Want to create a centerpiece with no flowers? Combine candles with ribbons, stones, shells, glass nuggets, or marbles, instead.
Candle and mirror centerpieces assemble easily, and magnify that candle radiance a
thousandfold.
Earthenware, terracotta and ceramic pots, vases, jugs and ewers make great country-style candle holders.
They come in an amazing array of shapes and natural, or glazed colours, needing no extra adornment.
Insert a candle, and you've instantly created a complete centerpiece, you can proudly display in your home.
You don't need any special skills to put non-floral centrepieces like these together.
An eye for colour and design is a bonus, but basically you'll just indulge your own whims and fancies. |
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Here are some ideas, with pictures, for you to play around with: |
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Set of 36 Glass Cylinder Vases & 36 Ivory Pillar Candles
These simple centerpieces provide you with an
affordable, all-in-one solution, for your bulk candle needs.
Each set consists of 36 sturdy, clear glass cylinder vases: twelve 6", twelve 7.56" and twelve 10.56" tall respectively.
36, 3-inch wide pillar candles, especially hand poured for the perfect fit, accompany the glass vases.
With a wide variety of colors - black, white, ivory, pink, green, red, yellow, brown, orange, navy blue,
purple, light blue, and lavender - you can coordinate these unscented candles with any of your wedding, or event, color schemes.
Expect exceptional packing, and fast shipping. |
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Violet/Purple Striped Candle with Decorative Tray ,
by Collections Etc
This group of pillar candles forms a delightful centerpiece, easy on the eyes, as well as the nose!
Gorgeous plum stripes bleed into pale pinkish-lilac tones, (reminds one of summer desserts).
These scented, 3" candles, come in graduated heights, (the tallest is 6"), with a tray, and transparent glass stones. |
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Mirror Tealight Holders
A sensational way of combining mirrors and candlelight.
A set of three rectangular, mirrored glass columns, with spaces for tealight candles on top.
This centerpiece creates an ever-changing spectacle of movement and light, as the candlelit mirrors reflect off each other, and catch the constant movement of people sitting opposite them, or walking by, and the objects grouped around them.
The rectangles are 4", 5.5" and 7" tall. |
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We used beads with jewel-like facets, which refract the candlelight and create extra shimmer.
You'll need:
A glass jar; beads; a small pillar candle; a thin embroidery needle; embroidery or crochet cotton
Thread the cotton through the eye of the needle. Thread enough beads onto the cotton to fit snugly around the top of the jar.
Pull the cotton thread in tightly, and tie the ends together. Tie a second knot for extra security. Insert the pillar candle. You might have to make a dent in the candle base
with a hot spoon, so that the candle fits onto the often dome-shaped bases of the jars. |
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A simple centerpiece, especially dramatic for night-time, or early evening display.
Remove at least 10 tea lights from their metal casings. Using a sponge brush, paint craft, or an all-purpose glue, around the sides of the casings.
Sprinkle silver glitter onto the glue, (or roll them in a saucer of glitter), and leave to dry. Re-insert the candles.
Arrange the candles on a silver tray or platter. Scatter beads, sequins, or other shiny decorations around the tealights.
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Display pillar candles on a ribbed candle plate.
We fastened star shapes, (biscuit cutter wax cut-outs, with holes made in the centre), to the candle fronts. You
can use buttons, or candle pins instead, in a shape of your choice.
You'll need:
3 pillar candles
A ribbed candle plate
Raffia
Candle decorations
A 5cm (2") wide length of corrugated cardboard, long enough to fit around each candle
Fasten a piece of corrugated cardboard around each candle with a length of raffia.
Tie a knot. Attach the decorations, by threading the raffia ends through the holes, from the back, tying a knot in front, and
then a small bow. Trim the ends. |
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Snow-white candles look spectacular on a blue-and-white plate.
Delft plates are ideal, or any other hand-painted plates, such as the Spanish plate in the photo.
This vivid blue-and-white combination looks particularly striking when displayed on a wooden table.
An ideal centerpiece for a coffee or dining room table. |
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Turn a plain glass jar into a colourful candle holder.
Very easy to create, when you need a quick, informal centrepiece.
Fill the jar with colourful beads, leaving enough space on top to hold a candle securely.
Stick a tight-fitting pillar candle into the top, resting it on the beads.
Make a slightly-too-large candle fit, by holding the bottom in hot water for a minute, and inserting it carefully.
Or carve to size, with a kitchen knife.
Decorate with braids and more glass ornaments.
We used a 6x20cm (2.4x8") candle, and wound a plaited, silver braid around the jar's edge, suspending a clear glass heart from it, with silver thread.
You can also use marbles, or any small glassy objects, with transparent, reflective qualities, instead of beads. |
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Colourful, decorative tins containing biscuits, wafers, etc., make instant, informal hurricane candle holders. Once you've enjoyed the contents, of course!
Place a paper doyley onto a dinner plate, the tin in the centre, and a pillar or votive candle inside. Or, create a container candle, if you know candle making.
