Add a handmade touch to your holiday décor with festive painted candles! Using wax candle pens, you can easily create beautiful designs like Christmas trees and bows, perfect for adding a warm, personalized glow to your celebrations. Whether you’re crafting for your own home or as a gift, this quick and easy project is ideal for all skill levels. Better still, unlike a lot of candle painting tutorials you see these have been made using coloured wax and not acrylic paint (even non-toxic acrylic paint isn’t designed to be burned), so you can feel confident in burning them (but never leave a lit candle unsupervised)!
How to make DIY Painted Candles
Festive painted candles bring warmth, creativity, and charm to the holiday season. With just a few supplies, you can craft personalized décor that lights up your home with a festive glow. Whether you make them for yourself or as heartfelt gifts, these DIY candles are sure to be a hit this Christmas!
Safety Notes:
- Always supervise a burning candle and keep them away from flammable decorations. Plus do not use metallic paint or glitter on your candle creations.
Materials Needed:
- Plain taper wax candles (white or colored)
- Wax candle pens (green, red, and other colours)
- Candle holders
- Rubbing alcohol
- Lint-free cloth or paper towel
- Optional: stencils for designs
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Step-by-Step Guide:
Clean your candle in preparation for painting by dampening a lint-free cloth or kitchen tool with rubbing alcohol.
Use the green wax pen to draw simple Christmas trees by layering small “branches” down the length of the candle.
You can also use a brown colour to make the tree trunk like I did.
Switch to the red pen to create festive bows. Start with small loops and a “tail” to make them look neat.
Allow the wax paint to dry completely before handling or lighting the candles.
Tips for Success:
- Practice your designs on paper or a spare candle before starting.
- Not all candles are made equal. I used sterrin taper candles from Ikea, but if you are using acrylic paint then paraffin wax candles are best.
- Less is more. If you add too much wax or paint and stand the candle up the wax will drip – trust me, I have been there!
- Simple designs work best, especially when making with children.
- Use a steady hand and let the wax dry in layers for more intricate designs.
- Experiment with additional festive patterns like stars, snowflakes, or holly berries.
Why I like the Candle Pens
I am a big fan of using coloured wax pens for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they are easy to use, perfect for kids, burn safe and pre-coloured.
Secondly, I don’t have to clean the brushes! However, if you want to use wax candle pans with brushes you can. My top tip for cleaning melted wax off brushes is to pop them in a mixture of dish soap (like fairy) and boiling water,swish them around (for about 10 seconds) and dry them quickly.
These painted candles are a quick and easy craft, making them perfect for adding a personal touch to your holiday season. Whether you’re creating unique decorations for your home or thoughtful handmade gifts, their simplicity and charm make them a wonderful project for all ages. They’re also a fantastic family activity, bringing everyone together for a bit of festive creativity.
Once completed, these candles can be displayed in various ways to enhance your holiday ambience. Use them as part of a stunning table centrepiece, add warmth to your mantelpiece, or package them in a decorative box with a heartfelt note to create meaningful gifts for loved ones. Their versatility ensures they’ll bring joy and light to any holiday setting!
Festive painted candles bring warmth, creativity, and charm to the holiday season. With just a few supplies, you can craft personalized décor that lights up your home with a festive glow. Whether you make them for yourself or as heartfelt gifts, these DIY candles are sure to be a hit this Christmas!
Try this craft at home and share your creations with us! Don’t forget to pin this post for future holiday inspiration.