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Looking for a fun way to celebrate a birthday? Make DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles. The pool noodle candle sticks directly into your lawn.

Make this birthday the best one yet with more tips and birthday party ideas.

A man holding a homemade birthday candle with the words "DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candle" digitally written on top.

As far as birthdays go, last year was a mess. You couldn’t have the parties you wanted, you couldn’t see your friends closer than six feet away, and you couldn’t even go out to dinner depending on when your birthday was. Car parades were cool and all, but those got played out quick.

So when Pete’s birthday happened, I had to think of something special. And these DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles were born.

Well, born at our house. I did see a similar craft online, which is how I was inspired to make this pool noodle birthday candle.

I originally wanted to make a dozen of these and spread them all over the lawn, but really, one did the trick.

Plus, it actually poured on Pete’s birthday, so the candle ended up getting pretty destroyed. The embellishments, anyway. The candle itself is made from a pool noodle, which is made for water. So that survived.

But the rain ruined the flame … which is sort of fitting when you think about it.

DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles

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Skewers, tape, scissors, duct tape, a pool noodle, and a yellow piece of paper on a wooden background.

DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles Supplies:

How To Make DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles:

Cut the pool noodle in half using the scissors.

Try to cut it as straight as possible, but it doesn’t really matter all that much. After you cut it across, use the scissors to trim off any loose or frayed ends.

A pool noodle wrapped in white duct tape.

Starting at the top, stick the edge of the duct tape into the center hole of the pool noodle.

Wrap the duct tape around the pool noodle in a spiral motion. You want to wrap it in such a way that you’re leaving a gap as wide as the duct tape between the sections of duct tape. That way, it resembles the traditional white and colored spiral birthday candles.

Continue until you get to the bottom of the candle. Cut the duct tape and stick the bottom end of the duct tape into the hole at the bottom of the foam pool noodle.

Scissors cutting a piece of yellow card stock.

Cut a flame out of the yellow card stock, leaving a long rectangular “tail” at the bottom of the flame.

I freehanded this, but if it’s easier for you, you can draw a flame using a pencil and then cut it out. But remember, flames move and flicker, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.

A yellow card stock flame coming out of the top of a purple and white pool noodle birthday candle.

Tape the “tail” inside of the hole at the top of the foam pool noodle.

A skewer going into the bottom of a purple pool noodle.

Stick the three skewers, flat side in, into the bottom of the foam pool noodle candle.

When it’s birthday time, use the sharp ends of the skewers to stick the pool noodle candle craft into the lawn. The candles should stay there just fine all day long.

Since you cut the pool noodle in half, follow these steps again for the second half of the pool noodle so you can make a second pool noodle candle.

If you pick up a few different colored pool noodles, you can make a whole colorful array of pool noodle birthday candles.

A man kneeling next to a homemade pool noodle birthday candle.

DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I paint pool noodles to look like birthday candles?

If you want to skip the duct tape, you can paint pool noodles. But, you have to use an acrylic paint on them.

Spray paint will actually eat away at the pool noodles and cause them to deteriorate. So, if you try to spray paint pool noodles, the pool noodle will start falling apart and you’ll have to throw it away.

The only time I would suggest spray painting pool noodles if you were making pool noodle Halloween candles and you wanted them to look eaten and weathered.

Can you add lights to pool noodle candles?

If you’re feeling a little extra (and, let’s admit it, you’re definitely feeling extra if you’re making these), you can buy battery operated tea lights.

Stick those into the top hole of the pool noodle, instead of the card stock flame, and turn them on. You’ll end up with a flickering light that makes the flame of the pool noodle birthday candle look like it’s lit.

How do you make a pool noodle candle look like wax is dripping?

If you want to add the effect of “dripping wax,” as if the pool noodle candle is actually lit, use hot glue to make drips starting at the top of the candle.

Just hold the top of a glue gun at the top of the pool noodle (but try not to touch it) and pull the trigger to let the hot glue stick melt down the side. When you have enough, move across the top of the pool noodle a little and make more drips.

