DIY round candle holders with a ceramic look

My favourite material to create with is clay without a doubt. Clay is so versatile and can be transformed in to so many different things. For my latest clay project I made these round DIY candle holders. I recently bought these mini twisted candles and thought it would be fun to make some holders for them.

I’m someone who lights candles nearly everyday and all year round so I always need candle stands and candle holders. For these mini candles I created a round candle holder and finished them with some paint splatter to give them more of a ceramic look. Besides, I also love the paint splatter look.

Here’s how to make these DIY round candle holders

Materials:
polymer clay (US readers here)
round cookie cutter
sanding paper / block
acrylic paint
toothbrush (optional)

1. roll your clay in to a ball — you’ll need roughly one 57g / 2oz pack per candle holder
2. roll out the ball so it’s slightly larger than your cookie cutter but make sure your clay is still quite thick (at least
3. using your cookie cutter, cut out a circle from your rolled out clay
4. take your candle and make a hole in the centre of the clay, making sure to go through the clay. Once made, enlarge the hole a by turning your candle in the hole and stretching the hole — the hole needs to be a little larger than your candle as clay shrinks once baked.
5. bake according to instructions and let cool
6. once cooled, lightly sand any edges or other imperfections if you need to
7. paint the candle holders — you’ll need around 3 coats
8. using a toothbrush, add a bit of speckling once the paint dries — this is optional but I think it looks prettier

I made my candle holders around 7.5-8 cms (approx 3 inches) in diameter because that’s the size of cookie cutter I had and my candles are small so it worked well. But you can always go larger for larger candles — just make the clay discs a little thicker too as the larger/thicker/taller the candle the more support they’ll need.

Tip: if your candle doesn’t fit in the hole after you’ve baked the candle holder, using a knife, shave the base of your candle until it fits.

For the colours, I opted for various shades of brown and beige with a hint of pink — I made three candle holders but I’m not sure why I photographed only one. You can of course paint yours in any colour you like.