DIY Ghost Tea Light Holder
Light your Halloween nights with this ghost tea light holder! This spooky DIY candle holder, made with air dry clay, is such a fun and easy craft for fall and Halloween.
These tealight ghosts are SO CUTE and really simple to make — no special tools required! Follow our step by step photo and video tutorials and make this boo-tiful autumn decor. Then place your clay ghost over a flameless tealight and enjoy!
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How to Make a Ghost Tea Light Holder
Equipment:
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Styrofoam ball(1-1/2 inch diameter)
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Bowl(6 inch diameter)
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Water (for smoothing clay)
Check Out The Video Tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
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Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Make the ghost tealight base
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Use a craft knife to cut the bottom 1/3 off the styrofoam ball.
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Set the ball, flat side down, on the bottom of a small paper cup.
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Cover the ball and cup with a piece of saran wrap. Set aside.
Step 3: Roll out the clay
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Place the ball of clay between two pieces of plastic wrap. This will stop the clay from sticking to your rolling pin and work surface.
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Roll the clay both vertically and horizontally, so the clay forms a rough circular shape.Keep rolling until the clay is about 1/4 inch thick.
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Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and gently place a bowl upside-down on top of the clay.Use a craft knife to cut around the bowl.
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Remove the bowl (it might stick a bit at first), and then remove the excess clay around the cut circle.
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Dip your fingers in water and then use your fingertips to smooth out the edges of the clay.
Step 4: Form the ghost shape
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Place the clay circle on top of the Dixie cup form, centering it.Gently mold the front of the clay on both sides, creating folds in the ghost.
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Arrange the back of the ghost so that the clay drapes in waves there as well.
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Make any final adjustments and smoothing until you’re happy with the look of your ghost.
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Push a straw into the front of the ghost to make 2 eyes and a mouth. Move the straw around gently to create larger eyes, or a mouth of a different shape.
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Dip your finger in water and rub the clay to smooth out and remove any imperfections.
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Allow the clay ghost to dry for at least 24 hours.Check on the ghost and leave it for another day (48 hours total) if it isn’t completely dry.
Step 5: Final touches
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Once the clay ghost is dry, remove it from its form.
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Use the craft knife or a thin nail file to remove any sharp edges from the eyes and mouth.
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Your ghost tea light holder is complete!Place your ghost tealight overtop of a flameless tealight candle, dim the lights, and enjoy!
Helpful Tips:
- Allow gravity to help you shape your tealight ghost. Let the clay fall in gentle curves and just use your fingers to smooth out the edges.
- If your clay isn’t fully dry after 1 day you can remove it from the form. This will allow more air to reach the inside of the ghost.
What type of clay is used to make a ghost tea light holder?
We used Sculpey air dry clay to make these ghost tea light holders, which we also used to make our clay flowers. It’s a really flexible, soft clay that’s nice to work with, and it dries a really crisp white.
We also recommend DAS air dry modeling clay, which we’ve used to make clay monsters and a clay bear. You can use any type of air dry clay to make your ghost tealight, but different clays may give you different results — and have different drying times.
How many ghost tealights can you make from 1 package of clay?
This depends on the exact size of your ghost tea light holder and how thick you roll the clay. You should be able to make at least 6 ghost tealights from a 2.2 pound (1 kilogram) package of Sculpey clay.
Can I use a real candle with my ghost tea light holder?
We recommend using a flameless tealight (aka a battery operated candle). This way you get the cool flickering candle look without worrying about heat damaging the ghost, or soot building up inside the ghost.
Do I need to paint or varnish my ghost tealight?
Since our clay dried a nice, bright white colour, we left the ghost tea light holder as is. If your clay isn’t white, or you want a different colour of ghost, you can paint the tealight holder with acrylic paint. You could even use glow in the dark paint!
Or you can give your ghost tealight a bit of a shine by brushing on a coat of gloss or super gloss mod podge. This will also help seal the clay, which is better for humid environments.
Make a statement in your home with this ghoulish candle holder, or give one as a homemade gift. This ghost tea light holder is the perfect combination of fun and eerie, an awesome handmade decoration for the spooky season!
Here’s even more fun craft ideas:
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Candles
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
