DIY Faux Birch Candleholders {more woodland decor, I can't help myself!}

Growing up in New England, I was surrounded by birch trees– and to me the peeling white bark so beautifully symbolizes nature’s perfect imperfections. Since taking birch bark off the tree can damage the tree, I used birch scrapbook paper to get the same look without being a tree killer. And thus, these faux birch candleholders were born from thrift store glassware with just a roll in paper, piece of tape, and dash of gold! A more simple rustic Christmas craft you will not find. 😉

The easiest part of this holiday decor project is finding the glassware. I had dozens of clear glass candleholders to choose from at the local thrift. The most important thing is to make sure they are straight up and down and not curved.

The hardest part of this craft was finding birch scrapbook paper. HOWEVER, do not despair! There’s a few ways around this. First of all, I purchased a pack of birch printed scrapbook paper from Amazon and it’s beautiful (but a little pricey). NOTE: it is NOT actual birch bark. Just paper printed with that pattern. I still have a bunch leftover and have been using it for other crafts, gift wrapping and even as a photo background. So it was worth the purchase, especially considering I could get at least 25 candleholders (or more) from one pack. Another option is to print off this lovely birch paper for FREE! It printed a little on the blue side for me but you could adjust that in a photo editing program. Be on the lookout for birch wrapping paper too, it’s another great option if you can find it. Or heck, take some white paper and draw on lines with a black, brown, and gold marker.

It’s so easy. Tape one end of the paper to the glass, then simply roll the candleholder up in the paper. This photo is deceptive, I ended up pushing the glass flush with the bottom of the paper before rolling. However, I failed to photograph that with the fear it would roll off the table and shatter.

Tape on the side. NOTE: this will slip off the glass because it’s not attached, so be sure to carry it by the bottom! To avoid this, you could tape it directly to the glass but I chose not to do that. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I was in a rush and my son was asking for the 4,698 if he could play with the glass votives. (!!!)

You can finish the ends of three ways. Either leave the paper projecting over the edge of the glass, making it look much taller (see above). Or, you could cut that paper in line with the top of the candleholder for a clean look. You could even use a gold marker around the edge.

The last way will cover the top of the glass: fold the paper over the lip of the candleholder. It’s a little bumpy but I like that it hides the glass edge.