Making Use Of After Christmas Clearance items

Hello everyone!

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and are

having a wonderful 2015.

Kristie here from Kristie Kreates.

Do you do after Christmas bargain shopping?

I did a bit of that the other day and today I'd like to show

y'all how I'm using one of my bargain buys.

I found these foam shapes at 80% off at Michael's 

and I knew exactly what I would use them for.

First I stamped and colored an image and created a card base..

I measured the image and took off a little bit on each side.

You can see I noted the size I wanted at the side of the

foam shape.  I cute the center of the shape to that size.

I'll keep the pieces I cut off for another project.

I applied adhesive to the back of the foam.

and applied it to the back of the colored image.

Here you can see that it covers most of the back

and has just a little dimension.

I usually have used pieces of foam tape to give dimension 

to a card.  With the foam piece covering the 

back this way, you don't get any "sagging" in the center of the

card.  It is just a little more uniform.

And I'm using something I got at a bargain price.

Here's the card all done, ready for a 

sentiment to be stamped in side,

or a personal note to be written.

Did you get any after Christmas bargains that 

you'll be using for something other than their

intended purpose?

Thanks for stopping by today for my 

crafty tutorial.

Come again soon

and until next month when I'm back

with another tutorial,

have fun crafting.

For more inspirations be sure to stop

by my blog

Kristie Kreates

and see what else I've been creating!

Handmade Party Candles

Handmade Candles- Chapter 12

We had some extra fun with this project! My kids all got to make a little candle using dixie cups as the mold. The possibilities are endless, so don't be shy. Melt some wax and get started!

Measure the depth of a Styrofoam cup or other heat-resistant
but temporary container.

Cut cotton wicking one and a half times
the depth of the container.

Melt paraffin wax (one pound of paraffin
melts to about 20 fluid ounces) in a double boiler. Or if you melt scented wax, you can melt down your used wax from Scentsy candles, etc.

For this step, I had an old emergency candle that got melted in the summer heat of the trailer that my hubby and I lived in when we were first married! Yes, it was that hot in that tin can! I finally decided to do something with it since it couldn't be burned as a candle in its current state!

 After melting down, add essential oils for your favorite scent.

Stir in dried rose petals, eucalyptus leaves, berries,
or wood shavings, using about four parts wax to one part mix-ins.

Wrap one end of cotton wicking to a pencil that is slightly longer
than the diameter of your container, and tape the other end to the
inside bottom of the container. The wick should be slightly taut. Alternatively, you could set up something like I have pictured below. We put the candles on my cooling rack and taped the wicking to the underside of the cupboards.

Pour wax into your container and adjust the wick as needed. I poured in different colors of wax in layers and let each one set up for about five to ten minutes before adding the next layer and mix-ins. Once the wick is centered and taut, allow 24 hours for the wax to harden.

Then cut the container and peel it away to reveal the candle. Trim the wick to
¾ inch. This was quite the exciting step for my 4 year old!

Wrap twine or ribbon around the candle if desired.

In my book, this candle idea is used as a centerpiece for the wedding celebrations/reception. These candles also make great holiday gifts and fun decor ideas.

Here are four of my kids showing off their candle creations!

Learn more about Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things and all of the chapter tutorials here
Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com.