Textured
Candles
Candles used to be
just plain and basic and used to provide light when the
power failed, but nowadays textured candles are readily
available for you to decorate any room in your home,
whether you intend to burn them or not! Some of the
textured candles around are just too elaborate to be
burnt, but the choice is yours, of
course.
Add Sizzle to Your Surroundings
by M J Plaster
Is your home dcor lacking that
extra something that spells the difference between comfortable
and vibrant or between comfortable and tranquil? Candles might
be just the polish your dcor needs. Take advantage of the
sparkling colors, rich textures, and fresh scents of candles
without draining your decorating budget.
Some candles are best unadorned,
but candleholders offer an additional opportunity to highlight
their presence and beauty. You don't have to burn the candles;
you can use them as objects d'art, incorporating them into
displays, floral arrangements and centerpieces alone as an
accent piece, or in a grouping as a focal point.
Typical candles no longer exist,
they belong to a bygone era. Tapers gave way to thick and
varied heights long ago. Today, you'll find square candles,
heart-shaped candles, fruit and vegetable candles, gingerbread
candles, floral candles, Christmas tree and ornament candles,
and candles with artistic free-flowing shapes. Within that
variety of shapes, you'll find an endless array of adornments,
such as beads and glitter, straw, botanicals embedded in the
wax, still life scenes, etc.
Color, Shape and
Texture
Today's candles come in a wide
variety of hues and shades, and many add the dimension of shape
and texture to their composition. Marbled, frosted, and
sculptured candles are widely available in a selection of
sizes, shapes and prices ranging from votives to thick,
oversized candles.
If your living areas are frozen
in time with a monochromatic color scheme, you know the rooms
we mean, they looked oh-so-good on paper until you lived in
them for a month, use candles to rescue you from the monotony
without the expense of redecorating. Marbled candles are a
quick and easy way to work complementary or harmonizing color
into the room.
If your home utilizes color well,
but lacks excitement, accessorize with textured candles to add
pizzazz to the room. Position the candles to create a focal
point or to add just the right accent. Marbled candles
incorporate several hues and shades of the same color, and
variegated candles can tie all of the colors in your dcor
together.
Sculptured candles provide a warm
substitute for expensive knickknacks and require a minimum of
space. Add smaller sculptured candles to guest bathrooms along
with guest hand towels and guest soaps. It's the attention to
detail that rolls out the welcome mat for guests and creates
the ambiance of a memorable stay.
If you've never used anything but
wax candles, try one of the new gel candles. Gel candles are
translucent and their shimmering glow is irresistible to the
eye. You'll find gel candles ready to display in their own
attractive glass containers.
Candles and
Fragrance
Scented and aromatherapy candles
make an excellent choice for the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom.
Consider odor-neutralizing scented candles a necessity for the
kitchen when you entertain. They serve triple duty by quickly
neutralizing cooking odors, adding a pleasant scent and a touch
of warmth. Larger scented candles often include interesting
texture, shape and color variation.
If
you are using a scented candle to provide a
certain mood, for example relaxation, then
make sure you have a candle with lavender
essential oil rather than just a lavender
scented candle. The essential oil will be
released throughtout the burning of the
candle, maintaining the relaxing
atmosphere.
Site
Editor |
Candleholders and Display
Options
If you use your patio as a
three-season outdoor room, float citronella votives in water on
the patio for a lily-pads-in-the-pond effect. You'll scare away
the mosquitoes and other flying irritants at the same time.
Place all citronella candles a few feet from the table so that
you don't run off the guests along with the insects.
Votive holders have blossomed
into every imaginable shape, including butterflies, bejeweled
beveled glass holders, and seascape holders. Many of the votive
designs are ideally suited for an outdoor
environment.
Hurricane lamps add light and
atmosphere to the outdoor table in the evening. Eve lights can
produce harsh lighting, and hurricane lamps provide enough
light to see without detracting from the atmosphere. When
selecting a candleholder for outdoor use, it's important to
select one that shields the flame from the wind, and hurricane
lamps provide ample protection from the wind.
If you haven't seen the newer tea
lamp candleholders, you're not going to believe your eyes.
These candleholders are every bit as elaborate and intricate as
their electrical counterparts. If you prefer the formal look of
a chandelier, consider a chandelier candleholder for a soft,
diffused light. The next time a storm or tornado blows through
your area, leaving you without electricity, tea lamp, hurricane
and chandelier candleholders will be ready and
waiting.
Whatever your dcor, imaginative
use of candles and candleholders allows you to change your dcor
as often as you change your mood.
|