DIY Birch Log Votives - Jaime Costiglio

Create a simple, natural looking votive candle holder using birch logs and prefilled votives.

Or make 50:

Inspired by Pretty Handy Girl Brittany’s log tea light pillar candles I used a similar process and incorporated glass votives in place of tea lights.

The votives rest inside a hole drilled the same size as the glass. Drill just deep enough for the wax portion of the votive to sit flush with the log, leaving over half of the glass exposed which adds twinkle and shine:

I made these 50 votive holders to be used as centerpieces and decoration at the Spring auction for my kids school.

All cut and holes drilled, ready for votives:

Here’s how to make birch log votive holders:

1. Find birch logs.

Because of the quantity I ordered logs online from birch-logs.com of course.

The quality is excellent and shipping is very fast.

2. The logs arrived about 24″ long, cut the logs using a circular saw into various heights:

3. Make hole for votives.

I used prefilled glass votives purchased here.

Measure your votive diameter, mine was 2″ and make hole. Because I needed a 2″ hole and spade bits don’t come any larger than 1 1/2″ I started with a 2″ hole bit (the bigger black circular piece sitting on the floor to the left of the log). The hole bit only cuts the exterior circumference making a nice guide for the spade bit.

4. Use the 1 1/2″ spade bit to remove the remaining wood inside the 2″ circle. This will require some shifting of the bit to make up for the size difference and remove all the wood inside the 2″: