Wednesday, June 12, 2013

PEBBLE CANDLESCAPE: ONE FOR THE GUYS

I think gifts for guys are some of the hardest gifts to find or make.  (At least I always have a hard time with it.)  Usually when I go to a cookout, I just take a bottle of wine and a side dish.  Most guys are pretty proud of their grilling skills, so I wanted to make something to give the chef of the day.
This project was inspired by Linda at "With a Blast" when she made a really pretty one that you can see HERE.  I was going for something a little more masculine.  
My supplies were simple...
plastic container with a lid
aquarium pebbles
smooth stones
box of matches
candles
raffia
double stick tape
Not shown:   scrap of burlap, brown paper bag and a stamp

This was so fast and easy.  I put the pebbles in the bottom of the container along with a few larger smooth stones and pushed the candles down in.
I used a piece of brown paper grocery bag and wrapped it around my match box and secured it with double-stick tape.
I thought it looked too plain and the white ends drove me nuts.  I colored the white ends with a brown marker.  I took a scrap of burlap and stamped it with the letter "B" for the guys initial and secured it with double-stick tape.  Much better.
Now all I needed to do was tie some raffia around it.  My friend Judy taught me that raffia behaves better if it's wet, so I soaked it in a bowl of water for a few minutes and then just smoothed it out and tied it around the container with a simple knot.
Put the matches in, pop the lid on and done.  So simple and so fast.  Perfect for a deck or patio and if fire is a concern, you can add water to the pebbles.  Also perfect for a quick Father's Day gift.  I guess you could turn this into a beach themed candle by adding a few shells as well, but I didn't.  
I did make a similar floating candlescape for a hostess gift earlier this spring....
You can read about that one HERE.  It was also fun and easy to make.
So there you go Linda....I've knocked off one of your projects...TWICE!  Thanks for the inspiration girl!

37 comments:

  1. Love the idea of including the matches! This will make a nice, quick, useful hostess gift.

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  2. The pebbles are a cool idea! I love it even for a girl!

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  3. That's so pretty! Great job Danni!

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  4. Awesome Danni, fun cute idea and manly. Linda has some terrific ideas I think she will love it too

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  5. What a fun gift! And, I love Judy's tip about wetting the raffia. I had no idea.

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  6. How pretty! I never would have thought of adding matches! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

    Should I have said 'How Handsome'?

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  7. It's pretty. I don't have a hard time shopping for most of the guys. My father-in-law is a different story. He has everything, and a busy schedule (so sporting event tickets are out).

    I'm just swinging by to say hello. I like your project.

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  8. I love it, Danni! Can not believe I forgot about this :/ {you actually mentioned it in your 1st knock off! } You are one creative lady, Danni :-)

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  9. Love this! Simple enough to do before the weekend... thanks for sharing :)

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
    (¸.•´ (¸.•`¤... Jennifer
    Jenn's Random Scraps

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  10. That's a good idea! Luckily I don't have but one person to buy something for....and he's very happy with a seafood dinner and a movie!

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  11. I love it, Danni!! That box of matches is a perfect idea, guys like to have them around, since they can't always rub two sticks together :) Super cool and pinned ~ Amy

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  12. Love this Danni! I am going to remember that raffia works better wet....I also love that you painted the ends of the match box. you're the cutest thing ever.

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  13. Please thank Judy for the tip on the raffia! I never can get that stuff to behave. I think guys like having a personal gift. We always bring one for the hostess and not for the host. Great idea!

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  14. What a great gift! I love the little touch of burlap that you added to the matchbook!

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  15. I always have trouble coming up with masculine gifts as well, so thanks for this idea. I really like how this turned out, in fact, I looked at your inspiration, and I like your even better!

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  16. Danni, I love the natural look of this and what a great idea! I so have to do this and have lots of birthdays coming up in the summer, so thanks for the inspiration. Have a happy day!

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  17. What a great idea for a guy gift! The tip about the raffia is very helpful. I love the look of raffia, but always found it a bit of a pain to work with. I'm going to try this tip next time.

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  18. Great tip for the raffia! I learn something new everyday. I find men's gifts difficult too. My Dad being probably the hardest. Another great knock-off!

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  19. This is so great Danni! I love the idea. My dad burns candles all the time and he'd love something like this for Father's Day. So awesome that it's all packed up in an adorable little box too. Pinned it :)

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  20. Danni, this is ssssoooo cute! I LOVE all the textures..the pebbles, the burlap! AWESOME!

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  21. This is how tired I am. I read the title as Feeble Candlescape for the guys. I came over specifically to see what a feeble candlescape was. I thought it was a joke, but no! It was a genuinely adorable gift for a guy. I now see it says Pebble - it all makes sense now. You know, you could sell these!

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  22. This would be great to take to any summer cookout. The beachy one would make a fun hostess gift, too. Easy and personalized, I like it!

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  23. What a wonderful idea!! Love it all! ~~Angela

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  24. Danni - this is just the perfect gift for a guy - and you never see anything for men in Bloglandia ( or very seldom ) I love it!!!
    xxx

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  25. This is a really great idea for a guy. With all the grilling going on this summer, it is a gift that is very useful.

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  26. Hi, You did a great job. I love it...Connie

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  27. This is great for Father's Day. Perfect for an evening barbecue.

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  28. Danni, the gift is perfect! I would have never thought of something like this. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend!

    Hugs to you.

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  29. Smart, fast and macho! It's a good one, Danni! And the raffia tip is def. going to be tried.

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  30. Sorry I missed this one Danni. Wow I love this - so perfect for a Father's Day gift!
    I love the personalised matches. And thank you for the tip of wetting the rafia - I'm so doing that!!! xxx

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  31. You school me again...I'm thinking, "what the heck is raffia?" I thought it was the monkey on the Lion King. Turns out, that was Rafiki. Close enough. Too...too clever! Have a great weekend!!

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  32. Don't know how I missed this post. I had to look you up wondering why you hadn't posted anything for Fathers Day. Love this project! It's so versatile that it can be decorated for almost any occasion. I wish I had known about soaking the raffia before I made those characters. I kept twisting it and even "ironed" it lay straight. Now I know!

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  33. Oh, I love these! A great gift for a guy. I like the burlap touch!!
    Karen

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  34. These are so adorable Danni!! Hope you're doing well. :)

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  35. Danni, I just saw this post again and I love it even more! :)

    June has been super busy and today I'm catching up on all my favorite blogs..and You're the first! :)

    Happy Wednesday

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