Frugal Craft: Make a Halloween Candlestick

Nothing is creepier than dining by candlelight on a spooky Halloween evening. Those darkened corners and flickering shadows will send chills down anyone's spine; especially when the flame comes from a creepy, cobwebby candlestick! Most Halloween candlesticks are a little too cutesy for our family's taste; for a sinister looking candelabra, we make out own candlesticks from empty beer and wine bottles.

Making your own creepy Halloween candlesticks is really quite simple and inexpensive. It can also be done in a single afternoon, which makes it an excellent last minute Halloween prop.

Supplies

As you've probably guessed, the Halloween candlesticks shown were made from empty wine bottles in different shapes. Other supplies should include several sheets of crumpled newspaper, black spray paint, decoupage medium with brush, spray glue or 3M photo mounting glue, and a white 3D paint pen. This craft gets messy and you may want to set your supplies up in an out of the way part of the house or garage.

How to make the candlesticks

Begin by smoothing the newspaper into a flat surface, then tearing the sheets into large chunky pieces. Spray one side of the newspaper with photo mount (or other type of spray glue) and stick the paper to the bottle in a haphazard fashion. Continue applying the newspaper in this method until the entire bottle has been covered. The paper should be bumpy and wrinkled which is the effect we are after.

Bring the paper wrapped bottle outside and spray it with the black spray paint. Don't worry about under or over spraying; blotches add a great touch as well as under painted patches.

After the paint has dried, return the bottles indoors. Use a brush to apply the decoupage medium to the surface of the bottle. Run your hands over the wet decoupage to press the paper in place against the surface of the bottle. Some of the newsprint will gap, and other parts will wrinkle to create a ghoulish mummy wrap effect.