Arrange edible goodies around the tin, (similar to the tin's contents), if possible. Place a few tealights in between, if more illumination is needed.
Hate the drippiness of candles? Don't we all! The hurricane nature of the tins make them ideal for outdoors.
You can easily enjoy picnic-styled events, without the drips and smoking that make ordinary, outdoor-candle-burning such an unpleasant experience.
Use citronella candles so you and your companions don't get attacked by pesky insects. And small votive glasses, instead of tealights. |
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A simple, casual look. Perfect for a coffee table.
You'll need:
3 candles, in a colour of your choice. We used cup-shaped, wax container candles.
Bath crystals or coarse sea salt
Wood shavings (optional)
A long, shallow, oval or rectangular container with square, or slightly rounded corners.
Place the candle/s into your container. Sprinkle the crystals around the candles. Add some wood shavings or suchlike for a nice touch. |
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Square candles look fantastic grouped together, even in the most uncomplicated arrangements.
For a round table, place four square candles onto a glass or wax mosaic plate.
Or line up three or more square candles in a sideways fashion on mirror tiles, for a long table.
Mirror tile edges don't look very good. You might want to cover them up, unless you can find mirror tiles with bevelled edges.
Arrange wrong-way-up glass nuggets around the edges, to disguise them.
The V-shapes made by this sideways candle arrangement give you a great opportunity to arrange glass nuggets or beads in pretty patterns within and around them. |
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This candle will be equally at home on a dressing table or as wedding center pieces. The silver pendants are inexpensively sold in large quantities at craft stores.
You'll need:
A cone-shaped candle
Tiny glass beads
Metallic, ornamental, silver pendants
Cotton
A very thin embroidery needle
Pick up 15 or so glass beads with the embroidery needle. Thread them onto the cotton.
Pick up one pendant, another 15 beads, and so on, until you have a beaded length long enough to go around the candle and rest easily towards the bottom of the candle.
Encircle your candle, tie the ends firmly together, and cut off the straggly cotton bits as closely as possible. |
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Tin cans make great candle holders. Using a sharp craft knife, cut a piece of wrapping paper slightly longer than the circumference of your tin.
Glue the overlapping ends together with craft glue, applied with a (not-too-wet) sponge brush. Decorate with ribbons.
Place a candle into the tin, on an upside down tin, or rest a ball candle on the tin's lip.
Vary the wrapping paper designs, and ribbon types, and you can adapt this centerpiece to almost any occasion. |
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Centre pieces don't come much simpler than these.
Arrange small, cut-glass dessert dishes lengthwise along your table (we used dishes 10cm (4") wide. Place a tealight in each one.
Surround each tealight with brightly coloured glass nuggets.
Light up and enjoy the shimmering candle light. |
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You'll need:
Decorative, clear glass bottles (bottles that used to contain bath salts or oils are perfect).
Taper candles.
Food colouring (pink, blue, green, yellow).
A sheet of circular glass, or a flat candle plate.
Soak the bottles in warm water until clean. Dry them. Fill each bottle with water. Add food colouring gradually to each one, until a strong colour is reached, but before the translucency of the water is lost.
Arrange the bottles on your chosen surface. Put a taper candle in each one.
Tip: make the taper candles fit properly, by placing them in hot water for a minute or two. Push them firmly into the bottle tops. Some tapers won't fit. Carve the ends to size with a sharp knife, or work them over with a hot knife.
Lighting tip: position the candle-and-bottle arrangement in front of a lamp, or a well-lit white surface.
This backlighting gives maximum effect to the colourful bottles.
Variations: get a beautiful effect by layering bath salts of various colours in the bottles. Add layers of different-coloured sand, if you like earth tones. |
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Glass nuggets sandwiched between mirror tiles and a pane of glass give a jewel-like effect, with lit candles bringing it to life.
Use round mirror tiles and glass panes, if you prefer.
You'll need:
A rectangular mirror tile, (or push 2 squares together)
A rectangular pane of glass
Coloured glass nuggets
Votive glasses and candles
Place the mirror tiles into position on your table. Arrange glass nuggets on the mirror.
Place the glass pane onto the glass nuggets. Arrange the
votive candle glasses on the glass pane. |
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This Grecian urn candle is not the best-burning candle around, but it has a decorative appeal, suitable for a study, mantel or coffee table. Leave it unlit, as a decoration only, or place it in a container when burning, as these candles can be quite drippy. |
Create a candle pedestal centerpiece with a terracotta, stone or Plaster of Paris column. You can find painted or unpainted terracotta pedestals or stone columns at nurseries or florists. The candle might not stand firmly on the column. Support it with a bit of melted wax or Prestik.
Do you enjoy painting? Decorate your own terracotta or Plaster of Paris column. Various craft stores keep the plaster pillars. Apply your own verdigris, antique, stippled or sponge-painted finish. This can look cheap and "homemade" if it is badly done, but very stylish if it's professionally done.
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