How to Make Rustic Modern Candle Holders

This week has been a bit rough, as I’ve been feeling under the weather, but I’m hoping the worst of it is behind me. To be honest, it’s really hard for me to sit still so I’ve been blasting essential oils and even finished up a DIY project. If you’re looking for an easy weekend project you may want to have a go at these rustic modern candle holders.

Oh, how I love simple projects that use up materials I’m no longer using.

How to Make Rustic Modern Candle Holders

A couple of years ago we made a rustic tealight candle holder using 4 x 4 red cedar we picked up from the local hardware store.

When we moved into our tiny home on wheels I gave the candle holder to my sister and my mom was happy to snag a bunch of our scrap wood, including what was left of the 4 x 4 wood.

Since we’re visiting North Georgia I recently drove a couple hours to visit with my mom, and while there I asked if she had a project in mind for the 4 x 4 wood. She didn’t and I had candle holders on the brain so she was happy to let me have it, yay! I cut it down into a few small sections before bringing it back to the RV with me. I wasn’t exactly sure what size I wanted so I cut a few different lengths.

Once back in the RV I did stick the cut pieces of wood in the oven on low heat for 30 minutes. I wanted to make sure anything that had crawled in there during the last 2 years was no longer alive. Gross but rather safe than sorry, right?

Here are the materials I used to create these rustic modern candle holders

• 4 x 4 wood – cut to size
• Small terra cotta clay saucer – use whatever size would work best for you
• Glue that can be used on Ceramic, Clay or Wood – I used E600 because I had it on hand
• Foam Brush
• Paint
• Painter’s Tape
• Clear Wax – or any other clear sealer

Afterward, I sanded down the wood and snagged a couple of terra cotta saucers I’ve had stashed away in a cabinet.

I taped off sections on the wood with painter’s tape so that I could give it a color-blocked effect. I didn’t think too much about this, just kinda zig-zagged my tape around the wood and then painted it using white acrylic craft paint.

I painted on 2 coats and then removed the tape from the wood.

As for the clay saucers I painted those using leftover chalk paint from our kitchen cabinets. I think I did 2 coats, but maybe it was 3. My brain was foggy at the time.

Once dry, I sealed the wood and saucer with clear wax.

And then glued the saucer on top of the wood using E600 glue I had leftover from when I thought I was going to use it for our DIY cabinet knobs.

That’s it! Now I have a couple rustic modern candle holders for my LED candles. I’ve been moving them back and forth between the media cabinet and behind our sofa. I love how lightweight the cedar is too, which is always a bonus when it comes to adding anything to the RV.

Whether you want to use them indoors or out, these rustic modern candle holders are not only easy to make, but easy to customize too!

Don’t forget to shop your home – you may find exactly what you need to create your own style of candle holders!

What materials have you repurposed into candle holders?