Dress up the table Candle Craft

Serve up a little originality!

These Gel Candle table center pieces are a festive addition to your seasonal table.
The Candles can be created to match home decor and customized to impress upon personality. 

The slow burning candle gel make these an economical as well as a bright gift idea.
 

GEL CANDLE

 Yes you Candle HERE

Candle table piece

One bucket of melt and pour Gel Wax. (Approx. $30.00 at Michael's Craft)

Candle wax coloring and a selection of essential oils ($20.00 initial investment)

Dinner plates and small dishes ($1.00 per at any second hand store.)

Decorations can be gathered year round and collected in a container...

it is a whole lot cheaper to buy Poinsettias in June than it is in Dec.

The small parcels were removed from a store bought corsage,

the red leaf on left was once a Tree ornament,

the greenery has been cut piece by piece from an old wreath,

(total decoration averaging a couple dollars a plate).

I have made many, many a Gel Candle 

still from the original bucket of Gel Wax.

 DIY Best Craft Blog

                                  These candles were made last night to fill a last minute request.
                                                 They were an honor and a joy to create.

DIY Candle Craft

DIY Gel Candle

 Light up your life

More Candles HERE

Merry Christmas to you

and to all a good night.

Gift giving..in the BAG

Easy, economical, enjoyable
          = Hot, Hot, Hot!
I happen to think that these magic bags are the hottest thing around.
 When you live where there is 6 months of bad winter followed by 6 months of bad summer
 anything associated with heat receives a warm welcome. 
The magic bags is loved by everyone. 
It provides therapeutic relief, it travels well
 and it is the gift that will keep on giving.

Heat magic bag in microwave oven for 2 min. and enjoy!

 This year I made bags to gift to my Senior clients. They were easy, economical and enjoyable.

SUPPLIES:  knee high nylons (2 pair for 1.00) Dollar store = .25/bag
                     work socks (2 pair for 2.00) Dollar store= .50/bag
                      rice (8kg = 10.00) approx. 10 socks= 1.00/bag
                                                                                  ------------
                                                                                    1.75 bag! 

 I use 3 cups of rice per bag. Start by filling the nylon knee high with rice, one cup at a time. 
I  put rice into a measuring cup and then stretch the nylon over the measuring cup.
 Turn the cup over, while holding the sides of the stocking and pour the rice, cup by cup into the stocking.
Make sure there are no twists in the stocking or the rice won't go all the way down.
Once filled,  lay the bag on a flat surface and stretch it out like a sausage. 
If you ball it all before tying it won't lay around your neck when finished. 
Tie a knot at the open end of the stocking. 
Next open the mouth of your sock and feed the stocking into it. Again, keeping the bag in a sausage shape will make it easier to feed into the sock. I have used a classic work sock here. 
Finally tie a knot in the open sock end.
I have added a fabric bow tie in seasonal colors. Any ribbon or bow can be tied on but don't forget to remind the user to remove any bows with wire BEFORE putting in microwave.

 Gift giving.....in the bag.

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

Tile Terrific

Tile Terrific                                       



 I'm excited to say that I have finally  finished the Garden Table I spent the summer working on, for my Sisters 50th Birthday!

  Last spring I dug this little wooden table out from the back corner of my yard where it had lived, unused and unwanted  for several summers.

 I don't recall from which driveway I rescued the table from
but I do recall having brought it home while touring the neighborhood on one of our annual fall "big dump" collection days. 
 I hosed it off and brought it to the front deck. As I sat there in the spring sun, sucking in the essence and aromas of a summer coming, I was again inspired by the tables overall design and durability.


I had gone a little Tile Wild in my bathroom the summer prior
so I had the balance of a bucket of grout, 6 green tiles my girlfriend had donated to the bathroom cause,  a couple of beautiful but (sadly) broken garden pieces from my sisters garden, some broken mirror from my sons room,(as a result of moving things out of our basement during the flooding we experienced in 2010-11) and I had the broken bits of a beautiful Zambuka bottle (believe it or not, that I had acquired from a friends wedding 28 years earlier!!)
I had as a rule kept dried flowers in it, so when I dropped and cracked it I just couldn't bare to throw it away.
 Finally I had glass bits and pieces that I had kept in a glass jar since last summer, when my sister gave them to me for use in the TD Summer Reading Program game board I created and constructed.
 I couldn't wait to get my bits in a pile.
 
Over the course of the summer I lovingly and most enjoyable
passed many a summer's eve tiling, grouting, sanding and painting.

      The design seemed to form itself into a blue river with a red glass heart at center. The sky was a mix of white tile bits, broken mirror and pieces of a grey and silver plate I took out of the 2nd hand store garbage  at back (while I waited for my car repairs)
     The garden under the river was largely the Zambuka bottle, already covered with great garden,floral colors, I added in the glass pieces and  three butterflies I has salvaged from the broken porcelain garden vases  I had gotten from my sister.
  I used acrylic paint to spruce up the sides and Fabric paint to give the gold paint another dimension. I gave it a final light spray of acrylic finish and it was good to go!

My Sister loved it 

See More

     

Go on and give it a go!
Start with something small like a Mirror or a Clay Pot.

 

Creating Mosaic Mirrors

By: Laura Evans

Would you like to dress up a room or two without spending a lot of money? Creating unique mosaic mirrors might be right up your alley.
Mosaic Art Supplies
An essential supply when creating this piece of art is a mirror. The only requirement is that the mirror has a flat surface. The mirror itself can be any shape that you like, including round, square, oval, etc.
Choose your tiles. You may prefer to stay within one color range, using complementary colors or picking contrasting colors. You can also use old ceramic plates if you like and break them into irregular pieces using a tile or glass nipper. In fact, you can create irregular shapes using this tool on your tile pieces as well.
You will need a bonding agent like a ceramic tile adhesive, silicone or regular glue. Check labels before you purchase your bonding agent to make sure that your tiles, whether glass or ceramic, will adhere to your mirror.
You will also need grout to fill between your tiles. Grout comes in different colors, so pick the one that you think would look best on your mosaic. You may also be able to find pre-mixed grout if you don't want to fuss with mixing it yourself.
Creating Mosaic Mirrors
If you want your mirror to have a specific pattern, draw the pattern on the mirror using a pencil. Make sure that you keep track of where your different colors will be placed, particularly if your pattern is complex.
You can apply your bonding agent in two ways. If you are using a random pattern, lay your glue in small areas, using a spatula or putty knife. If you are following a pattern, it might be easier to glue your tile piece by piece.
After your project is complete, let it dry according to your bonding agent's instructions.

Mix your grout according to its instructions. Fill in all of the cracks between your tiles. Gently wipe away any excess grout with a clean, damp sponge. Rinse out the sponge. Let the grout sit for about 20 minutes and wipe the mosaic down again to remove any chalky residue. Let your mosaic dry completely based on your grout's instructions.

You now have a mosaic masterpiece that you created yourself.

Creating a Mosaic Mirror