Another thrift worthy project, this little number cost me absolutely nothing, and sets a lovely mood in the evenings at our place. it goes a little way towards making up for not having a fireplace, makes me feel all cosy and comfy.
to make these you'll need...
tin cans: i found mine in the recycling bin at our apartment when i was looking for cool shaped jars. they were already washed out and the labels were taken off. perfect! if you want to get your own you can use either washed out tuna cans or cat food cans. whether you buy your own or get them from recycling, make sure you wash them thoroughly before using, and be careful of sharp edges
paint chips: another paint chip project, my how they come in handy! if you're not into the paint chips or want to use more varied colours you can use scrap paper or fabric from anywhere really, just remember that they will eventually have burn marks on the tops, so no family photo originals! something with a waxy coat is best.
coloured card: i used this to cover the outside of mine. i wanted them to be understated so used a tan colour to match the sofa. but you can use what you want, go crazy! just try and use something thick, as super glue and other adhesives can soak through thin material and leave a stain.
tools: knife + ruler/ scissors, pencil, push pins, mod podge or other strong glue
***NOTE: don't use a hot glue gun for this project, because the heat from the candles will melt it...***
the first thing i took care of was the outside of the cans. I thought about leaving them because they were this cool gold colour, but they had a couple of scratches on that ruined the look. so I measured the width to about 1.5 inches and cut long strips of card that would wrap all the way around the circumference of the can.
I glued one end and held it tight until it dried, which only took about 30 seconds or so. then i wrapped the card around tight and glued the other end, holding it until the glue dried.
I would recommend using a thick material for this section, like card stock or a darker fabric if you like. some glues soak through and leave a stained spot at the seal, which doesn't look too good. if there is a little lip on your can where the pulley opened it, i would try and match your paper end up to that, that way they'll all be in the same spot when you put them on the wall.
next i drew around the bottom of the cans onto the back of the paint chips to get the right size, and cut around the line with scissors. make sure that when you choose your background there is enough room to miss out any text or images that you don't want, like the name of the colour on the chips...
before you put the coloured backgrounds in the can, get a push pin with a flat head and push it into the back. This is what you'll use to stick it into the wall with. if you don't like the idea of using pins on the wall you can always secure them other ways. you might want to glue them all together and stand them on a shelf...
Once you get your pin in, use mod podge, tacky glue or any other strong adhesive to glue the background in place.
*** Again, do not use a hot glue gun as the candles will melt the glue and everything will come unstuck ***
Once you get your pin in, use mod podge, tacky glue or any other strong adhesive to glue the background in place.
*** Again, do not use a hot glue gun as the candles will melt the glue and everything will come unstuck ***
and there you have it. push the pins into the wall and you're done. be gentle when you put your candles in as the pins are pretty short. you can push the pin through blu tac first to get it to stay better if you need to, but mine stay pretty tight. perfect for brightening up a feature wall, i think...
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