DIY Seashell Candle Holder Using Razor Clamshells

I hinted in my last seashell craft blog post about my seashell wreath that I was already planning to make a DIY seashell candle holder with razor clamshells. I have wanted to make something with these strange-looking clams for a long time. The only thing we ever used them for was when my daughter pretended they were her fingernails as a child on our beach trips or for the occasional sand castle fencing 😉

I finally finished the project while also planning to furnish my kids’ two apartments with hand-me-down furniture (check it out if you missed it). I can’t believe my daughter is attending her sophomore year of college already.

DIY seashell candle holder using razor clamshells on jute yarn, with lit candle, surrounded by beach pebbles

Supplies needed to make this DIY seashell candle holder

jute yarn (or even raffia string)
glass jar, drinking glass, or any other cylindrical glass container that can hold a candle
small candle to fit the glass container
hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
scissors
razor clamshells
duct tape or needles (if using needles, you need a surface you can pin them into, like a foam macrame board)

Note: A thrift shop is a great place to find a small cylindrical glass. The one I used is actually an old Ikea glass. Or you can use this glass votive candle holder without the stand from Dollar Tree with this candle.

Video tutorial

You can also watch this video on my YouTube Channel. Head on over to give me a follow.

Step-by-step instructions

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Razor clamshells are beautiful, but they’re also incredibly fragile and can easily crack under the slightest pressure. Because of that, I won’t be knotting the jute yarn tightly around the shells, but I’ll show you at the end how to do that in case you prefer it that way.

Instead, I’ll show you how to glue the seashells to the jute yarn and then tie them to the glass. It’s a simple swap that keeps the shells intact while still giving you that natural, hand-tied look.

Step 1: Cut two pieces of jute yarn

Wrap the jute around the glass and cut it about 4 inches longer than the circumference of the glass vessel. Cut two pieces of jute yarn that way.

wrapping jute yarn around glass vessel to measure the circumference

Step 2: Secure the jute yarn to a flat surface

Either tape the jute yarn to a flat surface or pin it down the way I did with needles into a foam board (mine is a macrame board).

Make sure you have a surface under the jute yarn that doesn’t stick to the hot glue. My board, or usually I work on my kitchen counter are perfect for that.

securing the jute yarn to a foam board with pinning needles

Step 3: Lay out your razor clamshells onto the jute strings

Lay your razor clamshells onto the jute yarn in a visually pleasing formation while keeping size in mind to fit within the circumference of the glass, which you have marked with the knots on each side.

laying out the razor clamshells onto the secured jute yarn strings

Step 4: Hot glue razor clamshells to the jute yarn

Now that you have the sizing of the razor clamshells figured out, you can attach each of them to the jute yarn with hot glue. Be careful not to add too much glue.

hot gluing each razor clamshell to the two jute yarn strings

Step 5: Wrap the glass with the razor clamshell strand

Wrap the finished razor clamshell strand around the glass vessel and tie the jute yarn together with knots.

I opened the knots on each end before wrapping the strand around the candle, but that is optional.

wrapping the finished razor clamshell strand around the glass vessel and tying the jute yarn together

Step 6: Trim the jute yarn ends

Use sharp scissors to trim the knotted ends. I didn’t want to cut them too short.

trimming the jute yarn ends with sharp scissors

Step 7: Inspect the finished seashell candle holder

Look at each razor clamshell to see if you need to re-glue them.

inspecting the outside of the finished seashell candle holder to see if any clams need to be reglued

Step 8: Insert a candle

Insert a candle that fits into the glass vessel by height and width.

Alternate method to attach razor clamshells

You can use 4 strings of jute yarn as pictured and knot two strings each around each razor clamshell. I prefer not to do that since this is an easy way to break the brittle razor clamshells.

alternate method of tying the jute yarn strands around the razor clamshells

Finished seashell candle holder using razor clamshells

This is such a simple project, and I love how the finished seashell candle holder looks when lit at night. Since razor clamshells are so thin, the candle light slightly shines through them, which is another reason why they are so perfect for a DIY seashell candle holder.

DIY seashell candle holder using razor clamshells on jute yarn, with lit candle, surrounded by beach pebbles and conch shells in the background

Below you can see the DIY seashell candle holder sitting next to one of my DIY seashell tassels. I have made several of them with different seashells. The one below features clam shells.

seashell candle holder using razor clamshells on jute yarn, with a lit candle, sitting on a patio table with a seashell tassel

five different seashell tassels hanging on a wooden stick

seashell candle holder using razor clamshells on jute yarn, with lit candle, surrounded by terracotta planters

close-up of seashell candle holder using razor clamshells on jute yarn, with lit candle, surrounded by terracotta planters

seashell candle holder using razor clamshells on jute yarn, with lit candle in the dark, surrounded by terracotta planters

DIY seashell candle holder made with razor clamshells glued to jute yarn around a glass and lit candle inside

More of my seashell craft ideas

If this candle holder has you looking at your own shell collection differently, I’ve got a few more seashell craft ideas for putting those shells to use. Here are some of my other favorites:

DIY snail shell bracelet
Different seashell tassels using a variety of my favorite seashells (I mentioned them earlier)
DIY zipper pull charm using seashells
Seashell candles
Seashell wreath using large clamshells and broken snail shells
DIY seashell flower using mussel shells to look like a protea bloom

image collage of 6 unique DIY seashell crafts ideas

I just thought that the only thing missing yet is a project using all my oyster shells I have collected over the years. Maybe that’ll be my next beach-find project, so stay tuned.

Tschüß,