Teacup Candle

This is a simple fast craft that works well as a last minute gift idea. You will need candle wax, a wick, a teacup or pretty mug, candle fragrance is optional. I used microwaveable wax and pre-waxed candle wicks. I also used some vanilla candle fragrance. I've been holding on to this teacup for a while. The inside of the cup is crazed and heavily stained, but I could not bear to throw it out.. Turning it into a candle gives it new life.
Once you have your supplies together slowly warm the teacup on a hot water bottle. If the cup is to cold the wax will not stick to the cup properly. While the cup is warming melt the wax for the candle. I chose soy because it burns slower and cleaner than paraffin wax; it is also cheaper. I added half a teaspoon of vanilla candle fragrance. Soy can be difficult taking the sent properly so you might have to experiment a little. The wax melted in about 45 seconds in the microwave.
Use some of your melted wax, or wax from another candle to secure the wick in place. Next slowly pour the melted wax into the teacup till it is filled. I like to leave a little bit of room at the top. Put the teacup somewhere it will not be disturbed. It will take an hour to an hour and a half to set. Once it's set the wax will be a frosty white. Trim the wick to one fourth of an inch and your candle is done. Have fun!

Favorites Party

I wanted to join in on the fun. Chrissie Grace is throwing a Favorites Party. I spent most of the day re-potting my seedlings into larger pots so I almost missed out on the fun (at the moment, NOT a favorite thing). You don't have to miss out on the fun either, head on over to her blog and join in and take a look around while you are there she is an amazing artist.I'll start with my favorite chair. I don't like pink, but this chair is so comfortable. Bear did not like it and I put it upstairs in plain view as a joke. It worked perfectly in the room and is never leaving. It is positioned in such a way that I can see out of six different windows. Right now there is a spectacular view of my ornamental crab-apples in full blossom. I love to sit in the morning and watch the sun come up with a cup of tea. Which brings us to my second favorite thing..... Chocolate Pecan Swirl Tea from the Mad Hatter Tea Room is my favorite tea. I love coffee but am deathly allergic to it. I had to give it up after going into shock the last time I had a small cup. *Sigh. This tea has a flavor and smoothness to it that is reminiscent of coffee. Bear and I enjoy having a cup and watching the sun come up on weekends together. I also like to have a cup while I am reading a book....Can you guess what the third things will be? My favorite author is Mary Roach. If you are a redhead "Roots of Desire" is an absolute must read. It also happens to be one of my favorite books. It is about the history and mythology of redheads. Recently we shut the TV off and every night Bear and I read a little together. I love Mary Roach's ability to make you laugh, educate you, disgust you completely, and make you laugh till your blue in the face....... BLUE! These are my favorite shoes. They are made by Haflinger with felt tops and cork soles. They are the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned. I am horribly guilty of running outside barefoot and then stepping on bees (another thing I am deathly allergic to). Bear is constantly telling me to put something on my feet. I love being able to slip these on while on the move. Oh, it helps that they are super cute and comfortable too. My last favorite, has to be my first and foremost favorite. My super cute and comfortable Husband. I would run out of room If I listed all my favorite things about him. He is my love and my joy. And my very foremost Favorite. What's yours?

faux stained glass

This is a very simple yet fun craft. I used to use canning jars and paint them this way to use as candle holders/decorative lanterns. Recently a young woman I know blessed me with several beautiful vases and two of these lovely glass olive oil bottles. I mentioned that they would make lovely vases and some how or other the faux stained glass came up. She said she would love it if I would do a blog to show her how it was done. Nikki, this one is for you :) Start with a jar, any kind will do. Use black fabric paint to make the outline of your picture. Go slow, it will want to blob up. Once it is dry use transparent glass paint to fill in the picture. Let them dry in between colors or you can end up with some blending. That's all there is to it. This jar (not including drying time) took about half an hour to paint. Have fun!

Washcloth Bunny

On Easter my Mum presented me with a little washcloth bunny she used as an Easter/Spring decoration when I was little. My sister and I would take turns holding him and making him hop along the dinner table. From now on he will hop along on my nature table every spring. It's a very simple craft and I hope that your family enjoys the one you make as much as we loved ours.

