DIY A Stunning Fall Candle Centerpiece Using Dollar Tree Supplies

In the fall, when the night falls ever earlier, there's something about a lit candle that makes us feel like everything's right with the world. This is, perhaps, why so many Dollar Tree crafters (like you) undertake candle crafts during the autumn months. They know that from the store's abundant stock comes a towering fall centerpiece, whose shape and embellishments are inspired by square garden gazebos and the autumn leaves that decorate the ground around them.

To begin, you'll need four Dollar Tree Crafters Square Wood Dowels and two CALPALMY 4-inch by 4-inch Wooden Craft Boxes for the piece's gazebo-like structure. Although the latter isn't from Dollar Tree, it has a price similar to DT's, making it accessible to the budget crafter. This crafting set comes in a batch of 12 and costs around $19. If you're planning on making more than one of these tall centerpieces for an occasion like Thanksgiving dinner, it makes sense to buy them in bulk. Next, pick up some Luminessence LED Pillar Candles. Because this stunning Dollar Tree fall centerpiece is made primarily from wood, flameless candles are the best option to light it up (and avoid a fire hazard).

To complete the centerpiece, grab a couple of decorative elements to give it an autumn vibe. While the wood boxes and dowels are plain when you buy them, a little metallic spray paint in gold or copper gives the structure a more fall-like hue. Finish off the list with a glue gun and faux floral accessories, like silk leaves and green floral foam to hold them in place. 

Before you start, check the candles. Do they flicker? Are they a warm golden color? If not, you may want to replace them. It's the flickering light and the golden glow that make LEDs look more like real candles. As for the "gazebo" portion of this easy Dollar Tree DIY, it's the first thing you'll build because it houses all the other elements of the project. Start by gluing one wooden dowel in each corner of one of the 4-inch by 4-inch boxes. Simply put a dab of glue in each of the four corners. Or, to make it extra secure, add glue to both the floor and the corner walls. The dowels will stand up inside the boxes, so you'll have to hold them in place until the glue sets. 

Once that's dry, add glue to the inside corners of a second box and place it on top of the dowels to create the roof. Next, spray paint it and allow it to dry. Put a dab or two of glue in the bottom of the gazebo, and place your Green Foam Pot Insert inside it, centering it as much as you can. For best results, put the foam's wider side on the bottom. Then, push the stems of the silk fall leaves into the Styrofoam, followed by the candle on top.

The single dowels are lovely in this piece because their shapes offer a visual juxtaposition to the square box. However, you'll create a more stunning fall centerpiece if you augment the contrast between the two shapes. You can do this by gluing bundles of three dowels together and using those as supports in place of a single dowel in each corner. You may need to use smaller half-inch Crafters Wood Dowels so they'll fit inside the boxes. Aside from making the structure stronger, the columns constructed of three dowels will be more visually pleasing. The human eye naturally likes groups of three, which is why design theory relies so heavily on the rule of three.

And if your fall candle centerpiece isn't festive enough, consider swapping out the LED pillar candle for one of Dollar Tree's Autumn Leaf Glasses, which you can fill with a tealight, a pillar candle, or another small LED light from the store. (Be sure to test that the candle fits inside the glass before leaving DT.) These glasses are decorated with fall leaves and acorns, giving the piece even more seasonal charm.

Finally, if you still feel like this fall centerpiece could use a bit more autumn flair, try wrapping a garland of faux fall leaves around the dowels. Glue the ends of the garland inside the boxes to keep them hidden. Moreover, bows in autumn colors can be tied to the tops and bottoms of the dowels to give the garlands a more polished look.