I have a strange habit of hanging on to all of my broken jewellery and I’ve had no use for it up until now. Today I decided to make a start on overhauling these old glass tealight holders.
I’ve had these sitting for years in my bathroom and love lighting them up for some soft light at bath time, but the red coating has worn away and they’re pretty chipped, thanks to my baby son occasionally throwing them in the bath (eek). They’re really ready for the bin but I’m not ready to let them go just yet!
I started off by covering one of the candle holders with pretty paper. This was a little tricky as they are not a uniform shape – the top is larger than the base. I used matte mod podge to glue on the paper – I ended up covering the top first, cutting the paper a little bigger than the heart and making tabs with the excess paper. I then cut the sides and stuck them on, taking care to smooth out any wrinkles. If you’re covering glass, keep an eye on the paper while it’s drying as it can bunch up a little bit and need more smoothing.
Once the paper and glue dried, I gave it another coat for protection. I then painted the inside of the holder with acrylic paint rather than covering it, as even this wasn’t a uniform shape and impossible to cover! Finally, I cut out a circle of paper for the base and trimmed it until it fitted perfectly.
Once the holder was covered and dry, I started gluing on bits of broken jewellery. I ended up using parts of a broken bracelet, a broken hairclip, an earring and a belly bar – just twisting off the metal parts and loops with pliers then gluing them in place. Mod podge dries clear so you can be pretty generous with the glue.
I’m going to leave the holder to dry overnight and then give it a couple of coats of clear acrylic spray so that I can still use them in the bathroom and a little dripping wax won’t spoil them.
I’m really happy with the end result and hope I’ve inspired you to hang on to your broken jewellery and use it to upcycle old items around the house, in lovely shabby chic style.