DIY Outdoor Candle Holders!

Aluminum Can Outdoor Candle Holders

A great way to send off the mosquitos and light your outdoor sitting area.

 

Finished Candle Holder

 

I found this idea on Pinterest and thought it would be a great idea for my backyard. I had glass candle holders out there, but unfortunately when the rain comes they fill up leaving my candle useless!

 

To get started, you will need aluminum cans without the labels and cleaned. I have been stocking up for weeks! Every time I fix baked beans or corn, I peel the label off and stick the can in the dishwasher.

Other items that you will need:

Sharpie Marker (any color)

Nail

Hammer

Craft Paint

Paint Brush

Toothpick

16 gauge jewelry wire

Wire Cutters

Needle nose or Round nose pliers

Tealight or Votive Candle

Let's get started!

 

Step #1: Figure out what design you want to poke in the side of your can and draw it with your sharpie on the can. I choose the words "love", "peace", and "calm" for my cans.

 

Step #2: Using the hammer and nail, poke holes in the ridges of the can following the design that you put on the can with your marker.

 

 

Step #3: Poke some holes in the bottom of the can so the rain wont stay in the can. If you are using votive candles, you do not have to do this step. If you are using tea light candles, make sure not to poke your holes where the tea light candle will go.

 

 



Step #4: Time to paint! Paint the sides and bottom of your can. Don't worry if the paint gets stuck in the holes. We will fix that later. My can took two coats of paint. Wait until your paint is dry to apply another coat. Then, wait until your paint dries to continue to step 5.

 

 

Step #5: Take a toothpick, or the nail that you previously used, and poke the dry paint out of the holes.

 

 

Step #6: Making the wire hanger for your candle holder is your option. If you want to place your candle directly on a table, you can skip these steps. However, if you want to hang your candle holder, get out your wire, wire cutters, and pliers.

 

 

Step #7: Wrap a piece of wire around the top of the can. Leave about a 1/2" to an inch left over so that you can curl the edges to connect the handle. Cut your piece of wire off.

 

 

Step #8: Bend the wire that you just cut off in half and cut at the halfway point. Then curl the end of each side of each piece of wire. Make one wire have its loops facing up and down and the other's loops facing inward (see the picture above).

 

 

Step #9: Connect the loops of the two pieces of wire and place them around the top of the can. You may have to tighten your loops to make the wire stay on the can.

 

 

Step #10: Cut a piece of wire for the top of the handle. My wire was approximately 7 inches long.

 

 

Step #11: Make a loop in the middle of your wire handle.

 

 

Step #12: Curl the edges of your handle wire and link them to the loops that you connected the two other wires with. (see above)

 

Your finished handle should look similar to the above picture.

 

 

Step #13: Place a tea light or votive candle in the center of the can.

 

 

Step #14: Light the candle (pretty!)

 

 

Step #15: Find a place to put your candle and enjoy!

 

If you want to keep the mosquitos away, place a citronella candle inside your candle holder! I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial! How did your candle holder turn out?