Birch Bark Votive Holder
Walking along the beach a couple of months ago, the day after a pretty rough summer storm, we found this perfectly hollowed out yet intact sleeve of birch bark on the shore. The beautifully silver-white piece just begged to be picked up even though we weren’t quite sure what we would do with it.
A large bangle for the wrist? Too scratchy.
Slice it up and use for napkin rings? Too fragile.
Use it in a flower arrangement? Too large.
It turns out that we couldn’t quite make it into something else because it’s such a nice piece on it’s own. So, the idea to make it into a candle holder came to mind. While we wouldn’t put an actual candle inside given that the bark is pretty much kindling, we found inexpensive LED votive candles in our local grocery store that work great.
To make the votive holder, we just cleaned off the outside of the bark, scraped off some of the inside layers and then gently cut, using a utility knife the ends to smooth them out and slits into the naturally-occurring striations of the bark for the light to shine through.
And there we have it, an upcycled nature-made candle holder.
We had also recently sliced up a whole birch tree branch that had fallen and are planning to use for a separate project. But stacked on top of each other the slices actually make beautiful votive stands on their own.
Now we have lovely and free mantle decor to light the cold winter nights. As always though, be very careful and don’t leave lit candles unattended, especially on little piles of wood!
Your projects are both absolutely lovely! They turned out beautifully. And the selections at Parrot Uncle are fabulous.
Thanks Joann! We love that the projects are as simple as you can get!
Like the Vintage Industrial Style Cute Cage Foyer Pendant Light
Us too! Would love to have it in my house.
I’m in love with the Antler chandler!!
It’s great! So rustic and unexpected. Talk about a conversation starter!
Such a great idea to use the birch bark like that! It looks beautiful!!! I’m loving the vintage industrial wall sconce you shared. I could see those in my living room… 🙂
Thanks, Thalita. We were so excited when we found the birch bark. We’ll be scavenging for more in the future.
So happy to be co-hosting with you ladies! I love your project and your selections from Parrot Uncle! I love the deer antler chandelier and I could use about 20 of the vintage wall scones around my house 🙂
We’re happy to be co-hosting with you as well! I feel the same way…I have old lights in my house that could use a replacement.
Those candle holders are gorgeous! I love them! I love the six light antique chandy in rust. I could see that over my dining table!
Great idea to put them on the dinner table. I will likely move them there the next time I’m hosting dinner!
Such a great idea! Very Scandinavian in the decor style here, it’s so refreshing! I don’t feel like I’m overdosing on red and glitter. Keep up the good work ladies!
Thanks, Ariel! We do love glitter but we restrained ourselves with this project:)
LOVE Birch bark! Such a beautiful wood. You’re so lucky to have found it! Also, thanks for hosting the fab giveaway! I’m hearing so much good stuff about Parrot Uncle these days!
We do feel very lucky to have found it. And we’ll just have to hunt for more of it now. As for Parrot Uncle, we are happy to have discovered them as well. They have such a great selection of products to chose from!
Beautiful <3
Maris
Thank-you! Thank-you!
I like the Black Bamboo Candle Lamp
Oh, I like that one too! As well as the weaved bamboo lamps.
Love the birch bark project and thanks for the intro to ParrotUncle! I love the industrial lighting and will keep them in mind when we start to tackle some more renovations in the new year.
We are glad to have helped:) Parrot Uncle is definitely a great source for lighting and they have so many unique options!
Stumbled upon this post, and everything is gorgeous!
Glad you stopped by!
Lovely craft indeed and how I adore the natural pattern of the birch bark
We feel the same. Birch bark is simply beautiful and we can’t get enough of it.
This is absolutely beautiful! I’ve been wanting to plant a birch in my yard for some time now. My neighbor had one, but for some reason it didn’t make it. Could be the funky weather we’ve been having plus the transplant shock. Either way, someday I want one in my yard because they are absolutely beautiful and I love what you’ve done with them. Thank you for sharing on the Sunshine Life Link Up!
Oh THANK YOU for saying that you wouldn’t put a real candle in a highly flammable piece of birch bark! I was a little worried when I read the title. Lovely Piece with the LED candle 🙂 LOL, I usually only want real candles but this is one exception!
Haha! Yes-that would have gotten us into trouble in many ways! Thank you so much for stopping by and your kind words 🙂
Nice! Reminds me of the birch trees I used to have in my yard
Such a great idea…I’m new to your website but think I will love all your decorations/ideas etc…