Simple Candle Making

 I recently got into simple candle making - there's a lot of variety if you want to get into the way the candle burns or colorings etc but I just wanted natural candles that smell great and make great gifts.

I was shocked to discover that essential oils are not recommended for candle making because of toxicity when burned and smoke points but I found a couple of great stores that make quality vegan fragrance oil, just for candle making! Brambleberry and Candle Science. Brambleberry let's you buy 10x 1oz fragrances for $20 so you can try them out! 1oz of fragrance let's you make 3x 8oz jar candles or 1.5x 14oz candles as I discovered! I got a cheap starter kit from Amazon that had the wax melter and  jug, soy wax, stirring spoon, thermometer, wicks with wick stickers and 2 wick holders. Then I purchased a scent I wanted to start with and the first batch turn out great! I used a Smiths inspired picture for my label. 

So here's simple candle making!

Simple Candle Making;

You will need;

• 1lb wax (I used soy)
• 1oz of fragrance oil (weighted, not volume)
• clean dry heat proof ceramic or glass jars (3x 8oz jars is the perfect amount)
• wicks and wick stickers
• wick holder or popsicle sticks to hold the wick upright
• candy/meat thermometer
• kitchen scale (for wax and fragrance oil prep)
• heat proof pad or trivet (optional but i like to take it off the hot plate to cool down faster)

Method

Have all your items ready to go!

Your jars should be clean and dry. Stick the wick sticker to the bottom of the wick and press the other side down well in the middle of the jar. Position the popsicle sticks in a cross hatch or use the wick holder to ensure the wick stays upright and centered when you pour your wax in.

I can't fit all of the 1lb wax in my jug right away but it will all fit once it's melted so I add half an then wait for it to melt on a medium setting and then add the rest.

Once all the wax is melted insert the thermometer and wait until it gets to 190F (this is where you would add any color or additives if using)

Take off heat (or turn heat off) and let the temperature come down to 185F before adding in the fragrance.

Stir through gently but thoroughly.

Let the wax cool to 135-140F before pouring.

Gently pour the wax into the jar until around 1/2" from the top without disturbing the wick. 

Candles will take about half a day to set properly, overnight is best.

DIY Fairy Lantern

Well it's been a hot minute since I've done a craft post but I wanted to share this incredibly easy lantern I made for Halloween. Our Tinkerbell decided she was too cool for the group family costume this year but I felt like we still needed Tinkerbell to sell it so I made my own ;) It took less than an hour.

Obviously it doesn't have to be a fairy, it could be anything you fancy!

DIY Fairy Lantern

Materials

Clean glass/plastic jar

Moldable wire

Printable silhouette

Faux or real grass/moss

White paint (I used spray paint because I had some)

Wood/Cardstock glue like Elmers (need to dry clear)

Instructions

Firstly paint/spray paint the inside of jar and allow to dry. (In our Florida summer garage this took less than 30 minutes.)

Next glue in the bottom your faux grass/moss. (I had some left from another crafting project).

Print out your silhouette, I just got one I liked from the internet and flipped it so you could see her from either side. One side printed black, the other side I colored with permanent marker

Using a glue that dries clear, glue down the cut out inside the jar pressing firmly.

Wrap your moldable wire around the bottom grove of the jar and and twist on the handle.

All done! Now just add a battery operated tea light!

I added some dried grass for extra effect.

DIY Edwardian Hair Rat

So if you don't know my love of all things Edwardian then maybe you haven't seen my wedding post LOL

I've been quite into the Edwardian period ever since reading the Anne of Green Gables book series by L.M. Montgomery as a child. I'm still in love with that book series but is there anything lovelier than those dresses??! I digress...I saw a YouTube video on Edwardian hair washing (with egg...ew) and then hairstyles and saw why all this time I wasn't able to get the acceptable level of puff in my  Gibson Girl hairstyle! You need an Edwardian Hair Rat! So I decided to make one. As you do. When you're in isolation LOL

So I used what I had in my house already but obviously this would be a pretty quick trip to the fabric/craft store or online purchase to make what is a very cheap accessory to the all over look.

