1. DIYS
  2. Kids

Paper Plate Wreath with a Candle

If I had to choose one kind of classic kids’ craft to do with my little ones all year round, I might just have to stick with paper plates! There’s just something so fun about the various types of things you can turn them into. I doubt it’ll come as any surprise to you, then, that I’ve been helping them use plates to make Christmas crafts lately. This Christmas candle wreath that we completed last week was one of my favourites, so I decided to share the process with everyone!

Paper plate wreath with a candle

Check out these step by step instructions complete with photos! If you’d rather follow along with a video tutorial instead of written words, scroll to the bottom of this post to find just what you’re looking for.

For this project, you’ll need:

  • A sparkly red ribbon
  • A paper plate
  • Scissors
  • A glue stick
  • Paper (red, green, and orange)

Step 1: preparation

Gather your materials!

Paper plate wreath with a candle materials

Step 2: cut your wreath

Use the tips of your scissors to carefully poke a hole in the center of your paper plate. Use this as a starting point to cut out the entire middle of the plate to give it a hollow circular center, framed by the edge of the plate where it starts to angle upwards.

Paper plate wreath with a candle hole

Paper plate wreath with a candle cut

Paper plate wreath with a candle cutting round

Step 3: cut and shape candles

Cut two strips from the end of your red paper, holding it landscape. Make each rectangular strip about half an inch wide and the whole height of the page along its shorter edge. Leave one strip the full height and cut the other shorter, about three quarters as tall as the first. Round the corners and straight edge off the top of each strip with your scissors, giving them curved tops. These red pieces will be your candles.

Paper plate wreath with a candle red paper

Paper plate wreath with a candle strips

Paper plate wreath with a candle round strips

Paper plate wreath with a candle = top

Step 4: cut and shape flames

Cut a half-inch wide strip from your orange paper along its short edge. Cut this into two pieces and, from each of those pieces, cut a large raindrop shape, making the rounded base the full width of the strip and tapering the shape upwards, about an inch tall for each. These will be the flames of your candles.

Paper plate wreath with a candle orange

Paper plate wreath with a candle view

Paper plate wreath with a candle small pieces

Paper plate wreath with a candle continue with small pieces

Step 5: make the hollies

Draw five spiky holly leaf shapes on your green paper with your pencil and cut them out. Set them aside for the moment.

Paper plate wreath with a candle step 5

Paper plate wreath with a candle step 6

Step 6: start gluing

Flip your plate rim over so faces downward, as though the plate were upside down if it were still whole. Apply glue to the bottom edges of your candles and stick them underneath the plate’s rim in the bottom centre, sticking up into the hollow space within the rim. I overlapped mine slightly so they looked grouped together, one sitting a little taller than the other. Complete your candles by gluing your orange flame pieces onto the tops, with the wide rounded ends of the flames overlapping the curved tops of the candles’ ends.

Paper plate wreath with a candle step 6a

Paper plate wreath with a candle step 6b

Paper plate wreath with a candle step 6c

Paper plate wreath with a candle press

Paper plate wreath with a candle press 1

Step 7: add the hollies

Apply glue to the larger pointed end of each green holly leaf and layer them in a bundle on the outside of the plate’s edge, at the bottom center below the candles. I started with one facing diagonally left and another pointing diagonally right. I layered my next two angled slightly more downward on top of those, and my final one pointed straight down, creating a fanned shape of green leaves hanging from the plate.

Paper plate wreath with a candle step 7

Paper plate wreath with a candle step 7b

Paper plate wreath with a candle step 7a

Paper plate wreath with a candle green bottom

Paper plate wreath with a candle press bottom

Step 8: add a bow

Cut a piece about four inches long from your red ribbon. Find the center of this new piece and apply glue there. Bring each side of the ribbon in towards the center, curling it inwards to make a loop and leaving some excess at the end to hang below. Stick the ribbon into the glue at the center where the pieces cross. Once you’ve done this with both sides, you’ll have the shape of a simple bow! Use another piece from the rest of your red ribbon to create a second, slightly smaller bow. Cut excess ribbons from the ends or tails if necessary.

Paper plate wreath with a candle glue

Paper plate wreath with a candle bow

Paper plate wreath with a candle red bow

Step 9: double up

From the scrap pieces of your red ribbon, cut three small circles. These will be your holly berries! Arrange them in the center at the base of your green leaves, where they all overlap on the edge of the paper plate wreath. I made a sort of loose triangular shape, with one berry sitting slightly higher and the other two a little lower and on either side.

Paper plate wreath with a candle red bow

Paper plate wreath with a candle simple

Paper plate wreath with a candle cutting bow

Paper plate wreath with a candle more glue

Step 10: apply the bows

Apply glue to the back pf your smaller red ribbon bow and stick it to the front of your larger bow, nestled right into the center so the two are layered. Then apply glue on the back of your larger bow and stick the whole doubled ribbon piece to the top center of your wreath, above your candles and the space they sit in at the center of the plate.

Paper plate wreath with a candle apply glue

Paper plate wreath with a candle top bow

Paper plate wreath with a candle ready for use

Paper plate wreath with a candle design

Your Christmas candle wreath is complete! Just in case you’d like to try this project out for yourself, here’s a fantastic tutorial video to help you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *