Sunday, December 5, 2010

Holiday Cinnamon Stick Candles

Since I missed out on last week's Dare to DIY party over at Newly Woodwards, I was determined to join in the fun again this week! The theme is homemade gifts--very convenient, since I plan on putting together a few gift baskets this Christmas... a plan that hopefully doesn't turn out to be overly ambitious. To avoid last-minute stress, I tried to get a head start this weekend by making one of the items.

These cinnamon stick candles have been on my growing list of "DIY Projects I Want to Copy" for quite some time, and I thought they'd make a nice addition to a holiday gift basket. The idea is courtesty of the ultimate craft queen herself, Ms. Martha. It seemed easy enough, so I headed out to Hobby Lobby for my supplies.

3" x 6" Pillar Candles - $2.50/ea  (@ 50% off)
Decorative Cinnamon Sticks - $0.98/bag (@ 50% off... in the Christmas section)

Despite the perceived ease of the project, I naturally ran into a snag right away. The hot glue was just melting the candle and wouldn't stick to it (which makes perfect sense, really). After re-reading Martha's instructions, I realized it said to use a low temperature setting to minimize melting. Oh. Apparently my glue gun isn't high-tech enough to have a low temp setting, so I had to figure something else out.

Solution: Wrap a wide piece of ribbon tightly around the candle and glue the overlapped section to secure it. (It should be something pretty, in case it peeks through the sticks when you're done.) Now, I had a surface that my cinnamon sticks would adhere to. After that, it was pretty simple... Run hot glue across the sticks and press them all around the candle! Toward the end it took a little advanced planning to make sure I didn't end up with a gap.

They look good no matter which side of the sticks faces out.


The final touch: Tie a pretty piece of ribbon around the candle, which the recipient can keep on or take off. (I thought of that without Martha's help, thankyouverymuch.) Raffia or even jute would also look nice if you're going for a more natural vibe.


This really was an easy (and thrifty) project, just a little time-consuming. And because of the cinnamon sticks, the candles smell good even when they're not lit. I plan on making a few more, and probably one for myself! If you do try making these, I found that one bag of the small cinnamon sticks from Hobby Lobby is almost enough to cover an entire 3" diameter candle.   However, if you're planning on making a lot of these (or any cinnamon stick craft for that matter), it might be more cost-effective to get your cinnamon sticks in bulk:






What kind of homemade gifts do you like to make (or receive)? If you want even more ideas, be sure to check out Kim's Dare to DIY party!






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20 comments:

Sherri said...

I think these are SO adorable! I heart anything easy and inexpensive. I also think they would look great with 'twigs'. ;-)
Thanks for dropping by my blog and your sweet comment. My log votives were really pretty easy. I think they would look great painted too.

The Whispering Creek House said...

look at you! those are cute! i love your thanksgiving table too..well done!

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Cute!!! I can't smell, but I like to have stuff like this on hand for when guests come over. Quick thinking with the ribbon vs. the hot glue. ;) Thanks so much for linking up with me!

micah said...

maybe I will be receiving one of these lovely cinnamon candles for christmas???

Meg said...

Oh girl, I bet your house smells heavenly!! Thanks for sharing such a fun DIY project. Not only is it clever, but it's adorable as well. I'm going to have to try this!

Thank you also for taking such time and thought when leaving the comment about gray paint suggestions. The fact that you actually went and grabbed your paint samples and looked through them to help me out touched me. You are too sweet!

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

These are really cute. I don't have a low-heat setting on my glue gun, either. Maybe I should ask Santa for one for Christmas.

Thanks for linking to Dare to DIY this week. Glad to see your project.

Dolores said...

I love this idea! I'm putting it on my 'i'd like to copy' list too. :)

It looks like a great alternative to those scented pine cones that sometimes create a powerful aroma. Last year, I think Chris said our bowl of pine cones were like a scent punch to the face (he has a VERY sensitive nose). :)

Erin @ Domestic Adventure said...

These came out great and I bet they smell delicious, too! Love that this is an idea that anyone can recreate.

Anonymous said...

Oh I've wanted to make these for such a long time! I love the scent of cinnamon--it just screams "holiday" to me. Great job! And thanks for the tips on using ribbon as a "base"!

Shannon said...

Aww man, I would've totally given up when my candle started melting...awesome save! And these are super cute too...

Handy Man, Crafty Woman said...

mmmm, I bet those smell great!

alissa {33shadesofgreen} said...

What a great gift idea! And I bet they smell wonderful too!

Lucky Girl said...

I know I always say this - but I really think I should try this! Lucas loves the scent of cinnamon and I think he's go batty for these!!

Catalina said...

Мery nice idea, I bet they smell yummy. I'll have to try this. :)

The Brick Cottage said...

Awesome DIY! And great solution to your problem--funny thing, my glue gun ONLY has a low temp setting (I remember when buying it, I had no idea which one I would need and both said ideal for craft projects so I went with the low heat hoping there would be fewer burn accidents).

Unknown said...

the candlesticks looks cute love the bow in the front. I'm sure they smell amazing!

Sarah @ Hennessey House said...

such a cute idea and i bet it smells amazing too! :)

Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife said...

Oooh! And I bet they smell delicious too!

Oona Johnson said...

These are great! I bet my SIL would love one!

Sara @ Russet Street Reno said...

These are adorable!

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