Deck the Halls

                                          Lillian the Domestic Engineer                                                            Knock, Knock, Knocking

Decorative Door Knocker

These Door Knockers are wonderful little "Last minute" Gift Ideas. 

I started with an assortment of balls and then dug into my seasonal drawer

for Ribbons and Bows

Greenery and Glitter

Cords and Cards

Love and Lace.

The Door Knockers are then assembled with a hot glue gun

and  

hung for the Love of everyone

who comes a knock, knock, knocking at your front door!

May the cool winds from an open door 

blow across your feet

and warm your heart!

Have a wonderful Holiday Season.

Door Knocker with tassel

                 

                       I found a pair of curtain tie back cords
                      complete with these wonderful tassels
                      last summer at a garage sale for .75.
                      I used one of the tassels on my Door Knocker and thought it looked like a million dollars!

                                        Tree Ornaments
                         Another great idea for Gift Giving.

                             Styrofoam balls covered in silver Twist Ties 
                                        (Each individually poked into the ball, row by row until completely covered)

              The greenery, the fabric bow and the silver string (for hanging)
               are hot glued onto the covered Styrofoam ball.


                                                         Outcome....Effective 

Click Below 

More Bright Ornament Ideas 

Yes You Candle

                                                    

Candles never go out of style, do they?

     Melt and Pour GEL CANDLES
         are the Gift that keeps on giving. 

 

  These slow burning GEL CANDLES
  are the perfect gift
  for everyone on your list!
 Scented to suit their personalities and colored to please
 giving a homemade Candles
 is way easier than it seems!

GEL CANDLES

I purchased a 3.1 KG bucket of 
Melt and Pour Gel Wax  and a bag of wicks at Michael's Craft Store.
 Of course before I headed off to purchase my Gel
I printed out the Coupon for 40% off any regular priced item at Michaels Craft Store.
I ended up paying 38.00 for the bucket of Gel and will make at least 30 candles. The wicks were 4.00 for 20.
The wax receptacles and the plates or saucers I use underneath are purchased throughout the year
at minimal costs. This clear glass, perfect shaped receptacle was purchased for .50. The plate I had in my cupboard. The white Poinsettias I picked up also at Michaels. They were regular 4.99 bunch on sale for 1.99
The 3 flowers attached are then worth cents as are the silver floral bits that I clipped from a branch I bought at the second hand store for.25



 Make your Gift giving affordable and from the Heart!

It cost me about $3.00 to make this Gel Candle.
The reflection on the top of the candle
look a little like Frosty
wearing a red scarf
erecting his flag
on the Moon.

A little class in a glass!
Champagne wishes and Gel Candle dreams

 The little Angel is actually a Tree Ornament that can be detached and hung on the tree.

Truly a gift that can be loaded with personality.

 Cheers to the season of crafting merrily

I use a large coffee can to melt and store my Melt and Pour Gel Candle Wax. 

I collect and recycle (yup I scrape and wash out) used candle receptacles for re use and I gather my finds and decorative bits from wherever, whenever..


Champagne Wishes


I loved this Festive Candle.

The Champagne glass is attached to the saucer with hot glue before filling it with Melt and Pour Gel Wax.
The ornaments are also hot glued to the saucer.
No colors were added to the first few candles here.
 Gel Wax that has been melted and heated fairly quickly will produce more bubbles than a can of Gel Wax heated and melted over a longer period of time at a lower temperature. I used the bubbling intentionally to create the effect of Champagne bubbles in the glass.

Melt and Pour Gel Candle

The Gift that keeps on giving...
I got these beautiful glass dessert bowls from my Mom who found them in her local bargain store for a dollar or two each and opted to buy them knowing how great they were for candles and how much I would love them. They did make beautiful candles.
 The saucer has in-layed flowers and petals in pinks and pastel greens and was purchased at the Dollar Store.
 The green and gold balls I detached from a center piece I had long ago gotten and the green seasonal trim were a Classic.

I was inspired to create this Gel Candle by the small package of Poinsettias in a Pot that I had discovered in my travels.They were cute, mini candles!
I first attached the mini candle to the bottom of the wine glass with melted candle wax. I then poured in the melted Gel Wax careful to not pour directly onto the top of the Poinsettia.
There was some distortion to the bottom of the pot  and as you can see the clear gel did murk a bit but I thought it a Happy Accident as I enjoyed the overall effect.
Under all the foliage and fun is a beautiful brass plate.
This was a wonderful table piece.

