Sheet Music Candles

As a musician, I thought this was a clever post by Can't Stop Making Things, as it combined two of my favorite things: candles and sheet music. Now, before anyone says anything... yes, the sheet music on the smallest candle is backwards. I even highlighted it in the photos below so that is an example of what not to do. So it was really on purpose. Yeah. That's it. Ahem.

Sheet music candles

The directions are pretty self-explanatory in the post so here's the shorthand: take an 8 1/2x11 piece of white tissue paper, tape it to a piece of cardstock, print off sheet music (pdfs are provided in original post), take said tissue paper off cardstock, cut tissue paper to the size of the candle and glue in place, and adhere via heat until tissue paper has melted.

Here are some things the original post fails to mention:

1. When you are cutting the tissue paper to size, leave 1/4 of an inch off the top of the candle (like the smallest candle). I found when you cut it exactly to the size of the candle, it's harder to melt the very top of the tissue paper to the candle, so leave yourself some breathing room.

Example of what not to do: put sheet music on backwards

2. If you don't have a heat gun, use a blow dryer. I used mine on "High" for 5 minutes for the tall candle, 3 minutes for the medium size candle, and 2 minutes for the small candle.

3. When you're using the heat gun or blow dryer, you'll start to notice the color of the tissue paper fades and the color of the candle come through. That's when you know you're done. If you still see white tissue paper, it hasn't completely melted yet. You've heated it for too long when wax starts to drop down the sides of the candle.

4. Don't touch the candle while you're adhering the tissue paper to it. Instead, put the candle on the cardstock you used and spin the cardstock on the table so you don't have to touch the candle.

TOTAL COSTS: Anywhere between $3-$12
$1.99 for white tissue paper from Vons
$9.99 for a pack of 5 candles (different sizes) at IKEA, though you could find plain white candles anywhere for cheap (probably around $2/candle)
Sheet music was free
Already had glue
TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 45 minutes, almost to the second
EASY-PEASY SCALE: 3 out of 5. Not too difficult but not a cakewalk. Be careful with any heat gun/blow dryer so you don't burn yourself. Also try not to have any wrinkles in the tissue paper or they'll adhere to the candle.