If you have a rubber band, a can of spray paint and a glass jar (doesn’t matter whether from a candle or from kiddie food), you can create a sophisticated tealight holder that compliments your room and adds a spark of personality.

Ready? You can knock this out during a commercial break, honestly, and it would make a great homemade gift. 

Grab a bottle, grab some rubber bands

Before you start, take a second to think about how you want the finished candle holder to look. Remember, wherever you wrap the rubber band is where the jar will shine through clearly. Try to spread out the wraps of the rubber band so that they’re not touching each other– this will help you avoid just having a big unpainted void in the middle and look more haphazard. (If you wanna get fancy, use TWO rubber bands, a thick one and a thinner one. Don’t use one that’s too thin, though, or it won’t block the spray paint.)

It can be haphazard or planned– I wanted my final product to be striped, so I made sure the rubber bands lay flat and didn’t cross.

Grab your spray paint

All right, let’s have a wrap session. Look good? Grab your paint and head outside. Using your masking tape, tape around the inside top of your container. Then, stand well back and spray your first coat of thoughtfully chosen spray paint. Don’t spray it too thick! If you do, the rubber bands will try to pull it off. (Please see: my jar. I sprayed the paint too thick. Don’t be like Calamity.) Be smart! Two thin coats is the way to go.

See those jagged edges on the lines? That’s because I painted too thickly. Oh well. I was totally GOING for the a messy look. Yeah, that’s it…

Grab your tealight

And yeah, that’s it! Once you’re sure it’s dry, untape the top and caaaaaarefully remove the rubber bands from the now-painted candleholder. Look good? Toss a tealight in there and see how it goes. 

 

Your new color-coordinated, homemade accent piece is ready for a shelf, alcove, or coffee table near you!

Next steps: Now that you know the basic technique, you can go wild. Use two different colors! Or *glitter*! Use a bigger container and a more intricate rubber band design! You could draw a fancy letter on the front with a glass pen and give someone an amazing monogrammed gift. 

How do you think this project could be made more amazing? What else have you used your new container for? I combined it with a melted record bowl (tutorial here) to make a springtime centerpiece.