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January 25, 2011

DIY Gifts - Eggshell Candles

Alright, I bet you thought I forgot about showing you our DIY projects didn't you. :)

I wouldn't forget! 

But I have to admit, I am rather slow on the uploading of the pictures I've already taken.  Or is that downloading? hmm.  Well I did my part, I took the picture. :P

Ok, here is one of the easier projects that we did as a Christmas present for my daughter in law.  Angie absolutely loves candles and is quite into holiday themes so we tried to come up with something that she could use throughout the whole year, not just one.  We decided that a present of eggshell candles would be a great gift for her.  I gotta admit though , once we delved into this project we almost forgot our objective.  I had seen these made when I was a child and they had holly leaves and berries painted on them after they were set.  Then placed decoratively on the table to create a wonderful christmasy centerpiece display.  She almost got holly leaves and berries on them too, just not for the same reason.  Just in the nick of time we remembered not to paint them!  Read on to find out why ...

Now I'm an avid DIY'er and make the candles from scratch most of the time.  So already having the materials here to make the candles we set to work eating eggs for the next couple of days.  (ALOT of eggs!)  Now, we eat alot of eggs anyway, but when you have to be careful how you break the eggshell it becomes a bit more interesting. So we ate ALOT of eggs and picked the best shells for the project. For this project we used home grown eggs as they're a bit thicker and more durable than a store bought egg.  haha  (I needed all the help I could get, so we went straight to the top... 'er bottom of the matter! lol)

Wanting to keep the colors soft, I opted to use the soy wax and instead of using the wax dye, Way donated his old crayons to the cause for that "personal" touch.  Then added some wonderful berries smells to each batch.

I'm a paraphin phenatic, so soy wax was definately a new experience for me.  I wasn't sure the paraphin crayon would meld well with the soy, so we ate a few extra eggs just in case. haha

With paraphin, the general rule is to take a test drop and allow it to cool.  That color is the color of the candle.  Ok, I broke rule #1, I didn't do a test drop.  Remember I'm used to paraphin. lol  So imagine my surprise when I check back on our little eggs and find they are allllllll pastel colors.  Ok, not what I anticipated at all!  Here's where we lost our objective.  We decided ok, we can make this a good save by painting holly leaves and berries on them to give them a bit more color.

As I was peeling them, oh I WISH a regular egg peeled that easy!  And if there was a nick in one, it smoothed out very easily with a quick rub of my thumb.  Wish all my deviled eggs turned out looking that good. haha.

Anyway, it occurred to us that Angie really likes pastels and if she wanted to use them for other holiday occassions, those holly leaves and berries really wouldn't work out so well.

So we left them plain and unpainted.  Giving her the wonderful DIY possiblities to share with my granddaughter Zoey... by painting hearts on them for Valentine's Day, Shamrocks for St. Patricks and of course the wonderful holiday of Easter with tulips and butterflies.

Which by the way............ I want pictures of that! :D

Here's the pictures of our DIY Eggshell Candles..


We'll call these the cream of the crop. lol
The hardest part was making sure only the tops were cracked off.
That really took some practice after successfully breaking them in half for 20 years. haha


This was or first batch.  As you can see they're all lined up all in a row.
Well after this batch, I decided that separating them a bit would be easier to pour.

Here, they're spread apart and the pour was alot quicker, easier and less messy.
But then I sneezed and got it all over the place! lol
Good thing I thought ahead and put down some newspaper. hehe

Now you'll notice there isn't a finished picture. Ya well, my batteries died waiting for me to finish peeling one!  See, you have this whole mind set when your holding an egg shell.  The concept is simple... it's fragile!  And when you thump an eggshell, one has to remember not to bang it too hard or what's inside ... well crushes like an egg. haha

Well it took me quite a bit to get past that mind set.  Finally I just BEAT IT ON THE COUNTER and it finally cracked!  Wow, talk about a tough nut to crack. haha

I did take some pictures on my phone and i'll upload (or is it download?) those and edit this post to add the finished pictures to this post in a day or two.

We were well pleased with our DIY eggshell candles and the wonderful berry smell they left lingering in the house.  We packaged them in an egg carton and hand delivered them with a big smile.

That was a double duty DIY for me as the soy wax did wonders for my dry hands for at least a couple of weeks! lol

**EDIT:  I finally got those pictures uploaded.. err downloaded... oh whatever it is. .. I finally got them off my phone, on the laptop and now to their final destination.  This post!  So here is the picture of what the Eggshell Candle looked like when it was finished.


These are the cutest little eggs.  Easy to work with too.  As you can see from the one laying on it's side there is a nick out of it.  I took my thumb and rubbed that spot a few times and it rubbed right out. 

I stored them in the egg carton I poured them in and handed them over to my test panel for their trial test.  (My daughter in law LOVES candles.)  I will make another post when the test results come back.



