Color Your Candles With Old Crayons
If you have kids, you most likely have plenty of old crayons around the house that are no longer used. Before throwing them out, consider using them to make candles. This can be a great way to turn them into something new and useful again. Most children will love the idea of making candles and enjoy knowing their old crayons were used to make them. Making candles out of crayons can also be a great gift idea.
Make sure your kids know about safety before starting your project. Since the crayons will have to be melted at a high heat, they may not be able to participate in that part of the candle making process. Assure them that there are many other aspects of the candle making that they can be a part of.
To start, gather your supplies. In addition to the crayons, you will need a wax carton. This can be from milk, fabric softener, or orange juice container. You will also need paraffin wax, two full ice cube trays, a double boiler, and white packing string. If you don’t want to use your double boiler, an old coffee can and a saucepan will work just as well.
Trim the top off of the wax carton, leaving it approximately six inches high. Cut the string for the wick at least 8 inches long. You will later trim the wick to fit the holder. To ensure a wick that burns easier, take three pieces and braid them together. Use smaller pieces of string to tie the ends together. The holders for your candles can be anything you desire as long as they are non-flammable. Pretty vases, glasses, and jars work nicely.
Melt about three pounds of paraffin wax in the double boiler or coffee can. To help it melt faster, cut it into small chunks. Melting will take about 15 to 20 minutes. While the wax is melting, peel the papers off of the old crayons. You and your children can choose to separate the colors by lights and darks to have a mix that combines well or you can mix them all together and see what the color ends up being.
For best results, only add the crayons to the wax after it has completely melted. After melthing the crayons and wax, pour the mixture into your candles holders as soon as possible. If you would like to make scented candles, try adding a splash of cinnamon or vanilla to your hot wax mixture.
It is important that the candles be left alone to completely harden. Make sure you have an area where this can be done. It is also important to make sure small children can’t reach them because the wax will stay hot for several hours and can cause serious injuries.
Making candles out of old crayons is a great way to spend the afternoon creating a fun project with your kids!
The Scrapbooking Sensation: The Cricut Expressions
Provo Craft already has a lineup of amazing die cutting machines, and the latest Expression is just icing on the cake. Primarily, it allows for more intricate and vibrant designs in sizes ranging from 0.25” to 23.5”. The Expression indeed has a much better functionality and wider range of creative features which is why it has become a lot more popular than the original Cricut machine. Don’t miss out on the amazing how to find a cheap Cricut Expression machine .
So, what are these features that the Expression is hailed for and exactly what does it allow you to do? We absolutely love the multi-cut option which will slice almost any thick material into whatever shape we want. The larger size of paper lets you cut bigger and better shapes. It also provides more room for creativity because it is effective on either a 12” x 24” or 12” x 12” sized paper.
Before purchasing on Ebay be sure to read the product description carefully because there are sellers who throw in a freebie or two, such as free cartridges. In case of free cartridges, look for the cartridge description as well so that you will know whether you can use the cartridge being offered or not. And be careful not to overlook the shipping cost. You will need to compare the total costs of the different offerings in the auction because items that do not offer free shipping often incur a higher total cost than those that have a higher asking price but include free shipping. Simply look below the auction price to see if shipping is free or not and if it is not then there should be a space where you can input your zip code. Once you have done this, you will be given the cost of shipping and you can get the total cost of the item simply by adding the shipping charge to the maximum amount that you are willing to bid. Don’t pay full price when you can find Discount Cricut Machines on Ebay!
Useful Tips To Use Your Home Items As Crafts
Are you frustrated by the junk piling up in your house? Instead of kicking them to the curb and having them dumped in a landfill site, go through your items and turn them into attractive and useful crafts for your home. Got some empty bottles? Turn them into beautiful candle holders! Got a pile of clothes that are too ratty to donate? Give them a new life as pot holders, place mats or pillow cases. In this article, we’ll show you how to turn some everyday items into crafts that you can use around the house.
