The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
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Taking Time to Live Well

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Photography: Joe McIntyre

Photography: Joe McIntyre

Make | Candle Holder

Iona Bower January 9, 2021

Light your way to bed with this easy-to-make, no-kiln-required clay candle holder

This elegant candle holder is really easy to make with just a couple of inexpensive craft purchases. It’s one of three candle holder makes created by our talented Simple Things duo, Karen Dunn and Joe McIntyre. You can find the instructions for the other two in our January issue to add a bit of glow to dark January evenings.

You will need:

Air-drying clay
Rolling pin
Craft knife
Ruler, paper, pencil and scissors
Water
White acrylic paint
Clear matte varnish, optional (we used Mod Podge)

How to make:

1 Roll out your air-drying clay so it’s around 5mm thick. Next, draw a circle on your paper (9cm diameter – you can use a mug or tin to draw around if you don’t have a compass). Then draw a 12 x 1.5cm and a 30 x 1.5cm strip and cut out.Place your templates on top of your clay and cut around them with your craft knife. Cut two of the 12cm strips. If your clay is quite wet, leave it to dry out for around 30 mins.

2 Next, score the outside edge of your circle of clay with a craft knife and add a fingertip of water. Wrap the longest of your clay strips around the outside edge and press firmly against the sides. Next, score across the join and smooth together with your fingertips

3 Take one of your smaller strips and in the middle of the clay base create a smaller circle with the strip (make sure this is bigger than the base of your candle as the clay will shrink as it dries). Once you have made a ring with the strip of clay, score the bottom, add a fingertip of water and press the edge of the strip down gently to attach in the middle of the base.

4 Take your final strip of clay and lay it across the base of the circle – from the central ring to the inside edge of the outer strip of clay. Loop the strip over your finger and, using the same method as before, secure it to the outside edge. Allow the clay to dry for around 24-48 hours.

5 Once dry, paint your holder with acrylic paint. Then, when completely dry, cover with a layer of matte varnish for a protective finish.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our January issue…

Featured
Back cover.JPG
Jan 27, 2021
January | a final thought
Jan 27, 2021
Jan 27, 2021
Seaweed alamy.jpg
Jan 16, 2021
Nature | Seaweed Weather Forecasting
Jan 16, 2021
Jan 16, 2021
Tinker and Fix_June20_114.jpg
Jan 12, 2021
Organise | an excellent toolbox
Jan 12, 2021
Jan 12, 2021

More things to make on winter afternoons…

Featured
Lavender eye pillow.jpg
Jul 22, 2023
Make | A Soothing Lavender Eye Pillow
Jul 22, 2023
Jul 22, 2023
Modern Crochet Style PAGES2.PRESS 60.jpg
Apr 19, 2023
Weekend Project | Crocheted fruit placemats
Apr 19, 2023
Apr 19, 2023
bottle6.jpg
Mar 16, 2022
Make | A Macrame Bottle Holder
Mar 16, 2022
Mar 16, 2022



InMaking Tagsissue 103, Issue 103, candles, make, makes, craft, crafts, crafternoon
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  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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