Rustic used to mean 'rickety and cheap', but rustic style is all grown up and now borders on sophisticated and trendy. Beautiful woods, polished logs, and twiggy charm has made rustic one of the most popular styles in the market today. Steven Spielberg has some. So does Sharon, Rick, and Rosanna. And even with all of that popularity and charm, it is, thankfully, one hot trend that is still easily affordable.

Other natural materials that can worked into the overall design are stones, perhaps for a fireplace, flagstones for an entry way, and such items as evergreen branches and pinecones. The evergreen is especially popular for Christmas decorating, though pinecones are interesting accents for rustic home furnishings at anytime of the year. The outdoors can be brought into the house by potting native plants in stoneware or earthenware crockery, pottery, or terra cotta containers.

When Solomon, the wise king of the Old Testament, built the Temple of God, he used many precious stones and much fine gold. But he also used natural materials. "Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. . . . . And the greater house he paneled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains. And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim" (2 Chronicles 3:3, 5-6).

Find lots of decorative accessories for a rustic interior, including lamps, clocks, candle holders, and much more. AND Bring color, texture and charm to your home with rustic furniture for the 21st century.

The Temple of God was uniquely designed and magnificently furnished. The royal style will never be confused with rural elements. But the design incorporated motifs and themes that were significant to the Israelites. This significance can be incorporated into country home furnishings by using items that invoke memories and traditions. Family photographs, treasured heirlooms, and cherished mementos can be artfully and tastefully displayed to invoke tradition and heritage. Needlework created by beloved family members can be transformed into creative wall hangings.

Even a quilt, if properly handled, can be displayed as a work of art. Many people make a hobby of finding unique items to add to their rustic home furnishings by visiting flea markets, antique stores, online auction sites, or thrift shops. Yard sales (known as tag sales in some parts of the country) are a great source for finding that perfect piece at a discounted price. For lots of people, the hunt is as much fun as acquiring something new.

No matter where a person lives, in an urban high-rise, a suburban ranch house, a rural farmhouse, or a wilderness log cabin, country decorating can create a relaxing and comfortable environment for family and friends. Natural materials, treasured heirlooms, and unique collectibles add to the rooted ambience of both country and rustic home furnishings.

Other furniture, such as tables, bookshelves, and an entertainment unit may be weathered or painted pine or perhaps crafted from aspen logs. Some pieces may be lightly painted in neutral colors or blues or greens. A red-barn color palette is also popular for country home furnishings. Coarse and unfinished pieces are perfect choices for this decorating style.

One of the fastest ways to add a dose of interest to a home is to bring in some textures. Rustic furnishings do that with charm and style.

Candle Holder
Sotheby’s opens Kluge auction
Thus begins the most prestigious Albemarle County rummage sale since the Jeffersons left Monticello

Christmas Advent Candle Holders

“Lighting the way to the Holidaysâ€

Project creation, article and photo by: Madeleine M Langlois

Hands-on time: Under two hours to make 4.

Total time: Drying time for the stain (8 hours per coat).

Skill: Moderate, with basic tool skills.

Project cost: Under $25.00.

Materials & tools:

4†x 4†wooden fence posts (two 30 cm high, and two 25 cm high)

Newspapers

Saw

Pencil and a ruler

Vise, drill and 1-1/4†diameter drill bit, spade bit

Electric sander and medium to fine grit sandpaper

Tack cloth

Pre-stain by Minwax and a sponge brush

Minwax PolyShades (one-step stain & finish all in one) in colour of your choice (I used Natural Cherry gloss 390/490)

High-quality natural bristle brush

Tealight candles, 3 purple, 1 pink, 4 white

(Materials for this project are available at hardware stores)

Making block advent candle holders is a clever way to utilize pieces of wood leftover from other projects, such as last summer’s new deck or fence. Wooden posts are cut to size, and holes are drilled for the candles. Minwax PolyShades was applied to add rich colour with a durable protection while enhancing the wood grain — all in a single step. These modern-style candle holders can used year round.

Advent is a term for the period that begins on the Sunday nearest November 30 and lasts until Christmas. The word advent is derived from the Latin word “adventus†meaning “to comeâ€. The four advent candles symbolize the four weeks of advent. Typically, the purple candles symbolize joy, peace and love, and are lit on the first, second and fourth Sunday of advent. The pink candle symbolizes hope and is lit on the third Sunday. At midnight on Christmas Eve, the candles are replaced by white candles. Theses candle are used until the Epiphany. This tradition has long been practiced by several religious faiths. Families set up advent candles arranged in or around a wreath that is either set on a table or suspended from the ceiling. The circle wreath is a symbol of eternity and life, and the candles are the light of the world.

