Members of the All Things Christmas List share creative and fun decorating ideas. Feel free to join the list at at Yahoo! Groups to share and receive craft projects, gift ideas, recipes, shopping deals and more.




Candle decorations and repair

Decorate candles or cover nicks or scratches with these easy, fun techniques.

Buy a package of crayons and carefully melt them (using a lighter, matches, or another candle) and either fill in the nicks and scratches on the original candle with the matching color, or cover the nicks and scratches by decorating the candle with different colors.You may also use the melting crayon technique to decorate bottles – a fun way to make gifts with kids.
Contributed by Lori

Also try rubbing out small scratches or imperfections on candles by placing pantyhose over your hands and rubbing gently.
Contributed by Angie S.

You can also purchase brass candle ornaments with pins in them and decorate the candle to hide imperfections. Or, if the scratch is near the bottom, cover it with a wide ribbon.
Contributed by Kathy

Craft stores carry many different kinds of little decorations made from wax that you can put over the nicks, like little flowers, hummingbirds, etc. Or if you have some shape of something you could use for a mold you could melt your own wax down and make these decorations. I have used candy molds for this type of thing, spray it with Pam cooking spray and then pour in the melted wax (I use left over candle pieces) then wait for them to cool and then pop them out and apply them to the areas that are nicked to create a beautiful one of a kind candle.

I have also used glass gems and sea shells to decorate a plain candle, turning it into something very beautiful. If you want to get really creative you can use decorative wire wrapped around the candle to create the look of a candle holder and from there attach anything you can find in metal. or you can make your own Metal flowers out of the aluminum cans. Cut out petals and bend and form them into flowers and then paint them. When the candle is burned the wire frame and decorations attached to it are left still intact to put another candle in the center of it. I make mine in a spiral shape that starts from the bottom and wraps up to the top, the bottom I bend about 2 inches or so into a L shape and pierce it into the candle then just wrap the wire freely around the shape of the candle and attach decorative ornaments on the wire.
Contributed by Pam




Christmas colors in glass

Use empty vases, mason jars, or decorative bottles from around the house and fill with green, burgundy and gold miscellany such as scraps of material, ribbon, lace, beaded necklaces – any pretty Christmas colored craft leftovers. A nicely shaped glass water bottle filled with burgundy and green Mardi Gras beads looks very pretty. If you need to adjust the position of items that have been placed in a jar or bottle with a small opening, a chopstick works wonderfully. Either tie or glue ribbon (or a small bow) around the lip of the bottle and your done!
Contributed by Deborah Whipp

Christmas bough swags

Use the branches cut from the bottom of your Christmas tree or fresh pine boughs from outside and using floral or craft wire tie them up in groups of three or more. Decorate with a large bow, sleigh bells, pine cones painted gold, or even tree ornaments. Hang them inside or out for a pretty and fragrant decoration.
Contributed by Deborah Whipp





[links category_name=”cluster3″]