Candle Wax Ornaments

I love candle light, but no matter what I do, my large pillar candles burn unevenly and end up looking pretty yukky after a few evenings and I have lots of these....

I hate to throw anything away, so I decided to turn them into ornaments.

We've made handmade ornaments for the tree for years and I have to admit these are some of my favorites, mostly because they didn't cost anything!  Here's the tree with a sneak peek between the branches.

This is what you'll need: 

Candles, plastic cookie cutters, molds, silver thread, a ladle and a double boiler.  Yep, mine is very old. I learned how to make these in while living in Germany in the late 60's and make a new batch every couple of years of years or so.  They store well from year to year, but tend to melt and stick together if it gets really hot in the attic, or barn. Not a problem tho...  I simply re-melt them and make new ones! EZPZ.......  I recommend storing them inside.

Okay, let's get started:

Step 1:  Melt the wax in the double boiler.  It should be runny, but not too hot.  Be careful not to overheat.  BTW, since you'll be working with hot wax, this really isn't a craft for young children.

Step 2:  While waiting for the was to melt, make loops from silver thread.  I'm using a candy mold for these angels, so lay the knotted end of the thread into each angel shape.

Step 3:  Remove the pan from the stove, then use the ladle to carefully pour the wax into each shape.

Step 4:  After 2 or 3 minutes the wax will turn opaque on top.  Place the mold in the freezer.  After 10-15 minutes take the tray out of the freezer then tap quickly on the counter top. The was shapes will pop right out.

Step 5: You can also use silicone molds. This Father Christmas mold is available at Katy Sue Designs.  Designed for the cake decorating industry, it's also perfect for wax and paper clay as well as fondant. You can fill the mold completely or just the image. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes then peel back the mold and the shape will fall out.

 

Cookie cutters are also great shapes for wax ornaments. Place the cookie cutters on wax paper on a flat surface then ladle the wax slowly into each shape. After about 20-30 minutes, carefully pop the sides away from the wax. 

 

 To make the hangers, thread a needle with the silver thread. I then sit in front of a lighted candle and heat the needle so I can pull the thread thru the top of each ornament. Keep re-heating the needle and thread all the ornaments.  Don't cut the thread. Starting with the last ornament, pull the thread thru until it is long enough to make the hanger. Cut, then knot the ends together. Repeat until you have a hanger on each ornament.  This method is a little faster than threading them one at a time....

 

Time to hang them on the tree, or add to decorations around the house.  You'll notice that your wax ornaments will glow when nestled among the lights on the tree branches - so pretty.

 

Hope you enjoy this fun recycling project, I also shared how to make the bows in a post earlier this month - they're EZPZ too!  Y'all come back now.... more easy ornaments to come!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Book Review - Upcycled Jewelry, Bags, Belts and More

Do you remember the term "waste not, want not"?  or how about "one man's trash is another man's treasure"?  Sayings to remind us that it isn't always necessary to throw things away.

  
Upcycled Jewelry, Bags Belts and More  by Linda Peterson is full of ideas on how creative we can be with many of the day to day items we nonchalantly throw in the trash.  I've known Linda since the early 90's and have always admired her amazing creativity with products like Friendly Plastic, clay (she makes the cuuuutest clay figures and animals) and jewelry pieces.  Linda definitely put that creativity in overdrive when she created the projects for this book.  From soda can tabs and empty plastic soda bottles to bicycle chains and inner tubes, there's something for everyone here, but more importantly it makes each one of us think twice about throwing things away.......

My hubby says I'm a hoarder, but I'm really just a born and bred Yorkshire lass who hates to throw anything away.  I know that one day I'll find a use for it - after all, that's what being "crafty" is all about.  Here's a recycled project I still have around the house:

We used to have the prettiest chandelier that hung in our entryway for many, many years.  After many, many moves however, it simply fell apart, but I couldn't bear to part with those pretty little crystals that picked up the sunshine and filled our home with rainbows.  So - I purchased 2 glass candlesticks and glued a "bowl" from the chandelier onto the top of each one. Then I simply added short strands of crystals around the edge.  I also gave some crystals to my brother-in-law to include in his stained glass pieces, but I still have quite a lot of crystals left just waiting to be given new life when I turn them into something fabulous! 

Now you know what I think about Linda's book, check out what other designers are saying using the links below:



Enjoy!  Y'all come back now............

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

It's Christmas! Fun Facts & Last Minute Crafts

Christmas is traditionally a very "crafty" month, but it's also one of the busiest and I have to admit that I have actually bought Christmas ornaments, ready made decorations and cookies......  For some reason it makes me feel really guilty, but I'd rather be stress free to enjoy the fun than overwhelmed with SO much to do, because when all said and done, it's still my favourite time of year.