Measure and cut with a saw four wooden blocks in the sizes indicated above, or to any other size, as there are no rules for the height of advent candle holders, just as long as there are four. Traditionally, they are all the same size, but there is no set rule. I just decided to give these wooden holders a modern look.

On the top face of each of the blocks, draw an X (from each corner) with a pencil and a ruler to find and mark the centre.

Secure the wooden block in a vise, then drill a 1-1/4†diameter hole, as deep as the tealight candle cup, in the centre of it. Stop and check if the tealight fits, then continue drilling if needed to adjust the depth. Repeat steps for each holder.

Sand the wooden blocks until smooth. Start with the medium grit sandpaper and finish with the fine grit sandpaper. Dust off with a tack cloth.

For uniform staining, first apply a coat of pre-stain to each candle holder. Let dry about 10 minutes. Apply a light coat (to avoid drip marks) of the one-step stain in your choice of colour to each of the candle holders. Let each coat dry for eight hours before recoating. Normally, at least two coats are needed for an even and polished finish, but additional coats may be applied for richer colour. I applied four coats, one in the morning and one in the evening over a two-day period. To avoid drip marks, after each coat application, wait five minutes and use upward strokes with the paintbrush around the top edges of the holders.

Once the stain is dry, insert a tealight candle into each of the candle holders.

Adorn with festive beaded wire if desired and let the count down to the holidays begin. The holders will look simply majestic when displayed in a row on a buffet, down the centre of a table or gracing a mantel, or placed inside a large wreath. Light one candle each Sunday, an additional one the next Sunday, and so on until Christmas.

Variations:

To make Hanukkah candle holders, cut eight wooden holders in the same size and height. Cut a ninth (and centre, the Shamas) holder taller. Stain blue, paint silver, or decorate with gold leaf accents, such as Stars of David.

To use tapered candles, simply drill a smaller hole at the other end of the wooden block, then turn them over to use different size candles.

No need to clean your paintbrush between each coat; simply kept it sealed in Glad® Press’n Seal™ wrap.

Minwax PolyShades also allows you to easily change the colour of currently stained or varnished wood items without stripping.

Copyright MaddyLane Designs/Miy Decorations © 2006

for more Miy articles visit www.maddylane.com, www.miy-decor.com

About the Author

Madeleine has over 25 years design experience. She studied fashion merchandising and design. The fist part of her career was spent in the fashion industry designing ladies and children's wear to fashion accessories. Maddy then went on to design giftware products, Christmas decorations, packaging concepts as well as illustrating for Canadian companies. She has even published a bilingual children's book that she both wrote and illustrated. Maddy's designer talents, from fashion to decor and her love for crafts has directed her to produce and write “how-to†step-by-step décor articles. For the last five years, Madeleine has been creating innovative home decorative décor items for her weekly syndicated “make-it-yourself†Miy at home articles. Maddy work has is presently featured in Magazines and newspapers.

For more “Miy†articles and a more detailed artist bio, I invite you to visit my; www.maddylane.com

Candle Holder

Pillar Candle

How to Make a Dazzling Centerpiece with Candles

A simple but elegant candle centerpiece is a great way to enhance all occasions. You can put some romance on a dinning table or place seasonal cheer to a coffee table. Here are some tips to help you create brilliant candle centerpieces.

First off, pick the right candles. Since the candles are the center of the centerpiece, you want the color and size to match the over all theme or occasion. You may want to choose floating candles for a weeding or formal occasion, and pillar candles for a romantic or seasonal setting.

Second you should choose a candle holder. Not only will this enhance the look of your centerpiece but it will keep the flame away from clothing or other flammable materials. You can use a glass vase for pillar candles or a pedestal bowl with tealight candles for a dimensional effect. If you are having a somewhat casual gathering you can consider using triangle shaped or square bowls. Hourglass shaped candle holders can express a more creative idea and can be ideal for restaurants.

The final step you can do is pick the base decoration that will go around the centerpiece. If you’re using pillar candles you can use a wreath of flowers around it. If you are using shorter candles such as tealights or ball candles you may want to place the candle holder above a decorative box or put smaller loose flowers around it, such as picked roses.

