Rope Wrapped Candlesticks

Hey there! Welll, let me jump right in tonight by saying that I can sometimes be a half-asser. And this mostly doesn’t work to my advantage. I skip steps out of pure laziness, and it ends up biting me in the…well, you know…99 times out of 100. However, I am happy to say that my laziness actually made something turn out better for me with this particular project. (But first, with a nod to full transparency, there is only one candlestick in each of my “after” pictures because I didn’t get both of them done in time to take pictures before the light faded.)

Anyhoo, here’s the “before” of my candlesticks. (And just in case you don’t regularly read this blog, we are in the midst of a kitchen reno, thus the lovely backsplash and countertop.)

I’ve had these for a long time, and still like ’em alright, but have been itching to wrap something in rope. (Yes, this is a real thing, and yes, I’m aware I have a problem.) So, I got to wrappin’. About 20 minutes in, my laziness kicked in and I decided I didn’t want them entirely wrapped, did I? So I put the glue gun down, and sprayed them white, then finished up with the rope. This is the result:

Rope Wrapped Candlesticks
Nap Rating = 2 naps, excluding dry time (my candlesticks are about 12 inches tall, so I suppose less if yours are smaller, and more if they’re huge)

Tools & Materials

• Candlesticks
• Rope…here’s what I used and I had WAY more than I needed, so I guess I’ll get to wrap something else in rope now. It cost $9.99 at Ace Hardware, which, by the way, was my only cost for this project

• Hot glue gun and glue sticks (I went through about 4 sticks of glue)
• Masking tape
• Spray paint (I used a white gloss I had on hand)
• Sharp scissors or a utility knife

Steps

1. Decide where you want your rope to begin and end. Using the masking tape, tape off the sections you want wrapped in rope. This saves a little paint, and just helps act as a guide for when you begin wrapping.
2. Spray paint your candlesticks and let dry completely. Overnight is best.
3. Peel off the tape to reveal the sections that you want wrapped in rope.
4. Using the hot glue gun, apply a thin bead of glue where you want to start, and lay the rope on top. It adheres almost immediately, so you don’t have to hold it in place or anything.
5. Keep wrapping around and around, being careful to get the rope taut and straight. In some sections, I found it easier to apply the glue to the candlestick, but in narrower parts, it was better to apply the glue right to the rope and stretch it around. You’ll find a rhythm.
6. Try to begin and end on the same part of the candlestick so one side is the “back.”
7. When you’re done wrapping, wrap the end of the rope in a small amount of masking tape to prevent fraying, then cut with sharp scissors or a utility knife. Glue the end down securely.

In the end, I’m very happy with how they turned out. They’re kinda beachy, so I probably won’t use them in the winter; but, they’ll be fun to pull out each summer. So sometimes–not often–but sometimes, it pays to be lazy.