Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Candy Corn Tea Lite Holders

Candy corn is such a symbol of fall.  When the bags of candy corn appear in the stores in mass quantities, you know that fall is just around the corner.  You may not like to eat candy corn (I happen to like it a lot), but there is nothing more colorful and "fall like" than candy corn.  I even have jars of it sitting around the house.  Not only is it for us and guests to eat, but it adds so much color and playfulness to a room.  Everything is a decorating possibility you know.  

I have a life long friend by the name of Joyce whom I play word games with every night on Facebook.  We have a grand old time trying to outscore each other and while we play, we chat back and forth on instant message.  Now let me tell you, she is an absolute hoot and we have some crazy conversations and laugh till our sides hurt.  Have you read the blog about the rusty chicken?  If not, find it immediately and read it!  We still bring it up several times a week and have other running jokes that make me laugh just to think about them.  That is one of the wonderful things about Facebook, even with it's crazy constant changes.  It keeps us connected with friends from all over the place and that is a good thing as Martha would say.

Well, Joyce has a son who will be getting married next month and we have been chatting about ideas for decorations for the rehearsal dinner.  She had some ideas for arrangements incorporating a candy corn look.  I found several things online and sent them to her - even posted a couple to my Pinterest board.  Do you Pinterest?  If so, let me know.  I would like to follow you and see what your interests are.  Mine is out there for the whole world to see.  So far, it's only DIY things.  Imagine that!  

Well, I was on one of my forays through Michael's the other day and sitting on the shelf were these adorable little clay pots.  They are 4 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter.  I stopped and looked at them and they said "candy corn" to me.  Yes, I heard them speak to me right in the aisle.  They jumped in my cart and what was I to do?  I had to get paint in the traditional candy corn colors of course!  Yellow, orange and white.  I bought Krylon spray paint in white and a small bottle of orange and yellow in an acrylic that said it was usable on glass.  I couldn't wait to get home.

First, I base painted my five little pots all white inside and out.  I forgot to take a picture of them before I painted them, but you know what a terra cotta flower pot looks like.  I'll try to remember next time.

Since they were now white, I could keep the tip that color and just paint the orange and yellow.   I used a small ruler and marked a broken line around the bottom with a pencil so I would paint it straight.  I am a pretty steady painter, but did you ever start something and you get it a little bit crooked and then you try to correct it and then it's crooked on the other side and so it goes until you have covered up everything and now what do you do?  I did not want that to happen, so better safe than sorry.  I made the line 3/4 of an inch from the bottom so it would look like the tip of the candy corn when painted.

Now, I was ready to paint my first color which was orange.  I don't know how you work, but I like to work "assembly-line" style so I can use the same brush and paint before washing out the brush and changing colors.  I lined up my pots and painted the orange from the top of the pencil line to the bottom of the lip on the flower pot.   I used a one (1) inch foam brush and put a glob of paint on my favorite palate - a paper plate.  Make sure your brush is well coated, then place your hand inside the pot and turn it as you paint.  Makes the job very quick and easy.  Let the paint dry before painting the yellow, then you will have no smudges or smears.

 The paint dries quickly and you are ready to proceed with the yellow.  Just follow the same steps above and tadah!  you end up with this➦
Now seriously, how cute are these?  Adorable.  I wanted to use mine as tea lite holders, so I cut small pieces of styrofoam and shaved the sides down so it would fit in the pot.  
Place a piece of styrofoam in each pot.  It should be about 1/2 inch from the top of the pot.  Next, set your tea lite in the middle of the styrofoam and surround it with candy corn.  Don't eat all of it before you fill the pots!   (Be sure and keep the candy away from the flame because it is sugar and will burn and smell bad.  You don't want that! ) 

I lined these up down the center of my dining table for now.  Um, check out the table runner I made while you are looking at the picture.  That will be tomorrow's tutorial!  I am in my burlap phase at the moment.    



Anyway, for $.99 each you can purchase these adorable little pots.  The two paint bottles will be less than $3.00 and the Krylon spray paint was on sale for $3.99 at Michaels.  The pumpkin spice tea lites came from Dollar Tree.  

You will have plenty of paint left to do many more projects - you could even paint big pots and put them on your porch or wherever you would like and they will be good to use all the way through Thanksgiving.  What great hostess gifts these would make for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I mean, come on, it's candy corn!  What more can I say?  Cutest candy ever!  Even your kids could give these a try.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Candy Corn is the only candy in the history of America that's never been advertised. And there's a reason. All of the candy corn that was ever made was made in 1911.
- Lewis Black 

(Sorry, couldn't resist this quote.  Made me laugh hysterically)