Celebrations: embellished spring candles

I was trying out some different techniques to embellish candles and came up with three different looks.

{left} Mod Podge Doily Candle

{middle} Cork Pad Candle

{right} Tissue Paper Confetti Candle

The doily candle is very simple to make. I used a 1 inch circle cutter to cut doily circles and simply Mod Podged them onto the candle.



I love how this candle looks but the drawback is that I can’t burn it since it’s covered in Mod Podge. Oh well, it’s still pretty to look at.



This candle is also easy to make and instantly changes the look of a plain candle.


  
I painted little cork pads with silver craft paint and then just peeled them and stuck them to the candle.

Pretty and elegant but I won’t be burning this one either.

I’ve been wanting to try this process for a long time and was pleasantly surprised that it really works.



Here’s how to embellish a candle with tissue paper.

1. Cut out pieces of tissue paper.
2. Position the paper on the candle and then wrap the candle in wax paper.
3. Hold the wax paper tightly and then using a blow dryer, apply hot air to the wax paper.
4. The wax begins to melt and the tissue paper absorbs the wax.
5. Gently remove the wax paper and let cool.

Note: I applied the circles one at a time.

I love how these turned out and I think that I can burn these candles since the tissue paper should just melt and slide down the candle…. hopefully.

Thanks for visiting!

Carolyn

I happily link at the parties listed here and 

      

Etceteras: t-shirt binder

Back in January when the new year was still new, I posted a few organization ideas including a pretty fabric covered binder. You can see it here. I had the best intentions of getting organized at the start of the year. I’ve made some progress but mostly, it’s one step forward – two steps back – who’s with me on that one?



My teenage son commented on the binder and asked me to cover one of his school binders. I went through my fabric stash but nothing seemed appropriate for a teenage boy. Then I remembered the bag of clothes that I had been meaning to drop off at the donation center {another thing on my organization list that was halfway done}.



I rummaged through the bag and found a bunch of my son’s t-shirts – perfect to cover the binder with. To see how I covered the binder, you can check out my earlier post here.



As with my previous binder, I used corrugated cardboard on the inside complete with little imperfections.



I’m sure I’m not the first person to cover a book or binder with an old t-shirt but I was patting myself on the back for this upcycling idea. The best part is, whatever old t-shirt you have will be age appropriate for your kid’s books or binders. Little kids will have flowers, stripes and fun cartoon characters and older kids will have funky skateboard logos like mine did.

Thanks for visiting.

Carolyn

I happily link at the parties listed here and 

The Inspiration Board: link party 40

Welcome to the Inspiration Board link party. Whether you’re sharing a project or looking for inspiration, I’m so happy that could visit today. Last week’s party had so many wonderful projects, I can’t wait to see what everyone has been up to this week.

I’ll be going through the projects and featuring some in the spotlight on Friday. A few rules:

• Link up your own project - something you created, made, did, etc. 
• Link to a specific post, not your blog home page (No Etsy shops or giveaways). 
• Grab a “homework” button and include it somewhere on the post you’re linking, on your home page or a page of link parties. Or, if you prefer, add a text link. 
• Follow homework. You’ll find the “Follow via Google Friend Connect” gadget on the right sidebar. 
• Please visit the other links that intrigue you and make someone smile with a comment or two. 

Don’t forget to add my button somewhere on your blog. Spreading the word helps bring more visitors to your linked project.

<a href=" http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="homework" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjSbbA0SOqesA5DHID0I2xl7oOAjtbIFcAeh3DMql6FzRborOFgbaGtPfC36n4P2XimbCewe-uE_YrJzA0JxCjQ_6ifYvJlKf9fw8nFunAdoeuAn-d1hP8_XVPE4ohV3whBUTItFY8TJy/s1600/Homework+Blog+Logo+Square+outline+2-1.jpg" height="125" width="125"/></a>

Want to host your own link party? Click here to sign up for InLinkz

Inkling: gift card wrappers

We recently celebrated some family birthdays and I {gasp} ran out of time and bought some gift cards to use as last minute presents.

Don’t get me wrong – I love gift cards but I felt a little guilty not finding the perfect personal gift or making a special gift basket. Rather than stuff the gift cards into store bought birthday cards, I tried to make the packaging extra special.

Parchment paper, doily and twine – pretty and feminine.

This one was hard to photograph because of the glare but I wrapped the gift card in navy blue card stock and used polka dot cello wrap as an outer wrap. A plain binder clip held the tag.

Rustic and shabby – the paper is from a home décor catalog. It’s a photograph of a rug. A strip of fringed fabric and silk flower hold it all together.

Origami paper and a contrasting ribbon wrap up this gift card with an Asian flair.

The gift cards ended up being a hit or at least the gift wrap was a hit. 

Thanks for visiting!

Carolyn

I happily link at the parties listed here and 

   

Giveaway: pick your plum winner

Thank you to everyone who entered the Pick Your Plum giveaway.

The winner will receive a $50 box of Pick Your Plum supplies. Below is just a sampling of the type of items Pick Your Plum offers. The prize package will be a surprise from Pick Your Plum. Fun!

The winner of the Pick Your Plum giveaway is….

