This Viral 3-Item DIY Is So Cozy (You Can Make 30 for Less Than $20!)

Written by

Olivia Harvey
Olivia Harvey
Olivia Harvey is a freelance writer and award-winning scriptwriter from outside Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a big fan of scented candles, getting dressed up, and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. You can make sure she’s doing okay via…read more
published Dec 30, 2024
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Covina, CA USA - September 3, 2024: IKEA Sign over entrance to one of its 482 ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances, decoration stores worldwide. Owner: Inter IKEA Systems B.V., Sweden.
Credit: Mark Roger Bailey/Shutterstock

The only thing better than candles are all the ways to display them. From decorative taper holders and hurricane jars to wax warmer vessels and candelabras, there are so many ways you can spruce up your space with candle displays. And there’s one candle display that’s taking the internet by storm because it not only looks supercool, but you can DIY and customize it to make it fit your personal style.

Contemporary art brand CASA MUZE made these little tea light pillows popular on Instagram back in the summertime. They look so soft and plush, but they’re actually made of concrete, and CASA MUZE makes these candleholders in small batches using concrete in zip-top bags.

Instagrammer Tina Le Mac recently tried the DIY out for herself after picking up a package of tea lights and $2.49 zip-top bags from IKEA. She also picked up a bucket of concrete from the hardware store (Quikrete, which she used, is less than $7 at Home Depot!), but you could try out plaster of Paris or even a nonflammable air-dry clay. That means you can make a whole set of these beauties for less than $20!

“Shout out to @casamuze for this genius cement DIY idea!!” Tina wrote in her caption. “As soon as I saw this, I had to run to IKEA to grab everything to try it out for myself, and the end result is just too good. These only took an afternoon to make, and now I just have to figure out what I wanna paint it.”

And as Tina pointed out, you can use these cement pillows for more than just tea lights. They’re also great jewelry and trinket dishes, too. Or, if you adjust the dip in the middle and seal the concrete or plaster accordingly, you could even use these as spoon rests in the kitchen!

Give this DIY a go, and you may just become hooked on making candle pillows — luckily, they make awesome gifts!