Antique World Map Decoupaged Candles {With Free Printable}

4 Materials
$10
10 Minutes
Easy
Three years ago when I started crafting, I chose a decoupage project as my first project. What a mistake! Every time I tried to get rid of the air bubbles, I ended up tearing the dang paper! After four or five tries, I was so annoyed that I swore I would never try my hand at decoupage again. Hahahaha, I know…what a sore loser, right? But just like anything else in life, the more you practice, the better you become at it…or should I say, the more you practice, the better you handle the defeat! LOL.

A couple months and many defeats later, I must have trained my nerves much better, as I again dared to pick up Mod Podge. This time, surprisingly, everything went excellent, and I managed to make some beautiful antique world map decoupaged candles for Greg’s Mom as a Mother’s Day gift. Since Mother’s Day is approaching, I wanted to share a mother-loved-and-approved project with you, and this makes the cut, as Mom still loves the ones I gave her three years ago.

Have you had enough of my yapping? Then let’s get on with the tutorial, shall we?

First I took a bunch of measurements to find out the size of my LED candles. Once I knew the candle size, I started preparing my antique world maps according to size.
I made several decoupage designs for both 5 inch and 6 inch tall LED candles…and yes, as usual I am sharing all of them with you on our blog post.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once I was finished with the designs, I printed them on copy paper and let the ink dry for a couple of hours.


Now here is a little hint for you: I normally use two different methods when decoupaging-
  1. Spreading the glue on the surface.
  2. Spreading the glue on the paper.
When working on this project, I first started with Method No.1, which I usually have great success with on big flat surfaces, as it helps eliminating bubbles. But since the decoupage surface on these candles was small and not flat, I also gave Method No.2 a try, and I have to say that was much easier and faster.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you visit us to see our quick video tutorial!
If you are interested in similar crafts & DIY projects, visit thenavagepatch.com to see more from The Navage Patch.
 
Thanks for reading and happy crafting!


Handan, xo
Suggested materials:
  • 5 - 6 inch led candles
  • Decoupage design   (You can find the antique maps on our blog post.)
  • Decoupage glue
See all materials
Handan & Greg @ The Navage Patch
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 12 questions
  • She8921017 She8921017 on Oct 12, 2017

    where can i find the printable maps> thanks i love this idea

  • Kim Kim on Nov 14, 2018

    Can I use actual maps, such as road maps? Or do they have to be printed on special paper?

  • Wynne Wigderson Wynne Wigderson on Jul 08, 2019

    I must be doing something wrong.. went to page, found a map; all of a sudden a map appears with a price ! What happened to free?

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 62 comments
  • Bek Bek on Jul 08, 2019

    I love this! Just downloaded my maps. My elder son JUST redid his formerly ultra-modern study in Old Worlde, so guess what he's getting for Christmas this year?

  • Carol Jollymore Carol Jollymore on Jul 09, 2019

    Good to know thank you.

Next