Make Spooky DIY Halloween Candles from Toilet Paper Rolls

Get ready to spook up your Halloween decor with an eco-friendly twist! Today, I’m sharing a DIY project that not only looks hauntingly beautiful but also uses materials you probably already have lying around your home—empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls. If you’ve been scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram, you’ve likely come across those trendy, spooky candles made from pool noodles. But we’re going to put a more sustainable spin on it by crafting them from recycled materials. So, let’s get creative and make some eerie, flickering spooky DIY Halloween candles that will make your Halloween display look delightfully creepy!

Gather Your Materials

To begin, gather everything you need for this project. The great thing about this DIY is that it requires very few supplies, most of which you can probably find around your home. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Empty toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls (the more, the better!)
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• A black canvas (you can grab an inexpensive one from any craft store)
• Matte black spray paint
• Tin foil
• Faux flickering black tea lights (I found mine at Dollarama)

With these simple materials, you’re already halfway to creating your spooky candle display. Now, let’s get started!

Step 1: Cutting the Rolls

First things first: let’s create some visual interest by cutting your toilet paper and paper towel rolls into different heights. This will give the illusion that your candles have been burning down at different rates, adding to that eerie, abandoned vibe.

Start by grabbing your rolls and cutting them at varying heights. Don’t worry about making them perfect! The more irregular, the better—this helps mimic real candles that have melted unevenly. For this project, I used a total of eight rolls, but feel free to add more or less depending on the size of your canvas and the space you want to fill.

Once you’ve got your rolls ready, it’s time to arrange them on your black canvas. This is where your creativity comes into play! Lay the rolls out in a way that looks natural but spooky. Think about how candles might look clustered together on a haunted table—random, yet somehow intentional. Once you’re happy with the layout, use your hot glue gun to secure each roll to the canvas. Be generous with the glue, as you want these to stay put.

Step 2: Creating the Wax Drips

Now comes the fun part—creating those iconic wax drips! This step is what will take your recycled paper rolls from looking like, well, toilet paper tubes to convincing, spooky candles. Grab your hot glue gun and start adding glue around the tops of each roll.

The trick here is to let the glue drip down naturally to mimic melting candle wax. You don’t need to be precise at all—just let the glue do its thing. The more drips, the better! You’ll want to layer on the hot glue until the tops of the rolls are covered with these wax-like drips. This is where the magic happens, so take your time and have fun with it. Once all the drips are in place, let the glue dry completely.

Step 3: Painting it Black

Once your “wax” drips are dry, it’s time to pull out the matte black spray paint. This is what’s going to give your candles that gothic, haunted-house look. Take your black spray paint and coat the entire setup—both the rolls and the canvas—until everything is a uniform, eerie black.

Make sure to do this in a well-ventilated area or, even better, outside. Spray evenly to cover all the nooks and crannies, including the drips you just made with the hot glue. This step really brings everything together, giving your candles a cohesive, spooky vibe.

After your paint dries, it’s time to move on to the finishing touches.

Step 4: Adding the Tea Lights

Here’s where things start to come to life! To create that signature glow of candles, we’re going to add faux flickering tea lights to the tops of each roll. Before placing them inside, you’ll want to fill the tops of your rolls with tin foil to give the tea lights a surface to sit on.

Roll some tin foil into a ball, then gently a ball of tin foil into the top of each roll. Next, place your faux flickering tea lights on top.

Here’s a fun tip: If you want to take your spooky display to the next level, Dollarama sells black faux tea lights that blend seamlessly into the black candles. It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference!

Step 5: Admiring Your Spooky Candle Display

Now that everything is assembled, it’s time for the grand reveal. Set your spooky candle display in a dark corner, turn on the tea lights, and watch the magic happen. The flickering light adds just the right amount of spookiness, making it perfect for setting the mood at a Halloween party or just giving your home a mysterious, haunted-house feel.

The best part? This project is incredibly versatile. You can make a smaller version for a shelf or table centerpiece, or go all out with a larger canvas and more candles for a dramatic statement piece. Plus, you’ve repurposed materials that would have otherwise gone to waste—how’s that for eco-friendly?

Styling Ideas for Your Spooky Candles

Now that you’ve got your spooky candles ready, let’s talk about how to style them in your home. These candles work beautifully as part of a Halloween centerpiece. Try placing them on a table surrounded by faux cobwebs, tiny pumpkins, or other Halloween decor. You could even scatter some plastic spiders or bats around the display for an extra touch of creepiness.

These also look fabulous on a mantel. Place them beside an ornate mirror draped in faux cobweb cloth, and you’ve got the perfect pairing for the Halloween season.

If you’re hosting a Halloween party, these candles make an amazing backdrop for your snack table or as part of a photo booth setup.

And don’t feel like you need to take this display down after Halloween. You could easily keep it up throughout the fall by incorporating some autumn leaves, gourds, or even fairy lights. The black candles provide a moody, cozy vibe that works well beyond October 31st.

There you have it—your very own spooky DIY Halloween candles made from toilet paper rolls! Not only is this project simple and affordable, but it’s also a great way to repurpose trash, which is always a win in my book. Plus, it adds such a unique and eerie touch to your Halloween decor that you just can’t find in stores. Happy Halloween, and happy crafting!

Looking for more easy DIY Halloween crafts to try? Click here for some of my favourites!