Who doesn’t love candles? They smell so wonderful and look so beautiful in any situation or surroundings. Add a candle to nearly any setting and you instantly have a centerpiece, ambiance, or just less glare than from lamps and overhead lights. There is only one problem with candles and that’s that they drip wax. If that wax gets on a nice piece of furniture or a tablecloth it’s likely to be ruined. But you can make a candle collar and no longer worry about such matters. Candle collars simply surround the bottom of the candle and catch any wax drips. Plus, they give a decorative element to any candle or arrangement.
A candle collar can be made by first starting with a paper or cloth. Cut a circle of gift wrap, scrapbook paper, or even thin fabric. You can create a particular theme by the images or designs which are featured on the paper or cloth.
Laminate the material by using clear shelf liner or a laminating machine. If you’re using shelf liner, lay the material at one end of a large piece, then fold the other side over it. Take care not to get any wrinkles or creases in it. Cut around the edges to trim.
After the base of the candle collar is made you can then decide how – and if – you want to decorate it. If not, just set a pillar candle right on the laminated material. If you want to decorate it there are many things you can attach to the edges of the circle. Garland, strands of fake pearls, pine cones, flowers, and sticks are just some of the things you can glue around the circle to make the candle collar of your choice.
Depending upon the materials you use to decorate around the circle you can easily create candle collars with a wedding theme, collars for holidays, rustic themes, shell collars and many others. When you’re finished with the design you want simply set a pillar candle in the middle of the ring.
You can make really large candle collars which encircle an arrangement of candles or just a single collar for one pillar. Any wax that drips will slide down the candle and onto the base and, there, the drips will be concealed by the ring of shells, flowers, or other accent pieces.
You’ll find it fun to make an assortment of candle collars that you can use throughout the year. It just takes a second to change them out and create a completely different look for a table or other surface.