L OCAL LIVING
District
5 DC
MODERN CRAFTS For Halloween, candles with a dark side by Kelly Wilkinson
Halloween lends itself to moody lighting, and my taste veers toward gilded and gothic rather than cartoon ghosts and witches. To accomplish that, I dress up the inside of plain votives and vases with gold leaf and black silhouettes to lend the Halloween table an air of opulent decay. The pieces of gold leaf are crumpled to create a tarnished effect, and you don’t have to worry about being careful
when handling the delicate, tissue-paper-thin sheets, as manhandling them will only add to the overall distressed effect. To create the black
silhouettes, there are three options: tissue paper cutouts, paint and stickers. The latter doesn’t require drawing or cutting; just be sure to use stickers set on a clear
background because the design will be seen from the back. A note about gold leaf: It is applied with an adhesive called “size” that is painted on with a
brush. That’s why the word appears in an unfamiliar context here. As for containers, I used plain votives, vases and hurricanes. The smaller the vessel, the more tricky it becomes to fit your hands inside, so you may want to start with a larger container to get the hang of the gold leaf, and work down in size.
localliving@washpost.com
Wilkinson is a craft designer and journalist. Find more of her projects at
www.makegrowgather.com.
You’ll need Black tissue paper (plus pencil and scissors), black Halloween silhouette stickers or opaque black glass paint 2 paintbrushes (1 if using stickers) Gold-leafing kit that includes metal leaf, sealer and adhesive size (available at most craft stores) Glass votives, vases or hurricanes (cleaned and dried) Candles or LED lights (look for black candles and LEDs at craft stores)
How to
If using tissue paper cutouts: • Fold the tissue paper so it’s 4-
to 6-ply. With a pencil, draw bats, cats, crows or moons — any Halloween motif you wish — that will fit inside the glass you’re using. Cut out the drawings.
surface is ready, it will feel tacky, not wet.
Tear pieces of gold leaf and crumple to wrinkle. Unfold a piece and press it on the inside of the glass to adhere. Repeat until you have covered as much of the glass with gold leaf as you desire.
3 4
Let the adhesive dry for 30 minutes to 1 hour. When the
iApplying size and then tissue paper cutouts.
• With a paintbrush, apply a
thin layer of the gold-leafing “size” to the inside of the glass. This adhesive will work double-duty, first as a kind of glue for the tissue paper, and then as adhesive for the gold leaf. • Place your tissue paper
cutouts inside the glass, pressing gently to adhere.
If using stickers: • Peel a sticker from its backing, and place it on the inside of the glass. • Repeat as desired.
If using glass paint: • Create a branch design using the glass paint, using a brush or applicator tip. • Let dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
To add the gold leaf:
If you created tissue paper designs, you’ve already applied the adhesive size to the glass.
1 PHOTOS FROM KELLY WILKINSON Halloween’s golden opportunity. See step-by-step photos at
washingtonpost.com/home.
For all other methods, apply a thin layer of the adhesive size to the inside of the glass. You can cover the entire glass, or create an uneven pattern, as I did.
2 24 hours.
5 6
7
To light, place a candle (or the safer option, an LED candle) inside each glass. Create a dark, inky base at the bottom of the glasses by crinkling some of the leftover black tissue paper inside (for LEDs) or by dripping some of the melted candle wax there.
iCrumpling the gilt.
iPressing to add the gilt to the votive.
When you’re done, use a clean brush to smooth down the foil and remove any that did not stick.
Apply sealer over the gold leaf and let dry for at least
THE WASHINGTON POST • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010
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