Making Candles

Yesterday my sister-in-law, Sondra, and I made candles.  This was a first for both of us, and, despite the fact that there were probably 398,574 other things we each should have been doing, making candles won.  This turned out to be a very simple, fast and relatively inexpensive project that we plan to do again soon.

Candles can be made in a huge variety of containers, but since Sondra had about a dozen leftover 8 oz. glass jars we used those.  We bought a 4 lb. bag of microwaveable soy wax, a set of pre-waxed wicks with clips (make sure you buy soy-specific wicks if you're using soy wax; we used Helix Wick), and two 1 oz. bottles of fragrance oils.  This is the only place where we fell short--a 1 oz. bottle of oil will make 2-3 oz. candles (we made 2, which I'd recommend if you want a stronger scent).  Here's a list of everything you'll need:

Glass jars (or any candle-appropriate container)

Microwaveable wax, preferably soy

Fragrance oils

Wicks (with clips attached, to make things easier)

Microwave safe container suitable for pouring melted wax

Measuring bowl

Pencils (1 for each candle, to attach to wicks)





Start by measuring 24 oz. of wax shavings in a large measuring bowl (this will make two 8 oz. candles).  Once measured, pour into a microwave-safe container that will be easy enough to pour into jars without making a holy mess of your countertops and all surrounding areas.





The box instructs you to microwave for 30-60 seconds, then once it has all melted check with a thermometer to ensure it is 180 degrees.  We didn't have a thermometer on hand, so we just made sure the wax was fully melted and didn't cook longer than necessary and the candles turned out fine.  We microwaved ours for 30 seconds, stirred, then 1 more minute, stirred, then 1 more minute.  After that there were a few chunks of wax that we just stirred until they melted completely.



Before pouring any wax into jars, you'll have to anchor the wicks and clips to the bottom using hot glue.  Just put a small dab of glue on the center of the anchor and glue to the center (or in my case, way off center) of the bottom inside of the jar.  Wait to trim the wicks until the wax has been poured and cooled.  Hold the wicks upright and pour until slightly below the lid line of the jar.





To keep the wicks straight while the wax cools wrap the ends around a pencil and balance the pencil on top of the jar.





Once the wax is completely cool (we left ours out for about 4 hours), trim the wick to about 1/4" from the wax.



Light and enjoy!  Many of our jars were missing lids, so we took charm squares (as you may recall, I have plenty in stock) and placed them on top of the jar and tied a ribbon around it.



This one was the Gingerbread Orange scent, which smelled delicious.

Side note, and totally unrelated topic, I reread this post about half a dozen times because I was worried I randomly typed "good boy!" in here somewhere.  Chad was training Howard (not an elderly man, just our 2 year old Corgi with rampant social phobias) and kept repeating "Good boy!" while I was typing.



It's tiring to be such a good boy.



~Stacy

Baby Blocks

I was finally able to work on the baby blocks today.  I found this pattern on the Better Homes & Gardens website ( http://www.bhg.com/crafts/sewing/accessories/diy-baby-blocks/) and thought it looked really easy.  I just used the pattern as a guide and cut my own sizes and skipped the fusible lettering.  The blocks are very easy to make, but each one takes a bit longer than I expected--about 15-20 minutes per block.  I decided not to applique anything onto them and just stick with the cute fabric (Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey) and leave it at that.  I've never appliqued before, so I'm afraid that if I try it out on these they will A) end up looking like I tried applique for the first time and B) won't be ready until Charlotte's 4th birthday.

I started by cutting a bunch of 3" squares.  Each block uses 6 squares and I cut enough to make 15 blocks.



















I have only finished 3 so far, but hopefully I can get halfway done by the end of the evening.  I'll know it's time to stop when I start messing everything up and swearing at my sewing machine (because naturally it will be the machine's fault.  It always is.)

Look who just arrived home from a busy day at Grandma's:



I think it's time for pj's :)



~Stacy

I'll Have Christmas

I rarely commit to anything without a lot of planning and forethought, but I just grossly violated my own rule.  I was on the phone with my mom talking about Christmas plans.  We were discussing the plan that had been made since July regarding the "wheres", "whens", and "whos" of the day.  The original plan was one that no one seemed overjoyed with, and as the day creeps closer we've all been getting a little more Scrooge-y about it.  My mom was ready to scrap the whole thing and just host the event at her house, despite not wanting to (and after having it as her house for the past several years in a row, I understand).  At this point, my common sense decided to check out of the conversation and go have a seat in the recliner because my mouth blurted out the words "I'll have Christmas!" before I realized what was happening.  Upon hearing this, common sensed leaped up from its comfy spot across the room and dashed over, hands waving and mouthing the words "are you crazy??".  My common sense is very grandiose in its gestures.  Anyway, the words were out.  Husband overheard and shouted "that's a great idea!" (not sarcastically; he's a very agreeable person) so there was no going back.

