with these holiday sweater candleholders. Wrap a rectangle of cable-knit sweater, wrong side out, around a vase and pin in place. Trim excess fabric, allowing extra fabric at the bottom and top. Remove the rectangle and sew along pinned line; turn right side out. Slip the sleeve over the vase, gluing the sweater fabric to the top and bottom of the vase, making extra effort to keep it flat on the bottom for stability. For festive touches, add velvet ribbon or a felt flower.

Personalize a store-bought candle for an inexpensive gift. Simply wrap cardstock around the candleholder, and embellish it with a punched accent and letter.

Set a romantic scene with candles flickering behind silvery glass. Starting with plain cylinder cases or hurricanes, create designs with crafts store stickers, such as airy snowflakes and swirling Victorian motifs. In a well-ventilated area, spray the vases with silver metallic paint. When dry, peel off the stickers.

String colorful beads on a nylon cord. Tie the string around the middle of a pillar candle.

Editor's Tip: Not staying in place? Use small pushpins to hold the string.

Cast a warm (and safe) glow with battery-operated candles. Wrap the candles with aged book pages or newsprint, and group them on a silver tray for a vintage glimmer.

Add glam to glass votive holders by placing them on footed stands and stacking bracelets around them. Play with colors for a more eclectic look. For safety, the candles must be in glass containers.

Dandelions are pesky in the garden but make pretty decals on clear candleholders. Layer candleholders with decals of all sorts. The graphic appeal will enhance any tabletop.

Get the look of designer candles at a budget-friendly price by covering plain glass votives, candleholders, or even straight-sided drinking glasses with glittered scrapbook paper. If you like, decorate the edges using a paper edge punch. Attach to the glass using double-sided tape.

Use strips of paper to form a design on a glass votive. Use double-sided tape to attach the paper. Add similar color gems for subtle accents.

Editor's Tip: Use decorative tape instead of paper for easy-to-stick stripes and patterns.

Hanging luminaries provide mood lighting past dusk. Use a crafts knife to cut designs in decorative paper, or use a punch. Tape the paper around votive candle lanterns, and hang with twine.

Turn simple glass votive holders into mini works of art with alternating strips of ribbon. Attach the ribbons with decoupage medium, layering ribbons as desired.

Update old-fashioned candlesticks with fun patterned paper. Wrap the paper around the base of the candlestick and adhere with tape.

Arrange gems in symmetrical patterns on votive holders. For added dimension, layer with smaller gems. Colorful gems will make pretty light dance around the room, while clear or silver gems will give a sparkly glow.

Share greetings anywhere in the home. Stick adhesive scrapbooking letters to small candles. Line up the candles to spell a message.

Spray adhesive holds a pretty snowflake on a clear glass cylinder. Spray the adhesive in a well-ventilated area. Tie a ribbon around the vessel for a bright accent.

Editor's Tip: Not winter? Attach a flower or printed picture to the candleholder.

Printing on tissue paper makes these candles possible. Tape tissue paper to cardstock to run it through the printer. Remove the printed tissue paper from the cardstock and pin it to a candle. Warm the candle with a heat tool until the candle wax permeates the tissue paper. Remove the pins and let cool.

As night approaches and lights flicker, you'll find these elegant candleholders irresistible. Using double-stick tape, wrap strips of scrapbooking paper around each votive holder, then decorate with rhinestone embellishments.

Add glitz to candleholders with costume jewelry. Wrap a bracelet around a votive holder or adhere a brooch to its side.

Embellish glass candleholders with leftover paper. Using shaped paper punches, punch desired patterns in different colors of paper. Use spray adhesive to secure the punched paper to glass candleholders of various sizes and shapes.

Reuse glassware as candleholders by etching it with pretty motifs. Following manufacturer's instructions, etch glassware with etching cream, add a candle, and enjoy the glow.

Repurpose old sweaters as candle wraps. Use sharp scissors to cut cuffs off sweaters. Slide the cuff pieces over glass votive holders, leaving some of the glass exposed for safety.

For seasonal delight, secure mini snowflake ornaments to a red candle using pearl-headed pins. Apply extra pins as polka dots. Set the candle on a white plate surrounded with sparkling Epsom salts.

Basic white candles go to a whole new level of seasonal decor with embossed snowflakes. Stamp a snowflake pattern onto white tissue paper using embossing ink. Sprinkle the ink with embossing powder. Trim the tissue to just around the snowflake. Hold the snowflake against the candle; use a heat gun to melt the wax, adhering the paper to the candle.