When it comes to Halloween decor, my preferred aesthetic is spooky-but-not-too-spooky. These dripping blood candle holders fit right in with that look! Making them is extremely easy because gravity does most of the work. They’re a great finishing detail for a Halloween mantel, centerpiece, or anywhere else you need a little touch of creepy!
Project estimate:
- Glass candle holders or jars, on hand or $1 and up
- Red glass paint, on hand or about $2 and up*
- Wax paper, on hand or $1 and up
- Red LED candles, $1
Total: $1 and up
* I used DecoArt’s Americana Gloss Enamels in transparent red for a fairly realistic blood look.
To make my candle holders I used these votive holders from Dollar Tree that look like mini fish bowls. But you can do this project will all kinds of different glass candle holders, even small jars out of your recycling bin!
Lay out some newspaper and top with a piece of wax paper – this is gonna get messy!
Flip your containers upside-down on the wax paper and then pour some glass paint over them. I used a paintbrush to push the paint around and make it drip where I wanted. Then just let them sit still to drip and dry.
When the paint is completely dry, carefully peel away the wax paper. If needed, use a craft knife to remove any excess paint from around the top of the candle holder, giving it a more finished look.
Read the instructions on your glass paint – some paints (especially multi-surface paints) will cure as they air dry, while other paints (especially glass-specific paints) will have directions for curing in the oven.
Then pop in a candle and enjoy! I found some red battery-powered votive candles, also from Dollar Tree, that I thought would be a great compliment to the dripping blood look.
