Leather Candle Wraps (no sew!)

  

 

 

 

 

Here’s a super easy way to dress up some plain glass candle holders (or even a flower vase) that I created when trying to a copy an idea from a catalog.  Needless to say these turned out much different than I had originally planned… but hey…. lots of worthwhile projects do.   Possibilities for this one abound too, imagine black leather with red ribbon for something a little more “boudoir”… or even white leather with black ribbon tied in a tuxedo bow tie at the top.    These were fun, cheap, and super fast to make - for instructions on how I made these click “more” below.

Great! Here’s what you’ll need:

- Leather or “Pleather” from the fabric store in the color of your choosing.  How much depends on the size of the item(s) you are wrapping, but I got half a yard for $5 and had plenty to mess up at first, get the hang of it, and then have lots left over for another project one day.

- Ribbon or sturdy lace – again the amount depends on what you’re wrapping.

- Adhesive dots (Glue dots or Zots)

- Ink for the edges (totally optional and depends on the type of leather you get)

- Whatever you’d like to embellish the front with!  I used some old word washers and some bling brads to keep mine simple.

Scissors (and a rotary cutter if you have one – but it’s not necessary)

Straight edge

Strong hole punch (like a Crop-a-dile)

Alright here we go:

Step 1:  On the back of the leather, measure and mark the width you’d like the wrap, then be kind to yourself and add a half an inch to that just in case your first cut is crooked, you can always trim later.  Using your straight edge, draw a guideline for your cut. 

Step 2:  Using your straight edge as a guide, cut along your line with a rotary cutter or scissors. 

Repeat steps 1 & 2 so you have two identical strips (if you’re like me, forget remeasuring the second one and just use the first as a guide – some things are meant to be exact and some things are not ) Then trim the edges so they match up almost exactly – how perfect you wish to be is up to you.

Step 3:  Wrap one of the strips you’ve just cut around the object, and based on your preference for how wide you’d like the ribbon criss-cross to be (remember if your object is clear glass it will show from the inside as well) trim down accordingly.  Trim the other strip to the same length.

Step 4:  The quick and easy part, using adhesive dots, attach the two strips together, backing to backing.  Do be sure to get the four corners, however you don’t need many to hold the two strips together as the tied ribbon will also do that for you.

Optional – the white backing still showed on the very edges of mine, so I inked it with a brown ink pad and that worked just fine.

Step 5:  Next, fold the now glued together strips together at the long ends, and punch as many holes as you’d like, depending on the width of your wrap.  I’d say at least three.

Step 6:  Embellish away!  To add to it’s sturdiness, I’d recommend attaching things with metal (such as brads or snaps). 

Step 7:  You’re just about done.  When actually wrapping your object – it’s easiest if you loosely begin lacing the ribbon through the holes before actually putting it on said object.  Once you are about halfway done, slip it over the top, finish lacing, tighten, and tie.

Voila!  A quick and easy deco or gift idea that’s all your own.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!