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DIY Monogrammed Candles {12 Days of Handmade Christmas Tutorials} Day 8

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This is day 8 in a 12 day series of handmade Christmas tutorials. For an overview of the all 12 days, click here. For all the great projects from 2012, click here.

monogramcandle
I can’t believe it’s Day 8 already. And I can’t believe it’s November already. And I can’t believe I have a son in college and I can’t believe I’m almost 40 years old. Does time ever catch you by surprise like that? Amy from Playing Sublimely will cheer us up! She is a beautiful new mom blogger with adorable kids and great creative ideas to share with us. I think you’re gonna love these candles. I can’t wait to try them myself.

Don’t you just love candles! I love them so much I light them year round. My husband comes home from work in the middle of the summer when it is 95 degrees outside, and goes around the house blowing out all my candles…and I follow right behind him relighting them all.. I always buy candles that have a fragrance to match the season. Year round, I just cannot get enough of them. Well you can imagine my delight when I learned to paint and monogram candles. These lovelies make beautiful gifts: birthdays, baby showers, Christmas, weddings, etc.. Here is what you are going to need:

Glass and Tile medium, black acrylic craft paint, and a tiny paint brush

A candle (my current favorite is this brand from Bed, Bath and Beyond). Candle manufactures come and go, as soon as I fall in love with one they will stop making it. Try out a few and see what works best for you. There are lots of great, affordable candles out there.
Now that you have your materials, print out a letter (or letter’s’ if you would like a triple monogram) off the computer in the font that you would like for your monogram. Position and center the letter on the candle. Hold the letter in place and trace the letter onto the candle with light, but firm pressure. I like to use the point of a mechanical pencil for this step because it carves a thin line onto the surface of the candle. Remember, some candles are softer than others, so take care to not press too hard which would result in large, deep lines in the candle.

Next, paint on a very thin coat of the Glass and Tile Medium over the monogram on the candle as shown below. This coat will dry slightly “milky” so be sure to use a thin coat. Allow about 15 or 20 minutes to dry.

Using your thin paint brush, paint over your carved letter with black paint. Keep your hand as steady as you can, and paint the letter to look as much like the letter you printed off the computer as possible.

Once you are satisfied, allow the paint to dry for at least 30 minutes before wrapping the candle. These candles look lovely wrapped in clear plastic cellophane wrap, tied up with festive ribbon. I keep lots of ribbon on hand, by simply changing the ribbon it becomes a great, unique gift for lots of different occasions.

Don’t be afraid, you can do this! This is a simple way to create lots of affordable and personal gifts. People will love receiving them and they will enjoy many hours of the calming serenity that candlelight can bring into a home. Have fun!
Blessings to you all,
Amy

Click here to hear all about the square dance I went to this weekend!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    What a fabulous idea. Now if my hand is just that steady I might get some done. Thanks for the tutorial. Hugs, Marty

    Reply

  4. Bella Art Girl says

    I like this idea and my mind started thinking about things you coudl do. I had one question…why do you use the tile & glass medium for the candle? Is it to make the candle surface ready to paint on and adhere? Just curious. Thanks for the simple and good tutorial.

    Reply

  5. cheri says

    Very elegant. These would make great hostess gifts!

    And in the same vein of the beginning of your post…no, I can't believe it is November, I'm not even sure where September went…nor can I believe I am 55, an empty-nester, a granny….

    Reply

  10. hthr says

    That is GREAT!! These things cost a small fortune in the little boutiques in my town! And as the wife of a graphic designer, I am picky about the fonts! 😉 Love it! Thanks!

    Reply

  13. Mandi @ Finding Home says

    I love this idea!! I love candles too and definatly want to make some to give away and decorate my home with. Thanks!

    Reply

  15. Donna says

    just found your blog…love this idea! Can't wait to read more…the "homeschooling" issue is something that keeps popping up for me…so I can't wait to read all about your journey!

    Reply

  26. Tracychele @ The Week-Ender says

    Ohh! I am so glad I came here from Itssoverycheri! I love the painted candle idea! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  27. Katie says

    Oooh that candle is beautiful! I spelled out FALL in candles using the same technique but I hadn't thought of adding a monogram and giving it as a gift! Thanks for the great idea!

    Reply

  31. Katy Frame says

    This is such an awesome gift! Such a big impact for not much time or money! Definitely going to try this. 🙂 TFS!

    Reply

  32. Katy Frame says

    This is such an awesome gift! Such a big impact for not much time or money! Definitely going to try this. 🙂 TFS!

    Reply

  34. Becky King says

    I couldn’t find Glass and Tile. I tried Walmart, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. So I bought something called “Sealer.” It didn’t work and the paint didn’t adhere to the candle well and it doesn’t look good at all. I used acrylic paint but it’s glossy. So what went wrong? The sealer or the paint? And where can I find the Glass and Tile?

    Misti, the font looks a lot like Edwardian Script but it seems to be a little fancier.

    Reply

  36. Selin says

    Please read, I have a lot of experience in arltcie writing and actually offer it as a service, Is there any chance that I could do a guest post for your website? I am willing to write about any topic and it will be at least 600 words. The post will be 100% unique as I will have a member of my team write it for me. All i would like in return is one link at the bottom of the post (like a resource box when you submit to an arltcie site) If you are interested please use the email I have provided in this comment, as you can see it’s my main business email . I really look forward to your reply thanks a lot for taking the time to read this comment I know how long it can sometimes take to go through all the spam comments that people leave these days. Thanks again, Lee

    Reply

  38. Jennette says

    I love this tutorial! I was wondering can you use any stencil on the candles, my sister loves fairies and I would love to do a silhouette of one for her. I was wondering if there would be any issues if it was larger than a letter on the candle and would the effect be the same. Thanks so much for this craft. I will use it forever.
    Jennette

    Reply

  40. Ali says

    I came across this on Pinterest and am going to try using it to make a unity candle for my upcoming wedding. Thanks for the tutorial!

    Reply

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Trackbacks

  3. […] with a new font.  You can get my tutorial for how to make your own monogrammed candles over a Life in Grace.  It’s an oldie but goodie.  The new font I have been using is called “Barocca […]

    Reply

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