Gold in the Dark Candles

There’s nothing quite like a Christmas table lit by the soft glow of candles. Why choose ordinary red or green when you can choose gold, the color of abundance, riches and Christmas?

Mirror Candles

Mirrors and candles work wonderfully together. The mirror magnifies the light from the candles and, here, reflects the gold.

You Will Need:

2 gold ball candles
approximately 2 in. (5 cm.) in
diameter
1 gold ball approximately
3 in. (7.5 cm.) in diameter
oblong mirror tile, 5 by
10 in. (12 by 2.5 cm.)
mold seal
holly leaves
nuts
gold spray paint
English ivy leaves

Step 1: Arrange the three ball candles on the tile. Press mold seal neatly along all four edges of the tile.

Step 2: Spray the holly leaves and nuts with gold paint. Press them in place among the edges of the tile. Add a few green ivy leaves for color contrast.

* * * Golden Fruit Basket

Transform garden mesh into a sophisticated candle holder. Either buy candles ready made, or make your own.

You Will Need:

sheet of galvanized steel
wire mesh
wire cutters
gold ribbon
4 gold fruit candles

Step 1: Use wire cutters to cut out a 14 in. (35 cm.) square of the wire mesh. Then make four diagonal cuts from each corner into the center, leaving a 3 in. (7.5 cm.) square of uncut netting in the middle. Carefully bend the mesh up on all four sides of the square. You will be left with a 1 1/2 in. (4 cm.) overlap at each corner. Bend the overlaps back so that the corners are square.

Step 2: Push the sides of the square inward to form the edges of the bowl. Finally bend the edge of the rim downward. Make sure that the rim is an even width all the way round.

Step 3 Wind gold ribbon around the edge of the bowl. Place four gold fruit candles in the middle.