Have you ever made your own candles?

Candles can be made with things you already have around the house. I’ve used jars, old candle tins, and…

Shells!

If you haven’t made candles before you should give it a try. For one thing, it’s just so easy! But the best part is that you’ll hear “Oh, you made that!” a TON!  This makes for a great project!

First, you buy these supplies from a craft store…

Wicks, fragrance, dye, and Soy Wax.

I like the way Soy Wax melts so I always use it whenever I’m making candles. A little goes a long ways so plan on making a ton of candles or having some supplies for later. The fragrance and dye can be used in soaps as well. {That’s for another day.}

I haven’t had time to take photos of each step, so I’ll just explain it to you for now.

1. Find and clean a large shell.
2. Take a glass measuring cup and melt one cup of wax to start.{Be sure to read the directions!}
3. Prop your shell up in a towel to hold it level.
4. Stir a drop or two of color and fragrance into your wax.
5. Hold a wick in the center of the shell as you pour in your wax to the desired level.
6. Let it cool and your done!

Tips: I use just a little yellow to give it a slight color like the inside of a shell. I burn these candles with other shells around the base to hold them up straight while they are burning. Sand in a beautiful glass dish would work so nice. Cut the wick a little shorter before burning to keep from having a large flame.

These would be wonderful for a dinner party on the porch one warm evening! {We’re in Florida so the time in now!} The shell itself lights up so nice!

These are my upcoming projects…

I’m going to take this tea cup and turn it into a candle. It was given to us when we were married, but it has a chip now.  I still love it and I’m sure it will make a great candle!

I found these on Martha Stewart’s website…

Aren’t they pretty? You can find old tea cups at thrift stores and yard sales and turn them into wonderful gifts!

This would be great for Easter…

Making candles with things you have around the house is a great way to be creative and save money. You’ll be surprised at just how easy it is and how pretty candles can be in things you already have…like eggs!

This is what “Works-For-Me” this week! Hop on over to We are That Family for more Works-For-Me-Wednesday Fun!

If you haven’t signed up for the SHELLS AND FRAME GIVEAWAY yet, you better hurry. I’ll pick a winner this Friday!

Shells everywhere…

These shells were found on the beaches of Captiva, Cayo Costa, and Sanibel.

Living in Florida and boating on a regular basis, we get to go shelling a lot! I love it! It’s one of the most relaxing things in the world…just strolling along the beach with the sun shining down, the waves lapping against the shore, and the birds flying overhead. All the while looking through piles of shells on beautiful white sand. Always looking for one more shell before stopping to turn back to the boat.

Have you noticed all the new shell home decor coming out in the stores? Well, I’m going to show you how to make your own shell frame today! This can all be done at a fraction of the price you would pay in a store, and you are being so creative!! That’s a good thing!

I keep clean shells in boxes so I can start a project with shells without having to wash and dry them. These have a thin coat of clear on them already.

You can purchase shells, but just make sure you get plenty. It takes quite a few shells to make this frame. I always end up using more than I planned on when I started. Good thing I’ve got boxes full!

First, you start with a frame. A large flat surface works best. Remove the glass until you’re finished.

Make sure all your shells are clean. Now, it’s best to find shells of a similar size for the base row. This can be done with all white or whatever shells you have. Just try to keep a uniform look on this part.

Use a hot glue gun to secure them to the frame. You could stop right there and call it a day. It’s a nice shell frame already. But to make it extra special, let’s add more.

Start by finding shells to fit in the empty spaces. Don’t glue yet, just move them around until you have about 10 or so in place. Go ahead and glue them down before you knock them off and don’t know where you had them. {That’s never happened to me…I’m just saying.}

It takes time to find a shell to fit just right in each spot. It’s kinda like a puzzle. Keep working on it until you love it! Add one here and there. Then check it from all angles to see what it looks like. When you’re done, you’ll know it!

When you are finished spray it will a clear glaze. {The glaze is thicker and has more of a shine than regular clear spray.} This will bring out all the colors in the shells! It also hides some of the extra glue that you might see. Let it dry. Add a photo!

Not too hard, but it does take a little time. Enjoy creating something beautiful!

Giveaway!!!

Would you like to make one? How about having  the frame and shells delievered right to your door?

Here’s a frame just like the one I used above. A large bag of shells with way more than enough for the frame. This will give you lots of shells to pick from. All these shells were picked by me!

To be entered in the giveaway just leave a comment.

To be entered a second time just sign up for our email or RSS and leave another comment to let us know. {This makes it easier to figure out later!} If you already subscribe, that counts!

To be entered a third time just tweet about the giveaway on Twitter and leave me another comment.

I hope all you crafty bloggers enjoy this! I know there’s lots of ya’ll out there!

Here’s something to make life a little easier!

My Meal Planner!

I have everything I need to plan meals (even take out meals) with this new notebook set up just right for our family. Sometimes there are organizational gadgits for sale that are supposed to help you out, but they might not work just right for you and your family!

Take a look at what I did…

I started out with an old take out menu folder that was falling apart and a recipe book with recipes stuffed inside it in a not so organized fashion.

When you open my meal planner up there’s a great little pocket for extra recipe cards or coupons. This is a Post-It Pocket and I think it works out perfect for this spot!

Then I have a Menu page so that I can plan ahead. Tim made me the coolest pages in the perfect color! The month and days can be added along with your meals for the day.

There’s a shopping list right there to keep it all in one spot!

Now for the recipes!

 I printed out blank recipe pages (that I designed) onto card stock paper. The card stock should help keep the pages nice and sturdy. I plan on keeping all my recipes in here to make meal planning easier. I took printouts and copies of recipes from my old book and glued them on the pages.

Then I used clear plastic sheet protectors for each menu and put them all neatly in a ”Take Out” section in the back. Maybe it’s more like the “Last Resort ” section?”"

This book is all I need to help keep my meals a little more organized and I should be able to find my favorite recipes for years and years! No more flipping through 3 or 4 cookbooks trying to find what I made a few weeks ago.

Sections:

• Menu
• Shopping List
• Recipes
• Dinner
• Breakfast and Lunch
• Desserts
• Holidays
• Recipes to Try
• Take Out

With all the new recipes that I’ve found through the Tasty Tuesday links, I thought I better get a little more organized!

Customize it to fit your family’s needs and save money by making it yourself.

That’s what Works-For-Me this Wednesday! Check out We are That Family for more great ideas! And visit our home page for wonderful recipes to fill it up!

If you like the Menu Calendar and Shopping List pages, we put them here for you to download!  Enjoy!

  Menu Calendar              Shopping List