Faux Pillar Candles

This is actually a guest post I did over at Craft Gossip last year but never shared with my readers.

Don’t you love the look of over-sized pillar candles? Unfortunately, they can be quite expensive. Why not save some major bucks and make your own. I love vinyl and I go through quite a few rolls each month. So, I always have plenty of empty tubes laying around. I thought they would be perfect to make these candle.

Aren’t they cute? They are super easy to make and are made from supplies you probably already have. Here is what you will need:

Cardboard Tube (you could also use PVC pipe)
Paint
Battery Operated Candle
Styrofoam
Glue Gun and Plenty of Glue Sticks
Circle Base
Wax Paper
Greenery 

Start by cutting your tube down to size. Cut it angle it to give the look of a partially burned candle.

Paint the tube. I used stencils to paint snowflakes and painters tape to create stripes. Use the top of the tube to make an indentation in the styrofoam. Then, cut out the circle (I just used a serrated kitchen knife).

Place your battery operated candle in the center of the styrofoam and trace around it. Use a knife to cut out the circle, without going all the way through. This will give the candle a place to sit, but make it accessible to turn on and off.

Put the styrofoam circle in the top of the tube and use glue it in place. Wrap a strip of wax paper around the candle and place it inside the styrofoam.

Now, the fun part…making the dripping wax.  Begin applying hot glue to the top edge and sides of the tube. Go slow and squeeze hard. You can make longer drips by squeezing and not moving the glue gun. Create a “drippier” candle by adding more layers of glue.

Once the glue has completely cooled, remove the candle and wax paper. Paint all the drips and inside the candle the same color as the outside. You can also paint the top of the battery operated candle.

For the base, I covered a cardboard circle with tinfoil. Add a bag of rocks or marbles to the bottom of the tube and glue to the base

 Add greenery or other Christmas decor and this candle is done!

You can make just one, or create several candles cut them at different heights to create a super-sized candle centerpiece!

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