Engraved Valentine Tea Light

With Christmas and New Year's behind us, and all those decorations stored away for another year, the house seems so barren. So, I'm going to bring some of that same decorative festivity to Valentine's Day. I'm starting with this engraved tea light.

I found the plain candle holder at the thrift shop, loved the color, and guessed that the red coloring was just a coating. I guess right!! When I got home, I tested a small spot on the base of the holder, and sure enough—under the shiny, red coating was a white interior. Perfect for engraving!!

First, I created and sized the heart shape in Make-the-Cut. I used my Zing electronic cutter to cut it out of vinyl. (Of course, you could draw the heart freehand and cut with scissors or a craft knife.) I adhered the heart to the candle holder. I wasn't worried about the wrinkles—I just needed a rough outline. 

I etched the outline of the heart using the Proxxon Engraver GG 12 and 1 mm diamond grinding bit. Next, with the same grinding bit, I just doodled with the engraver to add the interior swirls and curls.

Last step was to cover the base with a piece of handmade paper where I'd done the scratch test.

Now I'm all ready for a romantic Valentine's dinner. 

Carole