We have so many fun items to use for Christmas décor each year, and I love coming up with a challenge of creating something new from something you would NEVER expect. When I think of candy canes, I think of being a kid at the holidays, getting candy canes and snacking on them until they were tiny white sticks. Enjoying candy canes as a kid meant I got a snack that lasted a long time! I never thought to use them to create decoration items…which will also last a long time in a different way! Well, today that changes with these projects. I’m taking candy canes and turning them upside down…literally! Right side up, they are cute little hooks. Upside down they become an entire different creation! I’m using candy canes in a couple of different ways to create cute Christmas candle holders. Heres is how to get started.
You Will Need:
- Candy canes
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Scissors
- Ribbon
- White card stock
- Large snowflake hole punch
- Short tapered candles
- Glass votive candle holders
- Battery-operated votive candles
- Elmer’s glue
- Mod podge
- 2 Deli cups or shallow bowls
- Glitter
- Pencil
- Scotch tape
- OPTIONAL:
- Holly or pine sprigs
How-To:
To create the tapered Candy Cane Candle Holder
- Take your tapered candle and roll it in a piece of cardstock. Secure the closure with glue or tape then remove the candle. This shaft serves as the base of your candy cane structure.
- Use hot glue to start attaching candy canes parallel to the shaft. The plastic covering will melt a bit, but it’s fine since you will be covering this part with ribbon.
- Take a ribbon and wrap it around the candy cane structure. Secure with a bow.
*If you are happy with just one then you are done! *
- Repeat steps 1-3 to create as many candle holders as there are letters in the word you want to spell out.
- Take your card stock and punch out as many large snowflakes as there are letters in your word or phrase.
- To create a fancy, glittered letter on each snowflake, first take your pencil and draw a letter on each one. This way, if you aren’t happy with your letters, you can still change them until they are perfect!
- Take Elmer’s glue and use it like a paint pen and squeeze a bead of glue on top of your penciled letter.
- With one piece of cardstock on the table, pour glitter over your glue letter and let the excess fall onto the cardstock so that way you can use the leftovers for the next letters.
- Set aside on a FLAT surface to dry so the glue doesn’t run.
- Once dry, add your lettered snowflake on each candle holder by hot gluing it to the ribbon.
- Display them with your cheery, Christmas message and enjoy!
To create the votive Candy Cane Candle Holder
- You will be using candy canes, upside down so that they look like hearts when put together. To achieve this look, take two candy canes and turn them upside down so that the curve of the cane is at the bottom. Reverse two of them so they attach at the top of the curve resembling a heart shape.
- Take hot glue and just connect the tips of the heart.
- Take hot glue and connect the ends together at the top.
- Repeat this process as you will need 3 groupings to make one votive holder.
- Once you have them made, attach all of them together at the top using hot glue.
- Take your votive holder and glue it to the top of your candy cane holder with hot glue. You can be generous here to make sure it holds, plus you will be covering it with ribbon, so it can be a smidge messy.
- Take ribbon and tie it around the spot where the votive meets the candy canes.
- Don’t stop there! Take any greenery, holly or embellishments and add them to this area.
- Drop in a battery-operated votive candle and enjoy your candy cane candle display!
For more festive DIY’s make sure you head on over to Home & Family online. Share with us all of your Holiday crafts and DIYs on Instagram and Twitter @paigehemmis