As I was brainstorming ideas for DIY Mother’s Day gifts, I didn’t really have a specific project in mind. I was looking for something easy, doable, accessible. Also while I am ALL about handmade gifts, the less “handmade” they look, the better. I wanted to come up with something that your mom (or you!) might actually want to receive. And I must say—these little candle holders hit the nail right on the head!
Now I know this is my second oven bake clay project; and let me just say, that is not typically my. M.O. But I stumbled across all these cute candlestick holders made in all different styles and vibes using just polymer clay, and I knew I had to try it!
I got really into the tapered-candle-centerpiece look a couple year ago when a relative gifted me a nice set for Christmas, and I really can’t believe I’ve been sleeping on this cute and easy décor look. I just couldn’t wait to make some myself!
Things I Loved About This Project
They seriously look like I bought them at a store. For real, these are so cute and the clay is super forgiving. This was my first time using pre-colored clay (instead of using white and then painting) and I honestly don’t think I’ll go back. The colored clay is so forgiving. And I did splurge a little for the Sculpey Souffle, which just has such a nice, clean finish to it.
They came together so easily. Can you use a rolling pin? What about a cookie cutter? Do you have an oven? Great. I guarantee you can make these!
These are a great gift for ANYONE. Yes, you heard me—anyone. Because you can use any shape for the base, and any color scheme, you can really tailor them to fit the person you’re gifting them to! And it’s so much more creative than your classic can-candle gift.
Things I Would Do Differently
Make a set for myself. Just kidding. But not really. I think I need a set. I made one for my mom, one for my mother-in-law, and one for my godmother, but I really think I need some as well. I mean, I am a mom. I can just gift them to myself for Mother’s Day, right?!
Mix up the color palette. My original idea for this project was the wild and bright color palette. That really caught my eye and I thought they would be so adorable. I ended up making the more subtle, daisy ones for my godmother who loves flowers. But in the end, those turned out to be my favorite ones! I think if I did them again, I would try a few with a more neutral color scheme. But that’s the fun part about these candle holders—you can really go any direction with the colors/designs and I think they are all so cute!
Okay, enough chatting—you came here for a tutorial, right? Here’s how you can make these cuties (even if you have majorly procrastinated and have, like, 24 hours to throw together a Mother’s Day gift!).
Supplies Needed:
- Oven bake clay in your chosen colors (I used Sculpey Souflee, but any basic oven bake clay should work!)
- Cookie Cutters in your preferred shape (Mine were about 2.5-3” wide)
- Rolling pin or glass bottle/vase
- Baking sheet
- Foil or parchment paper
- X-acto knife
- Ruler (I’m sorry, did every single 90’s kid have this ruler, or just me and my sister??)
- Taper Candles
- Thumbtacks (optional)
- Hot Glue (optional)
- Matches & Matchbox (optional)
Start by rolling out your clay, using your desired base color, on a clean or parchment-lined surface to about ¼” thickness.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out your base. Clean up the edges to get a nice crisp finish.
Next, roll out your desired clay color for the candle collar (this is what I’m calling the part the holds the candlestick in place). I found it easiest to roll my clay into a log and then roll it out into a nice long oval.
Cut out a strip from this that is about 1-1/4” wide. The exact width doesn’t matter—honestly, the thicker the collar, the sturdier your candle holders will be. I really wanted mine to be low-profile so I went with a shorter size. But I did add a little more stability to them at the end…keep reading to find out how!
Once you have your collar strip, wrap it around the base of your candle to determine how wide to make the collar. This can be rough, but definitely err on the side of bigger rather than smaller. It’s okay if it’s a little wider than the candle in the end—like I said, we’re going to add a little trick to make the candle stay put!
Place the collar in the center of your base and press firmly, without warping the clay. It doesn’t need much to stick together. I tried baking the two pieces separately as well, and then just gluing the collar on at the end, but it didn’t look nearly as finished. I had no issue with my two pieces sticking together after baking.
Bake your pieces per your package instructions—mine said at 275° for 30 minutes and I found this to be perfect!
Once they’re out of the oven and cooled, you’re technically done, if you want to be! I added a few extra touches to make sure they were just right….
First, I hot glued a thumbtack in the center of the base, inside the collar. That way, I can push the candlestick down on the thumbtack to help it stay upright and in place! (If you take a look at the photo below, you can see the little thumbtack inside the collar!)
Second, I thought it might be cute to use one stand for a candle and one stand for matches. I still put the thumbtack inside both stands for the set, in case they want to display them both with candles. But for one of the stands, I cut out the striker strips from a matchbox and glued them onto the bottom of the base. That way, they can store their matches in the holder and strike them on the bottom!
And that’s it! They turned out so cute and unique! I loved the finish of the clay I used—it was so nice, that I didn’t feel the need to spray any kind of finishing coat. I’m going to gift a pair of candle holders with two candle sticks and a box of matches to each of the sweet moms in my life!
We were created to be creative, friends—so get creating! And please tag me if you try these!
