Here is a wonderful DIY Day of the Dead prayer candle idea. These whipped clay treasures are extremely satisfying to make and a feast to look at. This project is a sneak peek from my upcoming book, and I asked my publisher if I could share and here we are!
Decoden is the technical term and I have other projects with that technique using cell phone cases, purse compacts and more. But for this – we’re decorating prayer candles for Dia de Muertos.
Here is my video tutorial of these DIY Day of the Dead Candles using whipped clay!
My inspiration is from the sugar skulls decorated with frosted icing.
Why not combine the candles with the calacas? Bring on that whipped clay! I bought this box at Michaels, but you can also find it online. You can even use bathroom caulk and add craft paint and the put in the cake icing bag. That’s kinda a lot of work – so I opted for the ready-to-go version.
Supplies for your DIY Day of the Dead Prayer Candles using whipped clay
Prayer candle, wiped clean (you can find these at the dollar or grocery store)
Small embellishments
Paper towels for clean-up
Each box comes with four colors.
Def use your coupon and buy two boxes if you are working on a bigger project. I used all the colors and even mixed and matched them.
You’ll find a small bag of icing tips. There is a liner and various flower and starburst designs.
The texture reminds me of smooth peanut butter. It looks light and airy but is stable enough to embed items.
Add the whipped clay!
Hold your candle steady, but if you are worried about it rolling around, create a stationary area to keep it propped up. If you do lay if flat, make sure to have support on both sides because it will roll wherever it is the heaviest.
Light and sparse or thick and concentrated – you choose. I am very heavy handed so of course I covered all of the surface with the whipped clay.
For safety reasons, keep the design well below the top of the candle.
Now it’s time to place your items.
Small silk flowers
Gems, sequins, glitter
Beads and pendants
Letter or word beads.
Do this before the clay hardens (about 30 minutes). Use one for the focal point then add other accents all around. As you can see, I used different methods because I wanted to show contrast when they were placed together.
Set your candle to dry overnight. It’s so thick you’ll need the extra time to make sure it’s cured. It doesn’t melt, it holds up really well, even in Arizona. These were stored in my garage and they held up nicely!
I hope you enjoyed this DIY Day of the Dead Prayer Candles project!
