DIY Pots and Roses Shabby Chic Candle Holders

Repairmen in my office/craft room send shivers down my spine. Not because I am nervous about having a stranger in the house, but because I take advantage of every nook and cranny to store my craft supplies. It never fails, the plug in, connection or breaker box they need to get to is always behind a pile of... uhmmm, stuff. I usually end up in a frenzy, piling everything in the living room.

A few weeks ago I thought I was going to have to call a repairman for my Internet connection. The problem has since rectified itself, but not before I tried a little preventive cleaning. I had a shelf that was filled with a collection of different sized clay pots. They were taking up a lot of room that I decided could be used with a creative craft project.

Whenever I see them, I pick up miniature ribbon roses at yard sales. You know the type, they are sold in clusters of about 12 roses each and range in size from approximately 1/4-inch wide to about an inch. People purchase them for weddings, baby showers or other crafty projects. For whatever reason, they are a yard sale staple, just like exercise equipment. I won't be buying the exercise equipment, but I think they must see me coming when it comes to the roses. I decided to pair the roses with my clay pots to create shabby chic candle holders and accessories.

The following instructions are for a pair of tea light candle holders and can be altered for other accessories.

Things You Will Need:

2 1/2-inch clay pots, two
Ribbon roses,
Heavy duty scissors
Craft glue
Off white acrylic paint
Paint brush
Sandpaper
Clear glass votive holders, two
Tea light candles, two

Steps for Making the Candle Holders:

Step 1:
Cut off the wire stem of the roses. You want to cut as close to the rose as possible. The stem is attached to the ribbon with floral tape and removing it may cause the rose to uncurl. That is all right, you will be gluing the roses to the pots and will be able to fix loose layers with glue.The number of roses needed will depend on the size of the roses and the size of the pot.

Step 2:
Set a 2 1/2-inch pot upside down on a sheet of wax paper. Apply craft glue to the back of a rose and press to the side edge of the rim. Continue to add more roses, side-by-side, all the way around the rim. With the pot setting upside down, the roses will not slip off the pot while the glue is drying. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.

Step 3:
Check to make sure each rose and the layers of the roses are firmly attached. If they are not, add more glue and allow it to dry.

Step 4:
Paint the inside and outside of the pot using off white acrylic paint. Completely paint over each rose so that no color is showing through. Allow the paint to dry.

Step 5:
Sand the entire pot using fine sandpaper. Allow bare spots of the pot to show through. The idea is to make the pot look old and worn. Do not sand the roses.

Step 6:
Set the pot upside down. Apply craft glue to the bottom of the pot. Place a clear glass votive holder on the bottom of the pot. Allow the glue to dry.

Step 7:
Wrap a couple of raffia strands around the shabby chic candle holder and tie in a knot. Trim the ends. Insert a tea light candle in the votive holder. Repeat the steps to make a matching pair.