• 1 memory wire bracelet
• 3 x 8mm filigree ebads
• 6  x 6mm filigree beads
• 1 butterfly drops
• 1 memory wire end cap/bead (half drilled)
• Rubber tubing for memory wire in black: 8 x 4cm and 2 x 10cm

Place a 8mm filigree bead in the middle of the wire, then 2 x 4cm rubber tubing on either side, then a 6mm filigree bead on either side, then another 4cm length of rubber tubing, then 8mm filigree bead, then 4cm length rubber tubing, then 6mm filigree bead, etc.

Finish each end with 10cms of rubber tubing. Make a loop on one end of the wire making sure the butterfly drop is placed within the loop so it can hang. On the other end, glue a half drilled bead.

Article submit by:

Bea
 
 
www.justbeads.co.uk
Cheshire Bead Fair, Nantwich Civic Hall - Sunday 20th May 2007
Beads Up North, Haydock Park Racecourse - Sunday 29th July 2007
Scottish Bead Fair, Perth Concert Hall - Sunday 9th September 2007
Christmas Bead & Jewellery Fair, Chester Racecourse, Chester - Sunday 18th November 2007
 

First what you need to make your first candle:

• Melting system. I have used a double boiler.     
• 139-145mp paraffin wax     
• Vybar     
• Stearin     
• Candle Mold     
• Mold seal-Blue Tac
• Wick (type of wick depends on size of mold – best check with supplier)     
• Colour block /liquid dye/colour diamonds/chips etc
• Candle fragrance oil     
• Pouring jug

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ THE SAFETY TIPS BEFORE MAKING ANY CANDLE http://articles.ukcraftwebsites.co.uk/2007/04/27/safety-procedures-for-making-candles

STEP 1    
Calculate the amount of wax needed by filling the mold with water and measuring it. 3 weighed ounces of wax are needed for every 3 1/2 ounces of water.  1lb of wax has been used here.
 

STEP 2    
2. Put the wax into the top of the double boiler and fill the bottom part approximately 1/3 full of water. Heat on a medium setting on your stove top. If the water begins to boil rapidly, reduce heat to a gentle boil to prevent water from splashing into the wax and contaminating it.

STEP 3    
Melt the wax to the correct temperature. For this particular sort of candle you want to aim for 180°F which is roughly 82°C. Dip the thermometer into the wax to check the temp, but do not let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan or you will obtain a false reading.

STEP 4
Prime your wick. This is done by placing the required length of wick– (I tend to hold wick up against mold and cut to required length), into the melted wax until it starts to release air bubbles. This means that it has absorbed enough wax. Carefully remove it (not using your fingers - the wax is hot! I use a wooden skewer) and pull it tight then place it to dry flat. The reason for doing this is so that the top of the wick (top of the candle) is well waxed and will be easier to light. It also makes threading it through the wick hole in the mold much easier.

STEP 5    
When the wick is hard (only takes a minute or two) insert it through the small hole at the top of the mold and pull it through. Secure it around a lollypop stick or wick support at the open end and plug up the small hole with mold seal (or blue tac) to prevent the wax from leaking out (this is really important as if the mold is not sealed properly you will have hot wax pouring out of your mold and no way to stop it).

STEP 6    
When your wax has reached the desired temperature, add your additives. For a basic candle you will want 3tBs stearic acid and ½ tSp vybar to 1lb wax, so if you have an 8oz mold, use 1.5 tBs vybar and 1/4 tSp vybar. When the additives have completely dissolved, add your colour. If you are using colour blocks, shave a small amount off, stir it in and add more if required. It is easier to darken the colour than it is to take dye out!
 

STEP 7
Just before you get ready to pour the candle add the fragrance oil. The typical usage for a strongly scented candle is 1 weighed ounce of scent to 1lb wax. Stir for at least two minutes, but do not stir too vigorously or you will put too much air into the wax.
 

STEP 8    
If you are using a metal mold, preheat it before pouring the wax. This can either be done in a low temp oven (seamless molds only) or giving it a quick blast all over with a blow torch / heat gun. Then use the pouring jug to pour into your mold.

STEP 9
Before the wax sets, tap the sides of the mould quite sharply several times – watching you don’t splash wax out of the mold. This is done to release the trapped air bubbles that will mar the surface of your finished candle.

STEP 10    
10. When the wax has set to a tacky consistency, poke small holes in the candle around the wick. This will help to prevent any air pockets inside the finished candle that can be a fire hazard.

STEP 11    
11. Leave to set for a few hours. You can place the candle in a water bath to cool quicker, but if you do this, make sure that the water is deep enough to go all the way up the mold or you will find a water line around your candle. Also ensure not to get any water in the setting wax.

STEP 12    
Your candle will need a repour because wax retracts and shrinks as it cools. Melt your left over wax if you have any, otherwise melt and colour some more and top up your mold.

That’s it! When it is set, remove it from the mold.

Ta Dah You are Done

You may want to level off the bottom of your candle to make it smooth and even. This is easily done by heating a baking sheet with tin foil over a saucepan of boiling water and carefully placing the candle on it. Move it around a few times so that the bottom is nice and even and then carefully remove. Be careful of the steam from the boiling water as you can easily be burned doing this.

You should really leave your candles for at least 2 days for the wax to combine with the scent but you will be forgiven as this is your fist attempt.  Try and resist the urge to light it for at least 1 hour.

