Make These Driftwood Tealight Candlesticks

With the proper size drill bit, you can turn pieces of driftwood and tealights into elemental candlesticks.

THE CREATIVE SOLUTION | When you think of craft projects involving driftwood, does your mind meander back to the mid-1970s and wall hangings made of macramé and driftwood? Where 70s-style craft projects tended to be hippie-like and folksy, the current spin is toward Zen-like minimalism. Materials are organic and weathered, but shapes are defined and graphic, together evoking a calm, spiritual quality. In a word: elemental. These candleholders are my nod to the return of organic.

How to make Driftwood Candleholders

1. Find linear-shaped pieces of driftwood, then saw off lengths that are around two or three inches in diameter; square them up so the could stand on their own.

2. To make holes for the tealights, secure each segment with a C-clamp and drill a hole the depth of the tea light with a 1 1/2-inch bit.

3. I used metal cups from an old candleholder to hold the tealights. Similar cups are available at some crafts stores. An alternative is to simply use the type of tealights that come in their own metal cups.

4. Display with other chunks of driftwood and small stones for a complete tablescape. —Brendan Power

Photo: Heather Ross