The Coziest Fall DIY: Pumpkin Candle Painting 

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By now you probably know how much I love fall…and DIYs…and thrifting. Even better when I have the opportunity to combine all three things together. After finding some white mini taper candles at our local flea market, I recently have had the opportunity to do just that (much like THIS fall thrifted candle DIY!) which I have been dying to share with you guys! Enter the coziest fall DIY around: pumpkin candle painting. Perfect for a rainy afternoon project or evening activity with your best girlfriends, these easy fall painted candles are flexible, inexpensive and can be applied to a wide variety of styles and candle types. With very little expertise needed, these candles come together so easily and make a gorgeous addition to any tablescape or fall decor. So, if you are looking for a cozy fall DIY, look no further than this quick pumpkin candle painting project! 

Supplies

One of the many reasons I love this fall DIY is how easy and adaptable it can be for the items you have on hand or might find near you! Simply grab a candle base, colored tea lights, toothpicks and paint brushes to create an endless amount of beauty. 

I used mini white taper candles with four colored tea light candles to act as the “paint”, however feel free to use large taper candles, pillar candles etc. for whatever style you would prefer. Likewise, customize your designs with different colors of tea lights to fit with your fall palette, or even readapt this DIY for Christmas, spring or summer colors to continue this method of candle painting year round! 

• Candles – I found my mini taper candles at my local flea market, but they are similar to these HERE
• Colored tea light candles 
• Small paint brushes 
• Toothpicks 
• Parchment paper, paper plate or other work surface 
• Tape
• Paper Towels 

Pumpkin Candle Painting: Steps 

1 – The first step to beginning your pumpkin painted candles is to lay out all of your supplies. Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and tape down the corners to prevent it from sliding around. Dampen a paper towel and lay to the side. Assemble the colored tea lights you will be using in addition to the toothpicks, paint brushes and of course, your main candles. 

2 – Next, light your colored tea light candles and wait a few minutes to let the wax melt a bit. 

3 – Begin to make each pumpkin by dipping your preferred paint brush into the hot wax (be sure to not get too close to the flame to prevent melting your bristles). With the hot wax, draw three little stripes next to one another, re-dipping your paint brush as needed. 

4 – Continue painting groupings of three little stripes around the candle. Once you have the first layer of each of your pumpkins, repeat the process above on top of each pumpkin to create a second layer. This will help start to give more dimension and a bolder color to each design. 

5 – After you have done two layers, use a toothpick to clean up the edges of each pumpkin. This helps to make the pumpkin form more distinguishable as any pieces of stray wax are easily removable with your tooth pick. Once the edges are finished, draw two lines between each stripe of wax to create the ridges of your pumpkin. 

You can see in the picture above that the pumpkin at the top of the candle has been cleaned up with the toothpick while the pumpkin below has not been touched, so this step definitely makes a big difference. 

6 – Proceed with cleaning up each of the pumpkins with your toothpick before wiping the candle with the damp paper towel to remove any excess wax shavings. 

7 – After the wax shavings have been removed, clean out your paint brush as needed (just scrape away extra clumps of wax) and use it to add a third layer of orange wax to each pumpkin. The wax should primarily adhere to the first two layers, however if any spills over onto the candle, feel free to remove the excess with your toothpick again. 

From my experience, the three layers on each pumpkin help to provide the most ideal color and texture, however if you feel you need a fourth, feel free to add as needed. Congratulations, the base of your pumpkins is finished! 

8 – Next, repeat the same process as above for the pumpkin stems. Add two layers of brown (or green or orange) before shaping with the toothpick, wiping with the paper towel and adding a third layer. 

9 – Once your pumpkins are totally complete, feel free to stop there or add a few polka dots as I did here in a cranberry color. To do so, simply repeat the steps above for each dot. 

10 – If you are looking for a whole set of pumpkin candles, repeat steps 3 through 9 for each candle! I decided to make three pumpkin candles, two vine candles and two polka dot candles, but I used the same techniques to create these designs as those used when creating the pumpkins, so if desired, experiment with other patterns as well! 

Do be aware that the color of the wax does reduce slightly the longer the tea light candle burns, so if you want the same vibrancy, either light another candle or add a few more layers as needed. 

11 – Continue painting the other candles in your set then step back to admire your beautiful work! 

Once finished, simply blow out the tea light candles, wash your brushes with soap and hot water and enjoy your new pumpkin painted candles! 

Final Thoughts 

Whether you are taking on this fall DIY by yourself or with friends, these pumpkin painted candles are perfect for bringing a bit of fun seasonality to your home, or even to give as gifts to others! I love how well the orange, cranberry and brown tones pulled together with the dahlias I already had on my table and I can’t wait to enjoy them these next fall months. This project is really so simple and with many items you likely already have on hand (or can come by relatively inexpensively), it makes for a wonderfully cozy afternoon or evening project as the sun creeps down earlier and earlier. And, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor for many months to come! But, I have to know! Have you ever tried pumpkin candle painting? Or would you?! Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to share with another fall DIY loving friend! 

Happy painting!

Chloe

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