Bending Acrylic: A Fun DIY Lotus Candle Holder Project

Did you know that acrylic can be heated, bent, and shaped into all sorts of amazing things? In this tutorial, we’re going to walk you through the basics of bending acrylic and show you how to make a beautiful lotus flower candle holder. Plus, we’ll share a downloadable file to help spark your creativity!

What You’ll Need to Get Started

To shape acrylic, you’ll need a heat source. This can be a heat gun, a heat press, or anything that safely gets hot enough to soften acrylic. Personally, I’ve tried a few different methods, but I always go back to the heat gun—it’s inexpensive, easy to use, and gets the job done. I don’t have a favorite brand; as long as it gets hot, it works!

Helpful Tools:

• Heat-resistant gloves – Acrylic gets very hot. Protect your hands!

• Needle-nose pliers – Perfect for holding and shaping hot pieces.

• Molds or shaping surfaces – Think creatively! Use household or workshop items like:

  • Glass cups or bottles

  • Wooden forms

  • Silicone molds

  • Even pencils or rolling pins

Experiment with different surfaces to create unique textures and curves!

Let’s Make a Lotus Candle Holder

For this tutorial, I’ll show you how to turn flat acrylic pieces into a gorgeous lotus flower-shaped candle holder. 🌺

Step 1: Cut the Flower Layers

Start by laser cutting the various petal layers for your flower. Each layer will form part of the lotus when bent and assembled.

Step 2: Shaping the Lily Pad Base

Heat the larger lily pad-style pieces using your heat press until they’re pliable. Once soft, drape them over a textured mold—something with bumps works great—to give them subtle surface detail.

Step 3: Shaping the Flower Petals

Next, take the flower petal pieces. I use a small parfait glass that’s just the right size to create the center hole for a tea light candle. Place the acrylic on top of the glass and heat it with the heat gun for about a minute until it’s soft.

Then, carefully press the acrylic down over the top of the glass. You can also bend pieces around the bottom of the glass to create that perfect candle-holding shape. Repeat this process for all your flower layers until you're happy with their curves.

Reminder: Always use heat-resistant gloves when handling the hot acrylic!

Assembly Time

Once all your pieces are shaped, it’s time to put them together! For this kind of project—acrylic to acrylic—I highly recommend using Weld-On acrylic adhesive gel. It forms a strong, clear bond and is ideal for layered designs like this.

The Final Reveal 🔥

That’s it—you’ve made a stunning Lotus Flower Candle Holder! Pop in a frameless tea light candle and watch the flame dance and reflect off the curved acrylic. It’s absolutely beautiful!

Want to Make One Yourself?

You can download the file to make your own lotus flower candle holder right here:
👉 Download the Lotus Flower Candle Holder File

And don’t forget—we’d love to see your creations! Tag us on social media @craftclosetsupply so we can admire your work and share it with our community