Uncommon Illuminations

I love candles and the beautiful glow and atmosphere they create. This project is fun, easy, and inexpensive. I found the rocks and glass at Walmart, Pier One, and the Dollar Tree. These are the basics that you will need:

rocks, glass, or marbles
pillar candles, tea lights, or votives
votive holders
various vases, chargers, or other cool containers

Here are my finished projects. It took me only about 45 minutes to do them all. I will show step-by-step instructions on how I made them, as well as where I put each one.

When I use votive candles, I like to use a holder within a holder because it keeps the wax contained. These holders and candles came from Walmart.

I covered the candle as I filled it with the rocks to prevent them from going into the inner votive holder:

I put these out on the secret deck Gil built for me (which I will post about sometime soon).

They add a very nice touch to the table.

Walmart has several kinds of stones that resemble marbles. I think they are fun because they are so colorful and nostalgic. I tried battery tea lights in these but I like real candles better.

This is a tablecloth that belonged to my mom (circa 1954). I love using it in the summertime and I liked the way these candles looked on it.

I found this candle holder on sale at Pier One. I also got the candle and tiny rocks there.

Vases are great to use for candle holders. Make sure there is enough room around the candle for whatever you want to fill the container with.

For this one I combined three colors of glass which resemble beach glass and put it on my porch.

This last one is my favorite. This is a wooden charger. Any kind of charger or large plate would work for this. I placed three votives in holders on the charger:

Then added large, shiny stones:

Ooooo. Very zen. I love how the candles reflect off the stones. I put this on my porch, also.

It is amazing what you can create with just a few simple materials. These would be fun to do with your kids and are also great for gifts.