Candles | Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night

“Buddy the Elf” and Snowman Candles

24 Nov 2018 2 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Christmas, Country Decor, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts Tags: acrylic paint, buddy the elf, candles, Christmas, christmas crafts, Craft tutorial, dollar store crafts, dollar tree, elf, paint pen, snowman, winter craft

Calling all Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins!!! Christmas crafting has officially begun! These “Buddy the Elf” and snowman candles were made using the tall prayer candles that are available at most dollar stores. White ones are the easiest to find, and are a great template for a simple snowman. The green candles were perfect for an elf, which I created based on the character Buddy from the Christmas movie “Elf”! I will admit, the Elf candle was a little more time-consuming than I had hoped, but if you’re a fan of the movie like I am, it’s totally worth it! 🙂

Let’s start with the elf candle. Start out by drawing the outline of the jacket using a black paint pen. The nice thing about painting on glass is, if you mess up, you can wipe it off using a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol and start again. Fill in the bottom section with yellow paint. I used Americana multi-surface satin acrylic paint. Unfortunately it took about 5-6 coats to get it opaque. The first few coats showed significant streaking, but it got better with each coat…be patient! Maybe a chalk paint would have been better? Anywho, next use a stencil brush to “dab” on the white collar.

Here are the exact paints and the types of brushes I used. They are supposed to be good on glass, but again, it took a TON of coats to get good coverage. I do like the end result though!

Once dry, draw on the little squiggles on his jacket using a yellow paint pen. I also drew a belt and buckle using black and yellow paint pens. I free-handed it, but you can use small strips of tape to create straight lines if you want.

If you know the movie, the likeness to Buddy the Elf is pretty good. 🙂 I’m happy with him!

Next is the snowman candle, which was significantly less cumbersome! Start with your basic country snowman nose.

Use the black paint pen to draw on eyes and a mouth.

Use your stencil brush or a piece of sponge to dab on some rosy cheeks. Tie on a strip of fabric to create a scarf. Quick and easy!

I’ve got a few ideas for some other designs using other colors. I hope to work on them soon and I’ll be sure to post ’em if they turn out any good! 😉 Hope everyone had a nice Turkey Day!

Adding a Primitive Fall Look to Boring Ol’ Candles

02 Aug 2015 10 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Craft Tutorials, Craft Fair Sellers, Candles, Country Decor, Primitives Tags: Autumn, burlap, candles, country crafts, country decor, country makeover, craft show sellers, Craft tutorial, Fall crafts, jar candles, pip berries, primitive, Primitive Crafts, twine

Sometimes things that I think are really cute, will sit in my booth for years, and won’t sell. For example, I bought some small candles years ago, that came in awesome faux white enamel tubs and had a real farmhouse look to them. Though they’re old, they still smell awesome and I am not giving up on them! I have since made them over a few times, and I am hoping my new Fall spin on them will help them move off the shelves. Here’s the new country look and the how-to!

Originally I tried to sell them as is, for like $3 a piece. Good deal, so I thought, but no one wanted them! 😦 Then as Christmas time came around, I packed them up in plastic bags, tied them with homespun, and added a cute rustic tag, for gift giving. I sold a few, but still have about 6 left. Here’s the “before.”

My first step in making them over was to “primify” them. I put the broiler on and CAREFULLY watched them for about 1 minute while the tops softened up and smoothed out. After years of sitting around, the wax gets little scratches and nicks, so this process makes them look brand new again. I then shook on some ground cinnamon and let them cool. It gives them a rustic, dusty look, and of course smells great too! Please don’t burn your house down doing this. Don’t leave them unattended and please, be careful people!!!

My first thought was to tie the burlap over the top and tie off with some twine. I guess I was envisioning more of a cheesecloth look, where you could see and smell the candle better. This just looked dumb. LOL. It also covered my cute, newly dusted candle tops that look so perfectly primitive!

Take two. I used a plate as a guide to trace out circles of burlap that would fold up around the tubs, from the bottom. This idea would look great on small jar candles (such as those in short, fat mason jars), so don’t worry if you love the look but can’t find these exact candles! Any jar candle would work!

