DIY Clay Pot Candy Dish Project – Recycled Terracotta Pumpkin

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This DIY clay pot candy dish turns an ordinary terracotta pot and saucer into an adorable container to hold your candy corn or other fall sweet treats.

Using recycled household items to make crafts doesn’t get any easier than this project. Reusing these items saves money and also helps to save our environment.

The inspiration for this fun idea came to me during a recent visit to a thrift store. I came home with a decrepit-looking stem of dusty brown silk flowers for 99c that had seen its better days.

But it had very nice detail on the leaves, and I figured it would make the perfect topper for my candy dish project.

A stack of old books with a DIY clay pot candy dish sitting on top of them.

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Supplies for the DIY clay pot candy dish project

To make this fall candy dish, you’ll need the following supplies and tools:

Candy corn in a glass dish, wooden spool, wire rope, dried flowers and a clay pot and saucer.

Materials

Tools

Note: Hot glue guns and heated glue can burn. Please use extreme caution when using hot glue. Learn to use your tools properly before you start any project.

How to make a terra cotta pumpkin candy dish

This has to be one of the quickest projects I have done in a long time.  The only real time is drying time for the paint, and if you like the color of your terra cotta pot, you don’t even need to do that!

Clay pot and saucer painted orange and a wooden spool painted brownish green.

Paint the clay pot

  • Paint the pot and saucer with the orange craft paint.
  • Mix black and orange paint for a burnt orange color.
  • Paint the wooden spool burnt orange.

A roll of wire rope next to some wire cutters and a pencil wrapped with a piece of the rope wire.

Making the candy dish topper

  • Wrap the wired rope around the pencil to form a tendril shape.
  • Remove the wire rope from the pencil and wrap it around the spool.
  • Tack the spool to the saucer bottom with hot glue.

Wire rope around a wooden spool and same spool attached to an upside down orange clay saucer.

Decorating the candy dish top

A rustic floral stem with dried flowers on a green rug.

The color of my dusty silk flowers is just perfect for my pumpkin stems!

Clay saucer with a wooden spool, rope wire and silk leaves glued to it on a wooden table.

  • Using wire cutters or sharp scissors, cut the silk flower stem into smaller pieces.
  • Hot glue the flowers to both sides of the spool and tendrils.

Finishing the DIY fall candy dish

Candy pumpkins in a clay pot next to a saucer with a spool and leaves on it.

  • Fill the pot with candy corn.
  • Replace the decorated lid and display your candy dish with pride.

Finished DIY clay pot pumpkin candy dish.

Tada !!  All done in less than a couple of minutes! I LOVE that this looks just like a pumpkin decor item, but it secretly holds the candy inside it. Who would ever guess? What fun!

This flavor of candy, along with candy corn, is very popular, particularly in the fall. Did you also know that you can grow candy corn plants in your garden?

You won’t get the candy, but the look and colors are the same! Terra cotta pumpkin candy dish made of a clay pot on a stack of vintage books Orange text reads clay pot candy dish.

Displaying the terra cotta pumpkin candy dish

Use a couple of old books, some faux gourds, and silk leaves to stage the candy dish. You’ll end up with a very pretty fall vignette that will be perfect for either Halloween or Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving tablescapes often make use of a centerpiece that gets showcased in the middle of a table. This idea would make a perfect addition to any holiday table.Terra cotta pumpkin vignette with books, gourds, and fall leaves.

If you have an hour (or less if you don’t paint) of spare time and an old terra cotta pot, make your own pumpkin candy dish today. The books and candy dish would look perfect on a fall mantle!Clay pot pumpkin, gourds and leaves on old books on a wooden shelf in front of a gray wood wall.

See more terra cotta pot projects here:

Clay pots can be made into many DIY projects. Here are a few more ideas to try:

A collage with pictures of a clay pot snowman, pot gum machine, hat centerpiece, bell ornament and candy corn dispenser.

Terra cotta pumpkin candy dish

Share this clay pot pumpkin project on X

If you enjoyed learning how to transform an old clay pot into a candy dish, why not share this project with a friend? Here is a post to get you started:

🎃🍂 Turn an ordinary clay pot into an adorable DIY pumpkin decoration! This easy fall craft is perfect for adding a touch of autumn charm to your home, porch, or seasonal centerpiece. 🍁🧡 A fun project to make and display all season… Share on X

Pin this terra cotta pumpkin candy dish for later

Would you like a reminder of this clay pot pumpkin project?  Just pin this image to one of your craft boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Pictures of a DIY Clay Pot Candy Dish project.
Admin note: This post for the terracotta pumpkin candy dish first appeared on the blog in September 2017. I have updated the post with a printable project card and a slideshow video for you to enjoy.

Yield: 1 clay pot candy dish

Terra Cotta Pumpkin - DIY Clay Pot Pumpkin Candy Dish

Finished clay pot pumpkin
5.0 Stars (3 Reviews)

Turn a few craft supplies and an old terra cotta pot into a pumpkin shaped candy dish for Halloween or Thanksgiving.

Active Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Difficulty easy
Estimated Cost $5-$10

Materials

  • 1 - 4″ clay pot and saucer
  • 12 inches of wire rope
  • orange and black craft paint
  • a few silk leaves
  • 1 ½ inch small wooden spool

Tools

  • Paint brush
  • Pencil
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions

  1. Paint the pot and saucer orange. (If you like the color of your pot and it is very clean and new, you don't need to paint it.
  2. Mix black and orange paint for a burnt orange color.
  3. Paint the wooden spool burnt orange.
  4. Wrap the wired rope around the pencil to form a tendril shape.
  5. Remove the wire rope from the pencil and wrap it around the spool.
  6. Tack the spool to the saucer bottom with hot glue.
  7. Hot glue the flowers to both sides of the spool and tendrils.
  8. Fill the pot with candy corn.
  9. Replace the lid and display with pride.

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Did you make this project?

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© Carol
Project Type: How To / Category: DIY Garden Projects

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One Comment

  1. What a clever use for a thrifted silk flower stem, the leaves really do look like a pumpkin top. For anyone shopping outside the US: garden centres here usually label terracotta pots by the top diameter in centimetres, so the 4 inch pot and saucer is roughly a 10 cm pot. The 12 inches of wire rope is about 30 cm, and the 1 1/2 inch wooden spool is close to 4 cm, which is a common craft spool size. A slightly bigger 11 or 12 cm pot would also work if you want to fit more candy corn.

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