Tin cans can be used for a number of craft projects after their contents have been emptied. Turning tuna or cat food cans into candy containers is a practical craft project that is so simple that anyone can do it. After you’ve washed the can thoroughly, paint the outside white. Punch two holes near the top edge on opposite sides and use light weight craft wire or a pipe cleaner to make a handle. Now the can looks like a little basket. To cover the wire, you can use felt or pretty ribbon. To decorate the outside of the can, you can use stamps, stickers, glitter or more craft paint. Line the inside with plastic wrap, paper doilies, or colored cellophane. The candy container will look really pretty and artistic once you put the candy inside.
Napkin rings are an attractive addition to any table even when you’re having a casual family dinner. Save your silver napkin rings for formal occasions and make paper towel tube rings for every day. This is so easy, and is one of safest crafts for young kids to do. You’ll need an assortment of dried beans. If you want a flashier look, you can use plastic gem stones. You’ll also need an empty paper towel tube, glue and scissors. Cut empty paper towel tubes into 1-1/4″ rings. Use the glue to attach the beans or gems to the entire surface area. If you want to make a simpler looking napkin ring, cover the paper towel roll with shelving paper in a pretty pattern before cutting the roll into pieces.
Fridge magnets are a fun way to dress up your kitchen and they’re great for holding photographs, recipes or shopping lists in a convenient place. If you’re looking for environmentally friendly craft projects for your kids, make some eco-fridge magnets. You’ll need CDs or DVDs that are no longer in use, felt in your favorite colors, a black marker, decorative materials like gems, beans, beads or ribbon, eyes from a craft store and a magnet. Trace the disc out on the felt, cut out the shape, and glue the felt to one side only. Using your decorative materials and some glue, turn the disc into a potato head, a frog face, a happy smile or even a flower. Add a dollop of glue to the top, backside of the disc and carefully place the magnet in the glue. Once all the material dries, you’ll have a cute magnet that will hold your child’s crafts and paintings to the fridge.
Everyday household items like towels, sheets, pillowcases, canisters and coasters can all be made at home using items that normally would end up in the trash. By turning waste into fun and functional crafts, you’ll save money and protect the environment from being cluttered with unnecessary garbage. So, turn on your imagination and have a great time while filling your home with unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade items.
The Joy of Hand-made Mother’s Day Gifts
The day we celebrate mom – Mother’s Day – is coming soon, so sometime soon the crafters will come out in force That means some of them will want vintage Mothers Day cards, which will let them give a vintage look to their crafts. Many creative types prefer vintage, because it gives a traditional look that seems to go with Mother’s Day.
The same idea goes for scrapbooking. Whether the scrapbook is traditional paper or digital, vintage images make them all the more special. For example, these vintage flower border embellishments. They were common in the Victorian era and were common in the scrapbooks the ladies kept. You would often see the hand drawn borders surrounding ornate text that read “Mother” as a way of honoring her. And that practice continues to this day as scrapbookers create brand new ways to honor mom.
Of course, the same embellishments that honor Mom can also be used to create beautiful handmade Mother’s Day cards. The beautiful flowers are a perfect centerpiece in a Mother’s Day card. Also, they look terrific as a 3D embellishment. If the border is printed on card stock, the inside and outside edges can be cut out and laid over the top of a photo of Mom. The image will appear in the “window”created, and the result will look like a fancy picture frame.
Those who don’t consider themselves crafters can also download a great Mother’s Day gift. Just choose one of these Mothers Day certificates and print it. The certificates are already designed and include the date and a message, so there isn’t a lot more to do than print one and sign it. Of course, the certificate would also be nice framed. The frame doesn’t have to be extravagant. Mom will love it no matter what.
So to honor your mom this Mother’s Day, make a gift at home. It’s easy to do, and you might be surprised at the final results. If you decide to follow this advice your mom is sure to be delighted, which will make you a hero in her eyes. She might even ask for the same thing for next Mother’s Day.
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