Congratulations pupton. I’m sending you an email with all the details.

Thanks again to everyone who entered. I have another fun giveaway coming soon so stay tuned.

Carolyn

The Inspiration Board: link party spotlight ~39~

Spring is springing up all over the Inspiration Board and I love it! Thank you to everyone who linked up a project or came over to visit. I truly appreciate the inspiration, comments and visits.

Here are a few projects in the spotlight this week.


A fabulous project by Creative Chaos. I love the idea of diy lamp but the icing on the cake is the use of wonderful enamel bowls and the stripped down lampshade decorated with fabric scraps, birds and butterflies.

 

There were a lot of wonderful food items linked up this week and although I’m typically drawn to the “comfort type” foods, this caprese and a veggie burger by Betsy Life looks so delicious and refreshing. A perfect meal as we head into warmer weather.



A master bedroom reveal that packs in all the current diy top hits; plank headboard, stenciled curtains, song lyric wall art and so much more. An amazing renovation by PB&J Stories.



Sweet silhouette cross stich by Little Lovelies. The fabric wrapped around the embroidery hoop is such a great idea and adds so much to the finished piece.



Pieced Pastimes created a beautiful inspiration board out of an old bureau frame. The finished piece along with all the photos and objects is truly inspirational.



Coordinately Yours provides us with three sweet flavored butter recipes just in time for brunch season. They all sound wonderful and would be the perfect side with a salad or your favorite brunch meal.



This mid wall redo has me thinking about bold pops of color. Creatively Living spruced up the area between the stairs and reading nook (another lovely project) with a bookcase, nice artwork, bold lamps and pops of kelly green.



Rook No. 17 makes the most beautiful and delicious looking treats and these springtime macaroons are adorable. Macaroons {not to be confused with the very trendy macarons} are a cream cheese and vanilla cookie with a toasty coconut outer layer. Head over to Rook No. 17 for the recipe.



Suzy at Suzy’s Sitcom is always innovative and then she adds a layer of amazing artistic talent to come up with projects like this faux punched tin. Why faux? Because she used a dollar store aluminum cookie sheet. Genius!



This is possibly – okay definitely - beyond my sewing skills but I’m filing it away to try at some point. A knotted corner pillow by Sew Passionate. Check out the tutorial on how to achieve this very professional looking pillow cording.

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This week on the Inspiration Pinboard

{Sunshine Yellow}

Vintage Scrap Fabric and Twine with lemons – Live Laugh Rowe

Spring Wreath – Life on Walnut Street

Gender Reveal Cupcakes – Mom Planning Parties

Forcing Branches to Bloom – Woven Home

 
 

If you were in the spotlight, please feel free to grab a button.

<a href=" http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="homework" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXKM4yQr9oUN7GwFux5BITknFYg1so-bdRvyvaBjWBTFrjlH943I7g401-x4gi3eWzlMzyZJjiZUszNBy3GpPcUkBQg_zNqqFY7fpE7ASpwP3nnNI250E6lTch-PcLFuJQzEqyDRYK4Yg/s1600/Featured+Button.jpg" height="125" width="125"/></a>

Thank you again to everyone who linked a project and to everyone who came to visit. I loved looking at all the projects and visiting your sites.

Please come back next week for another link party.

Link parties are held every Tuesday.

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Good Taste: cart busters, deal of the day and oreos – oh my

Attention Kroger Shoppers! Shop the Kroger Cart Buster event from February 26–March 10 for great values. Find out about all the savings at www.CartBuster.com! And from February 29-March 6, download exclusive, digital coupons for Kroger’s “Deal Of The Day” for even MORE savings at http://bit.ly/wxfnlU. Happy Savings!

Photo Source

My son loves Oreo cookies. I’ve been packing them in his lunch for years. If I ask him if he wants something different he says “No, I love Oreos!”

So when I was asked to spread the news about Kroger’s Cart Buster event I was thrilled to find out that Oreos were one of the Deal of the Day items.

Photo Source

If you’re like me, you grocery shop a lot. You cut coupons and try to find the best deals for the items that you normally purchase. That’s why Kroger’s Cart Buster and Deal of the Day event is such good news.

Beginning the week of February 26th, 2012, the Kroger Co. Family of Stores is having their Cart Buster Savings Event. You’ll find great savings in almost every department at the Kroger Family of Stores.

Plus, for seven days during the Cart Buster Savings Event {2/29/12 - 3/6/12} there will be even more savings with exclusive offers good on one participating item. Each digital coupon offer will be exclusive and available for one-day only – but the coupon savings will be good for the duration of the entire event.

Photo Source

The Oreo cookie Deal of the Day coupon will be available on March 6th and is good for $1.50 off a package of Oreo cookies. If I can hide some of the cookies from my son, I’m going to try this recipe for Oreo Cookies and Cream No-Bake Cheesecake. Doesn’t it look delicious?

Each day, the deal will be a different product – so remember to download your Deal of the Day coupons. You can download them here.

 

Happy shopping and savings! 

Thanks for visiting. 

 

Carolyn

 

Thank you to Kroger for sponsoring my participation in the “Deal Of The Day” promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.