This Instagram DIY candle hack is both spooky and adorable – perfect for this ghost-centric Halloween

This Halloween is all about ghosts and we have the perfect budget hack

DIY ghost candles
(Image credit: Heather Young)

Forget pumpkins. This Halloween is all about the ghosts. There, we said it. Ok, that’s a bit harsh as we still love pumpkins but let’s be honest, they are playing second fiddle to ghost motifs this year. This Instagram DIY ghost candle hack is the latest proof of the emerging trend.

If you want to step up your Halloween decorating ideas this season, we recommend trying out this fun DIY project, courtesy of Kelly Khan (@no2threestoryhome) and her Instagram reel. These bendy candles are the ultimate budget-friendly Halloween decorations as all you need are white candles and some paint or a pen really. But the resulting look will be an instant conversation starter anytime you have someone over at your house.

The Instagram DIY ghost candle hack

DIY ghost candles

(Image credit: Kelly Khan @no2threestoryhome)

This year, it seems Halloween is on steroids. And honestly, we’re not mad about it. As with that comes plenty of Halloween ideas for us to try out, beyond the typical pumpkin decorating ideas

‘It started when one of my mum’s candles went all droopy in the sun and went a funny shape,’ Kelly recalls the inspiration behind her ghost candle hack. ‘My son is 4 and Halloween obsessed so it was great to do something that he could help with.’

Kelly’s creation transformed plain white dinner candles into bendy shapes with painted-on eyes and mouths that resemble flying ghosts.

But if you want to skip out on the bendy element - whether you’re worried about wax mess or simply can’t be bothered (fair!) - then you can achieve a similar look with white pillar candles too, as our Editor, Heather Young, has done.

‘I love decorating my home in the run-up to Halloween, both indoors and outdoors,’ Heather says. ‘I didn't have time to go out and buy anything new, so I decided to give some plain white pillar candles I already had a spooky makeover instead. I drew some ghost faces onto the surface of the candle using a Sharpie (I used Pinterest for some inspo for the designs) and in less than five minutes they were done.'

'Then I popped them on my fireplace for an instant Halloween display idea.'

DIY ghost candles

(Image credit: Heather Young)

What you’ll need

DIY ghost candles

(Image credit: Heather Young)

How to guide

In her reel, Kelly documents the entire process of making this piece of seasonal home decor. And it couldn’t be easier!

She starts off by soaking the dinner candles in hot tap water for five minutes until they become flexible and easy to shape into those bent silhouettes we fell in love with. 

DIY ghost candles

(Image credit: Kelly Khan @no2threestoryhome)

Next, once dry and solid again, Kelly paints the eyes and mouths using black acrylic paint and a cotton bud. You could also do this with a Sharpie.

And voila, there you have your DIY ghost candles.

Sara Hesikova
Content Editor

Sara Hesikova has been a Content Editor at Ideal Home since June 2024, starting at the title as a News Writer in July 2023.

Graduating from London College of Fashion with a bachelor’s degree in fashion journalism in 2016, she got her start in niche fashion and lifestyle magazines like Glass and Alvar as a writer and editor before making the leap into interiors, working with the likes of 91 Magazine and copywriting for luxury bed linen brand Yves Delorme among others.