First you need a washcloth the color that you want your bunny to be. Snip off the tag and any stray threads. Fold the washcloth in half so it's a triangle; then tightly roll the triangle up from the point.
Fold the rolled up washcloth in half. Then fold the two halves over the top of the roll. Put a rubber band around the middle of the washcloth. Place it about where my index finger and thumb are in the second picture. This separates the head from the body and gives it it's bunny shape. For a nose I cut a piece of light pink felt and needle felted it in place. The one Mum gave me had a circle glued on. I'm sure a bead would look cute as well. For a tail I needle felted a tiny piece of cotton to the back. The one Mum gave me has a small pom pom. Tie a ribbon around the neck to hide the rubber band and you are done.

Here is my new bunny playing with the little bunny from my child hood. They look like they are having fun; now it's your turn. There are endless ways to decorate your bunnies. I hope you enjoy making your own and Have fun!

Bottlecap Ladybug Magnets

Happy first day of spring everyone! To celebrate today I thought it would be fun to make some ladybug magnets out of bottle caps. I seem to have a healthy supply of them. People found out I craft and now they save them just for me (Thank you).




For this project you will need glue (super gel glue works and so does high temp hot glue). 1" wood disks (the ones I used are made by Lara's craft found at craft stores), craft magnets ( I used .75" craft magnets made by Artminds (also found at craft stores), and of course bottle caps.



The first step is to take a nail or sharp object and scratch or remove the rubbery surface on the inside of the bottle cap. This make is easy for the glue to stick.






Next glue the wood circle inside the bottle cap. This will raise the magnet up so that the bottle cap does not rest directly on your refrigerator and scratch it. You can use anything for this step, but I think that wood works best.




Place the magnet on top of the wood disk to make sure that the magnet is higher than the rim of the bottle cap. If it's not high enough add another wood layer before gluing the magnet on. Then glue the magnet to the wood disk.




Finally paint the bottle caps to look like ladybugs. Let the red layer dry before painting the head and spots. Some bottle caps are real interesting and would be fun to leave unpainted.




There you have it. Adorable ladybug magnets just in time for the first day of spring. I wish that I had some googly eyes on hand for this project but I think they turned out cute enough without them. Happy First Day of Spring and Have Fun!



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Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! I Have one last "Green" blog for today. I spent the day potting up my seeds in preparation for my garden. Our growing season is so short that starting them inside helps stretch out my growing season. It yields a larger harvest and I save money by planting my own seeds instead of buying seedlings from the store. I can hardly wait to plant them outside. I remember when I was young sitting with my Mum while there was snow out in the yard and our entire kitchen being covered in mud as we prepared seedling cups. We were covered in mud from fingers to forehead and ear to ear grins as we giggled and planed for spring. One simple little trick that I learned from her was to save the papery egg cartons. The egg part makes a wonderful nursery for our seedlings to start in. Come time to transplant them into larger starter pots the egg carton will gently tear away and not disturb the tender little roots. They are cheaper than peat pots or other store bought tearaway pots. May the blessing of light be upon you. Light on the inside and light on the outside as some of us head into the warmth of spring and some of us cozy up under piles of quilts before the warmth of a fire for winter. Erin go Bragh.

Spring

It's hard to think that less than a week ago our yard was still buried under a minimum of two feet of snow. Then the rains came relentlessly pelting and melting the snow until our streets were rivers. This weekend Bear and I had to get out to take advantage of the warmer weather and go for a walk in the woods. Snow can still be found in the lower places (like this stream bed), but it is quickly melting.



Our crocus bulbs made it though the winter. They are about an inch high. I look forward to starting my first real garden. This afternoon I will begin potting the seeds for my herbs and tomatoes. Things like my pumpkins and squashes will be planted later directly in the ground.


The squirrels are happy for the treats that we leave out. They have been our clowns all winter long. I'm glad they left our bulbs alone.







The lake is still frozen over. One more week and spring will be here. It's sad to see the snow leave (I love it so) but the excitement in seeing the world wake up is over whelming. I wish you all a blessed day whether you are just going into spring or just starting to cozy up for winter. Where ever you are, whatever you are doing, Have Fun!