Neither Carved nor Painted: She Filled These Pumpkins With Wax Instead
Small pumpkins usually get carved, painted, or left intact for fall displays, but their hollow centers can become part of the decoration too. Instead of cutting a face into the side, this project removes the top and uses the pumpkin itself as a container.
Homedit contributor Brittney Smart scooped out the seeds and pulp, fixed a candle wick to the bottom, and poured scented soy wax straight inside. Once the wax sets, there is no jar or separate candle holder—the orange pumpkin skin becomes the outside of the candle.
Cinnamon scent gives the wax a fall fragrance, while different pumpkin shapes produce different candle sizes. Small ribbed pumpkins create low, wide candles, while taller pumpkins leave room for a deeper fill.
The Top Came Off Instead of a Face Going Into the Side
The first cut runs around the pumpkin below the stem, with the height of that cut determining how much of the pumpkin remains for the candle. Cutting farther down creates a wider opening and makes it easier to reach the inside than the smaller lid used for many jack-o’-lanterns.
Seeds and pulp were scooped out through that opening, leaving the thick pumpkin walls in place. Since the shell will hold melted wax, the goal is not to carve through it but to clear enough of the center to create an open cavity.
The Wick Needed a Flat Spot Inside the Curved Pumpkin
Pumpkins do not have the flat interior base found in a candle jar, so a small circle was carved into the bottom to match the metal wick base. The area was flattened enough for the wick to sit against the pumpkin rather than tipping toward one side.
A small amount of glue holds the metal base in that recess, while a bamboo skewer stretched across the opening supports the other end. Wrapping the wick around the skewer keeps it centered above the cavity before any wax goes in.
Soy Wax Was Melted With Cinnamon Scent
Soy wax flakes lose volume once melted, so the project uses about twice as many flakes as the pumpkin appears to hold. They were heated in a microwave-safe measuring cup until the solid white pieces became liquid wax.
Cinnamon candle scent went into the melted wax before the pour. The fragrance is mixed through the wax rather than applied to the pumpkin, leaving the exterior untouched while adding the scent normally associated with a separate jar candle.
The Melted Wax Went Straight Into the Pumpkin
With the wick secured at the bottom and held upright by the skewer, the melted wax was poured into the hollow pumpkin. There is no insert between the wax and the pumpkin flesh, so the cavity left after removing the seeds becomes the candle container.
The same method works with smaller ribbed pumpkins, though their proportions change the finished result. A short pumpkin produces a shallow pool of wax surrounded by its scalloped orange edge, while a taller one can hold more wax beneath the same exposed wick.
The Wax Hardened Inside Its New Container
The skewer stays across the opening while the wax hardens so the wick does not drift away from the center. Once the wax has set, the support can come off and the extra wick is trimmed, leaving the candle ready to light.
Wider pumpkins can also take more than one wick when their opening leaves too much distance between the center and edges. That keeps the idea tied to the shape of each pumpkin rather than forcing every one into the same candle format.
Once Lit, the Pumpkin Becomes the Candle
The finished pieces still look like small pumpkins from the outside, but the cut opening now holds a solid surface of wax with a wick rising through the center. When lit, the flame sits inside the pumpkin without the carved openings associated with a jack-o’-lantern.
Because the shell is fresh pumpkin rather than glass or ceramic, these are temporary candles rather than pieces to store from one fall to the next. The original project also cautions against leaving them on wood for long periods as the pumpkin ages.
The pumpkin becomes the candle, but the scent is up to you—would you choose cinnamon, pumpkin spice, apple, vanilla, or something unexpected?