Basically, I just agreed to entertain 16 adults, 1 baby, and 1 socially "questionable" little dog in 2 weeks in my very small home (in my case, cottage accurately describes the size of my home.  It's not like the "cottages" you see in Coastal Living magazine in Martha's Vineyard that someone purchased as a quaint 4200 square foot summer escape).  I could tell my mom was so happy about this plan (because she said "I am SO happy!") so I couldn't go back on my word.  Within minutes almost everyone knew about the idea and was excited, and it became infectious. I can do this I told myself.  The more the idea sunk in the more I decided it was actually a great plan.  Chad and I don't have to go anywhere, the baby can stay here and nap in her own bed when she needs to, and there's no loading/unloading of the car with all of the various items (plus presents) we come with when we go anywhere.  All I have to do is clean, cook a few side dishes, and try not to panic.  I can do that!

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and the same goes for my family.  My house is small but it's full of Christmas spirit.  My kitchen is tiny but it'll cook up an awesome holiday dinner that everyone will love.  My living room is not large, but everyone will be in it together opening presents and enjoying the day.  It's my daughter's very first Christmas and she'll get to spend it in her own home surrounded by all the people who love her most in the world.  And for that I couldn't be happier.  So Christmas, here we come!



In the meantime, I still have some projects to finish (and by finish, I mean start and then hopefully think about finishing).  One of these projects is the baby blocks I showed in the last post.  They're supposed to be part of Charlotte's Christmas gift, so hopefully they'll make it under the tree.  Thankfully she will be blissfully unaware of their absence if they aren't done in time and I won't yet have to explain why Santa needs to fire his lazy elves who can't even finish Christmas presents in time for the big day.  This will be the last year in probably forever that I can get away with this, but hopefully I won't have to.  If I can host Christmas unexpectedly then I can certainly whip up a few baby blocks.  At least that is what I like to think :)



~Stacy

A Cookie Kind of Day

I set out to be very productive yesterday.  Grandma watches the baby on Tuesdays, so that is my day to clean, run errands, and work on consulting projects (I'm also an independent HR Consultant.  This blog is a place for enjoyment and relaxation and since the sum total of people who find reading about human resources to be enjoyable and relaxing is zero I will not be focusing on that here).

It was a rare Tuesday when the house was clean, groceries bought, and all work projects done.  My plan was to drop Charlotte off at 10, run a few errands, and be home by noon to spend the rest of my day sewing a set of baby blocks.  Plan derailed.  See, I have a problem when it comes to crowds.  My problem is that I dislike crowds.  I think I require more personal space than the average person, so being in a crowded store with people and shopping carts blocking aisles makes me crazy in about .3 seconds.  I have been known, on more than one occasion, to set out for a shopping trip and abandon all plans before I even get out of the car if the parking lot is a mess of people and terrible driving.  Yesterday was one of those days, except instead of just going home and forgetting about the whole thing I decided to be strong and soldier on.  This might have been an okay idea if it wasn't, say, 2.5 weeks before Christmas at one of the busiest strip malls in the entire nation.  Long and frustrating story short, I arrived home much later than I planned and in a bit of a "mood" that could only be fixed by baking cookies.  Dark chocolatey, thick, gooey cookies.  I have bakerella.com to thank for giving me the best recipe I have ever tried.  Please, if you are having a bad day that begs for cookies, visit this site immediately and make them.  Or just look at the amazing pictures of her cake pops.

I won't include the entire recipe (because I want you to check out her site :)) but here is the ingredient list:

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa

10 oz. dark chocolate chips

3/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

I left out the nuts, but you can include those as well.













These are soooo good.  It's been awhile since I've baked cookies from scratch like this.  I skipped Christmas cookie baking last year because eating raw dough was forbidden due to my pregnancy.  Not eating raw dough while baking?  Insanity.  Not to mention completely impossible, so I figured I'd be better off just avoiding the temptation entirely.  I felt good enough after my little baking extravaganza that I was able to muster up some creativity and cut out the fabric for the baby blocks.  Here's a sneak peek:


All made from leftover scraps of Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane line.  LOVE.

