How to Make a Tulip Candle Base

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If there’s one thing Midwesterners love, it’s the fact that spring is just around the corner. And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate spring than with this tulip candle base – it is so stinking cute!

This candle base, made with deco mesh and faux flower bunches, is the perfect addition to your seasonal décor and can be a great Easter centerpiece. I just love how the tulips lay around the wreath and, let’s be honest, they are one of the best flowers of spring! (If you can’t tell from the many tulip wreaths I sell on my Etsy shop, I adore tulips!)

Ok friends, let’s get started making this beautiful candle base so you have it just in time for when the real flowers start to bloom.

Tulip Candle Base Supply List

Before you start your project, you’ll want to make sure you have everything you need. Here are the supplies needed to make your candle base:

• 1 eight-inch candle base from Hot Mesh Mom
• 4 tulip bushes
• 5.5-inch mesh
• 1 astilbe bush
• 8 pipe cleaners
• Stem cutter
• Hot glue (optional)

Candle Base, Candles, and Candle Holders

First, can I just take a second to talk about how much I LOVE the candle base from Hot Mesh Mom?! Seriously, ya’ll. It’s my absolute must-have for projects like this. And it’s only $5! The design is super simple and nice and sturdy, so I don’t need to worry about it falling over. For a bigger piece, they also make a 10-inch candle base.

The base you’ll be making fits a 4-inch wide candle perfectly. I recommend using a battery-operated candle, like this super cute candle from Amazon.

The candle base made in this post looks adorable on the table, but its solid center allows you to raise it with any candle holder. And if you’re a wreath maker, these are perfect for staging ALL the things! My favorite holders include these matte black candle holders, clear glass candle holders, or, for a more rustic feel, these decorative wooden candle holders.

Flower Bunches and Mesh

You can find mesh and fake flower bunches at most craft and home goods stores. I purchased my mesh from Hobby Lobby and I typically get the flower bunches from At Home and Michaels – I swear they know me my name at these places!

To achieve the look in this tutorial, you’ll need to get 4 different colors of tulips. I used pink, purple, yellow, and off-white, but you can use any colors that brighten your room or make it feel more like spring. I chose to pair it with the astilbe because it’s a great filler and I just love how it looks with the tulips.

Other Tools

If you’re stocking up on supplies and tools for your decorating projects, check out all of the craft tools I use for my candle holders, in my business, and for all of my projects.

How To Make A Tulip Candle Base

The process for making a tulip candle base is pretty simple. If you watch my video below, you’ll see that it took me less than 30 minutes to make it. Simple and fast? That’s a win-win! Just follow these step-by-step instructions to make yours today.

Step 1: Cut your mesh

Cut eight strips of mesh, 22 inches long. Cutting your mesh at this length helps you get two candle bases from one roll of mesh. Let’s stretch our dollars where we can!

Step 2: Attach the pipe cleaners

Attach the pipe cleaners to your candle base. Twist them low two to three times so the pipe cleaners are going side to side, instead of in and out. Attach all 8 pipe cleaners to each crossbar in the candle base.

Step 3: Create and attach your mesh ruffles

Lay your mesh with the curl facing down. Scrunch the mesh, starting at the bottom and gathering it as you pull it toward you. When making the ruffle, you can also curl the ends before scrunching. I like to alternate between the two types of ruffles because it can give it a fuller look, with the unrolled ends fitting nicely under those that are rolled. A tighter fit can also help hide the base.

Attach the mesh cluster to the candle base by laying it between one of the pipe cleaners and twisting the pipe cleaner around it a few times, ending with the pipe cleaners facing in and out instead of side to side.

Step 4: Cut and attach your astilbe flowers

Cut the astilbe flower stems to create one short piece and one long. Attach one short-stem astilbe to each pipe cleaner, making sure the flowers face out and twisting the pipe cleaner around the stem.

Step 5: Cut and bunch your tulips

Push the greens of the tulip up to the flower and cut the stem to about 4 inches long. Combine 4 tulip stems with one long-stem astilbe. 

Step 6: Attach the flower bunches

Twist the pipe cleaner tightly around the flower bunch, then cut off the excess pipe cleaner and flower stems.

Repeat this step around the entire base, laying each flower bunch beneath the previous, so there are no gaps between the clusters.

You can use hot glue to secure the pipe cleaner to the stems, especially if some of the stems are a little short. However, if you twist it tight enough, you may not need to.

Step 7: Place your candle in the middle of your candle base

Put your candle in the center of your wreath and place your adorable new spring decoration on the table or elevate the entire base on whatever candle holder you love.

Even More From Sincerely Creative Mom

If you liked this tutorial, join my text group to get notified when I go live or post a new tutorial or video. You’ll also get alerts when classes and challenges are available and have first dibs on boxes filled with ribbon to practice your bow-making. The text group is a two-way street. You can send me pictures of your amazing projects or ask questions and I’ll do my best to answer them. I’ll never overwhelm your inbox with a bunch of texts. It’s just a way to make sure you’re the first to know any exciting news. To join, simply text 810-498-2310 and you’re in!

Want to grow your creativity even more? I’m also a creative coach with The Makers University, where 5 talented and professional designers teach ALL THE THINGS, including wreaths, trees, garlands, and centerpieces. There are even bonus tutorials on flowers, paintings, and wreath attachments. Membership includes access to live sessions hosted 5 days per week, live Q&As, and wreath critiques once per month and access to all new and past tutorials.

If you want to keep your instructions next to you as you create or need a shopping list of materials to take with you, you can print the instructions out below

Not ready to make your tulip candle holder just yet? Pin this tutorial for later. For another great step-by-step candle holder tutorial, learn how to make a Valentine candle base on my LIVE replay on Facebook.