How to Make an Air Dry Clay Candle Holder

It's useful to knead the clay to loosen it up before you roll or shape it.

Having a small pot of water nearby can help join clay pieces and smooth down any rough edges. You can stir small lumps of clay into the water to create slip, which helps act as a sort of glue when you join pieces together.

To help achieve the right thickness when rolling sheets of clay, tape stacks of lolly sticks together to the height you want. When rolling out the clay, place the stacks at either side of the clay slab to roll a flat, even surface

Roll out a piece of clay until it's an even width. Using a knife or cutter, cut a circle for the base of your candle holder.

Then, roll out a long strip of clay, making sure it is not too thin and flimsy, ideally noless than ½ cm in thickness. Use the knife to cut a strip about 3 - 4cm wide - it can be as long as you want at this stage!

Wrap the strip around your candle to know what length the strip needs to be - remember that air dry clay shrinks slightly when it dries, so make sure you make this a little longer than the circumference of your candle!

Score and slip the adjoining edges and gently press them together, using lots of water or slip to smooth the join and make it as seamless as possible.

Score and slip the base of the tube you have created to join it to the circular base. Gently press down until it is secure.

You can use small rolls of extra clay to create a smooth join between the two pieces, simply wrap them around the tube and smooth them down using lots of water or slip.

Once you are happy with the shape, you can embellish your candle holder with a small cutout using a knife or cutters provided. Stick your shape by scoring the back and using lots of water or slip!

Allow to dry for 24-48 hours. Once it's dry and there are no dark patches showing, you can use sandpaper to lightly smooth down any rough edges or surfaces.

Shake off any dust and your napkin holder is complete!