DIY Pottery Barn Dupe St. John Bell-Shaped Candle
I fell in love with the Pottery Barn St. John Bell-Shaped Candle well before the holiday season was in full swing. However, I did not love the price–almost $90 for a large and a small candle. Thankfully, I saw some bell-shaped containers at Joann Fabrics and instantly realized I could make my own version for a whole lot less money. I’m going to outline the whole process in the tutorial below. The whole project took me about an hour and I would say it’s a good project for a beginner.
1. Gather Materials
- Bell-shaped container: Joann Fabrics has two sizes of the bell-shaped containers, which you can find here and here.
- Rub n’ Buff: I used Antique Gold color.
- Candle Wax: I actually melted down some partially used jarred candles, but you could purchase new candle wax and even add a scent.
- Candle Wick Set: I used this one because it came with a sticker to apply the wick to the bottom of the candle as well as popsicle sticks that hold the wick up straight while the wax is hardening.
- Optional: ribbon
- Optional: paint brush (you can use your fingers or a paper towel for example, but the paint brush is nice to have).
2. Paint the Containers
First, make sure your containers are clean. I used a wet paper towel to get the dust and whatnot off of them.
Also, make sure you’re in a well ventilated area, because Rub n’ Buff can have quite a smell.
As I said above, I I like to use a paint brush when applying Rub n’ Buff. You basically can get the Rub n’ Buff straight from the tube on the paint brush and apply it directly to the container.
I liked the look where the paint clumped together a little. It makes the bell look antiqued. You get that by adding additional layers of the paint after you’ve let it dry for a bit but before it’s totally dry. You’ll see, it’s easy to do whether intentionally or not. If you do not like that look and you want it to be completely smooth, apply the paint in one thing layer and let it dry completely. Try to cover well enough that you do not need more than 2 coats, though 1 is the best scenario.
Don’t forget the rim on the top of the bottom piece and the bottom of the lid as well as the underside of the handle. I decided not to paint the inside of the candle holder.
3. Place the candle Wick
Again, make sure the center of the bottom piece is clean and dry.
With the kit I got, I used the sticker provided to place the bottom of the wick in the middle of bottom piece. Then I used the popsicle sticks to hold up the wick by placing the wick through the hole on each popsicle stick. You may have to layer them in order to secure them because the larger bell may be bigger than the sticks provided.
4. Melt and Pour in your wax
I had a few candles with the same scent that had about 25-50% of the candle wax left, so I decided to melt those down to combine in my new candle.
I placed them one at a time in a pot of boiling water. I set them on a spoon so they’d be a little easier to pick up.
Once they were melted, I used tongs and oven mitts to pick them up and pour the wax out of the jar and into my new candle. Be careful as the container will be hot and the wax may run or drip down.
Make sure your popsicle sticks and wicks stay in place and then let the wax cool and harden.
Once the wax is hard, you can cut the wick down. I cut it to about 1/4 inch above the wax.
5. Add Ribbon & Enjoy
The ribbon is optional, and the Pottery Barn version actually uses jute. I have a weakness for green and gold and had this beautiful velvet green ribbon. I love the look of them together.
Here’s the final product, styled! This DIY took me about an hour total and is a great project for a DIY beginner. I received a lot of compliments on my Instagram post and I could see these candles making really nice gifts too.
I hope you found this tutorial to be helpful. I also made a Web Story tutorial you can check out here. If you ever make your own version of this bell-shaped candle, I would absolutely love it if you would send me a picture or tag me in a social media post! Until then, hang out and check out the latest posts on the blog!
You paid $20 for containers to paint? I think the gold finish looks cheap. I thought they were nicer before painting. I also don’t understand the love affair with pottery barn.
To each their own, I guess. The gold finish looks a little oranger on camera than in person, but you could make them any color you’d like.