Of course you can use candles to accessories candles. For example 3 to 6 candles of different sizes but of the same color can complement each other when placed in a circle from tallest in the middle to shortest outside. This can eliminate overall cost but keep your centerpiece trendy. Never leave a lit candle unattended.

About the Author

ZestCandle.com offers an impressive selection of candles and candle accessories from classic pillars, jars, to decorative candle holders. For more details please visit http://www.zestcandle.com/

Pillar Candle

Votive Candle

Where can I find light blue and white frosted votive candle holders?

I'm beginning to put the center pieces for my wedding together. I'm going to have 3 cylinder glass vases filled w/ water and a flower in the middle of the table and would like 3-4 votive candles around them. I'm looking for frosted votive candle holders but would like to find holders that are frosted w/ light blue and white...I saw them in a picture somewhere...and of course I can't remember where!

You might want www.cudge.net

Votive Candles

Votive candles can add a spark of like and welcome to a room with hardly any effort at all. The real personalities behind the votive candles, however, are the candle holders that contain them. Some votive candle holders look nicer than others, or will fit in better with your decor. Some votive candle holders are definitely seasonal, while others can complement your good tastes year round.

There are several things to think about when you are considering purchasing votive candle holders and votive candles for your home. The most important thing to consider is where you are going to put these beautiful little gems. If you have children or pets, always keep your candles up high out of reach, and make sure that they are on a steady surface.

Once you have your locations, you will also know what other dicor is in the area. What effect are you trying to achieve? Do you want the candle holder to blend in to the area, or stand out on its own? Do you want a glass votive holder that will spill a lot of light through the glass, or another pattern? A metal candle holder with cut-outs can be a fun way to both introduce the candles light and keep a theme going (like heart cut-outs in a girly room).

Votive candle holders vary widely; with the only common theme being that they are mostly small since votive candles are only a couple of inches tall. These additions to the home, though, can bring brightness and cheer to their surroundings. Votive candles and votive candle holders are the perfect decorating touch to get your creative juices flowing. Who doesnt love candles?

About the Author

This article was produced for this Votive Candle website

Votive Candle

Votive Holder

How do you clean wax out of a candle holder?

I love burning candles and I often get little votive candles and put them in glass holders. But how do you clean the wax out when you are done? It would take a ridiculously long time to scrape it all out!

Put it in the freezer for about an hour you should then be able to pop it right out in one or two pieces with a butter knife, it comes out about as clean as you can get it.

Wrought Iron Wall Candle Holder - Affordable Beautiful Comforting

A friend of mine has an online newsletter that comes out once a month. The topic of her newsletter is affordable home decorating ideas. Anyway, I got a call from her the other day. She wanted to know if I would be interested in writing an article for her newsletter.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear from her. She went further on to say that in the past she had used some of my wall decor ideas to present to her loyal newsletter members. As our conversation went on I told her that Ice would be honored to write an article for her newsletter. You could hear in her voice that she was grateful and pleased that I would put together an article for the next addition of her newsletter.

After we ended out telephone conversation I started to ponder what wall decorating topic I would write about. It took me only a few minutes and then it came to me. One of the main forms of decor around my home is made from wrought iron. One of the most beautiful, affordable and pleasing forms of wrought iron decor is in the form of wrought iron wall candle holders.

So I got to work. I found everything I could find on the subject of wall candle holders made from wrought iron. It took me a while to get everything together, but in the end it was well worth the time and effort.

The first thing I noticed was size. The smaller sized wall candle holders would usually hold only one candle. Although these were smaller candle sconces, they came in a variety of amazing twisted and curled shapes. With all these design choices, even the most selective individual would be able to pick out a wall candle holder design to complete the room in which it was displayed.

I also found wall candle holders in wrought iron designs that had mirrors behind the metal art. This gave the candle holder a distinctive artful appearance. If mirrors are part of the decor of the room, these would be a perfect compliment to the feel of the room.

Some of these single wall sconces in wrought iron are also available in what is called a bird cage. A bird cage wall sconce actually has a housing for the candle that looks like a miniature bird cage. In this case the candle housing was a beautiful vine design made of thin gauge wrought iron.

Depending on what you are looking for, the single wall sconces are available most any size candle you can imagine, from votive to larger pillar candles. Some of these wall sconce candle holders were available in single packaging and some were packaged in pairs.

There are also wrought iron wall candle holders that hold two or more candles. For those of you who are looking for larger wrought iron wall candle holders, you can find them in sizes that range from two candles, all the way up to sixteen candles or more.

