Make Your Own Garden-Inspired Candle Holder

by | DIY, Home

I think it’s the season of life I’m in…there is ALWAYS a crafty project going on, whether it’s with my little students at school or my own kiddos at home.  That kind of leaves me just not in the mood for DIY sometimes…or often without the time to do the kinds of DIY projects that I enjoy.

Or maybe it’s that I don’t have a ton of patience for complicated projects that involve many items and an arsenal of craft supplies!  (Please say I’m not alone here!)

When I saw this super cute little terra cotta pots at an antiques show, though, I knew they would be fun for something!  I love that they are old and already have that great garden patina.  Plus, they were only 50 cents, so you just can’t go wrong with that.

 

Anytime I am out vintage hunting, I always keep an eye out for small, inexpensive items that could make fun and simple DIY projects.  Little pots, small salvage pieces, wood remnants, scrap fabric (especially old linens!), vintage books, interesting paper items like cards, seed packets, and music…all items that don’t have to cost hardly anything and you’re not committed to an expensive project!

I also like to only store what I know I’ll use again, so inexpensive little items are fun because I don’t feel obligated to keep them around for years to come.  I can enjoy them for the time and then move them along!

I decided to pull them out for a garden-themed tablescape and the inspiration hit.  It took me all of 5 minutes to make 6 of these garden-inspired, terra cotta candle holders.  The best part, you probably already have some of these things laying around your house:

Five Items You Need

  • Miniature terra cotta pots (while it’s fun if you have vintage ones, you can get new ones for 49 cents, rub a little dirt on them, paint them, or leave them as is!)
  • Aluminum foil
  • Sand or vase filler
  • Taper candle (THESE dripless, smokeless ones are my favorites!)
  • Moss (I love using this real moss and for an inexpensive pack, I’ve done a lot of decorating and styling with it.  You can also get faux moss or if you live near a wooded area, get some real moss for free!)

 

How to Make Your Garden-Inspired Candle Holder

Step One:

I lined the bottom of my pots with a piece of tin foil to hold in the tiny rocks.  If you have saucers, that would do the trick too, though the foil is still a good idea to hold everything in

 

Step Two:

Fill the terra cotta pot about 1/3 of the way with your sand or filler.  Depending on the size of your terra cotta pot, you can adjust this as needed.

 

Step Three:

Set your taper candle in place.  I pushed it down a little to secure it, then held it straight with one hand while filling in around it with more of the tiny rocks.  Fill the terra cotta pot almost to the top, leaving just enough room for the last step.

If you’re using a larger terra cotta pot, consider putting a few candles in the pot, kind of like I did on THIS centerpiece with ironstone pots.

Terra Cotta Candle Holder (5)
Terra Cotta Candle Holder (6)

 

Step Four:

Cover the sand or rocks with moss.  I found it helpful to pull off about quarter-sized pieces of moss and tuck them around.  Fresh moss is so moldable, so you can press it down in a few places to secure it.  This also gives it more of an “imperfect” and natural look.  Moss doesn’t grow in perfectly flat sections!

 

You’re done!  Now what?

 

Your garden-inspired, terra cotta pots can be styled almost anywhere!  Consider tucking these into vignettes throughout your home.  You can set them on vintage books (see HERE for ideas for creating vignettes with vintage books), under a cloche, lined up on a shelf or mantel, or as a centerpiece for your spring table.

I grouped mine, setting some on a vintage riser and some on the table, to add to the cozy vibe of my garden-themed tablescape!  I love how terra cotta adds such a warm color to a space and invites the “outdoors in”.  Nothing says springtime quite like garden-themed décor and I had a lot of fun making this quick DIY to add to my table.

 

After I used them on my tablescape, I tucked them into little vignettes on my dining room shelves.

 

 

Another thing I love about using terra cotta pots in my décor is that they are easy to stack up and store away for another season.  As much as I love to switch my décor around, I am always happy to incorporate things that are easy to store!  You can find some other ideas for spring décor HERE and HERE.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” -The Secret Garden

 

Blessings,

Robyn

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