Dollar Tree DIY Upcycled Glam Pedestal Decor Tutorial: Floor Candle Holder & Side Table

Turn a Thrifted Planter and Dollar Tree Finds Into a Glamorous Floor Candle Holder That Doubles as a Side Table.

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I had this thrifted planter sitting in my guest room for years after giving it its first makeover. It was nice enough, but I always felt like it had more potential. So I deconstructed it completely and started over—this time going all out with the bling. What it turned into is a floor candle holder that doubles as a side table, built almost entirely from Dollar Tree supplies and a few craft staples I already had on hand. Here’s exactly how it came together.

📺 WATCH: See the full planter deconstruction and glam transformation here.

Materials

Browse my curated list of Favorite Craft Supplies, Tools & Embellishments.

Thrifted planter with attached candle holder base and plate (or similar pedestal-style planter)
Two Dollar Tree candle holders (for tabletop extension — one with silver chrome finish)
Round black framed mirror, 8-inch or larger (Dollar Tree — larger is better for tabletop surface)
White primer
White acrylic paint
Silver and gold metallic chrome paint markers (Liquid Chrome)
Dollar Tree silver plastic spoons (round bowl pieces only)
Rectangular glass gems in silver metallic frames (yard sale or thrift find)
Square self-adhesive glass gems
Silver rhinestone and glass gem trim (self-adhesive)
Silver pearl beads

Tools

Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Fix-All or E6000 adhesive
Wide flat paintbrush
Dry paintbrush (for glue string removal)
Plastic wrap (for paintbrush storage between sessions)

💡Sandy’s Crafting Tips & Hacks

Always prime hard plastic surfaces before painting. Plastic has a smooth surface that paint struggles to stick to without some prep. Applying primer first gives the paint something to grip — and it covers dark base colors efficiently so you end up using far less of your decorative paint. Four coats of primer on a dark plastic piece will get you to about 95% coverage before you ever open your paint.
Wrap your paintbrush in plastic wrap between sessions. If your project spans more than one day, wrap your paintbrush tightly in plastic wrap instead of washing it. The paint keeps the bristles moist overnight, so you can pick right back up the next day without washing and rewashing between coats.

Use rhinestone trim to hide gaps and seams instantly. Wherever two materials meet and leave an unfinished gap — between glass gems and a frame, at the join of a trim, or around a candle holder base — a strip of self-adhesive silver rhinestone trim covers it cleanly in seconds. Keep a roll on hand for every project.
Use E6000 and hot glue together for structural pieces. For anything load-bearing or tall, apply E6000 or Fix-All for a long-term hold and add a small dot of hot glue alongside the E6000 or Fix-All (but not on top of it) to keep the piece in position while the stronger adhesive cures. This is especially important when stacking candle holders that will support weight.
Go larger on the mirror tabletop if you can. An 8-inch mirror works but leaves very little usable surface. A 12-inch or larger round mirror gives you enough room to place a small lamp, a tray, or a few decorative pieces on top.
Remove glue strings with a dry paintbrush. Once hot glue cools, run a dry paintbrush with soft bristles lightly over the surface to lift the strings away cleanly without scratching glass or gems.

Instructions

Deconstruct your planter by removing any fabric ribbon, flat-back gems, or embellishments from the previous makeover. Use scissors to loosen stubborn edges. Note that any pieces originally hot glued and then painted over may not come off cleanly — that’s fine, you’ll be layering over them.
Scrape off as much of the original paint as possible without using chemicals. Apply four coats of white primer to the entire planter, letting each coat dry for at least 30 minutes before adding the next. Once the primer is fully dry, apply one coat of white acrylic paint over the entire surface. The primer will have done most of the heavy lifting, so one coat of paint should be sufficient.
Snap the handles off a large quantity of Dollar Tree silver plastic spoons, separating the round bowl pieces from the handles. Set the handles aside. Hot glue the round spoon bowls directly on top of any existing spoon pieces already on the planter body, covering the surface in overlapping rows for a mirror-like textured finish.
Turn the planter upside down so the plate faces upward and the bottom of the planter faces down. Hot glue silver pearl beads in tight rows across the entire bottom surface of the planter until it is fully covered.
Turn the planter on its side. Hot glue the rectangular glass gems in silver frames to the body of the planter, positioning them between the rows of spoon pieces and spacing them evenly by eye.
Stand the planter upright with the plate facing up. Apply a row of square self-adhesive glass gems around the neck of the candle holder at the base, creating a necklace effect. Press firmly into place.
Cut a strip of silver rhinestone and glass gem trim to fit around the base of the candle holder and press it into place below the glass gems. Cut a second strip and apply it to the rim of the planter plate. Apply additional rows of rhinestone trim to the candle holder for extra bling.
Apply a final strip of rhinestone trim around the edge of the plate at the base. Stand the planter upside down to use as your floor candle holder base — the bottom now faces up and the plate sits on the floor as a wide, stable foot.