Favors Ideas for Weddings and Showers: Decoupage Candles
By Ellen Russell
Candles are an elegant and economical favor choice for any occasion. For your special day, you want a favor that stands out as different from what your guests have seen at other receptions they have attended. You want your wedding and shower favors to be original and to reflect your personality.
By applying simple decoupage techniques to your candles, you can create favors in any theme and color, a true display of your life and interests.
Choose the color and size of the candles to be decoupaged. For wedding and shower favors, votives are the obvious choice as they are both inexpensive and abundant. You will easily be able to buy a large bulk of 200 or more votive candles.
Next, you will need to decide what to adhere to the candles, and find color coordinating items to create your motif. What can be decoupaged? Nearly anything that is flexible enough to mold flat around the candle. Fabrics, wrapping paper, napkin prints, designer or scrapbook papers, even pictures of the blissful couple (using a paper copy of the photo is advisable, as photos can smudge when covered with glue). Favorite sayings, names and wedding day specifics can be printed on paper, labels or ribbons and applied as well. Botanicals, pressed or silk flowers are a pretty option for a more natural theme. You can use one item or more, overlapping to achieve the desired effect. The choice is yours, open to your experimentation and creativity to showcase your life and love on the wedding and shower favors you create.
Once you have chosen what to put on the candles, carefully cut out the designs and arrange in sets, one for each candle favor.
There are two ways to decoupage onto candles. With the first, decoupaging with melted wax, candles can be carefully used for burning, but you must use a three inch diameter candle or larger, and sides must be trimmed as the candle burns down to prevent your decoupage from catching fire. If you choose to use his method, please include burning instructions when you package your wedding or shower favors.
First, melt uncolored paraffin wax in a double boiler (or large, clean coffee can placed in a larger pan of water). Be sure you have melted enough wax to completely dip the entire candle. Holding the wick of the candle, dip the candle into the melted wax. Place the dipped candle on wax paper. Working quickly, apply your chosen cut outs to the dipped candle and smooth any wrinkles. Dip the candle again in the melted wax and place on waxed paper. The candle will look cloudy when it comes out, but will clear as the wax hardens. For more on this method, consult the book, Candlemaking for the First Time by Vanessa-Ann (2001, Sterling Publishing Co.).
The second method involves decoupage using glue, but the candles should probably be used only for decorative purposes, and you may want to include a sticker on the back or bottom indicating so. You will need either a decoupage medium (sold in craft stores) or thinned white glue. Brush a layer of glue onto the candle using a foam craft or paint brush. Apply pictures, fabric or flowers, smooth and let dry. When the glue is dry, apply another layer of glue or decoupage medium over the picture, covering it completely and making sure you cover over and a little beyond the edges. Repeat this process two or three times, allowing each layer of glue to dry before applying another, to seal the edges of your favors.
With that, your decoupage favors for your wedding or shower are complete. You have created a lovely representation of your life and interests together. There are many options available for packaging your artistic favors - boxes, bags and more.
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