Have a good day!

~Stacy

Time to Sew

It's cold, dark and rainy here.  The Christmas cards are ready to mail.  The decorations are up. The gifts are bought and wrapped (thanks Amazon.com).



This is napping:


:)



What to do?  My supervisor looks on, suspicious of my activities (or lack thereof)...





Time to sew.  I decided to look through some of my (many) sewing books to find something quick and fun to start and finish in less than an hour.  One of my favorites is this:


Courtesy of http://www.craftyplanet.com/oneyardwonders/

This book is wonderful.  It's full of simple, modern and quick patterns that take (you guessed it) one yard of fabric or less each.  Charlotte is in need of new bibs and there is a great pattern for them on page 218.  The bib is a perfect size--big enough to handle the mess that is made when someone decides to blow bubbles with a mouthful of applesauce but not so big that it's unwieldy.  I found some leftover fat quarters from a bundle of Bliss by Bonnie & Camille and got to work.











It took about 30 minutes and she's still napping.  I might just have to be lazy for a few minutes.  My supervisor approves.





~Stacy

Cute (Burp) Cloths

"Burp cloth" sounds gross, but there really isn't a better description for these...

When I was pregnant, my mom made me a set of flannel burp cloths that quickly became the ones I preferred using over anything else I had.  It's funny how I find myself having opinions on things like burp cloths, diapers, bibs, etc. but it happens.  I seem to go through about 400 (or so it seems) cloths in a day.  I also seem to lose them or leave them places, so having a lot on hand is necessary.  These cloths are super quick to make, soft for baby's skin, and really absorbent.

To make 3 cloths, you will need:

1/2 yd flannel fabric

Sewing machine

Coordinating thread

Scissors & cutting mat

Pins

Iron



Make sure to pre-wash the fabric before cutting/sewing.  Iron after drying, then lay out the fabric, folding in half selvage to selvage (to reduce cutting time).  Cut 3 pairs of fabric, each 7"X15".



For each pair, place one piece on top of the other with right sides together.  Pin around all sides.



Sew around all sides using a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving a small opening at one end for turning.  Trim corners.



Turn right side out, using a turning tool for the corners.  Iron.  Sew the opening closed (for a neater look, it's best to hand stitch but if you're feeling lazy like me you can machine stitch as close to the edge as possible).





That's it.  It's really that simple.  I try not to go too crazy with detail and time when it comes to something my baby is going to literally spit on and instead save that for more special projects, like quilts, toys and room decor.  You are welcome to adorn your burp cloths however you wish :)


Baby approved!



~Stacy

Charming Coasters

I have a problem with charm packs. Let me rephrase-- my problem is most definitely not with charm packs, as I love them.  A lot.  My problem is that I collect and save charm packs (and by "save" I mean "hoard") to the point that I have filled the better part of a large storage trunk with them.  Considering their small size, (5" squares) this is kind of a shocking amount. To alleviate this problem, and to make room for more squares, I've made quite a few fun projects using primarily charm squares.  I figured I would kick off the holiday season with these festive and super-simple coasters.

You will need:
8 charm squares (for 4 coasters)
Scraps of thin cotton batting (large enough to cut into 5" squares)
Sewing machine
Coordinating thread
Sewing needle
Iron
Scissors
Pins


I chose to use some leftover charms from last year's 12 Days of Christmas by Kate Spain for Moda.  You can still find some of this line on Etsy--just search for it and several shops have some yardage and precuts in stock.

Start by choosing which charm squares you want to go together and select 4 sets of 2 squares each.  Put the 2 pieces on top of one another with right sides together.  Cut the batting into four 5" squares.  Place one piece of batting on top of each of the charm sets and pin around all sides.



Sew around all sides using a 1/4" seam allowance and leaving a small opening for turning.  Trim corners and turn right side out.



Press and hand sew the opening closed.   Sew a square inside the coaster by sewing 1/2" from the outer seam on all sides.  You can keep sewing squares within squares like this, or do any design (or no design) you like.



Pile them up, tie in a cute little bow, and and now you have a unique and adorable stocking stuffer (or gift for yourself)!






I've also made several sets in non-Christmasy fabrics for everyday use.  You can toss them in the washer & dryer if needed, though you will most likely need to iron them after.  Happy sewing!

~Stacy