So I ran with the table center piece theme...
Red coloring and Cinnamon Scent were added to this candle.

A Beautiful Gift.
The candles can be personalized
with whatever realizes!

in Blues and Bows

as Chunks in Bowls

This candle was created on a dinner plate. The beautiful glass bowl was the perfect fit, it made not only a classy candle but also a great conversation piece.
I poured clear melted Gel Wax into  molds to create the clear cubes of Gel that were then placed on top of the half bowl of  pale green Gel wax that had  been poured in and already set. I thought they effectively represented ice cubes in the Appi Bowl.

The Candle wicks can be purchased at most Craft Stores. I like to buy the wicks that are ready to set into the candle. They come with the wick already in the little stand, although you can buy the little silver holder and the wick by length separately.


Light Up your Life

Gel Candle Lillian the Domestic Engineer

Angels amongst us

                                                                        Angels amongst us

Guardian Angel

 Aren't these Precious!

 I made these Angels to hang
from the rear view mirror of your car.

Not large enough to obstruct your view
but big enough to reflect beautiful light
from the Chrystal beads back to you!

Heaven sent, I'd say so!

The hands are all moveable



Coral Rose Marie

  
                                  Lady Lillian

Angels are amongst us

 I found my inspiration for these precious Angels
 in a little book I found at a garage sale.

The book originally came as part and parcel of a
KLUTZ Kit.  The "FAIRIES" kit by Rachel Haab
was missing all materials to make the Angel but I did now have
a wonderful little book, complete with photographs and detailed instructions on how the Author went about making her Angels.

It just so happens that the Author is a 13 year old (at the time of publication) who lives in Springville, Utah.
Taken directly from the back of her book
-She loves playing soccer, drawing and creating things. She hopes to become a children's book illustrator someday.
"My brother, sister and I make miniature houses, and I decided to make an easy bendable Fairy to live inside. With this book I want to share the fun I had making them."

Wonderful Brooches
I have done these Angels up in a slightly smaller flower petal and glued a pin on the back.
They really are beautiful brooches.


Lillian the Domestic Engineer. All right reserved

Plant a Pen today!

    

Cleverly disguised PENS POTS!


Match to your guest or your room decor, place on counter and adore.

                                                                                          

I just love these!
 Make Mom a Pen Pot for Mothers Day.
 Make and take one to work to brighten up your desk today. Create a bunch and throw a Garden Party today, marking the place settings with a gift your guests can then take away. 
Have the kids create one for the Teacher or your elderly neighbor just to say, Thanks for being there, You brighten our day.

Never lose your pen again! 
These pretty pens manage to find themselves back in the pot
more often than not.
 (I must confess to arriving home many a time myself myself to find an acquired pen or two in my pocket.) How and when it got there remaining ever a mystery. This Pen is too big not to notice yourself attempting to stuff it into your pocket.
Instructions HERE

I ran a Pen Pot class for kids from 4-14 year to Plant a Pen for Mothers DAy
Each and all of them enjoyed themselves and their resulting finished product.

One of the young ladies participating made a good point when she declared
 "It is the most perfect gift for my Mom because she is a Gardener without a green thumb!"

The little cards said
WRITE ON

on one side

and the word Mom was mirrored upside down to read

WOW

MOM
on the other side.

Not long  after I ran my class I happened to see  a dozen Pen Pots on display at the Insurance Office I had occasion to visit. One of the Ladies working there had made one for atop each of the six wickets..

They looked fabulous!

And speaking of the business of Crafting, each and every part of every day should be crafted carefully.

What is LiBrow?

Polymer Key Canes

Polymer Clay canes

Original Fun Fashionable

HANDMADE Polymer KEY CANES

                                                                                                     

Polymer Key Cane

Polymer Key Canes

Polymer Clay Canes

 Get started Today! Follow this Link for simple HOW TO PLAY
Simple designs are fun and fairly quick to create.

Learn to create "logs" of Polymer Clay and you will be fast on your way to a life of exciting play with Polymer Clay!

ALSO
Sign up online to receive Micheal's Craft Sale Flyer's

that offers up Polymer Clay for as little as $1.50 a single block.
The large block of Polymer Clay at 40% off can be had for 8.00


                 How I made my Polymer Clay Key Cane

#1. Each Key Cane starts as a walnut sized piece of Polymer Clay. 
It is kneaded, rolled into a ball and set aside.

