How to Make Glowing Christmas Scene Candles

Beautiful scenes like this one are lit from within when you decoupage them onto a candle.

Glowing candles are an integral part of Christmas. Whether they light your windows or your table or are part of your overall decor, their warm glow is a treasured element of the season. You can make these glowing Christmas scene candles using only paper napkins, glue and plain old white pillar candles.

Things You'll Need

• Paper Christmas napkins
• Scissors
• Glue
• Bowl
• Opalescent glitter
• Paintbrush
• Pillar candles

Instructions

1. 

   Mix the glue with equal parts water and 1 tbsp. of the opalescent glitter. This should make a milky, thin substance that can easily be stirred and spread with the paintbrush.

2. 

   Cut the Christmas design out of the paper napkins. If the design has many elements, cut them out separately. The easiest and most elegant-looking designs tend to be larger and have more of a landscape feel. For example, the Nativity is a good pattern for this project.

3. Glue the design to the side of a thick white pillar candle. Brushing a little glue onto the candle and then laying the design over the glue will help hold the paper in place while you paint over it with a thick coating of glue. Make sure that there are as few wrinkles as possible, and use enough glue that the design appears to fade into the candle.

4. Let the candle dry for at least 12 hours. As the glue dries, it will become transparent, but the glitter will shine over the Christmas design. If the paper begins to peel up, use more of the mixture to flatten it down again.

5. Light your candle and enjoy your beautiful Christmas creation. You can place a single large candle on a glass plate or group several together to make a lovely Christmas centerpiece.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to accent your candle with sequins, ribbon or rhinestones. Use a hot-glue gun to attach these elements after the napkin design has completely dried.

• Never leave any candle burning unattended, and don't place them within reach of small children or rambunctious pets.