How to Make Tealight Candle Holders from Paper Bags

Learn how to make tealight luminaries from paper bags.

Knowing how to make tealight candle holders from paper bags will mean that you can make your own special candle luminaries for every occasion.

Tealight holders made from paper bags are often called luminaries. These make an attractive way to display tealights and are ideal for both indoors and outdoors. While luminaries are often used to add decorative light to driveways or patio areas, they also make pretty decorations around a fireplace or on a mantel.

How to Make Tealight Candle Holders from Paper Bags

If you've been wondering how to make tealight candle holders from paper bags then you are likely to be surprised at how easy it is. This is a good project for children as well as adults.

Materials

Very few materials are required to make candle holders from paper bags. The essentials are as follows:

  • Paper bags - lunch or similar sized paper bags are a good size for making paper bag luminaries. It is important that the bags are self standing when open. Both white and brown paper bags work well. Colored paper bags are available from craft stores, particularly around holiday time. These can make an attractive design feature and can coordinate with other decorative features.
  • Sand - this plays an important part in the creation of paper bag luminaries. The sand is essential for weighting the paper bag candle holders and this will stop the bags from blowing away or tipping over. The sand also forms a firm base for the candles to sit on.
  • Decorations - one of the joys of making your own paper bag candle holders is that you can decorate and customize them as required. There are many ways to decorate the bags, including rubber stamps, making holes with hole punches or by pricking holes with a needle, or simply cutting shapes out of the bag. Use what ever materials you have at hand to add decorations to the paper bags. The decorative effect will depend on the look you are hoping to achieve. Holes will allow the candlelight to sparkle through the paper bag whereas rubber stamped images will give a dark pattern on the bag.

Instructions

  1. Decorate the paper bag - it is best to decorate the paper bags before placing the sand in the bag.
  2. Add the sand - add about two inches of sand to each paper bag. There should be enough sand to make a firm base for the candle and to help the bag to hold its shape.
  3. Add the candle - when you are ready to use the luminaries, simply place a candle inside, making sure it is upright and central before lighting.

Tips

Here are some tips for making paper bag tealight holders:

  • If you are making a number of luminaries for a special party or celebration, decorate the paper bags in advance, they can then quickly be filled with sand on the day of the party or celebration.
  • Use a simple office hole punch to punch holes around the top of the paper bags in a random design.
  • If you don't have any rubber stamps then try cutting a shape from a potato and using paint to create images and designs on the paper bags.

Safety Note

Paper bag luminaries combine candles with naked flames and paper. In order to make this combination as safe as possible it is important to weight the paper bags down with sand and to ensure that the bag does not touch the naked flame. If you have any concerns about making and using this type of candle holder then consider using flameless or battery candles. These are particularly effective in luminaries as they provide the illusion of candle light without the concerns. Paper bag luminaries should never be left unattended while containing a lit candle.

Now you know how to make tealight candle holders from paper bags, you can make your own low cost and customized candle holders for any occasion.