Coastal Candle Displays

If you love the beach and the beauty of the sea, you'll take to decorating with coastal theme candle displays like a fish takes to water. Collections of shells, stones and sea treasures collected from days spent combing your favorite beaches will be brought into play in these decorative displays. Accent your mementos from favorite beach vacations with craft store items such as artificial starfish, sand dollars, coral and sea horses.

Driftwood, Coral and Hurricanes

Accent a favorite piece of driftwood with this dramatic display. Start with a platter or charger large enough to accommodate your driftwood. Add a layer of plain or colored sand and arrange your driftwood on top. Surround it with seashells, sand dollars, pieces of coral, polished beach glass and stones. Add a few votive candles in cut glass or frosted glass holders for sparkle; or purchase candles in the shape of large seashells. This makes a great display for a table top. A piece of coral could be used in place of the driftwood.

Many variations on this theme are possible. For example, you could place a pillar candle and a hurricane on the center of the platter instead of the driftwood, surrounding it with shells, starfish, glass and stone pieces and a few tea light candles. Or take a glass cylinder, layer sand, pebbles and glass and push a pillar candle into the sand. Surround the candle with coastal accents like shells, sand dollars, and glass beads.

Coastal Layers and Moods

Beautiful candle holders in coastal theme can be incorporated with your natural accents to create striking displays.

• Arrange sand, tea light candles, beach glass, stones, shells and starfish on a white porcelain or clear glass platter around a finger clam shell candleholder. Beautiful candleholders in the shapes of sand dollars, starfish, sea urchins, egrets or sandpipers give you unlimited options in creating a unique display. A flat basket or wooden tray can also be used as a stand for your display. Consider battery operated candles in lieu of real candles; they're safer and look as appealing as the real thing.
• Make whimsical candle displays with novelty candles shaped like beach balls and votive candles in small buckets. Arrange the beach ball candles on a tray layered with craft sand; add your beach balls and mini-bucket candles for a beach party on a platter! This is a fun arrangement for a cookout or patio party. Bring one as a hostess gift for any summer party or barbeque.
• Beautiful candles shaped like shells, sea birds, sand dollars, coral, sea urchins or sea horses, clams, lobsters, fish, crabs and more can be arranged on any platter or tray and embellished with additional shells, pieces of driftwood or coral, stones, or polished glass.

• Make a sea inspired table wreath. Start with a flat backed Styrofoam wreath foam. Spray on craft glue and sprinkle with craft sand; let dry and shake off excess. Use hot glue to affix sea shells, stones and glass. Mix in a few larger items like sand dollars or starfish. Set your wreath on a round tray large enough to accommodate it and place a pillar candle and hurricane in the center of your wreath. If the tray is much larger than the wreath, add a border of sand and accent it with colored beach glass or faux pearls.