Let’s make easy pumpkin candle holders, what do you think?
What Can I Use to Hold Candles?
Use Jars and More to Hold Candles
First of all, many items can be used to hold candles. For example, empty jars, mason jars, trays, a glass plate, a slice of wood, teacups, or even a charcuterie board especially for a centerpiece. Get the easy details to make your own! Think of all the possibilities, a hot chocolate bar, smores board, spice, and apple desserts.
Imagine how pretty this will be for a dining table, especially for Thanksgiving. Add small pumpkins, medium pumpkins, and fall foliage with this tea-light pumpkin candle holder. Even dried flowers from your garden, dried hydrangeas, or fake flowers from Michaels craft store. Even pine cones, acorns, and nuts in the shell work great with these natural candle holders.
During this time of year, candles add a touch of romance to dining tables, lanterns, or even pumpkins. Whether these are real pumpkins or fake pumpkins from the craft store. You can even find small pumpkins at your local grocery store.
By the way, pumpkins aren’t the only pieces that can be used to hold candles. Think about using oranges, green apples, red apples, pears, and artichokes to name a few. I often say nature gives us many gifts to use in our home decorating for the seasons.
What’s the Purpose of a Candle Holder?
The Purpose of Pieces Under a Candle
For the most part, the primary function of candle holders is to provide a secure and safe base for candles to avoid any mishaps. Placing a lighted candle without a sturdy base is a disaster waiting to happen. Even a slight push can cause the candle to fall over, and the tablecloth or curtains might catch fire.
What Color Combinations to Use?
Color Combinations to Use for Pumpkins
There are many paint color combinations to use for fake gourds and pumpkins.
This will continue to be an easy process. Think of nature when choosing colors. Pumpkins come in a variety of colors.
For example, dry brush dark avocado, and after it dries a bit add another layer of color. How about a lighter green to add more texture and a realistic look? Here’s an example, of this process to make these look like Heirloom gourds from the pumpkin patch.
Also, dark orange paint and add white paint to the orange mix together for a lighter orange and layer it on top for another Heirloom look.
How about using a grey/blue color this will give the look of a Cinderella pumpkin. These are beautiful but hard to find in NJ.
Another example is to use white paint and add dark green into the creases of the pumpkins for tea-light candle holders. Remember to always take a look at nature for inspiration.
Supplies Needed:
- Small pumpkins fake or real – the color of your choice
- white craft paint – optional
- light brown wax or raw umber craft paint – optional
- small chip brush
- small stencil brush
- paper towel or rag
- utility knife be extremely careful
Remove the Stem and Make an Opening
Removing the Stem and Making an Opening
Step 1
Before cutting the pieces for the pumpkin candle holders remove the stem. For a fake pumpkin, the stem should pull right out or twist out. For a real pumpkin simply cut the stem off.



By the way, make sure you don’t throw the real stem away. Why? The stems are great to dry and add to your fall decor next year.
I save my stems every year from our pumpkins on our front porch and have quite a collection. You can visit my natural elements home tour and get a glimpse of a tiny bit of the collection of dry stems and preserved acorns in my home tour and the best part, I share how to preserve these for years to come.
Step 2
Next, place your tealight candle on top of your small pumpkin and trace. Next step, use a utility knife and carefully cut the hole for the candle. After cutting the hole take some of the foam out to fit the depth of the tea light.
However, if you are using a real pumpkin remove the seeds. Most of all, don’t forget to clean the seeds and save them to roast. Roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious and a healthy snack.
Adding a Realistic Look Fake Gourds With Paint
Add A Real Look to Faux Gourds and Texture With Paint
Step 3
Now step 3 is optional however it is so quick and makes a huge difference with these fake pumpkins it adds a realistic look. I simply dry brush them with white craft paint.



To dry brush dip a small chip brush in the paint and wipe the excess off on a paper towel or rag. There should be barely any paint on the brush. Next, brush on the paint and let them dry for about 10 minutes.
By the way, this can be done to orange pumpkins as well. Simply buy craft paint in a lighter or darker shade of orange and use the same dry brush technique. These are affiliate links.
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Lastly to add even more of a natural look add either light brown wax as I did or use raw umber craft paint. I suggest a small stencil brush for this step. Add a bit of wax or paint and immediately blend it with a rag. I mainly add this to the creases to give the pumpkins a shadow. This gives these the look they have when buying small pumpkins or even gourds at the farmstand, pumpkin patch, or food store.


Adding Tealight Holders to Your Home
Adding These Tealights to Your Tables for a Gathering
Finally, how about adding these as centerpieces, scattered on a coffee table with other fall elements such as corn husks, pumpkins, acorns, or bare branches from the yard for the comfy and cozy fall season?
These candles will look pretty on the Thanksgiving table don’t you think? These pieces will be perfect for a Halloween party too!
I hope you enjoyed this quick idea for making easy pumpkin candle holders and making these for an event or you are having for the fall season.
Other Posts of Interest!
Paint Plastic Pumpkin to Look Real
I only like “easy!” These are really cute, Cindy. I love how they look with your acorns, bark candle, and dried oranges.
Thanks so much Amy! These are really easy
I love this will have to try making this!
Hope you give these a try. They are very easy!
This is such a clever idea, Cindy. I LOVE how they turned out. I may just have to borrow this idea for my Thanksgiving table. I pinned it so I would be sure to remember it. Thanks for sharing!
You did a great job with the paint to make them look so classy. I’m always too afraid to mess with real candles with pets and a toddler around but I have stash of LED ones which this would be great for.
These are really cute and a great idea to have them at place settings. Happy Thursday.
Love these Cindy. Sadly I have not been able to find white pumpkins this year, lots of orange but no white. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Cindy – This is such a cute idea! Wouldn’t these look great scattered down the center of a Thanksgiving table? (Yes! They would!).
I love your ideas, Cindy. VERY clever. I hope you have a wonderful fall weekend. xo Diana
Thanks sweet Diana.
These are so cute Cindy! I love that they can be used throughout the fall season, for Halloween and even Thanksgiving. They’re totally fabulous. Thanks so much for the heads up on saving the stems. I always forget to do that. Loving and pinning, CoCo
Oh saving the stems is the law in our house. I got some good ones again this year.
Very cute idea, Cindy! Great for a Thanksgiving table.
That’s the plan and I may make a few more.
I love DIY’s that are simple but look amazing and this one does just that! I would love to try this sometime so I’m pinning now!! Thanks for sharing your creativity!
Thanks Donna, these are so easy and look elegant.
These are absolutely adorable Cindy. I like the idea of one per table setting at Thanksgiving. Cute!
Absolutely, I mat get more. Thanks so much for always visiting
Cindy,
what a great idea!! Love it!! Thanks for the inspiration and thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs,
Deb
Love this idea Cindy! These tea light pumpkin holders came out so cute.
This is such a great project! Love how you styled them as well!!!
The pumpkins do indeed look real. Very pretty! I’m here from All About Home party. Would love for you to share each week at the Home Matters Party Thursday (9pm est) through Monday. Hope to see you this Thursday!
I love these! I’ll be featuring them tonight on Crafty Creators. Congrats!
Niki | Life as a LEO Wife
Cindy, these are so pretty. I appreciate you sharing this tutorial.
Visiting today from IMM #125