January 24, 2011

DIY Gifts - Cookies

There is nothing better than homemade (DIY) anything.  The time it takes and the love you put into it for a loved one or just the gift of giving brings out the best in me.  And something I've tried to instill in both my boys.  Ok, one of them isn't so much a boy anymore (as I am ever reminded when I look into his sons eyes!)  But, it's my bubble and all is right with the world when I think of all the traditions I have been able to share with both my "boys" through the years.

For Christmas we had many DIY gift-giving projects going.  My youngest son is still at home and so we once again broke out the DIY tubs to see what crafty thing we could come up with this time.  DIY around here is a daily/weekly/monthly affair, but I must say a gift takes a bit more thought.  The youngest is now 8 yrs old and can be quite creative and resourceful when he wants to be.

First we made a list of the people we wanted to make something homemade for.  Beside each name, we listed that persons favorite things, then started our DIY quest for just the right gift for each one.

Now to keep our brains from going into DIY overload with the hussle-bussle of the season we kept it as simple as possible.  There were a couple that looked simple that seemed to take the longest.  And as the deadline of Christmas Eve approached I was positive of it!  But in the end it was more than worth the extra time and care it took to complete the projects.

I know it's after Christmas, so why bother posting them now?  Well it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if they had already seen what they were getting... now would it.

I'll be posting all our DIY gift projects one by one.  I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as we enjoyed making them.


Peanut Butter Kisses

First we mixed all the ingredients, then Way rolled each one in sugar.

Now Way is making those cool checkerboards on them.

Then I forgot to take a picture of them coming out of the oven
and him adding a chocolate kiss to each one.
Ok, Ok... my bad.

But, I did remember to take a picture of the finish!
Don't those look delicious?!! Yumm.


January 15, 2011

Resolutions

Well it's that time of year again to set those resolutions.  But first one must look back to see what worked and what didn't quite go according to plan.

I think for the most part, everything in my life is just the way it should be....

Let's take a look back shall we?

Looking at the BIG family picture, I am most thankful for the family that I have.  They are all very loving and caring.  What better way to bring in the new year, than to be thankful for the family that you have!  The blessings I've been given and the warmth that love brings all year long is unmeasurable.

I have raised one son that has risen above even my own expectations.  And hands down, the whole family would agree, he's become one of the most awesome men we know.  He's a good person and a great provider for his family.  His ever growing family of 3 years is one filled with love and admiration for each other and the children that I so love to spoil rotten! :D  To watch his family grow and flourish, makes me well up with pride.

My youngest son, to my amazement, is a mini-me and has a big heart. He's made the Honor Roll ever since he was enrolled in kindergarden.  He's smarter than his years and forever keeps me on my toes.

Last year was one filled with many changes.  My husband retiring from the fire department after 21 years of service.  My oldest son ranking up the ladder quickly in the fire department and of course the newest addition to the family coming into the world just in time to celebrate his Dad's birthday.

After my husband retired we moved back here and dug in for the winter.  And winter has already been a long and hard one.  With pipes freezing :/ and water being a hard comodity to come by.  My youngest learned "new math" to support the lack of water for the horses.  Life is such a learning experience on a daily basis it's just overwhelming to me how much I take for granted.

I home school the youngest and with the aid of my youngest grandchild, I have learned to see the world again thru fresh eyes and stand in amazement as to what all the world has to offer.  All the magic and wonderment of a simple morning rain to the sparkly effects of the first snow.

This will probably not be the year for me to quit smoking.  Not that I shouldn't for better health, just that I don't want to. 

This year has already started off with a bang and many more changes are already coming!  I'm ready for the next big adventure..... BRING IT ON!

So overall, I wouldn't change a thing.  Oh, I'll make the usual promises.....

I promise to be more organized.
I promise to stop and smell the roses.
I promise to take a "me" time break more often.
I promise to smile more.
I promise to live in the moment and not fear for tomorrow.

Ok, I've made the usual promises that EVERYONE promises to change.  Now I'll make the best promise to myself......

I promise to spend every minute appreciating my family because they are what makes me ME!
I promise to live in the moment and lap up every ounce of cuddles that I can get from my kids and grandkids.
and...
I promise to smile lots, remember to laugh often and be good to myself.

HAPPY NEW YEAR........... hope your resolutions are as easy to keep as mine.

January 02, 2011

New Beginnings

Well the time has come to say good bye to this past year...

As it was the busiest time of year for Santa and all his little helpers, I wasn't able to post much this past month.  But rest assured, all of Santa's helpers were able to pull off yet another year of the perfect parties, the perfect dinners, perfect decorations, perfect presents and of course the perfect company to spend it all with.

2010 was a memorable year for all of us.  Blake, the latest addition to our ever growing family, has filled us all with excitement as we experienced life threw new eyes once again.  It has been refreshing to see the wonderment of what we all have come to take for granted.  The wonderment of everything that is beautiful and seen for the first time.  For that first taste of cool whip and pumpkin pie or that magical moment of the first snow.  Even the Christmas lights were deserving of a second look this year.

I will post all the exciting things we've been doing and all the traditions we've been sharing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.