Tag: candles

Posted on by

DIY: Easy Fancy Votives

Pimped up votives posca pens ellasplace.co.uk

This is a really easy DIY – a pretty pen project to make fancy votives that give cheap filled candles a designer feel.

Pimped up votives posca pens ellasplace.co.ukAs you know I love a scented candle and I do occasionally splash the cash on some expensive ones. However, because I go through quite a few of them, I do get some cheaper ones to light on a Friday and Sunday night when I’m relaxing with Dr B or when I have a cheeky Saturday afternoon bath.
Pimped up votives posca pens ellasplace.co.uk Plain filled candles can look a little drab and I like to give them a nice look. As I’m currently doing some work for Posca pens I’ve got loads of various colours lying around – I’ve chosen beautiful gold and berry coloured pens and gave them a simple leaf pattern.
Pimped up votives posca pens ellasplace.co.uk I wanted to create something really quick and easy as the last thing I wanted to do was spend ages doing an intricate pattern. So these  are just scribbled little lozenges drawn on an angle.
Pimped up votives posca pens ellasplace.co.uk In the spirit of all things green I recycle my glasses once the candle has been burned. Once I finish with them I will use them as vases. The lovely thing about this project is I can pop these glasses in the oven at 145C to seal in the design and I have some lovely gold and berry containers. Pimped up votives posca pens ellasplace.co.uk

Posted on by

How to Rock Your Collections: Group them

Vintage Pottery Vignette ellasplace.co.uk One of something won’t do for me and I admit it’s a bit of problem.  The thing is, once a nice bit of design catches my eye, be it a print by a particular artist, a ceramic from a certain period or just an object that makes me smile, I can’t fail to be attracted to more examples of that ‘thing’. Which means I have a number of collections.
Vintage Pottery Vignette ellasplace.co.uk I’ve found the best way to manage my little obsessions is to group some of the similarly sized objects together to create little mini still lives.  They are a really effective way to make your pieces look more coherent, emphasise the qualities and idiosyncrasies of those objects and get people talking about them. I first did this with thrift shop buys, teaming them with classic pieces I already had that I was displaying in my hallway.
Neon candle vignette ellasplace.co.ukI fell for last year’s neon trend rather hard so I’ve placed my brightly coloured candle sticks on top of the piano in the dining room (well it’s my modern day take on the candelabra). They look great set against my teal-coloured wall (Lido from Mini Moderns if you’re interested). I made sure to buy clashing candles to sit in them for the ultimate vibrant colour pop. These orange ones really pack a punch.
Neon candle vignette ellasplace.co.uk When me and Dr B moved into our Wivenhoe house, my sister Lucy bought us some cute vintage cups and saucers as a house-warming present. A couple of weeks later I was in a local antiques shop and saw a teapot and jug to match – it was destiny, so I needed them to be reunited. Then I spotted another two teapots of a similar ilk and I thought “in for a penny”.
Vintage Teapots Vignette ellasplace.co.uk At first Dr B rolled his eyes at my purchase but once artfully arranged on our white shiny sideboard in our dining room, it gave what can be quite a clinical surface a quirky homespun finish that we were both impressed with.
Vintage Teapots Vignette ellasplace.co.uk So if you’ve got some pieces that are dotted around the place why not bring them together and see how they look.