Spooky Candle Holders
Learn how to make candle holders using spooky vintage photos and Mod Podge! Make these for a Halloween mantle.
Yield: 4 holders
Cost: $15
Equipment
- Awl or sharp object
Materials
- 4 Glass jars or vases
- Vintage photos printed on laserjet
- 1 can Spray paint black
- Mod Podge Matte
- Electric tea lights
- Scrap wood
Instructions
- Choose four jars of varying sizes and styles. Wash with mild soap and water or rubbing alcohol and let dry.
- Spray paint each glass jar with a coat of black spray paint and let dry.
- Choose vintage photos to fit the containers and resize to fit. Print and cut with the scissors to fit the vases.
- Before attaching the photos to the vases, use the awl to poke out the eyes.
- Use Mod Podge to attach the pictures to the candle holders. Spread the Podge on the vase, a thin layer on the back of the picture, and then smooth them together. Repeat until all holders are covered and let dry.
- Use the awl to clean up the eye sockets on each image, simultaneously scratching the paint off underneath so the light can shine through.
- Apply a coat of Mod Podge to each container and let dry completely before using.
Notes
Step 3: A quick Google search for "spooky Victorian photos" quickly provided tons of possibilities. I downloaded a good selection and resized them to fit my vases.
Then I printed them out with a laserjet printer so they wouldn't bleed when Mod Podged. This took some measuring and trimming, but it was quick work.
Step 4: My apologies to the Victorian people in these photos for poking out their eyes. I'm sure you were very nice and it's just the long exposure times and a distinct lack of moisturizer that makes you look a bit scary these days.
Step 5: To keep things moving, I did one side of each vase at a time. By the time I'd done the fourth vase, the first one was dry enough to do another side without risking messing up the part I'd already done.
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- If you're in a hurry, stick with straight sided vases. I like the tapered shapes I used, but trimming things to fit slowed me down a bit.
- Glass vases are easy because of the varied sizes and shapes, but you could use PVC pipe, cardboard tubes - pretty much anything.
- I think electric lights are a must for this. Not because it's much of a fire or heat danger just because you don't have to think about them as the evening goes on.
- For maximum glowy eye effect, try to keep all the eyes on roughly the same level for each jar. I got lucky and did it by accident. If you have some pics where the eyes are down low and some where they eyes are up high, they won't glow evenly.