Get Crafty: Glow It Up With Faux Bois Candles

During the winter months, I love to bring nature indoors.  Pine cones, freshly cut branches of pine trees and winter accents take center stage in my holiday decorating.  An easy holiday decorating idea great for jazzing up traditional clear glass candle holders is adding a painted paper sleeve.  I adore the faux bois painting technique that mimics the grain of wood.  With some see-through paper, painting glaze and a special tool, glowing tree branches magically illuminate the house.  I always make a few of these sleeved candle holders to continue this theme from the entry way table, to the mantel and the holiday dining table. To make more than one candle sleeve as shown below, simply increase the number of cylindrical glasses and sheets of vellum.

Supplies

Crafting paper or newspaper

2" paintbrush

1 faux bois tool-available at your local paint store or the large orange home supply store

1 basket weaving tool- also available at your local paint store or the large orange home supply store

1 pencil

1 ruler

1 cylindrical glass approximately 3"  inches wide

1 sheet of gold vellum paper-available at craft stores sold by the 8"x11 1/2" sheet

1 jar of painting glaze- I used a metallic light brown

Double-sided Scotch tape

Plain Scotch tape

Tea light candle

Directions

Place the vellum horizontally on your crafting paper.  Tape the upper two corners down to prevent the vellum from moving.

Dip the paintbrush in the glaze.  With uniform, perpendicular  brush strokes paint a thin coat of glaze on the vellum.

With the faux bois tool, start at the top left hand corner of  the glazed sheet of vellum. In one continuous motion, slowly drag and rock the tool from forward to backward down the vellum. Repeat this to the right.

To add a variety in the wood grain, try using the basket weave tool.  Drag the edge with the uneven teeth down the vellum.  Repeat these techniques until you are satisfied with the results.

If you make a mistake, simply use the paint brush to brush out your tool marks and start again.

Allow the vellum to dry overnight.

Measure your cylindrical glass and cut the vellum to fit.  Adhere the vellum to the glass using double sided scotch tape.

Insert the tea light and enjoy!