A Shade Better Than The Rest

Published September 25, 2015

Inexpensive wine glasses can become attractive candlelight features on your next dinner party table with the use of vellum paper and tea lights.

This idea is not a new one but it’s a good one and really adds pizazz to your table setting.

Vellum paper is sold in craft stores in 8.5-by 11-inch sheets. There is a wide selection of patterns and colours to choose from to match many different table decors.

Pick up three to five sheets of these vellum papers and a small bag of tea lights at the craft store.

You can either use the regular flame tea light for this idea or the batteryoperated version. Your local dollar store should carry inexpensive wine glasses that you can also use for this idea.

Download a shade pattern from the Internet. These patterns are offered on many different websites so you should not have any problem finding a template. I used Save-on-crafts.com for their template. It was easy to download and print on my home computer.

Once you have downloaded and printed off the shade template, cut the pattern out with scissors and lay it on the vellum sheet. Trace the pattern onto the vellum sheet and cut out the shade.

Wrap the shade around the wine glass and secure it with a piece of scotch tape. Place your tea light inside the wine glass.

Alternate the lamps along the centre of your rectangular dining table.

Another cute idea with inexpensive wine glasses is to dip the bottom stem into coloured or black chalk paint. Let the base dry and write each guest’s name in chalk on the wine glass. Once the evening is done you can wipe the guest’s name off the chalk bottom and reuse the wine glass for another evening.

Note: In order for the chalk paint to dry evenly, set the wine glass on a piece of parchment or wax paper for 15 to 20 minutes and then move it to an unused space on the paper. This will allow the paint to adhere properly without leaving paint edges. In addition, these glasses will not be dishwasher-safe.

Hand wash the goblet and wipe the chalk portion with a damp cloth.

Barb Lunter is a freelance writer with a passion for home decor, entertaining and floral design. barb@lunter.ca lunter.ca