Candleglow

There is nothing so pretty as candle glow and a home bathed in candlelight is warm, cozy and welcoming. Candles give off a positive energy and make every room look better. It never ceases to amaze me how much more pulled together my rooms look with candles scattered throughout. My favorites are just simple white or ivory. Pillars or votives are lovely anytime and  tapers are a bit more formal. I absolutely adore mercury glass pillar holders and votive cups, the candlelight shines right thru the beautiful glass giving off a magical glow. Mercury glass has such a lovely, worn patina that makes them look beautifully aged and sophisticated. Candles are gorgeous anytime of year but I admit they look prettiest to me at the holidays. Here are some lovely ways to display candles around your Winter home.



This is one of my favorite looks, so natural and incredibly easy to make. Simple Mason jars filled with Epsom Salts, to give the look of snow, and beautiful white votives give such a rustic, country look.

I think these are so sweet! Tiny, clay pots cost practically nothing and look adorable when they are "dressed up" for the holidays. You can use dirt, pebbles or sand as filler to hold your candle. Use a short taper, not a votive as you don't want to worry about it burning down to the greenery too quickly.  You can add moss, holly, evergreens and even baby pinecones. I love how these are grouped together in a vintage wire basket. An old milk crate would be precious as well. I always group like objects together as it adds impact. To me that is a cardinal rule of decorating. You want to look at your display and say, "Wow!".

 

These tapers are so sweet. Placed in tiny, clay pots with an aged patina, they have an Old World look.
Covered in moss and sprigs of evergreen tied with a tiny satin ribbon. I love the juxtaposition of the natural, rustic clay next to the more formal satin ribbon. If you want to do a more natural theme I think burlap ribbon would be absolutely adorable. I'm a burlap junkie!!

These votive cups are sweet and would look so pretty grouped over a dinner table. Take any sheet music you love, which makes it more personal, and wrap it around your votive cup. Tie with a string of twine with evergreen and berries tucked inside. I also love the idea of using a favorite poem written out in beautiful script. Something like "The Night Before Christmas" would be sweet or a Bible verse. I love this idea for wedding tables. Simple, thin, brown paper each with a single word that has meaning to you, "peace", "joy", "love" etc., would be beautiful. Even plain, unadorned, rice paper would be pretty.

I am always wondering what I could do with old, random pickle jars etc. I always have recycled them, never thinking of using them as candleholders until I saw this pic. These are filled with arborvitae, a long lasting evergreen and one of my favorites. A bit of faux snow sprinkled within the greens completes the look.  I would only use a tea light, as pictured, because it contains the wick more safely and you would not want to catch the "snow" on fire. I love how they secured frosted pinecones at the rims for added cheer!

This table scape is lovely if you enjoy tapers. They are a bit more formal and give, to me at least, a Colonial feel. I have studied much the decor of Colonial Williamsburg as it is one of my favorite places and a timeless style I love. Note the gorgeous, mercury glass votive and how it shines.

This is totally adorable and gives me "visions of sugarplums"!  A simple, cored apple with a thin taper inserted, garnished with greens and faux raspberries and candy canes.  Displayed on a lovely, ironstone plate adorned with Christmas cookies. What a lovely look for an informal Christmas lunch or tea.

I hope this has given you pleasure in viewing and possibly some inspiration for your holiday decorating.

~ "Man loves company-even if it is only that of a small burning candle."- George C. Lichtenburg ~

All Photos Courtesy of Shabby in Love