DIY Edwardian Hair Rat

What you need

Needle & Thread

Stocking or fabric that hair pins can go into

Batting or loose fabric pieces to fill

Optional

Fake (or real if you have it) hair that matches your own.

Liquid Cement glue

What to do

I cut my material in 28.5" x 5.5", how thick you want it depends on how high you want the puff and how long will depend on your head. Obviously if you're using a stocking you won't need to do this.

I used some brown felt I had leftover from last Halloween when I made Hobbit cloaks...seriously, this is why I never through out the extra fabric. It can come in handy the day you randomly decide you need an Edwardian Hair Rat LOL

Next fold the piece in half lengthwise, with the good side of the fabric on the inside if there is one.

Hand stitch across the long side and one short, leaving the second small open.

Turn it inside out so you have a tube.

Start feeding the batting or loose fabric into the tube until filled, leaving a small amount of fabric on the open end.

Feed the sewn end into the open end to create your circle and sew the pieces in place.

This can be the end of your hair rat if you have very long/thick hair but if you would like to add hair to it in case of spaces then this is what I did.

I had a fake hair piece from a halloween costume and it had the hair sewn at one side which was actually very helpful.

I had stitched the sewn part onto the bottom of the hair rat and then wrapped the hair around and glued the ends underneath with liquid cement.

I had to do it in batches and allow to dry before starting on the next one because it was very fiddly.

And here is the result! It doesn’t have as much give once you put the hair on so make sure it is slightly bigger if you use this step. 

Vegan Products Review - September 2018

Sorry these actually go from July - September because I haven't had time to post.

Wild Hibiscus Flowers in syrup are something that reminds me of Christmas in Australia. The adults in my family always had them with their champagne at our Christmas gatherings. It adds a slight sweetness and the obvious aesthetic class to your usual glass of bubbly. Guaranteed to improve the taste of even the cheapest sparking wines LOL. It's made in Australia so the sugar is vegan! I have seen this in the USA in Total Wine and The Fresh Market.

I bought these Eco-Kids natural finger paints for my toddler. They were pretty expensive so I was happy when I saw them on sale. They are powdered paints made from natural ingredients so you actually only end up using a small amount each time and the pouch are zip locked to keep them fresh for next time. The natural elements is great too since with toddlers they like to eat anything. The one thing I didn't like about them, and this is probably true of all naturally made paints, it was a bit gritty and although the colours came out in lovely pastel shades while painting they all dried to a greyish colour which was a bit disappointing from a keepsake point of view.

I found these dried Okra and Broccoli snacks at Trader Joe's and loved that the only ingredients was sunflower oil, salt and the vegetable. However, although I thought they were pretty good the kids didn't love them :(

Also found at Trader Joe's these too spreads, Bruschetta which didn't really taste like bruschetta but was very good on pasta and Artichoke Antipasto which was great on pasta or pizza - especially Gourmet Pizza!

I got these Coconut Bliss ice-cream sandwiches at Native Sun and although I thought the cookie part was a little too sweet they were actually pretty amazing. Around $4-5 they are a bit expensive, I think I tried them on sale but they are quite large so if you're not a total piggy like me then you can easily get 2-4 servings out of it.

Also at Native Sun I found these Jolly Llama Mint Choc Chip Ice-cream pops. I'm a huge sucker for mint chocolate ice-cream and these did not disappoint! Very delicious. The same brand also has other flavors and some sorbet pops.

So it seemed Native Sun was just having a good ice-cream day because they also had some of the new So Delicious range and I tried the Peachy Maple Pecan which was soooo delicious! Get it?  Get it? Ok. Tough crowd.

Now this is going to be quite a local find, sorry! Native Sun had locally made (in Gainesville FL) ArtMoro Black Bean Tempeh and let me tell you, it was really good. Beside being the same price as regular tempeh it's also twice the size so I got two good servings out of it. It was a bit softer than the other brands I've bought and had a slightly tangier flavor but I was a fan!

