How to Decorate Candles

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References Tested

A few candles can light up a room with their warm glow, but they add even more to your decor with a few unique, pretty embellishments. With a some glue, a few decorations, and lots of creativity, you can transform a plain candle into the centerpiece of your table.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Decorating with Glitter

1
Place paper on the areas you don’t want to glitter. You can wrap strips of tissue paper around the candle and tie them in place, or tape down individual pieces to create different designs. Plan out what you want your candle to look like, then tie down or attach the paper with Scotch tape to start the decorating process.^{[1]
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Tip: You can cut out fun shapes to glitter around, or simply use straight strips to make stripes. For thinner or more precise shapes, try using painter’s tape or even rubber bands.
2
Brush Mod Podge on the areas you want to cover. Use a paintbrush or a crafting brush to spread a thin, even layer of Mod Podge on the candle. You can paint over the edges of the paper to ensure full coverage, but try not to cover the paper completely.^{[2]
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- If you don’t have Mod Podge, you can make your own or use regular liquid glue, although the glitter may not stay on as long.
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3
Sprinkle glitter over the candle. Thick coats of glitter look best on candles, making the glitter look neater and more professional. You shouldn’t be able to see any of the candle surface underneath. You’ll get glitter on your work surface, so put down newspapers beforehand to catch it. Tap the bottom of the candle gently against the surface when you’re done to knock off any extra glitter.^{[3]
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- Match the glitter color to your candle and your event. You might pair red glitter with a white candle for the holidays, for example, or put black glitter on an orange candle for Halloween.
4
Let the candle dry, then seal it with Mod Podge sealer. Leave the candle standing up on your work surface overnight to dry. When it’s dry, remove the paper cut outs and spray the glitter with Mod Podge clear sealer to help it stay on longer.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Painting Candles

1
Clean the candle surface with rubbing alcohol to remove any dust. Dampen a lint-free cloth with rubbing alcohol. Wipe the surface of the candle with it to prepare it for painting.^{[5]
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2
Dab your candle with candle varnish and let it dry overnight. Wet a makeup sponge with candle and soap colors varnish, then dab it across the surface of the candle in an even, smooth coat. Let it set overnight.^{[6]
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- Varnish prepares your candle for paint, keeping the paint in place and protecting it from wear and tear.
- You can find the varnish online or in craft stores.
3
Mark off the areas you don’t want to paint with tape or rubber bands. If you don’t want to paint your whole candle, you can make stripes or designs with painter’s tape or rubber bands. Press the paint or rubber bands flush against the candle to make them easy to paint around.^{[7]
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Tip: To make full stripes, pull a piece of tape all the way around the candle. Try making a plaid design by criss-crossing tapes of different widths.
4
Paint the candle with acrylic paint. Use acrylic paint and a thin paintbrush to paint your candle in a smooth, even layer. If you’re painting with different colors, paint all of the sections in one color before rinsing your brush and moving onto the next, or use separate brushes.^{[8]
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- Set down a newspaper on your painting surface to keep it clean.
5
Let it dry overnight and use varnish to give it a shiny finish. Check your candle the next day. If you can see the candle through the paint, apply another coat. Let it dry again, then remove the tape. To prevent the paint from chipping and give it a glossy appearance, you can dab an even coat of varnish over the entire candle.^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Decorating with Images on Tissue Paper