Put a ring of hot glue on the bottom of the jar candle and place on burlap. Then, using tiny dabs of hot glue, fold up the edges and create a taco-shell look. This will make it easier to tie on the twine.

Tie it around once or twice and add more dabs of hot glue to hold up your burlap. I also trimmed and frayed the edges of my burlap during this part.

For a little accent, I took a sprig of pip berries I had lying around and pulled off two sprigs for each candle.

I curled up the ends of the sprigs by wrapping them around a little paint brush handle. Then I tied them on using the excess twine and finished it off with a little bow.

I think I will throw in a free mason jar tag with each candle since they’d made nice Fall gifts. I got these mason jar tags at Target…8 for $1! I love them!

They have a cool “scarecrow” feel with the frayed burlap. They’d be nice for any primitive home decor but will be especially nice for Fall time I think.

My helper Fred takes a little snooze while I clean up. What a bum!

Like I said, this look would be easy to create on regular jar candles as well. The cinnamon dusting is a super easy way to make something look “prim” too! What are your thoughts on the finished project? Anything you’d do differently? 🙂

Primitive Grubby Jar Candles

10 May 2015 22 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Country Decor, Craft Fair Sellers, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts, Primitives Tags: candle, country crafts, country decor, craft show sellers, Craft tutorial, grubby, homespun, primitive, Primitive Crafts, rusty, twine

After seeing these types of “grubby” jar candles on Pinterest for many years, I finally got around to trying them myself. Though it was a very long process, they came out so cute and perfectly primitive! There are many tutorials out there on grubby jars, but they are all pretty much the same: coffee grounds and white glue. You can do mason jars or any type of jar candle…it’s the perfect accent for any country or rustic home.

I started with this set of 12 small jar candles from Walmart. They cost around $6, so profitability on these should be pretty good.

I made up a mixture of about 2/3 coffee grounds to 1/3 cinnamon. Both can be bought at the dollar store for this project. I used matte Mod Podge, but now that it’s all said and done, I would probably use regular white glue because it’s a lot cheaper. I ended up using almost this whole jar on 12 little candles.

Paint on the glass jars with glue and roll in your coffee/cinnamon mixture.

Set them aside to dry. It takes a good 24 hours for them to dry thoroughly.

Once dry, gently tap them on the counter to get off any loose coffee/cinnamon grounds. Then apply another coat of glue to seal it. Be prepared…this part is messy! Don’t worry if more grounds come off because you can always do a second coat.

Set aside to dry again. Another 24 hours. Ugh…I hate waiting!

Here they are after they are dried. With just one coat, most of the surface was covered, but there were still a few spots where the glass showed through. I decided to do a second coating of the coffee/cinnamon. Looking back, I think I would just stick with one coat. They’re eventually going to be embellished with homespun fabric or burlap, which will cover up any thin areas. It’s up to you how many coats you do, based on the look you’re going for.

Another little tip: before you start, put a small piece of paper towel over the wax of your candle. Through the process, the cinnamon and coffee grounds fell onto the wax, and it doesn’t come off easy. The paper towel will keep the wax clean. I am going to have to wipe them off which is going to be a pain in the butt…lesson learned.

If you do decide to do a second coat, be prepared for even more of a mess. Repeat the process of painting them with glue, rolling in cinnamon, and finishing off with a finally coat of glue/Mod Podge to seal. Again, you have to wait 24 hours between each step. Don’t forget to touch up the top little rim of the jars.

Here they are after two coats and some embellishing. I think they came out so cute. I am planning on pricing them at about $3.00 per candle at my co-op.

