Candles

And what about burning votives in tea cups? Thanks!

should have no problem doing wither of the two

The vase is a little taller than the candle and the candle is not touching the sides of the vase.

I wouldn’t put a candle in a plastic container, no matter how tall the vase. When the hot wax spills over the sides of the candle and accumulates at the bottom of the plastic vase, you’re likely to have a huge mess, as the hot wax melts the plastic and pours out onto your furniture. Use a glass container.

The vase is a little taller than the candle and the candle is not touching the sides of the vase.
Ok, what can i put the candle in if i don’t have a glass vase?

That is not safe, but you can put sand at the bottom of the vase and some water just in case.

You don’t want it to accidentally tip over.

So I just bought this mirror….:

http://www.biggerbids.com/auction-image-gallery.php?auction_id=120759&image_id=864839

I’m in love with it, and I can’t wait to have candles lining it as shown in the picture.

HOWEVER. This is unprotected wood, and I know that as candle wax melts it’ll stain it. Not to mention metal bottomed tea tree candles might also leave a burn mark.

Any ideas how I can avoid the staining and burning/scorching WITHOUT treating the wood?
I really ideally want to keep the rustic vibe, so I don’t want anything ‘visible’ underneath the candles. But will obviously compromise on this! Am clutching at straws! Advice?

Many thanks!

You can buy little flat candle holders made from glass to sit the pillar candles on. You could also use beverage coasters.

It won’t give you the exact same look, but instead of using pillar candles, you could also try round jar candles and votive candles in votive holders. The containers would protect the wood better, but sometimes even glass votive holders can leave burn marks on the bottom, so make sure the bottom is thick.

To prevent soot stains on your wood, you might want to consider candles made from vegetable wax rather than paraffin wax. Paraffin wax tends to release a lot of black soot. Vegetable wax candles are usually very clean-burning and don’t leave behind any black soot. They also burn at a lower temperature than paraffin so are less likely to leave behind burn marks on the wood.