While you might mourn the loss of toast in the morning or the ability to cook whenever you please, there is some sense in banning things that could potentially burn down an entire building. Luckily, there are safe and dorm-friendly alternatives to most items banned by colleges. Just because you live in a flame-free zone doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the pleasant glow of a candle — an electronic candle, that is. However, electronic tea lights are hardly attractive on their own, and fancy-shmancy candleholders might be beyond your student budget. To create attractive (electronic) candleholders on the cheap, follow the steps in thissuper easy dorm DIY. Even if you’re well beyond your college years, these charming wax paper lanterns will add warmth and beauty to your interior.
Materials
Electronic tea lights (only use electronic lights for this project, as actual candles could cause the wax paper to burn)
Wax paper
Although it’s not necessary, you can use masking tape to keep the holder together once it’s completed.
Directions
1. Tear a strip of wax paper from a roll. It should be about a foot long. You can vary the length depending how tall you want your candleholder to be.
2. Next, bring up the folded section of paper to about half an inch below where you left the bottom of the sheet in the previous step.
3. Repeat the previous step with the next fold.
4. With your fold layers facing outward, create a cylinder by bringing each side of the wax paper together and nesting one end within the folds.
5. Pop an electronic tea light in there, and you’re ready to go!