DIY Woodland Candles from Dollar Store Materials

Hola!  As a follow-up to my Autumn Tablescape post, I’m going to show you how I made the DIY woodland candles.  I was going to include the Harvest chalkboard in the same post, but I later realized it would be way too long.  So I saved the chalkboard tutorial for a different post.

In case you missed it, here is how the candles look in the Autumn tablescape:

For this craft, you will need

• (1) bag of wood pieces (aka decorative filler) from Dollar General
• (3) 2 & 1/2 inch glass votive candles
• hot glue gun
• glue sticks
• wood stain

I bought this bag of wood pieces at the Dollar Store for $1.40.  You could probably find similar wood pieces at a craft store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels.  I already had the candles in my candle drawer, and I honestly don’t remember where they came from!  The wood pieces were just a bit shorter than the votives.

How to Make DIY Woodland Candles in 3 Easy Steps

Step 1.  Hold the wood pieces in place against the votives to make sure there is even coverage all around.  Then lay them down so you remember the correct placement.

Step 2. Hot glue the wood to the candles.  Use a generous amount of glue, as some pieces may come unglued if you don’t use enough.  For extra support, squeeze hot glue in between the wood spaces.

Here is how it looks with all the wood glued in place.  I thought it had a nautical, driftwood kind of vibe.  While I love this look as well, I was going for a woodland style, so I needed to darken the wood.

Step 3. Stain the wood with wood stain.  Cover as much of the wood as possible.  

While you could use any stain you have on hand, I used a product that I just love.  It’s a gel stain from Amy Howard’s line, A Maker’s Studio.  You can purchase this product through my friend Carol’s website, Bluesky at Home.

As you can see, I applied the stain with my finger and a rag.  If you’ve used stains before, you know how awful they smell!  And you should always avoid contact with your skin.  This product, however, is non-toxic and actually smells like citrus.  No joke!  Again, you could also use a traditional stain and a foam brush and achieve the same look.

I love that this project has two different looks: beachy for Summer and rustic for Fall and Winter.  Do you know someone planning a wedding?  These DIY woodland candles would make cute and thrifty reception table decorations!

I hope this craft inspires you to start decorating your home for Fall.  I know it’s put me in the spirit!

Hope to see you back soon!

Rebecca