I’ve been wanting to try my hand at image transfers on candles for quite awhile, and I realized that I already had everything I needed to do it! I chose one of my antique Christmas music images on one, and am including the tutorial for you as well.
For this project you’ll need:
*white pillar candle
- white tissue paper (cheap bulk price on Amazon)
*freezer paper
*stencil adhesive spray
*select your sheet music image (found here)
*heat gun or blow dryer on hottest setting
INSTRUCTIONS:
(my apologies that some of these photos are dark – I was working on it in the evening.)
1. Save an image to your computer, so you can print it on tissue paper. Make sure it’s sized to fit your candle. I found that printing my image as a 3×5 photo worked for my pillar candle.
2. Spray a piece of copy paper with stencil adhesive, then carefully stick white tissue paper over it.
3. Trim the excess tissue paper from the sides of the copy paper, then load the paper in your printer.
4. Print the image, then gently remove the tissue paper from the copy paper, and cut it to size for your candle.
5. Position the tissue paper image on your candle.
5. Wrap a piece of freezer paper around the tissue paper on the candle, Grip the freezer paper from the back, so the heat gun doesn’t burn your fingers. Heat the surface of the candle, but don’t overheat it too much. You want to do it just enough for the surface of the candle to slightly melt and the tissue paper to melt into it.
Excuse my nasty fingernails, but I was staining wood without gloves. It will take days to get that stain off!
6. Lift a section of the wax paper to make sure the tissue paper is firmly attached to the candle. Hold the heat gun a little longer if it isn’t, or remove the wax paper if it is.
That’s it! The possibilities are endless to make any design on candles – even photos! I’m really looking forward to making more of these in the future.
*Reminder – do not leave burning candles unsupervised. Most pillar candles form a little “crater” as they burn, so the outer edge never burns, but you should still use common sense and caution.
Wouldn’t these make a beautiful and inexpensive gift?
For more DIY Christmas Projects & Printables, click HERE.
Merry Christmas!
Wow, what a great project. Going to save this one for next year. Thanks so much.
Hooray!! You are perfectly normal in your seeming unpreparedness!! Just like me. Oh, wait. I have not posted beautiful projects on ANY blog ever!! Never mind. 😉
Angie!! Such a great project!! I think it would be a lovely anniversary gift as well, using a picture that I took of the couple at their wedding. Thanks so much for sharing. Now go have fun with your family and my best wishes for a Blessed Christmas season!!
I really would like to make some of these – they are just so charming. I don’t think it is pathetic that you haven’t put up a tree. I feel the same way because I decorated to do pictures for a tour, but still have all the extras, boxes, things I removed from shelves, etc sitting in the corners and pathways of the house. Talk about pathetic. I can’t even really enjoy the decorations because everything is so cluttered and messy. Oh well. Happy holidays Angie!
I thought that was the “real life”.
Ok I just read your post because I am so far behind you. My husband came home for lunch to help me decorate our tree. Which we have had for 2 weeks. And it’s only a table top tree! So that’s done✔ I set up my mother’s Manger set on the wine buffet ✔✔ and a list of gifts to buy is made ➖✅. We will be up late. My son and new daughter in-law will be coming into LAX late to night. But at least the dried tree is decorated. Now on to baking
You’ve made me feel better Barbara Ann! I feel like such a Christmas slacker!
I’ve been wanting to try this forever as well….and don’t feel bad about your house not being decorated. I’m still working on mine, too! Sigh…