CasaSugar

Nice and New: Venetian-Style Votive Holders

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:00:50 -0700

I don't write much about housewarming gifts, but I think these Venetian-Style Votive Holders ($39 for six) from Napa Style would make an ideal gift for any new homeowner. The delicate, one-of-a-kind glasses are elegant and chic, and their stripes, dots, and swirls are fun and lighthearted. More importantly, the lack of color makes them versatile, and in terms of style, they'd work as well in a country cottage as an urban loft. The product description also recommends using them as glasses for limoncello or digestifs, which is great for friends with a taste for after-dinner drinks. What do you think?

How-To: Make Quick and Easy Apple Votives

CasaSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:00:49 -0700

One of my favorite Fall traditions growing up was picking apples on Columbus Day weekend. After piling into the car, my cousins and I would head up to an orchard nearby and pick more bushels of the fruit than we knew what to do with. Of course, apple pies were the obvious choice, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. So, we had to get creative with our bushels.

One simple way we'd use up our inventory was by transforming the apples into votive holders. Just trace the circumference of a votive onto an apple, and cut out the shape with a utility knife to the votive's height. You can actually buy a little gadget called a Candle Carver ($11.99) to simplify the process, if you want. I love the way these votives bring a seasonal warmth to the house. If you like, you can even float them in a galvanized bucket of water as shown here. Pretty cute, huh?
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Casa Quickie: Cleaning Votive Holders

CasaSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:00:27 -0700

One of the most effortless ways to bring Summer style to your home is to set basic votives at your outdoor dining table or around any outdoor space. But melted wax gets messy, and trying to scrape your candle from your votive holder is never a fun task. So I was delighted to learn a helpful trick from Martha Stewart for cleaning votive holders. Just put your votive holder into the freezer for a couple hours, and then the votive will shrink and pop right out. No mess. No fuss.

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Casa Quickie: Flower Votive Display

CasaSugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:00:39 -0700

I love this idea from Martha Stewart for making a floral display out of your votives. Rather than simply using your votives as lighting, you can use them as tabletop decorations by tying the stem of your favorite flower to each votive with a bit of raffia, some ribbon, or even a rubber band.
By placing the votive holder on top of a small, water-filled saucer, you'll keep the flowers fresh as long your party lasts. If you're having a dinner party, you can take this tabletop décor idea a step further by using a fabric marker to write the name of each guest onto the ribbon you use to tie each flower, using each votive holder as a place card as well. Or, if you use a thick rubber band, you can simply write each name with ballpoint pen. Talk about Summer style.

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Summer Style: Sea Urchins Vase and Votive Holder

CasaSugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:30:33 -0700

For many of us, what comes to mind when we think of summery décor is beach themes — shells, nautical elements, fish — the kind of Summer style that's been done before a million times, and not well. But your home needn't be a souvenir of your last vacation to Pensacola; there are sea-life accents out there that didn't actually wash up on the shore. I just came across the Global Table Urchin Votives ($12-$22), and was really won over by their life-like shapes and delicate, white, bone china. Then, I remembered the Roost Glass Sea Urchin Vases ($8-$12). I think the two would go particularly well together; I'd love to see a small arrangement of them on a side table. I also don't think they need be reserved solely for your Summer interiors; they're discreet enough to leave around the whole year through.

Steal of the Day: Ballard Designs Rose Votive Holders

CasaSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:30:49 -0700

Seeing as it's in the 80s in San Francisco these days, I'm looking forward to unwinding on my deck at night and enjoying the nice temperatures and killer views, perhaps with a bottle of vino, too. I'm thinking the Ballard Designs Rose Votive Holders ($9.99 for 4, reduced from $39.99) would be a perky lighting solution when the sun goes down. Since they're resin, not porcelain, I won't have to be as careful with them, which is a plus for outdoor décor. The light green is the only color available, but clearly, I'm a fan. What do you think? Would you buy these blooms?

DIY: Wine Glass Candle Lampshades

CasaSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:00:22 -0700

In your blog travels, you may have come across the Dekoop Gorgeous Helen Wine Shades ($20), which tops off your wine glasses to make easy votive lamps for your parties. I couldn't get them off my mind for months when I first saw them; I thought they were so clever. Then, lucky me, I came across a DIY to make them. The project is fairly simple, and allows a lot of room for creativity. You can leave yours as plain vellum, or punch decorative holes in them, screen-print them, or even paint them! It's up to you, but regardless, this project is fabulous, inexpensive, and perfect for that wedding you're planning! And for all of our wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.

Supplies:

8-1/2" x 11" sheets of vellum (one per lamp)
Scissors
Decorative bladed scissors
Decorative paper punch
Glue pen
Wine glasses
Tealights or a LED battery-operated tealight
Candle putty (floral clay)

Here's how, from Save On Crafts:

Download and print out this lampshade pattern.
Trace the pattern onto your vellum sheet. Cut out the shape with your regular scissors. If you want, you can use decorative bladed scissors along the bottom edge to add another element to the shade.
If you like, use a paper punch to punch holes evenly or haphazardly throughout the shade, as shown in the PDF.
Using the glue pen, apply a thin line of glue to one straight end. Wrap the other end over the glued end, and adhere together, forming the shade.
Secure the tealight with the candle putty, and set the lampshade on top of your glass. Fini!

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Love Shack: Candela Lights

CasaSugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:00:22 -0800

You can quickly change the mood of your Love Shack by switching off overhead lighting and setting votives around the room. But, since there's nothing romantic about burning the house down, why not go for some Candela Lights ($69-$129), rechargeable and portable lights that give off an ambient glow? They light up as soon as they're removed from their dock, and recharge in the same sense. Candelas are also illuminated by LEDs so, they're pretty darn energy-efficient, too.

Steal of the Day: Turkish Glass Votive Holders

CasaSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:00:34 -0800

Light up your Love Shack this month with these Pottery Barn Turkish Glass Votive Holders ($9.99 for two, reduced from $29.99). The exotic votive holders are reminiscent of traditional Turkish tea glasses, stamped with gold in a fan, medallion, and border pattern. In each pair, one is slightly smaller than the other to add interest to a grouping, and they hold standard votive candles. For only 10 bucks, you might as well snatch up a few pairs. Just don't go burning down the house.

How-To: Create Festive Fall Votives

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:30:22 -0800

Want to add some pretty autumnal style to your Fall Thanksgiving table? Then try this great, simple trick from Better Homes and Gardens for transforming a holiday Autumn table. For a beautiful twist on boring old votives, collect colorful leaves from your backyard or nearby park. Then, tie the leaves to the votive with ribbon, twine, or yarn. Voila! You have a no-cost centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Just be careful not to get any of the leaves close to the flame. While I do love the fiery reds of Autumn leaves, I don't actually think that I want them on fire.

For another votive idea, read more.

If you have some extra time, you can also decoupage leaves onto the votive's exterior. This will give the votive a frosted effect, and will illuminate the leaves.

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