I carefully slid the candle-board into the fireplace, being careful not to disturb the mirrors.

It looked pretty good! Like a sea of candles.

I pulled the candles out for better access

One time, while lighting the candles of a birthday cake, I lit the outside ring of candles first. This created a miniature wall of fire, making the candles at the center of the cake extremely hard to access. I had performed the pyrotechnic version of painting myself into a corner.

It took about four minutes to light them all.

They looked church-tastic!

I used the timer to catch this one. 

I guess I know the secret to taking a really EVIL-looking photo.

Inside the fireplace, the lit candles looked great!

I hadn't located a one-way mirror, so I did not achieve the "infinite" appearance, but I was very satisfied with the results.

One improvement would be to correct the angles of the mirrors, so that they meet at exactly 90º. This should eliminate the gaps between reflections and give a more seamless look.

After just a couple of uses, the tealight board became a real mess. Melted wax soiled the satin fabric, and some of the wicks became submerged and useless, creating a dead-pixel effect.

The infinite candelabra had reached the end of its lifespan, and it was pitched.

I also noted that 81 candles are not 81 times more enchanting than one candle. I'll try to remember that on my next trip to Ikea.