Silver and ice centerpiece

Hands-on time: 1 hour to decorate the candles, 30 minutes to make the silver lantern and 15 minutes to assemble the centerpiece.
Skill: Moderate (for an easy version, see variations below).
Cost estimate: Approximately $35.00 to make the entire project (depending on how much you spend on the candles).

Materials & Tools

• A circular mirror, or a square mirror tile (available at hardware stores and glass specialty stores)
• Clear glass bead nuggets (available at fine gift shops and dollar stores)
• Clear silicone glue
• 6 white pillar candles in assorted heights
• Painter's tape or regular masking tape, 2.5 cm wide
• Renaissance Foil adhesive by Delta (a pressure sensitive glue to apply the silver leafing)
• Paintbrush, 2.5 cm
• Silver leafing by Old World Art
• Classic silver Metal Sheet by Metal Works, to make a cylinder-shaped lantern, 20 cm in height
• Scissors
• An awl, a hammer, a stylus, a marker and a piece of wood
• Instant decorative snow by SnowWonder or SnowReal (available at florists, gift and décor stores)
• A bowl, mixing spoon, tablespoon and water

Decorate to celebrate the countdown this New Year's Eve with a contemporary glow. Set the scene with a cool glittering centerpiece theme of silver and ice. A mirror is used as the base for this silvery modern composition to reflect the lights and illuminate the ringing-in on New Year's night. Decorative snow, which is visually identical to real snow, is added to garnish the brilliant display. Make perfect snow in just 30 seconds - it is non-toxic and environmentally friendly.

Decorate the edges of a clean mirror with clear glass bead nuggets. Apply each one with a dab of clear silicone glue and let dry and set for a few hours.

Apply painter's tape around each pillar candle to create several bands. With a soft paintbrush, liberally brush on the foil adhesive on the exposed parts of the candles. Allow the adhesive to become clear and tacky to the touch, which takes about 20 minutes.

Apply silver leafing over the adhesive by rubbing over the backing paper with a soft brush to adhere the foil to the candles. Once the leafing is applied to the candles use a clean soft paintbrush to remove any excess silver leafing. Repeat the steps to apply the foil to all the candles. Gently remove the tape from each candle.

To make a silver glowing lantern, use scissors to cut the silver metal sheet to desired size, leaving a border of 6 mm to glue once completed. Use a marker to draw a design on the backside of the foil (I made starburst designs using a yellow marker). Place the metal sheet on a wood surface and use an awl and a hammer to punch holes over your pattern. (I used a 2x4 piece of wood from my work shop). Additional designs are made with a stylus to give it extra dimension (I made horizontal and vertical lines using a ruler to create a check pattern). Once the design is completed, wrap the foil around onto itself to make a cylinder form. Apply silicone glue along the border edge overlapping the two sides together and press down to secure. Place tape around the shape until the silicone sets.

In a bowl, mix the decorative snow according to manufacturer's instructions. There you have it, instant snow. Place the candles and the silver lantern on the glass mirror to create your arrangement. Use a spoon to place snow at the center of the centerpiece and around the candles leaving the border of the mirror exposed in order for the candle lights to reflect off of it. To further embellish your composition, add extra elements such as silver glitter, sparkles or glass beads.

Variations

• To simplify the above project just leave the candles white, or buy silver or gold ones. Better yet, just transform the candles you used for Christmas and dress them up for your New year's celebration. For a pure and minimalist look, omit the silver lantern and leave the candles plain among white rocks or glass nuggets placed around the mirror.
• You can also use silver leafing to embellish glasses, dishes and votive candle holders. They make great hostess gifts.
• Use the balance of the silver metal sheet to make festive confetti with a circle, square, or star shaped punch and simply sprinkle them onto the centerpiece. Using silver metal sheet you can also make a "Happy New Year" sign to adorn your arrangement.

Tip

• Use craft and décor materials left over from Christmas decorations such as tinsel and clear glass balls to create simple stylish decorations for your New Year's celebration. Basically fill small glass balls with tinsel leaving some of the tinsel hanging out from the edges of the top. Use tinsel to tie a small oval name tags made with foil around each glass.
• The best time to buy decorations is when they go on sale after Christmas. Many Christmas decorations can be used, transformed and integrated in everyday décor. Some of the nice beaded ornaments can be used as trim around lamp shades or curtains. Garland strings made of tiny glass squares can be used to make a mod-style décor statement in a teen's bedroom.
• For more information on decorative snow, visit SnoWonder.