Decorate for Fall with Halloween Boot Candle Holders

Transform your child's outgrown cowboy boots into cute Halloween candle holders. They can be placed among you fall decor or prominently displayed as a centerpiece on any table in your home. Greet your fall guests with candlelit boots on each step leading up to your front porch. Children's boots seldom wear out before the child's foot grows, so even if you don't have any boots handy, they are easily found in great condition at yard sales or thrift stores for very little money.

The boots are painted with orange paint. You can use small bottles of orange acrylic craft paint, but because I paint so many crafts, I bought a gallon of orange flat wall paint. It was much more cost effective for me and I was able to choose and have mixed the exact shade of orange that I wanted. The boots I have used are child's sizes 6 to 13, but any size that will allow the votive candle holder to fit snuggly into the ankle portion of the boot is fine. This project used size 13.

I sell single (not as a pair) boot candle holders at fall craft shows. The quirky, one-of-a-kind appeal of these candle holders are an immediate draw to customers and I have trouble keeping enough made.

Children's laced boots
Orange acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Stencil brush
Red acrylic paint
Ruler
New pencil
Yellow acrylic paint
Wooden skewer
Black acrylic paint
White acrylic paint
Black permanent fine tip marker
1-inch wide ribbon
Scissors
Glass votive candle holders

Step 1
Remove the laces from the boots and set them aside. Paint the entire outer surface of the boots and the tongue using orange acrylic paint. You do not need to paint the bottoms of the boots. Different surfaces may soak up a lot of paint. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly and apply additional coats until you have achieved complete coverage.

Step 2
Paint faces centered on each side of the boot ankles. Dip a small stencil brush in red acrylic paint and dab two 1/2-inch circles spaced a 1/2-inch apart for the cheeks. Dip a new pencil eraser in yellow acrylic paint and dot a nose between the cheeks. Dip the blunt end of a wood skewer into black acrylic paint and dot two eyes above the nose. Allow the paint to dry.

Step 3
Dip the pointed end of the wood skewer into white acrylic paint and dot a highlight on each black eye and three dots on each red cheek. Draw a smile and add eyebrows using a black permanent fine tip marker.

Step 4
Measure the boot laces and cut 1-inch wide ribbons the same length. I used a black and white gingham for the boots shown, but any Halloween or fall ribbon will work. Lace the boots using the ribbon. Insert the glass votive candle holders into the ankle portion of the boots. Tie the laces into a bow and trim the ends.