DIY Incense Holder

Hello blogsters and readers alike! I have a fairly easy DIY project here that I am in love with, more from the sentimental and practical aspect than the crafty-ness.  Although, I have to say when the three partner-up it's the best ever!

I kinda get the feeling that westerners are not into burning incense much, but for the rest of the world, I think it's pretty huge. Maybe because the rest of the world cooks very fragrant and potent food so burning incense helps rid the home of any overpowering smells. I mean, who's gonna buy a $10 glade when they can just burn incense for a few cents. lol That sounded funny. Any way, moving on.

So, if you know incense, you know it makes a bloody mess. So I'm always thinking of what I can set the stick in that can also catch the falling ash. And voila! It came to me. An old salt/pepper shaker + an old saucer dish. It's funny because this s/p shaker that I have my mom actually used for years, ( I want to say like at least15-20) after the other half broke, for her incense, but she would always have to place a plate or something underneath it. Kinda annoying for me, especially when you don't want burning and shifting to occur at the same time. You know, fire hazard! So I said: nail that sucker down, or glue, in this case ;o) 

I present to yo my incense burner....

And btw, the "incense stick" is a DIY too lol. I couldn't find my real incense 

and needed a model. 

And before...

I used my fruit skewer to test things out then colored it with sharpies to look

like real incense haha go fig. Hope you don't feel scammed ;o) 

I used Apple Barrel Cobalt Blue and Folk Art Metallic Gold (not shown) 

mixed together. I love that blue. 

I love the lines of this. So simple, but it's kinda retro. Pour some paint in...

...and start tilting the bottle so the paint can slide and cover all the interior.

If there are gaps the paint just can't reach don't worry...

...Simply use a stick and gently guide the paint. Don't scrape the walls, otherwise 

you will have scratches in the paint. 

Set the jar upside down for some time. You'll have to play it by ear depending

on how much paint you used and how thick it is to determine when the paint has stopped 

draining and fully dried. 

Then came attaching the shaker to the saucer. I wanted something strong that was also thick so as to close any gaps between the shaker and saucer. This liquid nails silicone form was great.

I squeezed a layer, not too thin or thick, just inside the perimeter of the jar.

Stick it right on the plate and let it sit. The paint and glue were drying together. I left it over night. 

As you can see, the stainless steal cap was not cutting it. Eww. 

Before I spray painted it, I drilled three of the holes 

a little bit wider to fit the incense stick. 

You might find that once the drill bit gets through the cap, the cap will feel stuck.

Simply click the reverse button on your drill (see where my thumb is?) 

and drill slowly and the cap will slide right off the bit. 

I used my sanding block to smooth out the roughness the drilling caused. 

Back to my TWO favorites. H2O primer and Gold Metallic. Both by Krylon.

I've used them before and have had great results so far. The best thing about the 

primer is you can wipe it with a damp/wet cloth if you make a mistake. 

First primed...(notice the three bigger holes in the middle?)

...then Gold.

VOILA! Ain't she purrrdy? I LOVE THAT SAUCER! The patter is 

so cute. You have great taste mom!

I love how it really works with my dads painting above. 

A close up. Gold is a bit faint. 

I mentioned earlier that the shaker was 15+ years old. The saucer is also up there at about 30 years old. It was part of a full set my mom purchased when we lived in Italy, but thanks to California and the Whittier quake and the Northridge quake and all the other earthquakes in-between, this fine set has been reduced to a lovely 5 pieces. Two coffee cups and three saucers. ;o) One of which I have given new meaning to life :o) 

These pieces are such a big part of my childhood memory. I know, who thinks about saucers and salt shakers? Uh...no one. But for me, because they were always around and being used, and moved with us from Italy to the States, the saucer mainly, it just seemed like they shared my story. They were always on the dinner table or visible in the china cabinet. My mom always reminded me how hard she worked and how she saved every penny so she could by the things she liked, especially for the home. She stressed so much about not tossing things out because she worked hard to earn the money to pay for them. She would always say: "we'll find a new use for it, but don't throw it out." She also instilled in me that just because someone else paid for an item doesn't make it less valuable or more worthy of being trashed. 

I'm glad that I was able to up-cycle these pieces and make them look new while maintaining their history. Now I can tell my kids about my mom working hard back in the day and how these pieces traveled from Italy, to America, and now Dubai! Another great idea, which I'll be trying next, is taking just the cap from a broken shaker and sticking that onto a saucer. It doesn't have to be an entire shaker. Look around your home, can you find items that can be up-cycled into an incense holder? Thanks for stopping by. Have a great one!!

-Debora

p.s. I'm linked up to:

Domestically Speaking