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Candle Decorating
Well, I happened to use Printworks Watercolor (black) on some images and the Top Boss tinted embossing pad on others (used Egyptian Gold ep). The ep was a little muted w/the wax over it but still lovely. I used tissue that came out a gift box (dept. store type) so my guess is that it was pretty cheap but it wasn't shiny on either side. If you're worried, why not practice on votive-sized candles (I always want to call these vigil lights. I guess attending mass everyday while going to catholic grade school just implants these random weird things in the brain!) that you can burn for yourself without spending a lot of money? Your candle colors/size sounds perfect.
ok.. someone hold my hand here and help me melt this stuff onto the outside of the candle. that turns out to be trickier than it sounds.. I guess maybe you have to start at one end and then work around gradual? what if the candle tapers a tiny bit at the top so it doesn't fit so snug? maybe I ought have really used tissue paper instead of tracing paper? but I didn't have any un-wrinkled white tissue paper.. this worked pretty almost ok, for a first try on a 1.00 candle that spent just a tad too much time in a car in august (but it was really the blue one that sufferred.. I didn't try with that one..), and it'll do fine on my mantle over christmas (I stamped poinsettas in gold and colored on reverse) but it's not give-able.. if I'ma make any of these for gifts, using the 2.00 candles I got today, I'ma have to do a better job on the melting on thing.. I pictured the paper kind of vanishing into the wax.. didn't happen..
I tried this technique last year and made a few mental notes for myself.... Keep a pointed metal implement nearby (a kitchen knife, knitting needle, etc.) to press down reluctant edges. (Saves you from melting too much of the candle wax) I found that the Marvy marker colors ran for me when melting the wax. I used fabric markers (the only permanent markers I had at the time) to color in images. Even those tended to run a tiny bit in dark colors. (Would a fixative work?) Embossed images with a lot of solid areas were not as satisfactory because (I think) the melted wax could not come through the tissue as it did in other areas. I really liked using candles other than white. I found inexpensive red and green ones that were solid all the way through and used red & green tissue with metallic embossing. Looked great, no coloring! Found some wonderful and inexpensive pillar candle holders, (one was red metal, one was thick glass) at Pier I Imports. If you get too wild with the heat gun, warm the candle slightly and sprinkle fine glitter over the whole thing, or scrunch up paper or plastic wrap and texture the candle lightly.
I use a small metal teaspoon and heat it with my heat gun and then rub it over the tissue paper that I have lined up on my candle to get it to partially adhere. Then I continue to heat the spoon and rub it until the tissue is embedded in the wax. I found that when I used my heat gun directly on the candle I was getting glops and the wax was running. This way the heated spoon evenly rubs the tissue into the wax and after I am done I take an old nylon and rub it all over the area that was embedded to "smooth" it out.
Here's how my group of friends and I did it last week:
First: go to the 98 cent store or the like and get cheap candles! Stamp and emboss your not-too-intricate design on plain white tissue paper (like you use for stuffing in presents). Gold and silver look elegant!
Color with Marvys if you'd like. On a pine border I just stroked a little green on the pine needles and brown on the pine cones-not completely colored in.
Tear or cut around the design. If there are several combined things you want to put on your candle, cut them out individually. That way the placement is easier and the tissue has a better chance of laying smooth.
Dab just a teeny bit of any glue to the back of the tissue, just enough to hold it in the place you want on the candle. Holding with your fingers will get too hot.
Using your embossing heat gun, hold it farther away from the candle than you do when embossing. Wax melts much faster! Start at the center and move out. The tissue completely disappears into the wax even on colored candles.
Some people heat up a metal spoon with the emb. tool. and smooth out the bumps on the candle with the back of the spoon. Or, use an old panty hose and buff out some bumps on the candle whitle it's still warm. Or, use napkin applique adhesive to stick the image on the candle and forego the melting process altogether!
What I use to stamp on candles is mulberry paper. I emboss my image onto the mulberry paper, then color it. Once that is done I use a tacky glue to glue the mulberry paper onto the candle. I get cheap candles because no one will know that they are cheap! If you want to burn the candle then the lady at the rubber stamp store suggested that you don't put the mulberry paper all the way at the top, maybe only half way because mulberry paper or tissue paper will burn. Instead of using glue to put the mulberry paper to the candle you can gently use a heat gun to melt the sides of the candle and the mulberry paper will stick that way too. I don't do very well with heating the candle, it seems that one side gets heated too much. I have made several candles using different colors of candles and different colors of mulberry paper, people really get a kick out of these!
A bunch of friends and I just learned how to do this. Here is what we do:
1. Stamp out your images/scenes on a piece of tissue paper that will fit around the candle. Do not overlap the ends, leave about 1/4".
2. Color your images. I use chalks since they give a nice soft look.
3. Wrap the tissue paper around the candle. You can use the two way glue to glue the ends to the candle. I haven't tried this yet, but have seen it done.
4. Use your heat tool to melt the candle over the tissue paper. It really does not take much, and overheating will make bumpy candles.
measure tissue paper to fit candle (using white candles are best, because some colored candles are white inside, so color runs when melting), than stamp, you can emboss, then color, Marvy's whatever you can color with on tissue paper. Then slightly melt part of candle with heat gun and place tissue on candle, then continue melting tissue around candle. Tissue will actually melt into candle slightly. You can also stamp on tissue paper and cut out items then melt these into candle, whichever you prefer.