When the drips have dried completely, use acrylic paint to paint them the color of the pool noodle.

How do you store pool noodle birthday candles?

To store these pool noodle candles, carefully remove the card stock flames from the tops. Then, store the pool noodle candles and flames somewhere the pool noodles will be safe.

I wouldn’t worry about water because pool noodles are made for that, but the card stock isn’t. I would worry about storing them in a high traffic area where they could get bumped. Pool noodles are only made from foam, so it’s really easy to puncture the foam and lose chunks of the foam if people aren’t careful around them.

If you used battery operated tea lights, you can store them inside the pool noodle candle craft if you are storing them somewhere that won’t get wet or damp. But, if you aren’t sure about water, remove the tea lights and store them in a box away from any moisture.

Tips for making pool noodle birthday candles:

Instead of using scissors to cut the pool noodle in half, you can use an X-Acto knife. A knife is probably a little easier to get a straight cut, honestly, but a pair of scissors is a little safer.

If you’re using scissors to cut the pool noodle in half, puncture the pool noodle first with the scissors. Then, use that puncture hole as a guide to cut the pool noodle in half. It’s a lot easier than trying to cut it starting at one end and expecting the scissors to cut completely through that way.

You don’t have to cut the pool noodle exactly in half. If you’re making multiple pool noodle candles, you could cut them all exactly in half so all the candles are the same height when you set them up on the lawn. But play around with them. You can cut them in varying heights. Sometimes real candles are like that, right? You’ve already used one so it’s shorter than the others. So go ahead and make your pool noodle candles like that if you want.

Instead of skewers, you can use a wooden dowel. Stick the dowel into the ground, then slide the pool noodle on top of it. This way is a little less stable because the wind can cause the pool noodle birthday candle to twist and turn, which won’t happen if you use skewers, but it is a good alternative.

Where can you buy pool noodles?

If it’s late spring/early summer, you can buy pool noodles at Dollar Tree for only $1.25. That’s your most cost effective choice. So, if you’re asking my opinion, if you know you want to make these DIY pool noodle birthday candles for someone with a winter birthday, stock up at the dollar store during the summer.

In season, you can find foam pool noodles at Target and ALDI. But they’re going to cost you more than $1. Out of season, you can purchase pool noodles on Amazon, but the pool noodles might be pretty pricey there too.

Giant Lollipops Holiday and Birthday Lawn Decor.

Purchase pool noodle birthday candles:

So unfortunately, you can’t purchase pool noodle birthday candles (although you can buy pool noodle light sabers).

You can, however, purchase birthday-themed lawn decorations. So you can either set those up separately or include them with your DIY pool noodle candles.

Our favorites are:

Want more birthday craft ideas?

If you want to make some more birthday crafts this year, we have a few more that you might enjoy.

Yield: 1 Pool Noodle Candle

DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles

Looking for a fun way to celebrate a birthday? Make DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles. The pool noodle candle sticks directly into your lawn.

Active Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

Foam pool noodle
White duct tape
Yellow card stock
Tape
3 wooden skewers

Tools

Scissors

Instructions

Cut the pool noodle in half using the scissors.
Wrap the duct tape around the pool noodle in a spiral motion. You want to wrap it in such a way that you’re leaving a gap as wide as the duct tape between the sections of duct tape. Continue until you get to the bottom of the candle. Cut the duct tape and stick the bottom end of the duct tape into the hole at the bottom of the foam pool noodle.
Cut a flame out of the yellow card stock, leaving a long rectangular “tail” at the bottom of the flame.
Tape the “tail” inside of the hole at the top of the foam pool noodle.
Stick the three skewers, flat side in, into the bottom of the foam pool noodle candle.
When it’s birthday time, use the sharp ends of the skewers to stick the pool noodle candle craft into the lawn.

Did you make these DIY Pool Noodle Birthday Candles? Leave us a comment below and let us know how it went.

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