Hearth and Vine

DIY Projects, Gardening Tips, Decor, Crafts and Recipes

How to Make Rustic Candle Holders In About an Hour

by 37 Comments

This tutorial for rustic candle holders costs virtually nothing to make and took about 1 hour for nine pretty candlesticks.

rustic candle holder made from logs

This year I wanted to have a woodland theme for my Christmas decor. I know that making candlesticks from logs has been done before, what hasn’t, but this was the first time for me.

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Old firewood logs

We have a couple of woodpiles from trees that were cut down on the property. I tried to pick out the nicest looking round logs that were on the thinner side. 

Note: Before bringing them into the house, inspect for insects. Bang them on the ground and against each other to knock pests off. You could also place them in a low temperature over on a foil-covered cookie sheet for a few hours to kill any bugs.

Wild grapevine wreath made my hand.

It’s great to be able to use natural materials from your property to decorate your home. One project I have been loving lately is making my own grapevine wreaths. They look so pretty and it puts that invasive irritating vine to good use.

Making Rustic Candle Holders from Logs

Lining up log candlesticks

This was a team effort for my husband did a lot of the heavy work, but I know many of you ladies out there could easily pull this off.

First, he cut the logs on one side to make them square. Then I showed him how long to make each piece.  Boy was that sawdust messy!

I decided I would probably need about nine good size pieces for our dining room table.

Wood log in vice.

Next, we went to the basement and put each piece in a vice.

Drilling holes in logs for candlesticks

Using a 1-1/2-Inch Spade Drill Bit which we did buy at the hardware store, we drilled out the center, enough to fit a standard tealight.

Fitting tealight into log

I wanted the tealight to sit flush or slightly above the wood candle holders.

rustic candle holders from logs

Then I arranged them down the center of the table on a burlap runner. I few sprigs of boxwood completes the look.

Don’t these rustic candle holders have a nice woodland feel? I’m not sure, but I do like the way they turned out.

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P.S. If you enjoy using nature to decorate the table you may like this Natural Fall Centerpiece or this Fall Centerpiece using plants with fall color from your own backyard. You can find them and many more on my DIY Projects Page.

 

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Table decorated with rustic wood candle holders

About Patti Estep

Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Patti Estep says

      Hi Keith,

      I did not use a sealer. The logs I used were old fireplace logs that had long dried out, so sap was not an issue. You might want to search around to see what other people have done, since I’m not the first to have created this project. Perhaps they have used a sealer.

      Reply

  6. Nancy says

    You guys both did a great job on these! I love them and think they’d be great for Thanksgiving too…
    Wish I had branches….but the tree guy took them all away…and I guess I’m not so good with power tools….
    Nancy
    wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

    Reply

  10. Cristina at Ava's Alphabet says

    I love this project and your gorgeous tablescape. Garden Matter is quickly becoming one of my favorite sites to visit! Pinned and sharing! Thanks for sharing on Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party this week. Hope you will join us again on Sunday at 12 EST.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep says

      Hi Bibi,

      I’m so glad you liked it. I am a big fan of all things rustic and natural too.
      Have a great weekend and thanks for your kind comment (and the pin!)
      Patti

      Reply

  12. Jaclyn | One Thousand Oaks says

    These are so pretty! They would be great in birch too!! I will be on the lookout for some mini logs now!

    What did you use to make the photo collage of your last picture? I really like the lay out of it!

    Have a great day!

    -Jaclyn

    Reply

    • Patti Estep says

      Hi Jaclyn,

      I’m so glad you like the log candlesticks. I agree that they would look great make out of birch too. I used picmonkey.com to make the collage. Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

  17. Lori G. says

    Very nice, love the rustic look. I’ve often wondered how the hole for the tea light is made. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  18. Kim says

    What you did takes me back to my childhood , where I grew up and LOVE… This is perfect for gifts for my siblings . and my kids they all Love that Rustic look. So glad to find this MERRY CHRISTMAS

    Reply

    • Patti says

      Hi Kim,

      So glad you like it. Even though my husband helped with them, I really think I could have done this myself. The hardest part was finding the right size logs and enough that weren’t rotted. I know your family is going to love them too. Merry Christmas!
      Patti

      Reply

    • Patti says

      Thanks Kathy.
      It didn’t take long and I’m sure you could convince Frank to help you out!
      Also, I agree it would look great at your cabin. Get out while the weather is still nice and gather your logs.
      Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

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