Homemade Candle Holder
Instead of purchasing a new candle holder, you can make one yourself. Homemade candle holders are often less expensive and more environmentally friendly, and they also provide an opportunity for creativity. This article suggests ideas for turning everyday items such as wood, paper and even recycled items into homemade candle holders.
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Wood: Create a Natural-Looking Candle Holder
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Make a candle centerpiece from a block of wood, glass pebbles and several votive candles.
For taper candles, purchase two unfinished wood candle holders from a craft store and paint them, stain them, decoupage them or color them with metallic or glitter glue pens. If you have a spare piece of wood, arrange several tea light candles or votives on the surface and surround them with glass pebbles. If you're an expert woodworker, cut a block of wood and hollow out the center to hold a candle.
Seasonal Candle Holders: Have Fun with Your Hot Glue Gun
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Glue cinnamon sticks and ribbon to a pillar candle for autumn warmth.
Glue cinnamon sticks to the outside of a thick pillar candle (round and square shapes work best), then tie a coordinating ribbon around the outside to create an autumn candle holder. For winter/Christmas, glue peppermint sticks, candy canes or peppermint disks to the outside of a thick pillar candle. For Valentine's Day, hot glue candy conversation hearts to the outside of a pillar candle or votive. For Easter, use jelly beans. (Place the candle on a plate before burning.)
Decorative Papers: Not Just for Scrapbooking
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Use decorative papers and raffia to beautify the outside of a glass candle holder.
Cut colorful paper (tissue paper, stationery, translucent paper, scrapbooking paper) into pieces that fit onto a glass candle holder. Wash and dry the glass, then wipe with rubbing alcohol. Glue paper pieces to the glass with a clear-drying polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glue and let dry. Lacquer the candle holder with more layers of PVA glue or a decoupage medium such as Mod Podge. Let dry completely before using.
Recycled Materials: Candle Holders from Used Objects
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A homemade candle holder made from a plastic soda bottle, a glass votive holder and sand.
Place a votive candle into a wine glass to create an elegant homemade candle holder. For an autumn/Thanksgiving table centerpiece, hollow out a small pumpkin or other gourd with a melon baller and place a candle inside. To celebrate spring, use a flower pot to hold a votive candle. Decorate the outside of the pot with glitter glue, stickers, ribbon, raffia or artificial flowers. Use old glass baby food jars to hold votive candles. Decorate the outside with glitter glue (red and green for Christmas; red, white and blue for Independence Day; green for St. Patrick's Day; black, orange and purple for Halloween). Make sure to "hide" the jar's threads at the top by painting over them or attaching ribbon. Another option is cutting off the top of a plastic soda bottle, inserting a glass votive candle holder in the center, then filling the outside with sand or glass pebbles. The sand/glass pebbles absorb the heat from the burning candle.
Advanced Techniques: Engraving, Silicone, and Blown Glass
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A more advanced technique: creating homemade blown-glass candle holders.
Purchase a clear glass candle holder and use engraving tools to draw custom designs on the outside (a couple's initial for a wedding gift, a tree with leaves for autumn, an abstract design). Apply dollops of clear silicone from a tube on the outside of a glass candle holder and let dry completely before using. If you're familiar with hand-blown glass techniques, homemade blown-glass candle holders offer limitless color and style options.
Candle Warnings
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Let all craft materials dry fully before burning the candle. Ensure that all craft materials (paper, artificial flowers, ribbon) are nowhere close to the candle flame. Burn candles only on a level, heat-resistant surface. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Use caution around pets and children.
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