Tutorial of the Week: Filigree Votive Candle Holder

Happy Thursday, everyone!  It is time for another tutorial, and this week I thought I would do another small project…a decorative filigree votive candle holder.  These are relatively quick to make, and are great to give as a personalized gift.  Here’s a look at the finished candle holder:

Materials

• 1 Bronze Square Metal Filigree Embellishment (#822-B)
• 4 Bronze Flower Metal Filigree Embellishments (#283-B)
• 4 Bronze Flower Metal Filigree Embellishments (#535-B)
• 4 Bronze Round Metal Filigree Embellishments (#288-B)
• 4 SS30 Clear Flat Back Crystal Rhinestones
• 40 SS10 Clear Flat Back Crystal Rhinestones
• 26 gauge brass or bronze wire
• Glass votive candle holders (I got mine from Walmart for $1.25 each)
• E6000 Glue
• Gem-Tac or Glossy Accents
• Bail Making Pliers (optional)
• Flat Nose Pliers (optional)
• Flush Cutters
• Crystal Katana (optional)

Step 1

Using your flat nose pliers, bend the four corners of one Bronze Square Metal Filigree Embellishment (#822-B) up as shown below:

If you don’t have flat nose pliers, don’t fret…just use a ruler to get a nice straight bend in your filigree.  If you need a refresher, you can refer to my tutorial on how to bend metal filigrees 🙂

Once all four corners are bent, the glass candle holder should sit nicely in the center:

Step 2

Using a pair of bail making pliers (or just your hands if you have no pliers), add a slight curve to the four Bronze Flower Metal Filigree Embellishments (#283-B) so that they will curve nicely around the candle holder.  Ensure that you bend the filigree parallel to one of the petals…you should end up with one petal facing straight up and one facing straight down.

Step 3

Flatten the one bottom petal of each of the four Bronze Flower Metal Filigree Embellishments (#283-B) using a pair of pliers.

Step 4

Using a pair of flat nose pliers (or a ruler), bend the tip of the petal you flattened in Step 3 as shown below:

Step 5

Now it is time to “stitch” our filigree pieces together…cut a 6″ piece of 26 gauge wire, and put a tight bend in it using a pair of pliers.  Layer one Bronze Flower Metal Filigree Embellishments (#283-B) over one corner of the Bronze Square Metal Filigree Embellishment (#822-B) base that we prepared in Step 1 and pass the wire through the overlapping holes, as shown below.  I tend to put the short end of my wire toward the inside of the candle holder.

Now wrap your wire around the two filigrees 4 or 5 times.  You can ensure that you get a tight wrap by using a pair of pliers to pull on the ends of your wire after each wrap.

To finish the ends of your wire, just trim them on the back of the filigree and flatten them down using your pliers.  The inside should look tidy like this:

Step 6

“Stitch” the left side of your filigree #283-B from Step 5 to the base #822-B.  Repeat Step 5 and Step 6 to “stitch” the other 3 filigrees #283-B to each corner of the base.

Step 7

“Stitch” the top petals of the four filigrees #283-B together as shown below.  Again, create 4 to 5 wraps with your wire.

Step 8

Using a pair of bail making pliers (or just your fingers), shape the four Bronze Flower Metal Filigree Embellishments (#535-B) with a curve to fit nicely over the four Bronze Flower Metal Filigree Embellishments (#283-B) that we shaped in Step 2.  Ensure that you curve the filigree between the petals as shown below:

NOTE:  It is very important that the center of filigree #535-B makes good contact with the center of filigree #283-B.  This means that you will have add slightly less of a curve to the top filigree (#535-B).  You may also have to bend the top and bottom petals up slightly so that they do not make contact with the bottom filigree (#283-B)…kinda like this:

Step 9

Using E6000, glue the four filigrees #535-B to the centers of the four filigrees #283-B.

HINT:  Did you know that you can use E6000 like a contact cement to create a stronger bond?  Just add a thin layer of glue to each of the two sides you are gluing together, let it sit for a minute or two, then press your two pieces together 🙂

Step 10

Using Gem-Tac or Glossy Accents, glue one SS30 Clear Flat Back Crystal Rhinestone surrounded by ten SS10 Clear Flat Back Crystal Rhinestones to the center of each of the Bronze Round Metal Filigree Embellishments (#288-B).

NOTE:  If you don’t own a Crystal Katana, I highly recommend buying one.  They are pricey, but worth every single penny!  You can use them for rhinestones, paper pieces, and even small metal bits 🙂  …they truly are worth their weight in gold!

Step 11

Once the glue for your rhinestones has dried, glue one filigree #288-B to the center of each filigree #535-B on your candle holder, and…voila!  You’re done!  Your little glass votive candle holder can sit inside the filigree “basket” you just made 🙂

How adorable is this?  I’m really pleased with how it turned out, and I hope you have a ton of fun making one…or two…or more of these for yourself 😀  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s tutorial…cheers!

Save