Wrought iron can be shaped into many different shapes, so there are many designs to work with such as swirling, vine, ornate, birdcage, grape, star, acorn, bow, Fluer De Lis and many more.

Depending on what style or theme the room in which you display these twisted and shaped wall candle holders, there is a wrought iron design to complete the feel of the room. You have many choices. So many choices that I suggest you take your time to research all that is available for you to choose from. Start your search today and I know you will find the perfect wall candle holders in wrought iron to supply a comfortable feel to the room in which they hang.

About the Author

Barbara Tobiasz is an expert in interior/exterior decorating. Along with her husband Joe, they own and operate Wall-Decor-Concepts.com. For more information on Wrought Iron Wall Candle Holders, go to Wall Candle Holder at: http://www.Wall-Decor-Concepts.com

Votive Holder

Book Shelf

Which has more potential energy a book on the top shelf of a bookcase or a book on the bottom shelf?

-The book on the bottom shelf because potential energy is indirectly proportional to height.

-The two books have an equal amount of energy if they have the same mass.

-The book on the top shelf because potential energy is directly proportional to height.

-The two books have an equal amount of potential energy, regardless of their mass.

Book on the top shelf

Wall Book Shelf - Fiction or Non Fiction

The central theme in my home repeats itself over and over from room to room. In my family, one of the greatest pleasures we have is to read. Walking through my house you will find wall book shelves in corners against the walls and even under stair cases. A wall book shelf is a great source of pride and education for any home. I have noticed it can influence the behavior of everyone in the house. Just having books present makes everyone more likely to read.

When books were written by hand and were not produced in great quantities they were kept in small containers. As volumes accumulated homes of the wealthy started storing them on shelves or cupboards. Later the doors were discarded and the evolution of the book shelf proceeded.

There are two main types of wall book shelves. Either ready made which may be adjustable or fixed shelves which you can build yourself from either raw materials or from a ready made pack.

You can find many different types of materials like chipboard, plywood, blockboard, softwood, hardwood, metal, glass and plastic. Chipboard is readily available and inexpensive. Plywood and blockboard are mainly materials that are used for sheds and storage areas. Softwood gives your shelves a great effect if it is cut and finished properly. Hardwood is the best choice for most shelves because of its strength and durability. The downside is that it is very expensive. Metal is strong but it is normally used for pre built units. You would need many special tools to build a shelf out of metal. Glass can be a safety hazard and it is mainly used for light weight displays. Plastic works best for small shelving units.

Shelving should suit the way that you live and the space that you have. There are an abundance of different sizes to accommodate your walls. They are a perfect way to display your books and collectables as a decorative theme. Plastic and some woods can be painted to match the decor of your room. Some ready made shelving has intricate fancy wood carvings for an elegant finish. I have also seen fabric or wallpaper placed on the front of the shelves for an artistic look and feel.  

On the wall book shelve that my husband built by hand he screwed decorative knobs into the unit so we could hang objects from it. There is also a large shelf on top where I have placed my decorative plates for display. As an added touch there are picture frames and candle holders in between the books. This has given it a modern and clean look.

A wall book shelf helps to de-clutter a room and makes the room look larger and can serve a double purpose by dividing a room. Light colored shelves divide without being to dominating. For a dramatic impact you should pick out a darker shade of wood. Arrange the books by size for a more visually pleasing effect. Make sure you store the larger books on the bottom in the deeper shelves. Another option is to cover your books with a monotone paper for a uniform look. In my house we have separated the fiction and non fiction from each other. This way depending on what we want to read it is easier to locate. You should always aim to fit the shelves safely and securely. Never overload the shelves. This can be dangerous especially if you have children.

My favorite bookshelf is currently in my bedroom right next to my bed.  It serves a double duty. I use it as my night table and as a storage area. Its design is of a house. It has compartments that I can keep my keys, watch, cell phone and a few books in. There is also a ridge on top of the house so when I place my book on top it keeps the page I last read.  

The wall book shelf can be a functional sculpture and a handsome space saving solution. So whether you enjoy fiction or non fiction you will reap the rewards by adding this piece of furniture to your decor.

About the Author

Barbara Tobiasz resides in the Chicago area and studied at the Art Institute. She has consulted and volunteered her services for many organizations with her creative expressions in the interior design field. Her hobbies include reading, taking long walks with her dog and working her magic turning ordinary rooms into creative works of art. For more information on Wall Book Shelves, go to: http://www.Wall-Decor-Concepts.com

Book Shelf