Did you know that Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas in Great Britain back in the 17th century? The ban didn't last long and neither did he.  People love a reason to celebrate, whatever the occasion.  The Christmas season officially stretches from December 25th thru January 6th, which is known in England as Twelfth Night.  This is the day we take down all our Christmas decorations.  Celebrations however, can start as early as the first Sunday in Advent and are as varied as the countries that celebrate them.  Father Christmas has been the traditional Christmas figure in England since the 15th century whereas the American Santa Claus is based on the Dutch St. Nicholas from the 4th century.  In some European countries, St. Nicholas still fills the children's shoes with gifts on December 6th instead of the 25th.  Here in the US we start to decorate Christmas soon after Thanksgiving, but in Germany the Krist Kind (Christ Child) decorates the tree on Christmas Eve - that's one very organized guy.  After he's finished he rings a bell and the children rush into the room.  Traditions also vary not just from country to country, but also from area to area within a country!  In England, Father Christmas is treated to a glass of sherry and a mince pie in appreciation for bringing presents - that's probably why he's so jolly and has a red nose...LOL, whereas the American Santa only gets milk and cookies - bah humbug....

Since we've always been a "crafty" family, we still make a lot of our own ornaments for the tree.  The very first Christmas tree after our daughter was born was covered in Raggedy Ann and Andys made from bread & salt dough and painted with bright colors.  We also added garlands of popcorn, which lasted quite a few years.  My favorite ornaments (I still make them) are the ones we make from wax.

I melt leftover candles in a double boiler.  While the wax is melting, I place an assortment of plastic cookie cutters onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper.  Using a metal ladle, I gently fill each cookie cutter with wax - about 3/8" deep.  Once the wax has hardened, the cookies will easily pop away from the sides.  Don't worry if some of them crack, or break, just pop the pieces back in the double boiler and melt again!  To add a hanger, thread silver or gold thread onto a tapestry needle.  Heat the tip of the needle in a candle flame, then push gently through the top of the ornament.   Cut the thread then knot the ends together.  Candy molds are also great for making ornaments (see the angel).  Allow the wax to set (you can place in the freezer for a few minutes) then tap the mold sharply to release the shape.  Ta dah - they're finished!  Doesn't it feel great to recyle AND be crafty at the same time.....

Please note, this is an adult craft and not recommended for young children.

Here's another one for you.  

These little gift boxes were made from old cards.  The front of the card is the top of the box and the back of the card is the bottom, with the verse inside.  Score a line all the way around the card about 1" from the edge.  (Both pieces.)  Make sure the lines go from edge to edge so they cross at each corner.  Cut along one scored line from the outside edge to the point where the lines cross at each corner to create a tab.  Fold the sides inwards.  Glue the tabs in place to create the box shape.  

Embellish with ribbon, jewels, charms - anything at all!  Now you can make a set of wax ornaments then place them in a gift box for a great gift!  Enjoy!  Y'all come back now......

Yours truly,

Julie :)

Not As Green As Cabbage Looking

I remember when being "green" meant that you were a novice, new to something, or perhaps just plain naive. There was also a book published in 1970 entitled "The Greening of America" by Charles A. Reich. Neither reference has anything to do with recycling, whereas, to me, "crafts" has always had everything to do with it.

My first craft project memory was making dolls from my dad's pipe cleaners and fairy boats from walnut shells. I also remember my parents making a doll house for me and using matchsticks to create window panes. Matchboxes were doll beds (for the same tiny dolls that floated around the puddles in their walnut shell boats). To sum it up, we used what we had to create - we recycled. I remember my parents used to buy supplies to make the most exquisite and realistic crêpe paper flowers, but it wasn't until I was living in Germany in the 1960s that I actually discovered craft supplies other than paint, watercolor pencils, etc. In the 70s I found a Lee Wards catalog and suddenly found myself in craft heaven. I still used things from around the house however, depending on what I had decided to make - to me, this was crafting creativity at its best.

I've never made any bones about the fact that I am a crafter at heart and, for me, "scrapbooking" was just another way of being creative. I was definitely not an archival scrapbooker and used all kinds of things on my pages long before they were "hip". I was really in my element when in November 2005 Fiskars asked designers who worked with their tools to create projects for a display at the trade show being held in February 2006. The parameters were that we could only use supplies found around the house. These were my projects - sorry the photos aren't that great - I committed the cardinal sin and forgot to photograph them before sending to Fiskars, so I had to be content with taking photos at the show through glass.

CHALLENGE:

How many things from around the house can you see in these projects? Bear in mind that I used Fiskars products, but they didn't have paper and stickers at that time, so it was mainly tools. So here's a small challenge for you. Look at both of the small projects (Romeo and the Boy on the Rocking Horse) and see how many supplies you can identify. I will send the person who identifies them all an iTop from Imaginisce. Check it out at www.imaginisce.com. The deadline for this is May 1st. If there is more than one winner, there will be a drawing. I will list the supplies here after the drawing. You don't have to identify the tools used. Good Luck!

Yours truly,
Julie :)