A big thanks for this article to Lisa

 visit her online store -www.candles-by-lisa.co.uk
Daily rantings - http://candlesbylisa.blogspot.com

Making candles is similar to cooking in many ways, and, as with cooking, there is the potential element of messiness, and the possibility of unforeseen accidents. To cut down on these, and to be ready for any mishap, please read the following carefully. Always wear old clothes, cover work surfaces with newspaper and move or cover rugs and carpets.
• Keep a pile of old newspapers close by in case of spillage.
• Always give yourself plenty of room to work in and keep your work space clean and tidy.
• Have all the materials and equipment to hand for whatever project you are working on.
• Keep all equipment clean and keep unused materials in containers away from dust and dirt.

USING WAX

When using wax, treat it as you would cooking oil. Below 100C (212F) it is fairly safe. Higher than this it is likely to catch fire as the wax is turning to vapour. Remember wax will not boil just continue to get hotter and hotter.

Always place your thermometer in the saucepan at the beginning of the melting process. This will not only ensure your reading is accurate, but will prevent you inadvertently overheating the wax.

Never leave melting wax unattended
After use, do not be tempted to pour excess molten wax down the sink as it will set and block your pipes. Instead, pour it into an old baking tray and cut into cubes before it hardens. This can be used to make chunk candles at a later date.

IN CASE OF SPILLAGE

For wax on carpets and items of clothing: Scrape off the excess wax and remove the rest by placing brown paper or paper towel over the stained area and pressing with a hot iron. This will transfer the wax to the towel.

For wax on metal or plastic objects: Place in the freezer for an hour to make the wax brittle. It then becomes easy to simply crumble the hardened wax away. Alternatively, dip the object into boiling water and allow the wax to melt and float to the surface.

SHOULD THE WORST HAPPEN…
• Switch off the heat
• Do not move the pan
• Smother flames with the saucepan lid or a damp cloth/towel.
• On no account attempt to douse with water. This will only spread the fire.
• If wax is overheating, it begins to smoke and gives off an acrid smell. If this happens turn off the heat source immediately and allow the wax to cool.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ATTEMPT TO MAKE CANDLES THE ADVICE GIVEN IS ONLY A OPNION. UKCRAFTWEBSITES AND THE WRITER OF THIS ARTICLE CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE CASUED BY MAKING ANY CRAFTS ON THIS SITE.

Almost a cheats way to make cards hehehe.. Stick them on the front and your done

Always found Skeleton Leaves so interesting.. I remeber finding them when I was a kid..

hmmm .. these could defo work with many a crafty item.. scrapbooks, cards…….

Pefect for young kids crafts you could make some great looking but “simple” items with the Leaves!

For other Leaves try http://www.nattynetty.co.uk/acatalog/Po_Leaves.html 

:D

I’m loving the look of this..

Great idea.. Loads of skill and looks GREAT!

The odd thing for me is the price.. Yep off the top of your head i’d be thinking around the £80-£90 mark maybe more plus diamonds make a difference

 hmmm.

£15 … Wow .. About $30 to our friend in the USA ..

I’ll be blog more of his stuff pretty soon ..

Cheers peter

http://www.peterfarrington.com/

10,000 wow..

Anyway I had a quick look and found this article of how to make a snowflake from … yep plastic bags..

Here a picture of what it looks like

The guide has 6 simple steps..

Here is the intro:

Snowflakes are great fun to crochet and really easy to adapt to your own style. These six-pointed snowflakes are simply created using plastic bag ‘yarn’ and with basic crochet stitches. 

Full article and more:
http://www.10000greatideas.com/ideadet.php?iid=638

She’s not to far from cardiff and LOVES making bags and furry stuff…

 The cow print ones are cool… I remeber when she started out you could take the “bucket bag” like the one below and wear as a odd hat Multi functional.. hehehe

Quality

Each bag is individually handmade, enabling each and every bag to be stringently checked during the production process by Rebekka

Size:
350 x 300 x 250mm approx.  

Handmade all by Rebekka Leigh

Find out more here:

http://www.handmadehandbag.co.uk/products/fuzzyone/baby_bucket/default.asp

The dangly reffers to the leg by the way!!!

 This dangly dude is pretty cool..

The site give a great description of how this little guy was made!..

And here he is :

The question is well we see this guys everywhere..

The blogger is has created this project to be cloned..

 Welcome to the CLONE MR DANGLY project. Here’s how I am imagining it. A million Mr Danglies, replicating like a rampant virus across the globe. A Mr Dangly in every home. Let it be so.
 

This is what you need

50g King Cole Merino Wool Blend DK in MINK (142)
50g King Cole Merino Wool Blend DK in FAWN (8)
NOTE: any old DK will do! Go crazy!
3.25mm straight needles
Tapestry needle
Polyester fibre stuffing
Two brown buttons
Crochet hook (for hair)

Find out far more over @ the clone Mr dangly blog page:

http://electricbiscuitonline.blogspot.com/2005/06/clone-mr-dangly.html

This fushed glass pedant with a silver bail caught my eye today so here it is

I think the silver and blue works great together…  

This pendant is designed with blue Savoy Studios “Thorns” dichroic glass. It measures 36 mm x 20 mm, including the sterling silver-plated pendant bail.  

Find out more
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=628139