12 Projects: Glittery Candles

I love how, in recent years, glitter has become such a big part of Christmas decor.  I've always loved twinkly lights, and some glitter provides a great reflective surface.  For this project, i wanted to try out something i'd been seeing around Pinterest for the last year or two.  I decided to try out making glittery candles.

 One of the popular Pinterest "tricks" is to use double sided tape stuck to the side of the candles to keep the glitter on.  I tried this on one candle.  However, It didn't occur to me that I would have problems getting the double sided tape to sit flat on tapered candles.  Since I didn't want to spent any extra money, I just tried to make it work. 

I used permanent double sided tape and Martha Stewart glitter in yellow gold. 

You can also see that the glitter clings to the wax of the candle.  I had to wipe it off with a paper towel.  Even more mess.  Pinterest lies, this is not a no-mess easy way to make things glittery.  Very messy.  I love the look of the superfine glitter, but it really gets absolutely everywhere.

  

While I was in the midst of getting glitter everywhere, I figured I would try out another popular craft trick: mixing glitter with modge podge.  This was a little more effective...and slightly less messy.  I mixed it together on a plate and painted it on.  

I dipped this candle into the modge podge and rolled it in glitter.  This one turned out super glittery and dense. 

I also used some silver glitter paint I had lying around. I dipped a few of the candles directly into the paint.   I wasnt sure how to dry them, and sadly  the paint stuck slightly to the plate they were resting on and peeled off.

The glittery on these is very thin, not as dense as the other ways.

My favorite candle resulted from mixing some of the loose glitter with the glittery craft paint. I painted it on thick, and tapped the base on the table to encourage the drips.   

 I was miraculously able to get it to stand upright on the table for 24 hours.  I have no idea how the cats didn't knock it over. 

I don't know how burnable these candles will be (the glue, paint and glitter may make some interesting toxic fumes) so I think these will just be for decoration.   I don't have a specific arrangement in mind, so we'll see where they end up.  

Have you tried any Pinterest tricks lately? Wanna check out some other things I've pinned?  Follow my Christmas board on Pinterest! Happy crafting! 

Missed something?  Check out The 12 Projects of Christmas.