Candle Sticks

The other day I was swapping out my Christmas-scented candles (evergreen, cranberry, etc.) for my regular, every-day scented candles (anything that smells like it came from a bakery), when I noticed a problem: my candles are ugly.

I mean, they're just your typical glass jar candles, but the labels...well, just look at this thing:

Yeah. Classy.
(Smells heavenly, though.)

Anyway, I turned to the Internet, and about an hour later I had this:

Better, right?

I'd hoped to find some really detailed apothecary labels to give the candles a more vintage vibe, but it turns out antique French cologne labels are much easier to find, and in some cases work just as well.

Next I turned my attention to my bundles of Bath and Body Works candles. Thanks to sales and coupons we ended up taking home maybe half a dozen of these things over the holidays. If you're not familiar, they look like this:

Which is fine, I guess, but a little modern for my taste. I wanted something with a bit more character to display.

Like this:

Or this:

(I also have a weak spot for Art Nouveau.)

I could have stopped there, but those chrome lids are too modern and show every fingerprint, which is super annoying. So, a quick blast of primer and bronze spray paint later...

Much better.

Then I discovered two fantastic labels by Inka of Altered Artifacts, so I printed one of each:

The one on the right is a vintage apothecary label (woot!) and the one on the left is, again, for French cologne. (I later sprayed that lid bronze, too.)

Now, because it's Valentine's Day and I love you (awww), I've assembled a bunch of great graphics and links for your own candle-labeling endeavors:

- The Graphics Fairy has massive archives of free, downloadable goodies like these:

Actually a label for chocolate, but wouldn't it be great on a chocolate-scented candle?



I also love the idea of using the same apothecary label on all your candles, and then hand-writing in the different scents in ink. (Or use an old-timey handwriting font for that "authentic" spidery scrawl.)

- Another great spot is Vintage Feedsacks (aka Free Vintage Clip Art): {2016 update: link expired}

This is the label I used on my first candle.


My favorite so far for short, round jars:

via Flickr



And here's Inka's cologne label. Visit her site to download the apothecary design.


I somehow lost track of where I found this Art Nouveau label, but here 'tis:

Once you download your graphic, open it up in an image-editing program and re-size it to the dimensions of your candle. Then print it out, cut it out, and use rubber cement or a glue stick (I used a glue stick, which worked beautifully) to attach your new labels to the jars. It's about as close to instant gratification as you'll find for a craft project. Promise.

You can also age your labels with a quick dunking/splattering of coffee or tea. Most of the ones I've found so far don't need it, but for apothecary labels especially you'll want that really well-worn look.

Happy labeling!

I'm still on the lookout for more great labels, guys, so if you find more please link to them in the comments! 

*****

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