DIY Spindle Candlesticks

Any Fixer Upper fans out there? Have you made it to Magnolia Market yet?

I finally drove to Waco this Summer with my Mother and a friend for a Ladies Shopping Roadtrip! We hit Magnolia Market, Harp Design Co., several antique stores in Waco, and IKEA in Round Rock. It was a fun day and we gained tons of inspiration for future projects! We even got to sample a free cupcake from Chip & Joanna's new bakery, Flour, before it opened......very tasty!

The only disappointment in the day was that I wasn't able to get candlesticks from Harp Design Co. Have you seen them? They are simple but so pretty. And, apparently, extremely popular.....you can only get them by pre-ordering. My mother said: " Make your own." Hmmmmm......well, obviously I can't turn my own spindles, but I do know of a place with a huge selection of antique spindles in all shapes, sizes, ages, etc.

One of my favorite places for project inspiration and supplies is Architectural Antiques here in Downtown San Antonio. My first chance to get down there was two weeks ago and I wasn't disappointed! I bought 4 spindles for $4 each and old wooden squares for bases for $0.50 each. The wide spindle was $10 but worth every penny because they are hard to come by. Because of its width, I decided a base wasn't necessary for it.

I dusted the spindles off and then soaked the spindles in a bucket of vinegar-water and let them dry in the sun. After they dried, I sanded them down and finished cleaning them up before I started painting and staining.

A little paint.....

A little stain....

A little more paint on one of them....

I added the turquoise paint on one of the taller spindles and love the finished color! It was created simply by layering the white paint, walnut stain, and turquoise paint and continually wiping with a cloth as I went.

The two shorter ones, I simply stained because I love the wood grain on them that is still showing through.

Then, in order to make the taller ones able to hold a taper, I drilled a hole in the center using a 13/16 bit....perfect fit!

I am still playing with candle sizes and need to make a run to Hobby Lobby to buy just what I want, but I LOVE how they turned out!

 

Now, go out and find some old spindles!!

 

 

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