Here are the some of the ways I decided to decorate them. A thin burlap strip topped with a vintage button:

Thin pieces of twine with rusty stars and hearts:

Plain ol’ twine and homespun fabric, wrapped around and knotted:

And a thin twine bow:

Have fun if you decide to give them a whirl. They are super easy, but be prepared for a long, messy process! I’d love to try this again with mason jars and maybe some larger jar candles. Have a great week and I hope be back soon! 😀

Winter Jar Scenes

18 Nov 2014 7 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Christmas, Country Decor, Craft Fair Sellers, Craft Tutorials, Mason Jars Tags: bottle brush tree, car ornament, Christmas, country crafts, craft show sellers, Craft tutorial, mason jars, snow, snow globe, thrift store finds, winter craft, winter jar scene

The holiday craft bug has bit me and I just finished up another project; a big batch of winter jar scenes using mason jars and bottle brush trees. I have seen them on Pinterest, so here is my version. 🙂

I started by gathering some jars. I used some mason jars I had on hand, and found these ones at Target. I also got a few jars of different shapes, at the Goodwill for super cheap.

The two small jars on the right are salt & pepper shakers I got from Walmart. I love these cause they are like mini snow globes!

I used various bottle brush trees; all of which I found at A.C. Moore in either the doll house/miniature section, or the seasonal Christmas section. I also found some cute mini gold reindeer, perfect for this project.

The ones with the wooden bases were easy to glue in place. I used hot glue and they seem to be holding pretty firm on the glass. Some people who do this project don’t even glue them down. They will simply add their “snow” and then stick the trees down in. I like them glued in place so they don’t keep falling over.

The ones without wooden bases posed a bit of a challenge. I created a ball of hot glue on the ends to use as a base. Looking back it would have been easier to use some clay or floral foam, but too late now!

I then added the “snow.” I started out using coarse sea salt and when I ran out, I got Epsom salt. They both work great as snow. The Epsom salt had a peppermint smell too, which is perfect for Christmas crafts! 🙂

I used tweezers to place the small deer in the snow and big tongs for the deeper jars. I must say this part was a challenge. I did not glue the deer in place because they’d be almost completely covered with the snow. I did push them down in pretty good, and because they are light weight, I am hoping they won’t move around too much.

I picked up this wad of tin garland at the thrift store last year and stashed it away because I knew I could cut them apart and use them to accent winter crafts. I used the snowflakes to tie around the tops of the jars to give them a little extra country Christmas look!

Here is one of the completed jars with the snowflake tied around the neck of the jar. I love how they came out!

For the smaller jars, I left out the deer and just did a little tree scene, and accented it with a raffia bow.

Here are a few more!

For these larger jars, I thought I’d make them into candle holders. I put a small glass tea light holder right into the mouth of the jar. You can get these small glass tea light holders at the Dollar Tree.

And remember these from last year?? I had some smaller trees left over and decided to use them up on these cute car ornaments! I got the cars last year after Christmas at Walmart. I am selling them for about $5.50-$6 each. Honestly, I will probably break even on the car ornaments, but I don’t care because they were really fun to make and a fun item to sell around the holidays!

I’m selling the winter jar scenes are ranging from $4-$8 at my co-op, so we’ll see how they go. Hope everyone has a Happy Turkey Day! 🙂

Mini Jar Candle Wedding Favors

20 Apr 2014 6 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Country Decor, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts, Primitives Tags: candles, country crafts, country decor, craft show sellers, dollar store crafts, homespun, Primitive Crafts, rusty heart, rusty tin

After a loooong miserable winter, I think it’s safe to say that Spring has finally sprung! Just as I knew it would, the nicer weather has motivated me to get back into the crafting groove and also do some “pickin” at the local thrift stores. Lately, my big project has been mass producing these country jar candles as wedding favors ~ 120 to be exact! You may remember them from one of my very first posts, and they are still just as fun, easy, and inexpensive to make. They are somewhat time-consuming (when doing a large quantity like this) but each jar only costs $1 at Wally World, making for a very economical set of favors!

I like to use these particular jar candles because they come with an “Easy Peel” label, which allows you to very easily take off the label for crafting. They also smell really great and come in a variety of colors.

For mass production, I found its easiest to tear all your homespun strips ahead of time. Mine were about 1″ wide and I just tore them, to get that raggedy primitive look. For those who don’t have fabric on hand, I usually get mine by the yard at Joann Fabrics.

