Pony McTate: Light my fire

Crafting gets Pony McTate in the mood for romance.

Fall head over heels in love with these decorated candleholders made from
air-dry clay, writes Pony McTate.

If, like me, crafting gets you in the mood for romance (or, more often these days, Netflix and Nutella) then this is the DIY for you. Lay on the ambience with these contemporary candleholders made from air-dry clay.

Never worked with it before? Air-dry clay, particularly the Fimo Air Light I used here, is wonderfully fun to play with. It feels like foamy marshmallow, and clean-up is a doddle. Work quickly and keep the stuff you're not using covered with a damp cloth or sealed in a plastic bag to prevent it from drying out.

What you'll need
•1 packet of air-dry clay " make sure it's non-flammable! I used Fimo Air Light in white, which you can get from craft suppliers, stationers or online. You'll get 5- 6 candleholders like mine from one 250g packet.
•Baking paper
•A rolling pin
•A knife (one from the cutlery drawer is fine)
•A ruler or something with a straight edge
•Something to use as a mould: a tall cylindrical glass with no tapering works well.
•A straw, or something else with which to decorate your candle holders.
•Tealight candles

Step one
Prepare your glass by wrapping it in baking paper. The clay shrinks slightly as it dries, and if you don't wrap the glass first you won't be able to remove it later. Cut a circle of baking paper to cover the bottom of the glass and stick it down with sticky tape. Do the same with a layer of baking paper around the sides of the glass. The sticky tape won't adhere to the baking paper very well but don't worry; it doesn't need to be perfect.

Step two
Take a portion of clay out of the packet and seal up the remainder.

Sandwich the portion you are working with between two sheets of baking paper. On a hard flat surface, roll it out with your rolling pin into a long rectangle. You want it somewhere between 1-2mm thick " any thinner is hard to work with, any thicker and you lose that lovely warm candle glow.

Step three
Cut one of the long edges straight with your knife. I left the top edge raw, which adds a nice touch.

Carefully peel the clay off the baking paper and wrap it around the glass. Press the overlap with your fingers to seal the edges (you can trim it if it is too long). Make sure the straight edge is flush with the base of your glass.

Step four
From a separate piece of rolled clay, cut out a circle slightly larger than the base of your glass.

Place the circle on the base and join it to the sides by carefully pinching the edges together.

Step five
Decorate your candleholder. I used a drinking straw to cut out holes all over. Experiment - try etching marks with a knife or toothpick. Or rolling the clay over a paper doily, lace or leaves to leave an imprint.

Step six
Invert your glasses and leave your candleholders to dry for 24 hours, or as long as the packet recommends. Leave the glass in place as the clay dries. After a few hours give the glass a gentle wriggle to make sure nothing is sticking. Once dry, remove the glass and baking paper and you're good to go. Just don't leave them burning unattended, no matter what you get up to.

Instagram: @pony.mctate
Email: pony@ponymctate.com