Decoupage Candle Holder Mania

I have been on a decoupage candle kick lately and have put a few new additions into my Etsy shop, Lovely Fever. I have been experimenting with new techniques and materials, such as stamping on tissue paper, using acrylic varnish as a sealer and branching out to new vintage ephemera. There are endless variations in making decoupage candle holders. Mine usually consist of two layers-- vintage ephemera like weathered novel or dictionary pages and a top tissue layer from decorative napkins. Here are a some of my newest creations from my studio:

Victorian Romance--Jane Eyre Novel Passages with Soft Floral Motif Trio

The first layer consists of vintage novel passages from a 1963 paperback edition of Jane Eyre. The pages used had a lovely, natural patina. Then, I carefully separated the top tissue paper layer of fancy napkin decorated with a soft floral motif and glued it over the text. Two coats of Mod Podge and one coat of acrylic varnish were used to protect the fragile decoupage layers. For a finishing touch, raffia was wrapped around the candle holders to add an organic look. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/101788655/decoupage-votive-candle-holder-set

 Wanderlust-- Vintage Maps with Hot Air Balloons

 I first cut and sized sections of a vintage map of Ontario, Canada from a 1939 edition of Collier’s World Atlas and Gazetteer. Then, I stamped an image of a French hot air balloon on salvaged ledger paper. The words, "La Joie De Vivre" mean the "joy of life". I also added some Tim Holtz tissue paper tape of dictionary passages: journey, memory, imagination.The candle holders were sealed with three coats of Gloss Lustre Mod Podge.

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/102299491/decoupage-votive-candle-holder-set-lush  

Lush Black and Plum Floral Design with 1923 Jewelry Catalog Pages

The interior layer consists of cut and sized pages from 1970’s reproduction of a 1923 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue, featuring Art Deco wedding rings, necklaces and pocket watches. The exterior black and plum floral design was from the top tissue layer of a decorative napkin. Wrapped around the candles is fabric, semi-sheer ribbon that has various colors of purple, black and gray. The candle holders were first sealed with two coats of Mod Podge. The third layer was with acrylic varnish, which left a lovely glossy finish.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/102297407/decoupage-votive-candle-holder-set?ref=v1_other_1

Robin's Egg Blue and Red Roses with Wuthering Heights Vintage Pages

The first layer consists of vintage pages from a 1973 paperback edition of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Then, I carefully separated the top tissue paper layer of a fancy napkin decorated with red roses with a robin's egg blue background and overlaid it on the text. Several coats of Mod Podge were used to protect the fragile decoupage layers. For a finishing touch, white ribbon was wrapped around and tied in bows around the candle holders.

I can't wait to make more of these! Thank you for checking out my work! 

Before and After: Altered Cigar Box

My latest creation to come out of my workshop is an altered cigar box. I found the cigar box in a local smoke shop and loved the shape of the box and the quality of the wood. Because the outside of the box already had a thick, glossy varnish, I did not sand it down and wanted the wood itself to be a part of the overall aesthetic. 

The cigar box was first decorated with torn pieces of vintage Wuthering Heights novel pages that had a lovely, natural patina. I then separated the top tissue layer of a soft green floral napkin and decoupaged torn fragments over the book pages. Beneath the box latch, I glued a portion of a vintage earring that has real pressed flowers inside. 

The cigar box lid consists of antique-inspired scrapbooking paper with torn edges, more torn pieces of Wuthering Heights pages, nature collage images, ink-stamped flourishes and a pendant I created and repurposed. The woman in the glass dome pendant is the beautiful Arlette Dorgere, a French stage actress, famous in the early 20th century.

The cigar box "feet" consist of four wood blocks that were covered with Wuthering Heights novel pages. They were adhered to the bottom with super-strong contact adhesive. 

The inside top lid was covered with vintage wallpaper. The outside of the cigar box was sealed with layers of acrylic varnish and Mod Podge.

This was such a fun project to make! This was my first altered cigar box where I experimented with adding "legs". Besides wood blocks, I have seen altered wood doll heads and thread spools used as legs to prop up keepsake boxes. 

This altered cigar box has been added to my Etsy Shop, Lovely Fever : https://www.etsy.com/listing/101405464/mixed-media-altered-cigar-box-nature