I then use a glue gun to apply the homespun strips. Just a little dab will do ya!

I don’t worry about having perfectly clean seams where the fabric comes together, because I plan on wrapping them with twine which camouflages the spots that were glued.

I then pre-cut a bunch of pieces of twine and wrapped them around the candles a few times and tied them in little knots on the back. I glued on rusty stars and hearts on the front of each candle using E6000 glue. I do not like to use hot glue for the rusty pieces because I find they very easily pop off – hot glue doesn’t stick well to the rusty tin. It also melts as the candle heats up!

This person also wanted the candles wrapped and tagged for her special day. I laid out the text in Microsoft Word, and used my regular ink jet printer to print them out on sheets of brown kraft paper (from A.C.Moore’s). I used a tag shaped punch, but you could also just cut them out into squares or tags and hole punch them!

Here is the finished product! The baggies are actually candy/baking treat bags. They are a perfect thin cellophane. I these favors will be just perfect with her country themed wedding!

I have to share my latest thrift store score because I got some AWESOME items! It just goes to show you that you have to stay persistent and keep going back, even if you seem to have no luck. After many trips finding nothing at all, I got all these great items that, after a little cleaning up, are some real treasures! Some repro enamelware, tea pots, a crock, and a very cool, vintage looking “Bird Watcher” sign! All will go to my booth at the Carriage Place!

I got this other amazing group of antique medical items off of Craigslist. I can’t even tell you the incredible freakin low price I paid for this lot because you will literally die!!! I plan on keeping some items for my “oddities” collection, and selling the rest via Etsy and my co-op. They are all from a pharmacy in northern NY. All of the funnels, beakers and bottles are glass, and the mortars & pestles are cast iron and brass. Simply amazing.

Have a GREAT Easter and happy pickin’ & craftin’!

2012 Craft Show Photos

10 Nov 2012 10 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Christmas, Country Decor, Craft Fair Sellers, Primitives Tags: candy cane, candy canes, Christmas, country crafts, craft show, craft show sellers, craft shows, crafts, dollar store crafts, folk art, homespun, Primitive Crafts, snowman, snowmen

Well, another show has come and gone. The show was a huge success and a lot of projects I’ve shared here sold out, including the melted snowmen ornaments, both the big and little homespun candy canes, the large spray painted jingle bells, the pins, and the night lights with silicone bulbs! It was a ton of fun and I thought I’d share some pics! 🙂

I also wanted to stop say thank you to all of my new followers who have commented and “pinned” some of my ideas here. It’s such an honor to have so many people who enjoy reading my posts. It all started as a little crafty area to document my projects, but it has blossomed into something bigger than I could have imagined. Thank you!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Have and awesome weekend and Happy Crafting!

Dollar Store Candles Turned Cute Country Decor

17 Sep 2012 7 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Country Decor, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts

On to the latest project – jazzing up some dollar store candles. I ordered this burlap jute webbing with many projects in mind, and I did put some of it up for sale in my Etsy store. I simply cut it to size and hot glued it in place. It is very thick, yet cuts easily. I experimented with candles and plain glass votive holders. I’m loving the tall candles – which can be found at any Dollar Tree.

Using a little bit of twine, I tied on some vintage-looking keys.

I kinda like the look of the burlap covering the entire glass holder. These would be cute for votives or even a small vase / plant / herb holder. I currently am using this one as my tooth-brush holder. Hehe.

Another variation on this project was using some torn homespun fabric. Again – just hot glued it.

Isn’t it cute? You could use any color fabric depending on the time of year of holiday you are decorating for!

There are so many ways you can take these projects and run. I’m thinking of doing a texture fierro coating on the outside, or a cinnamon / mod podge coating to get rid of the stark white of the tall Dollar Tree candles. Hmmm…so much to do, so little time!

