Are you looking for a quick little last minute project to add to your holiday décor?  Today I have the answer on Tumbleweed Tidings!

When I was putting my kitchen decorations together for Christmas, I had several small candleholders that held votives and tea lights, but none that would hold taller candles. I looked in my stash of flower vases and found the perfect thing; three cylinder stovepipe vases that would hold the chunky white candles I had on hand.

One of the things that made them perfect was that they were all a different height, which added the interest I wanted. That also created a small problem, because when I dropped the candle in the tallest two, they were too low.  I looked through the pantry and found a bag of holiday M & M’s and put them in the bottom to raise the candles to the height I wanted.  Problem solved.

Next, I took some scraps of plaid fabric to go along with my theme this year and cut some strips out. I then folded in the raw edges and taped them at the back of the candleholder.  I finished them off with some polka dot ribbon I was using elsewhere in the kitchen and they were done!

This idea can be improvised upon to use what you already have. No fabric?  No problem!  You can use wide ribbon, burlap or even wrapping paper.  In place of the M & M’s, you could use nuts, crushed up candy canes or small pine cones.  Or, maybe your vase is just the right size like my shortest one, and you won’t need any risers in the bottom.  Of course, the easiest approach could be to just leave them plain glass with a candle for a cleaner, more contemporary look.  The choice is always yours.

I have moved these candleholders around in various configurations, depending on what’s going on here. The shortest one found a home in the center of my large beverage dispenser base, sitting on a plaid charger with a ring of greenery around it. They would be lovely running down the center of a dining or coffee table, as well.

If you don’t have appropriate vases, they are readily available at thrift shops and the Goodwill, but going out and buying something will definitely make this more than a 5 minute project.

Now that I’ve stumbled on this vase-as-a-candleholder idea, there may be no stopping me. You could put candy corn in the bottom with a cute Thanksgiving fabric, or patriotic colored candy for the 4^th of July.  Or…

One of the most rewarding things in decorating a home can be looking at items you already have and finding new ways to interpret them. Easy on the budget and easy on the eyes, for the win-win!

Good tidings,

Diane