Friday, July 11, 2014

DIY Faux Coral Glass Candleholder



During a aha moment .  .  .  .  you know the one you have while perusing through a magazine or shopping at a favorite store where you say, oh, I love it, but I can probably make that, and after much thinking and sleepless nights you actually find a way to put it all together.  Yay, man!  That's what happened to me when I saw pictures of a coral hurricane on Frontgates' website.  So pretty, but too, too expensive for me at $175.

The details on the white one are hard to see  . . .



and I'm so tempted to paint mine in a shade of purple after seeing it in red! There are some purple coral, you know!

Oh how I wanted to re-create this faux coral accent piece!  I don't sleep well and wake up quite often during the night.  Usually I just go back to sleep after awhile, but with this, all I could think about was how I could make it. I had made a starfish bowl here and also a wired candleholder here and remembering how I did those two helped me put the coral candleholder together.

Using 16 gauge white cloth wrapped stem wire as the foundation, I wrapped four stems around a glue bottle to get spiral shapes.  

 
I gently pulled the spiral rings apart and connected the ends forming a circle.

 
I inserted the glass candleholder I would be using to make sure of the sizing.  


I closed the loops with needle nose pliers and made "feet" by squeezing the loops tightly together to hold the glass container.  I also inserted another stem wire forming a circle through the loops for added support.

 
Next, I added different lengths of individual stems in random patterns to mimic the shape of coral and tying the connections with floral wire.


 
I wrapped the connections with masking tape to avoid wire rust through the clay. 



 One thing I didn't want to do was make a pulp out of toilet paper and flour.  That was too messy when I used it before and would make a tedious project even longer.  I saw a YouTube tutorial for a simple, inexpensive homemade flour, glue and water clay that said it dried hard as a rock and lasted for years, so I decided to try that.
 
 
I made about five small batches .  .  .

 
rolling the clay .  .  .


and applying it to the stems, one section at a time, with water and a paint brush. The clay was very stretchy and easy to work with.  I could rough it up a bit and added pock marks and lumps.



 
It took me about three days, off and on, to cover the stems inside and out and letting it dry overnight.  I could add additional clay by wetting it and smoothing it over the dried clay with a wet brush.

 
In between, I would try the glass candleholder on to make sure it was still fitting and that the "faux coral" could hold the glass in place.
 
 
 
After I was satisfied with the overall look, I painted mod podge over the entire surface, outside and inside to seal and let dry.
 
Then I decided to coat all of the faux coral with a sample of pure white chalk paint that I had. You can spray on a primer and paint with another type of paint at this point, if you want.
 
 
I absolutely love how the faux glass candleholder turned out.
 
 
And it fits in perfectly anywhere on my patio.








 
 
 Have you had a aha moment lately?
 
 
 

Take a little time to enjoy

and

Happy Crafting!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Linking to :
 
1 Party on 6 Blogs!
 
 
 
 



38 comments:

  1. That is pretty amazing - bet it looks pretty when the candle is lit at night too. You are so creative!

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  2. Oh my goodness! That is beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. OMG!! Such a great idea!! Love it!

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  4. Just found your blog through Hometalk and I'm totally blown away by this project. Pinned. I would love if you linked up at the Merry Monday Linky Party on Sundays at 6pm PST.

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  5. Oh I love this. Thank you for linking it to the Weekend Wind-Down Party. I hope you'll include a link to us on your site so we can pin and feature your posts!

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  6. How do you keep them coming? That's so pretty nd pure genius!

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  7. What a great way to make your own candle holder with style! Would love for you to share at Fridays Unfolded!

    Alison
    Nancherrow

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  8. WOW!!!! I love it you are so creative!

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  9. WOW too!!! What an amazing piece you DIYed and I call this 'pure talent!'
    FABBY

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  10. Amazing. I can't believe how real it looks.

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  11. You've outdone yourself with this one Gail! It looks sooo real. I honestly think you could recreate almost anything. You just amaze me!!

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  12. Gail, you are amazing! Your projects are so inventive and unique. Thanks for sharing how to make it. I want one now. :) Linda

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  13. Very clever - I like the way the coral came out, I bet it would be pretty in purple.

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  14. What a gorgeous labor of love! Have you painted it purple yet?? You know I'm always happy to see your beautiful patio girl!

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  15. Looks amazing. What a lot of work you put into it!

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  16. Looks fabulous!
    And can't beat the price tag...just goes to show with a little work & creativity you don't have to spend lots of money for a great look.

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  17. OMG That is amazing...I am still amazed at your genius. I would have never thought of that, not in a million years!

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  18. Wow! This faux coral candle holder is amazing. Well done!

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  19. Wow!! I love it! Pinning so I can make one of my own!

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  20. Love it!!! Great share nice work :)

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  21. Thank you so much for taking the time to link up at the Merry Monday Linky Party. I'm still in awe of your project.

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  22. A ton of work, but a great idea for a rainy week ;) LOVE how it turned out!

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  23. this is so crazy that you made this. I was convinced when I saw the picture that you purchased it somewhere. Amazing!

    Emily- Our house now a home

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  24. It even looks great by itself as a sculptural piece. So clever!

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  25. Whqt a great tutorial - love the finished product - so very pretty.

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  26. SO creative! I love it very much and thank you for the tutorial! I am going to have to make something with the homemade flour clay too, just beautiful! Your newest follower : )

    Gigi @ Old World Patina

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  28. I meant to say, Wow, love this project, thanks for sharing! Your yard looks lovely too!

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  29. Yours looks great. I made some faux coral a few months ago and mine didn't turn out nearly as well. Great job! I found you via Fluster Buster's Creative Muster. If you're interested in linking up to new parties, I've got one that's going live at 6 tonight. I'd love to have you over.

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  30. Gail this is brilliant - just love it! Thanks for linking it up at the DIY Sunday Showcase Party :)
    Marie@The Interior Frugalista

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  31. This is great... and your patio set is cool too!
    Stacy

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  32. Stopping by to Thank you for sharing at One More Time Events and let you know you have been featured at this weeks party!

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  33. Thank you for sharing this post at City of Creative Dream's City of Links last Friday! I loved this post so much that I chose it to be featured for this weeks party. :) Go grab a button you deserve it!

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  34. Wow! This is amazing! Thanks for sharing with us at Your Designs This Time!

    Emily & Erin

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  35. Wow! This is GORGEOUS! I'd love it if you'd link up to my Look for Less Design Challenge! By linking up, you're entered to win a $60 Target Giftcard too! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2014/07/diy-x-leg-ottoman.html

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