Candle Girlies Will Love This Unexpected DIY Project Using Thrifted Crystal
If you come across genuine crystal at a thrift store for a few bucks, buy it. Whether you find crystal vases, cups, saucers or trinket boxes, there are so many ways to use vintage crystal glassware around the house.
Recently, a creator scored a few beautiful crystal pieces at her local secondhand shop, and upcycled them in a way I never would have thought to. If you're a candle lover, you're going to want to try this DIY immediately.
How to Make a Crystal Matchstick Holder With a Striker
"The quickest DIY that will make you NEVER skip the crystal section at the thrift store again," Lucee (@lifewithlucee on Instagram and @lifewithlucee_ on TikTok) captioned a recent video.
In the video, she finds two crystal items at her local charity shop: a round crystal trinket box with a matching lid and a teeny-tiny crystal vase. She then turns them into beautiful matchstick holders with built-in match strikers!
Here's what you'll need to recreate this DIY:
- Thrifted crystal box or vase
- A box of safety matches
- Super glue
- Scissors
And here's how to do it:
- Clean your thrifted crystal.
- Neatly cut the striking surface off of your matchbox.
- Glue the striking surface to the bottom of your crystal. Let glue dry.
- Put all the matches from the matchbox in your crystal.
- Keep your new matchstick holder next to a candle, and use the striking surface on the bottom anytime you need to light a match.
Fancy match holders can be expensive, so upcycling cheap thrifted crystal is a brilliant way to get the look for less.
"I'm so thrilled with how this turned out," Lucee captioned her video. "You can bet I will now be making one to go next to every candle in the house!"
@lifewithlucee_ I'm so thrilled with how this turned out. You can bet I will now be making one to go next to every candle in the house! Just not sure what style yet…. What option do you prefer? #thrifted#thriftedstyle#thriftfinds#opshopfinds#diy
original sound - lifewithlucee_
People Love This Idea for DIY Crystal Match Strikers
In her caption, Lucee asked her followers which option they prefer: option 1 (the trinket box) or option 2 (the bud vase).
"Brb: heading straight to the op shop for a tiny crystal bud vase!" one commenter wrote on Instagram. "Option 2 is a must!!! Officially on the hunt!" someone else wrote.
"Both. Put them in different locations! I have done so with a few different containers, not just crystal. Trinket boxes are excellent for this," another commenter added.
Someone else noted that you don't need to buy crystal for this DIY - you can use any non-flammable container. "This is brilliant! Doing this with what I already own!" they wrote.
"Love this!!! They also have little match [striker] stickers on Amazon so you don't have to glue ," another commenter suggested.
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 5:45 AM.