It's never too early to talk about Christmas, right?
At first I wasn't going to show you this submission to the Panduro Concrete Challenge until closer to the holidays but then I figured that when we're in late November it's less likely you'll want to be stuck in a cold garage or let alone outside crafting so this is actually the perfect time to make a holiday craft and then save it and bring it out in time for Advent first!
I used one of my lactose free milk cartons as the mold and the actual candles as part of the mold too.
I started off by opening the top where the spout is and cut that part off. I then cut along the long side to create a long box with a flap lid. To get the box shape I cut and taped the end shut where the spout had been. Masking tape is great for that purpose and these projects.
I then drew a line down the center of the length of the lid of the carton and measured the length of it and divided that by five which gave me four intersections for where the four advent candles would go. The cool thing is that I realized I could use the spout part I had just cut off as a template for the candle holes. Neat huh?
Here's the base of the mold. A rectangular box with four holes in the lid. The great thing about milk cartons btw is that they are coated on the inside so there's no need for the liquid rubber or any oil.
Here the carton is filled with wet concrete. As you can see it's bulging and wants to go in all sorts of directions and this is where the masking tape will again come in handy.
You simply use the tape to brace the carton. After the initial tape to get the correct basic shape I added the candles and then taped the whole thing to make sure the concrete stayed where I wanted it.
24 hours later I peeled off the carton and wiggled the candles out. I left my concrete advent candle holder in the garage for another day and sprayed it with water to help it cure.
And here it is. A little ivy in June will be switched to something more christmassy come December but I love how simple it is.
31 Comments
Great idea! Looks very nice!
With the 1,5 l cartons it would even be possible to make a candle holder for tea candles, don’t you think? It’s wider and slightly taller.
Absolutely. It will require quite a bit of concrete though, probably a whole 3 kg box. You could make it lower though and just fill the carton half way.
Again, a perfect project. You are sooo creative!
I wish I could get this kind of beton here in Germany.
I googled for it but the only thing that came up was a 25 kg
bag of beton. I guess that’s way too much.
Anyway, I really love all the beton projects you’ve made so far.
Greetings from Germany, Bianca
jag måste bara säga att dina betongprojkt är HELT FINA!!!
gillar bokstödet!!
nu känner jag att jag MÅSTE prova själv.
tack för all inspiration!!
/Anna-Malin
Pretty and clever! 😀
You’re gonna win, Miracle Girl.
Wow! Do we have to vote somewhere, if yes please tell us where.
You have done some very fantastic things with concrete! I don’t even know now which is my favorite.
There’s no voting. They have a jury. But thank you for the offer 🙂
I’m totally amazed at the things you come up with! This is a great one!
I’ve been enjoying all the concrete projects, yours are really great looking and creative. I looked at lots of the other submissions, and I think you have a really good chance of winning this contest!
I love how you can still see the folds onthe side, as if you folded the concrete into shape. 🙂
It is always too early to talk about Christmas, unless it’s the 24 (I’ll give you 23) December! But this project is great and can be used for citronella / insect repellent candles in the summer too, so you are fare more than forbidden. Come to think of it: it might be even cooler if the brick is bulging, actually. I am going to think of strange objects which can be used to shape this concrete…
http://davidikus.blogspot.com
Alright, that’s it!! I’m buying a bag of concrete this weekend. 🙂
I’m also casting a vote for you to write a book consisting entirely of concrete crafts, Benita. This stuff you’ve been doing is just fantastic!
This is the best one yet!
speck77.blogspot.com
UNDERBART! Tack för all inspiration!
Another great work! It’s so inspiring! I like all these concrete works.
This is the best one of all your concrete projects. Is it possible to tint the concrete?
1. Love these projects! I think the bowl and the bookend are my favorites.
2. This is random, but I just noticed something strange and interesting: the word on the milk carton? If pronounced in English is correct. Not the spelling, but if you say it outloud it says “lactose free”, which it is. Is it the correct Swedish spelling? Or is it meant to sound English?
such a fun series of posts!! my girlfriend just sent me a link to your site and i’ve been fawning over all your beautiful concrete projects ever since. you’ve got the wheels churning in my head!! are you taking idea suggestions? i’d love to see a bird-bath…thank you for all the inspiration!!
It is, but I’ve never tried. Can’t remember if you add a powder or a liquid. The answer can probably be found by a quick google.
Laktosfri = Lactose free. Same, same but different 🙂
I’ve made rhubarb bird baths in the past http://www.flickr.com/photos/chezlarsson/2888475786/in/set-72157603700132252/ and if you check out the other blogger’s submissions there are a couple of bird baths in there too http://www.pandurohobby.se/pan/IboxServlet?p=BLG220R&BLG=604&BLGI=47. With Mini and Bonus being the vicious hunters they are, I’d rather not offer them their snacks on a platter…
haha!! snacks on a platter…you crack me up. thanks again. xx
Must. buy. concrete. now.
It is the correct Swedish spelling 🙂
25 kg turn out to around 12 liters of concrete. Which is not very much is you make few bigger things.
Merci beaucoup pour cette magnifique idée, je me suis permise d’en parler sur mon blog, à très bientôt, bises de france, miette
This is so lovely! I will link this tut on my blog, hope my readers will enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you for sharing, you really did a great job!
Greetings from Croatia 🙂
que des bravos super md
Jag gillar det enkla och fina. Du är enormt duktig.