Thanksgiving Terracotta Votive Holders

Hi everyone! Can you believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow?!! Yikes. I just finished up some little favors I’m bringing along to my brother and sister-in-love’s house. I thought I’d share them with you today, even though it would be almost impossible for you to replicate (if you so desired) given how close the holiday is.

But you could certainly tuck the idea away (pin it) or use it for Christmas, even. They are sweet, little terra cotta votive holders that take almost no time at all to put together.

My votive holder requires very little time and few materials to put together.

Materials for Terracotta Votive Holders

Materials:

1. Small terracotta pots
2. Terracotta-colored polymer clay
3. Rolling pin (brayer or dowel)
4. Mini cookie cutter (heart, turkey, maple leaf, etc.)
5. Off white chalk paint
6. Sponge brush
7. Clean rag
8. Sand paper
9. Hot glue
10. Tealight candle

Step 1. Make the heart-shaped embellishments by rolling out terracotta-colored polymer clay, cutting them out with a mini cookie (or canape) cutter, and baking them for about 20 minutes to harden (see package instructions). Alternatively, you could paint small wooden hearts.

Step 2. Next, give your pots a coat of watered-down paint. I used Americana Decor chalk paint in “Lace,” because I love the softness of the color. [I tried both white and off-white craft paint but did not like either result.]

When you apply the paint, you don’t want to go to crazy worrying about how it looks going on. Have a rag handy and use it to wipe off excess paint and spread it around a little. In a minute, you’re going to make it all look better.

I just became a member of the Deco Art Blogger Outreach Program and have received some free supplies for some of my projects. But you should know that I’ve been using their paints for quite a while now, because I prefer their products.

Step 3. Don’t forget to slap some of your watered-down chalk paint onto you hearts as well.

Step 4. The trick to getting your pots to look the way you want, is to use some sand paper to both smooth the painted surface and remove some paint here and there. I like to remove it from the lower edge of the rim especially.

Step 5. Your final step is to glue your heart onto the front of your pot. I used a hot glue gun. Place your votive or tea light candle into your pot and you’re ready to go.

I slipped a small square of tin foil into the bottom and up the sides in order to catch some of the wax and make it easier to remove once the candle was used up.

For my simple table, I set the votives on the salad plates, but you can put them on your table above the dinner plate or all in a row down the center of your table or on a tray. Mine are meant to be favors for all the adults to take home as a small momento. I’m bring peet pots for the kids to paint and fill with candy. I’ll let them pick out a faux maple leaf to glue to the front as a final touch for their favors.

The warm brown-orange tones of the pots are perfect accents, of course, for this favorite fall holiday, and they blend beautifully with trays of pumpkins and sprays of bittersweet.

Just a little something for each guest to take home, a small reminder of the time spent together with family and friends, sharing good food, good conversation, and good times. Happy Thanksgiving friends–