How to Make Mini Pumpkin Candles

Miniature pumpkins are always so cute and irresistible to me when I see them at my local farmer's market. But instead of just using them as a mantel decoration, how about making a little more use of them? Here is a project that you can use mini pumpkins for that take practically no time and make a great conversation piece. And you can display these for both Halloween or Thanksgiving. Here is how you can make mini pumpkin candles at home!

What you'll need:

- mini pumpkins

- a mini pumpkin carver or paring knife

- plain votive candles (or tea light candles)

- scissors

- aluminum foil

- scooper or spoon

Start by carving the tops of the mini pumpkins off. You can actually do this by slicing a small circle from the top in (about the width of a votive candle). Throw the tops away.

Next, scoop out the inside of the mini pumpkin. Hollow it out enough to fit your candle inside.

Then insert the votive candle inside the pumpkin. It should be a snug fit. If you need a little more room, you can just scoop out a little more from inside. If the hole is too big, it will actually work out anyway because as the candle burns, the wax will spread out.

As a final step, I would recommend cutting out small circles of aluminum foil to place under each pumpkin, as the bottoms of the pumpkins might get a bit damp with the candles burning, and the foil will help to protect your furniture.

These mini pumpkin candles should be able to last a few weeks, if not a full month, so using them from Halloween to Thanksgiving is very feasible. However, you should remember that since these are technically real pumpkins, it might be best to create these candle holders just a few days before your event, party, or dinner. And also envision the possibilities, like throwing in a fall-scented candle instead of just a plain votive (think Pumpkin Pie scent from Yankee Candle, for example). And you can also surround the pumpkins with real fallen leaves from outside or fake leaves bought at your local department store in the craft section. Just remember that with a live flame, you should never leave a candle burning alone in case of fire.

This is a great weekend afternoon project with the older kids (under close adult supervision, of course). And it will have your guests talking about how adorable they are. It just proves that you can decorate on a budget and still have quite a pretty decoration to show for it.