Celebrate light amidst Winter’s long nights with a DIY window candelabra inspired by Scandinavian tradition. Make this project affordably using scrap wood!
When it comes to holiday decorating, my style usually comes to life in two ways:
- Bringing the outdoors in.
- Celebrating my Scandinavian heritage through handmade decor and crafts.
I’ve been wanting to light our front window with a candelabra since we bought this old house 6 years ago. Window candelabras or adventsljusstakar in Swedish, are often used for Advent or to bring a welcoming glow during long winter nights and are common across Scandinavia.
Window candelabras are an investment cost-wise though. I love this candelabra from Star Trading and a few other online retailers, but with shipping from Sweden, the cost is over $100 smackers, and I’m not sure it would get here in time to enjoy for Winter Solstice.
I was pulling into the garage one afternoon and spotted our big stash of scrap wood collected throughout the year. At that moment it dawned on me; I could make a candelabra pretty darn affordably using scrap wood!
My candelabra has a few tweaks, it’s smaller in scale to proportionally work in our windows. It has a curved base that echoes the curves of the candle arms, and it’s cordless! Battery-powered candles from our Christmas tree candle stash eliminate the power cord trailing down from the window sill.
I’m excited to team up with Handy Products to bring you this project. We use their Handy Paint Pail for all our interior paint projects, and their Craft Cup is great for smaller paint projects like this one. Read on for the how-to!
Materials:
- 2×8 Nominal Scrap Boards
- Four 1-1/4” wide Spacer Boards for Clamping/Assembling
- 2-3 Table Clamps
- Jigsaw with General Purpose Blade (Make sure it’s long enough to cut through 1-1/2” boards)
- Printable Template Printed on Card Stock and Cut Out
- Circular Saw
- Belt Sander or Orbital Sander, 80 grit and 150 grit sanding discs
- 150 Grit Sandpaper Sheet for “Finishing” Hand-sanding
- Cordless Drill
- 1-1/4” Finishing Screws
- Wood Glue
- Wood Filler
- Small Level or Ruler
- Self-sealing Paint
- Handy Craft Cup
- Paint Brush
- Metal Candle Cups
- Heavy Duty All-purpose Adhesive
- 5 Flameless Candles
First and Foremost…
Gather all supplies and tools. This takes time up front, but will save time (and unnecessary trips to the hardware store later for forgotten materials).
Cut Out & Sand Candelabra Parts
Print out template on card stock and cut out. Trace shapes onto wood.
Tip: The side of the board that’s facing up will have the cleanest, most accurate jigsaw cut. Therefore, when tracing the second small and large curved arms onto your board, I recommend flipping the template over for the mirror image of the first set of candle arms. You’ll hopefully end up with a more symmetrical candelabra this way.
Cut out curved ones with a jigsaw. Use a circular saw for the straight candle arm for the cleanest cut.
Sand wood shapes with a belt sander, orbital sander or sandpaper. Start with 80 grit; then move up to 150 grit. I show an orbital sander, but the belt sander worked best for sanding the curves.
Assemble Candelabra
Lay out the four curved arms on the lower half of the straight candle arm. The large candle arms should be flush with the bottom of the straight arm and the smaller arms placed just above. Use 1-1/4” spacer boards between arms to help with accurate placements. Mark their locations on the side of the straight arm with a pencil mark, so you’ll know where to attach them.
Attach the smaller curved arms first. Smear wood glue on the end grain of each small candle arm, and attach to the straight candle arm. Position spacer boards between arms and clamp in place as shown above.
Drill two pilot holes, at roughly a 45-degree angle, on the underside of each small arm. Make sure to continue the pilot hole into the straight candle arm, as well. The goal is to create a clear path for the screw to join the curved and straight candle arms. Then add screws at each of the 4 pilot holes. Once screws are in, remove clamps.
Apply wood filler to screw holes and gaps where the candle arms join together. When the wood filler is dry, sand smooth by hand sanding or with your powered sander.
Next attach large curved candle arms in the same process as the smaller arms. See above for suggested clamp positioning.
Once arms are attached, sand down any uneven spots. We’re going for sweeping, smooth curves. The goal is to make the arms look like one seamless piece.
Attach curved base to candelabra. Place the arms atop the base, and stand a level or ruler on end to ensure the candle arms are perpendicular to the table. Attach the base with two screws through the underside. Drill pilot holes first, then screw. Fill screw holes with wood filler.
Paint Candelabra + Finishing Touches
Pour paint into Handy Craft Cup, and apply the first coat of your desired color. Most likely, the paint will raise the wood grain and make it pretty prominent in some areas. Not to worry, just sand down that raised grain, and apply a second coat of paint. The grain will still be mildly visible, but it’ll be smooth and professional looking!
Note: I use the Handy Craft Cup for craft projects for a few key reasons. The Handy Craft Cup has a wonderful ergonomic thumb hole and is incredibly lightweight keeping paint conveniently at my fingertips while applying it.
The Craft Cup’s dimensions are deep enough to discourage splattering, and wide enough to set down without tipping. The Cup is reusable—guaranteed for life!—and made in the USA. Sure beats the throw-away paper plate I had been using!
The Handy Craft Cup also has a coordinating paint cover that seals up paint right in the cup, making it easy to pause between coats (or if I’m pulled away) without having to rinse everything each time.
Last But Certainly Not Least…
Use all-purpose adhesive to attach brass cups to tops of candle arms. Use flameless candles in candle holders for the safest way to light your new piece.
That’s a wrap on this candelabra! I look forward to illuminating our front window well into the New Year. Tell me, what Holiday projects are you working on this year?
This project is brought to you in partnership with Handy Products. Thank you for supporting brands I personally use and truly love.