#2. Individual Canes are created and then thinly sliced slabs (of same) are placed and pressed onto the balls surface.

#3. The balls are then rolled to a smooth finish and a hole is pierced through the center.

#4. They are then baked at 250 degree Oven for 10 minutes.

#5. I thread a thin wire rod through the hole and finish the top with a Chrystal Bead and a loop.
   

#6. Attach a key ring to the wire loop. 

These Cork Key Chains were a happy surprise!
 I made small beads using bright green and transparent yellow Polymer Clay. 
After baking the beads I started to threaded them onto a 20 gauge wire when suddenly they began to look like... grapes. AHA!
         
          then Grapes they be...I just happened to have oodles of corks in a bag in the craft drawer upstairs.
They were just what I needed.

The toughest part of the project was piercing the cork all the way through to ensure that I could then push the wire through the cork for Key Chain assembly.

Cork + Polymer Clay Key Chain

                                   

  Twas several years before that I had made an awful lot of Cork Horse Ornaments 
 as a result of the generous donation of corks I had been blessed with.
  Did I say I made a lot of Cork Horse...I'm not sure how this bag of corks works!


    even after the Key Chains...
                                                                                       I am still laden with corks!

The Cork Horse Ornament

Polymer Clay Bowl

Beautiful Bowls can also be created
with the slabs of Polymer Clay Canes

This Bowl was formed and baked directly on the back of a glass Nappy Bowl that I had in my cupboard.

I use it as a Jewel Bowl on my night table.





          
        Click Here to Check out my Polymer Pleasure Page
                   Lillian The Domestic Engineer

Polymer Perfection

    
  Ornaments                      Bracelet                 Embellishment
  

Polymer Key Canes

 Kids CAN Play!
I ran a Key Cane class for Fathers Day, with a group of kids at The local Library

 As always, I was in awe of the impressive results.

We worked  at creating simple canes and at forming basic shapes.Within the 2 hour span of time that the class ran the kids had each created one simple shape key chain and at least 2 simple Canes.

Several of the boys chose to roll their leftover slices and bits into little balls that they then baked. They left the class with the addition of their own Handmade Marbles! (ingenious)
 

After a long, quiet, contemplative time and a good hour of crafting one of the little fellows excitedly exclaimed
"This a lot like rolling up Sushi."
I smiled at his revelation and then thanked them all for the opportunity I had been given as their instructor for the day.
"I couldn't agree with you more." I lamented
 I learned a lot today.

Light up your life!

Light up your life!
  Yes, you CANDLE

 

 Melt and pour Gel Candles
The hardest part of making these Gel Candles
 is deciding which design you'd like most to make.
 Limited only by your Imagination

 I created this Christmas gift melt and pour Gel Candle in a wine glass
 that I had previously hot glued onto a dinner plate. Both of which I purchased for a song at a Garage Sale the summer before the season I needed it.
 You have to put enough Hot Glue to build up the area between the plate and the bottom arch of the stem so don't be shy on the glue. Any glue that does seep out from under the base can easily be covered with theme or seasonal additions.
 

 I shop for Seasonal Additions all year long.   
 Keep your eyes open and your imagination alive when considering the bargain box at the end of the drive.  
Spring and Summer Garage Sales are great opportunities.  

I opted to leave this Chocolate Almond scented Gel Candle as a natural Clear Gel but a large selections of Scents and Colors are available for personalizing your gift.
Silver sparkles in this Gel added to the glitter of the gold foliage and baubles.

.

Try Gel Candles in tea cups and saucers.
Personalize, sensationalize and realize!

                                                       

My Dream Wedding.ca  

Unique Wedding Favors  
 A wonderful winter project for a perfect summer Wedding

  Kid COOL Too! The prospect of making a candle this cool
may even prompt a rummage or a cleaning of their rooms.
Any broken or single earrings, small balls, bells, hard plastic characters or trucks, rocks, coins,or other cleanup stuff can be creatively used to lighten things up!

                                   

                                                         

http://www.goldingcraft.com/gelwax.htm    

How to make your own

                             Gel Candle in 6 easy steps!

There is so much to be done!

                                             

Sometimes you need a little magic in your life, and that is what Kate Benbow created when she made this tiny fairy doors appear in her home. I saw this on Design Sponge and was delighted to see a non-functional project that was made for the sole purpose of creating a splendid moment of joy for someone. How lovely and fun.