What happens to the paper when you burn the candle or do you just burn down enough to put a votive candle in it? Tissue paper works the same way and I've never heard of anyone having a fire from the tissue paper.
I have burned these candles at Thanksgiving and at Christmas and never had a problem. The fat pillar type of candle seem to over-flow and I think that overflowing wax encases the paper design even more.
I've had a few people ask for more info, so I thought I'd post here as FYI for everyone. First below is my way of doing it, followed by a tip I came across on AOL the other day. From everything I understand, it's not adviced to burn these candle because of the way they're made. I put a little sticker on it advising to use just as decorations. I stamp and/or emboss the design on tissue paper. Colored in carefully so not to tear the paper. Carefully cut out the image leaving a thin border. then blast the candle with the heat gun just enough to start melting the wax... the surface should just get shiny. Quickly place the stamped, cut out image on the shiny surface. blast with the heat gun again until you see the tissue paper "vanish" into the wax. You won't need to do it for long at all. Once it cools, I gently rub the area with old pantyhose/knee highs to buff the shine back. hope that helps. I think i'm going to try doing larger candles, then melting the top holes just large enough to get a tea light in. that way the tea light can be lit and the big candle would remain intact...
I probably have too simple of an explanation, but, this is how I do the candle thingie. Just stamp on tissue paper, either in waterproof ink or embossed, slightly melt the candle where you want the design and press the tissue in place. This makes the tissue translucent so it seems to fade right into the candle and makes only the stamped image visible.
What I have done is stamp on tissue paper & color as desired, then cut this out near the edges. Then place the tissu epaper on the candle, stick it there with a very small amount of water, and apply your heat gun. The tissue paper goes right into the candle but you can seeyour stamped image perfectly. I used yellow and white candles. It might not work so well with darker ones. This is great technique for anyone who wants instant results.
I was at a local theme park yesterday and I saw these beautiful candles inside clear glass containers. The outside was covered with sheets of thin handmade paper that had been stamped or printed with different images. Some solid paper was decoupaged on the outside. The sheets looked like they were glued
CANDLE STAMPING:
Select your candles. (sometimes cheap are cheap but sometimes they are okay) Stamp and emboss on tissue paper.
Color it in if you wish with colored pencils BUT on the back side of the stamped image. Cut the image out as close as you can to the image without crossing over the image lines with your scissors. Using your heat gun, heat the candle in the spot where you want your stamped image. You want to allow the candle to melt a little and quickly place the stamped/embossed image over that area. Continue to use the heat gun following in a circle around the image making sure that the candle wax has melted and adheared the tissue image to the candle. I think the fun part is doing the embellishing afterwards!
EMBELLISH THEM FOR GIFT GIVING:
Tie a pretty bow around a set of them. Add a charm or buttons, flowers etc. (Embellishments are to be removed prior to lighting of course!)
ADD SPICES:
If you like a spicy smelling candle… you can melt the bottom few inches of the candle with the heat gun and roll it in spices: I have used nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves- my favorite.
CANDLE DECORATIONS NOT FOR BURNING:
If you put the image toward the middle of the candle, this will allow room to embellish your candle even further! Use your heat gun to melt the candle around the bottom and or the top and place ribbons, buttons, spices or other embellishments (fish hooks for the dad or brother? Paper clips for the teacher? Seeds for the gardener? Use your imagination! Add a bow of your choice that will wrap around the whole candle and tie up nice and big and pretty.
A "CANDLE-CANDLE HOLDER!"
Another really cool idea is to use a BIG candle and make it into a Candle holder! Just get a real big candle the ones that are as big as your hand span and about 6-12 inches tall. Cut a whole in the top and line it with foil, a small glass cup or bowl, a mini flower pot. (the whole should be big enough to fit a taper candle in it or one of the short fat candles and allow extra room to spare so that you don't end up melting your big candle.
Note: When using your CANDLE-CANDLE HOLDER do not melt the little candles all the way down. Your big candle WILL MELT.
Melt the out side of the BIG candle and roll it in buttons, flowers, spices, whatever embellishment you choose. (see the CANDLE DECORATIONS NOT FOR BURNING instructions above…) Use this as a CANDLE HOLDER for your smaller candles!
If you want the big CANDLE-CANDLE HOLDER to have a stamped image… Mark the area you want the image to be in (use a circle or oval shaped stencil or paper as a guide and mark the candle with a pencil- you can cover your pencil line when embelishing.) Add your embossed image in the middle of that circle or oval shape. (follow the above directions to stamp/emboss on candles.
ANOTHER WAY to stamp on candles: Did you know that you can stamp directly onto your candles? Buy some cheap votive candles (the small 2" ? fat ones) at the Dollar store and practice this method: Using Pigment ink, ink up your stamp of choice, set aside Using your heat gun, heat the side of your candle until you see it melting. (area should be big enough to fit your stamp- remember to think small when choosing your stamp) Quickly put your gun down and press that inked stamp onto the melted area of the candle- in a right to left or left to right roll. Remove stamp. This looks really neat! Try it.