Sweet and Simple Candle Holder

If you read yesterday's post, you know that I accidentally bought some candle cups that ended up being much smaller than I thought that they were. Rather than returning them, I came up with a way (or two) to use the small candle cups. Today's project uses five more of the candle cups and this lovely, vintage, made in England, Johnson Brother's China teacup of the Dunster Castle and Penthouse 1792 (that's not when the cup was made). It is actually a mush cup, which makes it a little larger than a teacup.

I picked this up at a thrift store for one dollar. It had a chip, but I liked it and knew I could find a us for it. It has just been sitting in a tray on my counter. When I found the menorah candles to use with the small candle cups, I knew putting some in this teacup would make a sweet and simple candle holder.

I wanted the candles to stand at slightly different heights. In order to achieve that I cut a piece of floral foam to fit into the bottom of the cup.

I hot glued this into the bottom of the cup. Hot glue is the perfect glue for this project because it holds well, but will be removeable if I want to do something different with the teacup in the future. I then made holes at different heights in the foam block using the round handle of a small paintbrush. I put the candle cups in the holes and then added the candles, which I hot glued in to make sure they were secure.

I added some fake snow to it, three strands of jute to the handle, and an evergreen sprig.

This is sweet sitting on a shelf (that is if the shelf is tall enough to safely burn the candles). It would look lovely on a tired tray or on a tray with other items for a centerpiece. A collection of different teacups, all with candles in them, lined up on a dining table with a pine garland would make a beautiful table display. 

Use what you have, make things work, and create something simple that adds a touch of vintage to your home.