I am quite the fan of Kite Hill's yoghurt but this cream cheese was on par with Tofutti in my mind, So it wasn't bad, just not worth paying more than Tofutti.

I was completely devo when Wholefoods stopped carrying my Primal Vegan Jerky (since found it at the naval station commissary so all good). They had this Louisville Vegan Jerky instead so I thought I'd try it. Now it was really really good BUT it was $7 a bag, and not a big bag so I'll definitely be looking out for it on sale but for your jerky cravings it will definitely hit the spot! It is amazing though, look out for WholeFood's sales - and if you have Amazon Prime sign into it on the WholeFoods app for an extra 10% off sale prices.

Native Sun (I think?) Had these Masala Pop vegan popcorns on BOGO (buy one get one) so I had to try. The chai caramel was SO GOOD!!!! I mean vegan caramel popcorn, what else do I need to say! The savory coconut was good too, like plain salt popcorn but with a hint of coconut oil.

I got these Skinny Sticks BBQ at my local discount store where I occasionally find awesome discounted vegan products to try! I LOVED these, really had that BBQ crisps taste but in a convenient stick form. LOL I don't even know what that means, it just sounded how they would sell it! Sadly haven't seen them again but they were good! Website says they are available in Walmart and Walgreens so I will definitely be keeping an eye out for new flavors! All are vegan and GF!

Another discount store find was Super Eats Chipotle BBQ. They were a little spicy for me and I can handle medium amount of spicy. I'd like to try the White Cheddar!

Again discount store to the snacking rescue, this Enjoy Life Plentils flavor I hadn't tried before. At least I don't think I have, who remembers? They were good though and I'd definitely have them again. Dill for life!!

Another discount store find, these The Real Coconut coconut flour tortilla chips were interesting. I think they were going to be like corn chips but they were more like a wheat based tortilla chip and had a coconut taste to them. They weren't bad, I just couldn't find anything to go with them. Maybe Corn Dip?

Another discount store find, these Farmhouse Culture Smoked Jalapeno chips were WAY to spicy for me and I made the mistake of trying them in the car with no water or means of escape. These were so spicy I couldn't eat them so if you're always complaining nothing's ever hot enough for your burnt out taste buds check these out now!!! I love their dill flavor!

I'm always on the look out for healthier options of GF pasta so this looked good. It tasted very strong - I mean maybe for a Asian noodle soup maybe but it wasn't good for pasta. 

I always like finding vegan GF granola bars for snacks because they are so easy to keep in my bag for emergency. These Enjoy Life are pretty decent, grainy and sweet but not too much.

Another discount find, this Hilary's Ranch Chia salad dressing, I wasn't a fan. It was very watery and vinegary.

These Betty Lou's PB&J Bars from the discount store were actually better than expected! Definitely not healthy but a fun treat!

I've had Hail Merry before and it's raw treats so you have to take that into consideration before you try but these were pretty tasty. 

I was told to try Forager Cashew Yoghurt but honestly I wasn't a fan, it was very gritty and quite expensive.

I'm in love with Trader Joe's cauliflower pizza crust! I feel like there must be a trick to baking it correctly so that it's crispy instead of soft but I haven't figured that part out yet. It tasted really good though!

These Veggie Ring's were ok actually, they tasted like onion rings and the family liked them...definitely needs dipping sauce because you get that cauliflower after taste. They also come in butternut.

I was super excited when I saw these Equal Exchange 55% cacoa chocolate chips! I love their 55% dark chocolate! 

Found these Hilary's Mediterranean Bites at commissary and they were pretty good, kind of like falafel!

I was actually looking for another brand when I found these Lucy's Snack'n Go Packs Chocolate Chip Cookies at Winn Dixies. LOVE that the are individual bags (I know it's terrible for the environment but good for no over snacking). They mini cookies and what I like most is that they are crunch,y, not soft, so perfect for dunking in my tea ;)

Most important till last! Found these Glutenberg gluten free/vegan beers at Total Wine which I quite liked. The Canadian brewery also has a few seasonal launches such as stout which I'm dying to try!!!