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Create a relaxing atmosphere in your home with light shining from a charming stained glass candleholder. No special tools or talent is needed. Simply glue small pieces of colored glass on a clear tumbler in whatever pattern you choose, leaving a small space between each piece. Let the glue dry overnight, then fill in the spaces with ordinary tile grout. Place a candle inside and you will have a beautiful stained glass candleholder to accent your home.
Supplies you will need:
1. Medium sized, clear tumbler in smooth glass. Check out your local dime store or rummage in the cupboard for an orphan from a set.
2. Candle small enough to fit inside the tumbler. Make sure the candle is small enough so that a the wick would not touch the walls of the glass when lit.
3. Heavy duty adhesive that will hold glass onto glass and dry clear. I use a brand called The Welder.
4. Square mosaic pieces of glass that can be purchased in bags of different colors at your local craft store. Choose two or three different compatible colors. The more opaque the glass, the stronger the candle light will shine through. Pieces of frosted clear used with two shades of a color make an attractive pattern. Get enough pieces of colored glass to cover the entire surface of the tumbler.
If you want to cut your own glass, you can buy larger pieces of colored glass at a stained glass supply store. Check out the bargain bin for remnants. If you have a friend that does stained glass work, ask for the leftover glass. The artist may be happy to get rid of the hard-to-store odd-sized pieces. Use a glass cutter to cut the colored sheets into one-inch squares. Be sure to wear safety glasses if you decide cut the glass yourself.
5. Small bag of dry unsanded off-white tile grout.
6. Small rubber spatula for spreading the grout in between the pieces of glass.
7. Sponge or small rag for wiping the excess grout off the glass.
8. Tweezers
Gather yours supplies together on the kitchen table or workbench, and pull up a stool. If you want a formal design, plan your pattern on paper before you begin gluing your mosaic pieces onto the tumbler. Measure the circumference of the glass and figure how many mosaic pieces will fit in each row, giving thought to how you want to place your colors and the pattern you want to create.
If you want a random pattern, just start gluing the pieces of colored glass to the sides of the tumbler arbitrarily. Work your way around the top edge of the tumbler, completing the first row. Then start on the next. Leave a little gap for the grout between each piece. You can either put the glue on the mosaic piece, or on the tumbler. Hold the piece in place for a few minutes until it sticks. The drying process can be sped up by giving the piece a light shot of hot air from your blow dryer as you hold it place.
Continue the gluing process, until the entire tumbler is covered with the mosaic pieces. When you glue the last row around the bottom of the tumbler, make sure the pieces are level or a little above the bottom edge of the tumbler. If a mosaic piece is glued too close to the bottom, the tumbler might not sit straight on a surface.
Let the glue dry overnight. The next day, clean off the excess glue from the pieces of glass with a damp rag or sponge. You can also use tweezers to remove the glue from the mosaic pieces. It will be dry, rubbery and easy to grasp and pull off. If there are spaces where the glue spread, clogging up the gap between the pieces, gently clear some of it away with the tweezers. There will be no room for the grout if excess glue is plugging the space.
Your next step is to apply the grout. Mix the grout with water in a small bowl until it is the consistency of creamy, room-temperature peanut butter. Two cups mixed will be plenty for this size of candleholder. Use the rubber spatula to spread the grout over the surface of the tumbler and colored glass pieces, working it into the spaces between the mosaic pieces.
After the entire surface has been covered with grout, and it has been worked into all the spaces, use a damp rag to clean away the excess. Let it dry overnight. (Sometimes one of the mosaic pieces will come unglued in the cleaning process. If this happens, set it to the side and glue it back on the next day and regrout). The next day, use a damp sponge to clean off the rest of the dried grout. Polish the colored glass with a dry, soft cloth.
You now have a beautiful stained glass keepsake or gift. Set the candle inside the finished candleholder, light it and watch the colored patterns dance across your ceiling.
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