1
Print a photo onto white tissue paper. Cut a sheet of white or transparent tissue paper just smaller than a sheet of printer paper. Then, tape it onto the printer paper, shiny side down. Feed the paper into the printer so that your image prints onto the tissue side.^{[10]
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- Most printers flip the paper over before printing, so you’ll need to place your paper tissue side-down. Check your printer’s instructions to make sure.
- You can transfer a photo, an illustration, or even a few words onto your candle.
2
Cut out the picture. Use regular scissors to cut the picture out of the tissue paper. Leave a thin border around the edges, and make sure that your picture isn’t too big to fit completely on the side of your candle.^{[11]
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3
Place the picture on the candle and wrap wax paper around it. Wrap the picture around your candle so that it’s flush against it on all sides. Wrap a piece of wax paper tightly around it, covering the whole candle.^{[12]
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- Make sure there are no creases in the wax paper.
Tip: Use a white or very light-colored candle, which will show the picture most clearly.
4
Apply a heat tool, like a hair dryer or heat gun, to the picture. Run an embossing heat gun over the image to embed it into the candle. Watch the ink as you heat it—you should be able to see it coming through darker and more clearly, which means it’s done.^{[13]
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- If you don’t have a heat gun, use a hair dryer on the hottest setting. Use the diffuser attachment or wear gloves to protect your hands from the heat.
5
Peel off the wax paper gently and throw it away. Slowly and gently pull away the wax paper, like you’re peeling away a temporary tattoo. The picture should stay behind as a unique candle decoration.^{[14]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Embellishing Candles with Cute Items

1
Bedazzle your candles with plastic jewels. Buy rhinestones or plastic jewels at a craft store and use super glue to attach them to your candle. Arrange them in a cool pattern or fun design, or simply sprinkle them across the candle randomly. Use matching colors on a plain candle for the best look.^{[15]
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- You can also buy rhinestones with sticky backs that can attach directly to the candle.
2
Ring your candle with cinnamon sticks for a homey look and sweet scent. Buy enough cinnamon sticks to surround the candle. Place a small dot of hot glue on the back of each and press it against the candle, placing it vertically with the bottom in line with the bottom of the candle. Continue all the way around the candle, then tie a piece of ribbon around them for decoration.^{[16]
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- You can embellish it even more with a sprig of holly or cranberries.
3
Use a ribbon to tie flowers onto your candle. For a simple, pretty decoration, use matching ribbon to tie a real or fake flower to the outside of your candle. You can even layer on multiple ribbons for a fancier look.^{[17]
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- Consider removing the flowers or cutting them shorter as the candle burns down.
4
Wind bright yarn or fabric around the candle for a striped look. Choose a ribbon or yarn that matches or offsets your candle color, then twirl it around the candle to create a striped, candy cane effect. Tilting the ribbon at an angle, so that the stripes are slanting diagonally across the candle, makes it look even more professional.^{[18]
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Tip: Use hot glue or Mod Podge to hold a ribbon in place on your candle. Trim it as you burn the candle to keep it looking neat.
5
Glue on seashells and sand for a beachy vibe. Use a paintbrush to spread Mod Podge or liquid glue on the bottom half or third of your candle. Roll it through beach sand, then let it dry overnight. When it’s done, glue a shell just above the sand, or tie it on with twine or string.^{[19]
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- This method looks best with a plain white or cream candle.
- You can add as many seashells as you like.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I decorate an electric candle to make it look like wax is running down the sides?

Community Answer

You can melt some similar-colored crayon on the sides, or you can use hot glue to create a dripping effect and color it with acrylics.
Question

What do I use to draw patterns on a candle?

Undertale4141

Top Answerer

An interesting idea would be to use recycled wax from other used candles. You could melt a certain color of that candle wax into a pot and use a thin object such as a bobby pin to dip in the melted wax and draw on your candle. You could also take some household item and carve designs onto your candle.
Question

How do I add decorations onto the outer edges of the candle (seashells, etc.) so they are still visible?

Community Answer

I recently began crafting with seashells, making wreaths, centerpieces, candles, and candle holders. The prettiest ones incorporate twine or raffia wrapped a couple of times around the top, middle, or bottom of the candle (covering the bottom with glue and rolling it in sand is another alternative). Then I glue (hot gun or craft glue) a shell (starfish or small sand dollars) to the twine or above it and voila! I have also glued really tiny shells to cover the entire candle or to make patterns. After a couple of failures I realized that the key is to stick to one or two shell types to avoid it looking homemade. Amazon sells super tiny starfish (100 pieces for $9.99) that I love to use.