Guest post by Amy from While Wearing Heels
This Christmas, why not wow with a gift that looks like it came straight from Pottery Barn?
Where else would you go to create your Pottery Barn inspired gift? The Dollar Store, of course.
Load up your basket with a glass candle stick, a tall glass vase, a pillar candle, some white tissue paper, and a bag of cranberries (okay, you might have to go to the grocery store to buy the cranberries).
To create your hurricane, you’ll need some Gorilla Glue. Apply some Gorilla Glue to the top of your candle stick. Be warned: a little goes a long way. Put the candle stick on top of the vase and allow plenty of time for it to dry and adhere.
Now to give your pillar candle some Christmas cheer. The possibilities are endless, you could add a black and white picture or a poem to your candle. I decided to add some Christmas music to my candle.
Whatever you decide to add to your candle, you’ll need to print it onto your tissue paper. First, grab a piece of card stock (the color does not matter), some tissue paper, and some tape.
Tape your tissue paper onto the card stock. To prevent printer jams, make sure you tape all edges of the tissue paper onto the card stock.
Make sure to load the tissue paper into your printer in the direction that will result in the tissue paper side being printed on and not the card stock. Then print your design. You may also want to guide the card stock/tissue paper by gently pushing down on it as the printer is pulling it through.
When it comes out of the printer, it should look something like this:
Cut the edges to free your printed tissue paper. This is far easier then trying to remove the pieces of tape.
Wrap the tissue paper around your pillar candle. I secured my tissue paper into place using a few push pins.
Grab your hair dryer. Set it on high or hot and begin to apply heat to the tissue paper. You will start to see the candle wax grabbing ahold of the tissue paper.
Continue working your way around the candle, heating every part of the tissue paper to the pillar candle.The last step, putting it all together. Put some of those cranberries into the bottom of the hurricane vase.
Then add your pillar candle.
What’s better than a Pottery Barn gift? A gift made from the heart on a Dollar Store budget.
I’m Amy from While Wearing Heels. I am an avid DIYer and find it so much more satisfying to either make something myself for a fraction of the retail cost or find something for an incredible deal in an unexpected place. If you liked this money-saving idea, please feel free to stop by my blog and check out some of my other ideas.
I love this!! I bought the vase and candle stick and it came out wonderfully. Went to another dollar store today to get another one to put together and of course they didn’t have the candle stick! Haven’t tried the candle decoration yet but love the container- awesome idea- thank you!
How long will this last? I mean with the cranberries, is this something that can be a decorative piece for several months, or just a few weeks for the holidays then you have to dump it?
I made one last year. It looked great but mine was kind of top heavy with a large candle inside of it. While it was lit it fell over when someone bumped the table. It smashed on the table and pieces of hot glass flew everywhere and some gouged the table.
Oh!!!! I’ve always wanted those pottery barn candles. Now I can make them for me and all my friends!!!!!!!
Beautiful!!!
I love this idea and went to Dollar Tree and was unable to get the large candles and other items. I changed it to the small candles with clear simple vases – however, the tissue paper will not “melt” into the candle. I have been trying it for awhile and it just doesn’t seem to work. I am bummed:(
I had made some of these ~ there is a clear Gorilla Glue you can buy. Also, when gluing the candlestick to the vase, put something heavy, like a book, on the candlestick, so it stays exactly where you want it and doesn’t slide off the bottom of the vase.
I am chicken that I might mess up our printer but that is ok … I have some holly printed tissue paper that will work perfectly! Now to get to the dollar store! Thanks for the great idea.
Funny I just made two of these this morning and then saw this post. I love the idea of the musical paper though…might add that to mine. I also made a pretty matching cake plate by buying a glass plate at the Dollar Tree and glueing to a candlestick. Hehe…always wanted a cake plate!
How are you fusing the paper with the candle?? I just bought several of these to do and now I am kind of stuck!
I just did it and found a video on youtube. I used a blow dyer. It took a few minutes for it worked! For a visual try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcgKRPkkVF0
skip to 5mins. My advice is to make sure the paper is already cut to fit before you start heating it. Good luck!
Thank you so much!! The post completely missed the step with the waxed paper. I tried the smaller candles and although they looked ok – I really preferred the larger ones. Guess I will try another Dollar Tree!
Great idea!
Can the candle be burned or is it decorative only?
What a great idea!! I can’t wait to try it.
Looks great! I have added tissue paper designs to candles using mod podge too rather than the blow dryer…..
I love the printing on tissue paper, I’d never have thought that was possible. If you use E6000 glue it’s dry clear.
This is really pretty & inspiring! Great idea & thorough instructions…Thank you for sharing! I’m going to go do this!!! Thanks!
Very pretty! I love it!
This is beautiful! Than you for sharing! Is this a candle that you can actually burn? Will the tissue paper catch fire?
The tissue paper securely adheres to the wax candle. As you heat the tissue paper onto the wax candle, the two almost melt into each other. I would adhere the tissue paper 1/4 of an inch down from the top of your candle. You can indeed burn your candle and the tissue paper will not burn (make sure it is securely attached though), if anything due to the heat, the tissue paper should adhere even more to the candle.
I love that method for printing on tissue paper. That’s really cool!