Put A Candle on It!

Have you ever wondered why we blow out candles on our birthday?  Or why we make a wish when we blow out the candles?

Well, it seems the idea could have started with the Ancient Greeks who put a candle on a cake to make it shine like the moon to celebrate the goddess Artemis.  It may have been the Germans who first used birthday candles for their children's Kinderfest. 

In, 1746 Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf celebrated his birthday with a "cake as large as any oven could be found to bake it and holes made in the cake according to the years of the person's age and every one having a candle stuck into it..."

However it started, putting candles on a birthday cake is a fun tradition and adding a candle to a birthday card is fun, too!

I found a small bundle of vintage birthday candles when we were visiting Lauren.  Fun, right?  I tied a ribbon around one of them and hot glued the ribbon to the card.  This darling image is from The Bunny Cloud.  Puppy adorableness!

Here's another fun idea:  Make an "Inside Surprise" card to show off a candle on the inside!

Usually, we try not to mix kids and fire!  But birthday candles are the exception.  "Bigger" kids love them too!  We may make a wish when we blow out candles because many ancient cultures believed that smoke helped carry their prayers to the heavens.  

Do you like the pretty cupcake banner?  It's part of a set from Cameo Shoppe on Etsy. 

An "Inside Surprise" card is easy to make:

You need one piece of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock.  Cut it into 2 pieces: one that is 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" and one that is 5 1/2 x 5 1/4." 

The 5 1/2 x 5 1/4" will become the inside.

Use a die to create a window in the middle of the 4".   Add a 4" x 5 1/2" panel to the inside piece.  I used hot glue again on the candle.

Now attach the top to the "inside surprise."   

Embellish and you're done.  The next time you make a birthday card think about putting a candle on it!

So glad you stopped by.  Have a lovely week!