Posts by BradRuval4939:
Choosing Candles For Christmas
December 9th, 2008Candles add so much charm to a room. They add a special type of light that you can only get with a candle. So candles are a must at Christmas to add to the holiday spirit.
Types of Candles
Candles come in many shapes, sizes, colors and scents. It can be confusing to choose sometimes. Thinking how you are going use them first is a great way to help you choose which ones you want. But here is some information to help you decide:
Shapes include taper, pillar, votive, and tea lights. The taper candles are the tall thin candles used in candlesticks. Pillars can be large or small and even come with more than one wick. Votives can also be used in centerpieces but they are smaller candles and usually are in holders unlike pillars that can stand-alone. Tea lights are small little candles for just a hint of candlelight. Candles also come in specialty shapes for Christmas such as Christmas trees, ball shaped, stars, angels, and even Santa Claus.
- Sizes vary from real big pillars to the tiny tea lights. You just need the size to fit where you are using it.
- Candles come in all colour shades. For Christmas this means that you can find the right shade of red, green, and even gold and silver to match your decorations. Burgundy and white are becoming popular Christmas colours.
- Choosing a candle with a scent can add that extra dimension. Cinnamon and spice are particularly popular at Christmas time.
Candles at Christmas
Candles add ambiance, lighting and joy to a room. Candles have also been symbolic of the hope, the renewal, the joy that our lives go through. They also add special warmth to a room that is so welcome in the winter months. That is why candles are special and used so much at Christmas.
How to Choose the Right Candle
- Decide where you are going to be placing the candles first then follow these few suggestions:-
- Tapers are great on the dinner table in the centerpieces or in candelabras. You can also just have them in simple candlesticks too. Tapers are unscented so they will let you enjoy all the food aromas.
- Pillars are great for centerpieces dressed up with holly, poinsettias and sitting inside a small wreath.
- Votives can be placed in votive holders and located around your house even in the bathroom.
- Tea lights can be placed in holiday holders and set throughout the house but they don’t burn as long as votive.
- Choose a scented candle to add that extra special Christmas feeling
How to Create the Perfect Candle Centerpiece
Creating a candle centerpiece does not have to be difficult. You can take 3 or 4 medium pillar candles and put them on a plate and surround them with artificial poinsettias, holly leaves and berries, add some mini Christmas balls, or even some fake little presents.
Special Items to Add to Candles
You can even write on the pillar candles with special markers or paint.
- Cranberries or holly berries
- Jingles bells
- Tinsel or garland
- Pine boughs
- Fresh or artificial flowers
- Pine Cones
- Faux Snow
Enjoy the Christmas season more by using candles to light up your house.
The On the Table Christmas gifts section has more great ideas for creating the perfect Christmas dining table. Choose from a range of Christmas Candles for that perfect Christmas setting. Visit http://www.onthetable.co.uk.
Creating the Perfect Christmas Dining Table
November 30th, 2008Food, friends, and parties are a joyous and wonderful part of the Christmas season. Christmas is the time of year when large dinners and festivities reign supreme. This is also the one special time of year that many people want to make their own dining tables look magnificent. Here are some seasonal ideas for you to use to give your own table a unique and dazzling festive appeal.
Traditional Touches
Use a tablecloth that is green or red to create the foundation for this look. Placemats should be plaids of red, green, and gold. Napkins can match the placemats or the tablecloth. You can even match them to one of the other solid colours in the napkins. The napkin rings could be gold coloured rings with a bit of mistletoe attached. Use gold chargers to anchor your place settings and make lovely pieces for this occasion.
Emerald and ruby coloured dishes can be used to make beautiful settings for each guest. Remember that they can be unmatched pieces and still create a wonderful look for the table. Choose some candles in golds, red or green as your centerpiece. A hurricane lamp with one large, gold pillar candle looks exquisite. Flank this with smaller candles on either side. Add mistletoe or small evergreen pieces around your candles for added polish.
Stunning and Elegant in Black and White
Using a white linen cloth for your tablecloth and napkins, you can set the base for this modern look. Placemats should be black, or you might opt for a less formal feel by incorporating a black and white design scheme with them. A great table look can be achieved if you use all black dishes for the settings. Other choices include using a black or white charger and then alternate the other two colours among the place setting. Napkin rings could be made of black and white beads or silver.
Top each place setting with a white orchid or poinsettia flower. At this time of year, a beautiful silk flower will also do the job brilliantly. You can use a black runner on the table and have several of these flowers used as decorations. Also include small bits of mistletoe and poinsettia leaves and flowers along the runner. For the centerpiece, a white poinsettia or orchid is a lovely focal point.
Blue and Silver Ice Motif
Two colours that make people think of the festive season are blue and silver and you can use these to create a lovely Christmas dining table. A crisp blue cloth will be your base and you can use a runner of silver to add sparkle and flash. Choose placemats that combine a geometric design of these two colours and let your napkins match the mats. If you are unable to find matching napkins, match them to your blue cloth.
Create your own napkin rings from ribbon and tiny silver snowflakes. Your glasses can be silver in colour and let your dishes be a mix of delicious shades of blue with a few choice pieces of clear glass as contrast. Use fake cubes of acrylic ice to create your own ice sculpture centerpiece, or use blue and silver candles to create sparkle and fantasy for your table. Place the candles at the center with pinecones and small evergreen branches at the bases. You might also consider a flat bowl that can hold ice and water as a centerpiece. You can add floating tea lights for a mealtime glow. Let some glitter adorn the tablecloth and runner and you have a beautiful winter table setting to charm all of your dinner guests.
Have a great Christmas!
The On the Table Christmas gifts section has more great ideas for creating the perfect Christmas dining table and choosing that special design for your home or the perfect gift for friends, family. Visit http://www.onthetable.co.uk.