Gold Dipped Votives

Hello friends! I hope you all had a lovely holiday season! As much as I love the excitement of the holidays..the presents, the parties, the glitter..I’m a little relieved to see them end. Truthfully, I really missed having a weekend of doing absolutely nothing here and there. Seeing as how it’s January, there’s probably quite a few of those on the way. I like to think I’ll use them constructively and finally organize my closet or something. But realistically speaking, all 10 seasons of Friends are now available on Netflix…so I’m not making any promises.

I finished this project probably about a month ago, but haven’t found the time to put together a post. I have to say, in my opinion, Rub n’ Buff has got to be the most underrated crafting supply there is! This stuff is so great! We used it to update the hardware when we were making over the bathroom last year, and it’s held up relatively well! It’s a great alternative for projects in which using spraypaint would require you to tape off the whole room.

While this isn’t one of those projects, I really like gilded texture it gives. I just think that votive candle holders from the dollar store are a perfect base for any craft experiments. If it doesn’t go as planned, you’re only out a buck! Along with you votive (or vase, bottle, whatever you choose to use), you will need some painter’s tape and some Rub n’ Buff in your choice of color. I used gold leaf, but there are a whole bunch of options available!

Gold Dipped Votives - Tulips and A Terrier

First, you just tape off the area which you plan to stain. I chose to do a stripe at rim, but you can totally get more creative here! I’m not great with taping in straight lines so I thought it be best to refrain from any sort of complicated pattern.

Gold Dipped Votives - Tulips and A TerrierI ended up adding a piece of tape to the inside too, just to prevent me from rubbing the wax into the votive, as you can see in the next photo. Using the Rub n’ Buff is truly as easy as the name suggests. You rub it on. I’ve heard of people doing this with a cloth or a sponge, but I find that I got the best results using my finger. You just apply and rub the product back and forth until it’s blended into the surface.

Gold Dipped Votives - Tulips and A Terrier

Allow it to dry for a few hours, and then you buff with a cloth to give it a shiny gilded finish! Depending on your surface and the look you’re trying to achieve, you might want to do a second coat. Since I knew that lighting a candle in the votive would allow light to shine through any gaps, I tried to go for a very opaque finish and added a second coat.

Gold Dipped Votives - Tulips and A Terrier

And that’s pretty much it! Just allow the Rub ‘n Buff to dry for a couple of hours.

Gold Dipped Votives - Tulips and A Terrier

Oh, and I added some ribbon. Because why not.  What do you guys think? I really like the way they came out! I think these would be so pretty in a black and white tablescape, or mantle!

Gold Dipped Votives - Tulips and A Terrier

I’d love to hear from you! Have you ever used Rub n’ Buff? Have any ideas to share?

– Lusine