If you make these, send me a pic! I’d love to show some variations of the project and see other peoples ideas. Hope everyone has a wonderful week and enjoys this awesome Fall weather! 🙂

Perfecting the Art of Grubby Candles

10 Feb 2012 20 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Country Decor, Craft Tutorials

To my surprise, my little grubby candles were a huge hit at my co-op and I have been putting off making a new batch because of what a giant MESS the whole process is. It’s fun, but it nearly gives Greg a heart attack every time I make candles and wax gets splattered all over our kitchen and is a royal pain in the @$$ to clean up. Anyway, I did make a new batch and I think they came out even better than the last.

I know I already posted a tutorial on these but I figured more pictures couldn’t hurt. I have also been not-so-crafty lately, so I felt obligated to document this recent craft endeavor. 🙂

I started by melting some big candles from Wally World…I like to use these ones because of the color and strong, yummy scents. You can also use any left over wax you have lying around.

The votives I like to use are these:

These off-white votives come 16 to a pack and are significantly cheaper than the scented ones, that’s why I use them. Plus you’ll be packing on scented wax – so you’ll still have a yummy smelling final product.

Again I used my ghetto double boiler that I use solely for candle/tart making…

Then pour some of the melted wax into a disposable tin container. I get these 3 to a pack at the Dollar Tree. Let the wax stiffen up a bit so it’s more of a gooey texture, as opposed to runny (only takes about a minute). Basically when it’s JUST cool enough to work with. Set the votive down in the middle and “pack on” the wax, like you’re packing a mini snowball. I usually wear gloves….it’s WAY messy.

Then set aside on wax paper, or in my case foil…I was outta the wax paper. Anything to keep the wax from getting all over your table.

This is what they look like after they dry…

And then a final dip in wax “seals” it up and gives it a cleaner look, while still being deliciously “grubby!”

Some came out more chunky than others. I much prefer the one on the left.

Awww, how cute!

Finally, I packaged them up since they will be for sale in my booth. I use candy-making “treat bags” from the baking aisle at the craft store. They come in a variety of sizes while being very cost-effective (100 bags for like $2-$3??). Finished off with a little homespun tie…my favorite “country” accent.

*One thing I forgot to do before packaging was dust them with cinnamon. D’oh! I love that look. This is an easy way to add even more of a country feel.

I will display them in this shallow wooden box. The perfect height for my itty bitty chunky candles. I am pricing them $1 a piece, which is probably a little low for the work involved. I try really hard to price things reasonable and at a price that the average joe can afford. I want people to enjoy them, because I know these types of candles can be so expensive in the big country stores!!!

I DID try making these types of chunky candles with the BIG candles seen in the first, top picture. It was a major craft FAIL. LOL. I have to work on those before I dare take any pics!!!

Off to an estate sale and two thrift stores this weekend on the other side of town that I normally don’t get to go to. Let the treasure hunting commence! Have a great weekend my crafty peeps! 🙂

Mini Country Jar Candles

26 Aug 2011 13 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Country Decor, Craft Fair Sellers, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts, Stamping, Thrift Store/Flea Market Finds

I said I wasn’t going to do the jar candles again this year but I just can’t resist the Fall scents! Pumpkin Spice, Vanilla Spice, Mulled Cider, and a new one this year: Pecan Pie! 🙂 I got these at Wally World, and I think they are an awesome deal. Only $1 a piece, and the scents are very fragrant and long-lasting. Also, the labels peel right off, so they’re great for crafting!

Really, why bother trying to pour your own when you can get these for $1!

Instead of making labels this year, I decided to do something EASY and not as costly, or time-consuming. I simply wrapped the jars with a wide piece of homespun fabric, wrapped with a piece of jute, and finished with a rusty star, heart, or little salt-box house. All secured with the hot glue gun. The pictures aren’t great, because I took them with my phone. Sorry. SOMEONE went to a dog training seminar and took ALL the good cameras in the house!

Originally I was done at this point, but I wanted to do something to indicate the scent. I decided to make little tags to tie around the necks of the jars. I cut down the normal size tags to make “mini grubby tags.” I stamped them with my mini alphabet stamps to spell out the scents – some of which I changed. I didn’t like “vanilla spice” so I changed it to “spice cake.” These mini alphabet stamps can be found at the craft store OR Walmart for $1 too!

Tip: I find it’s easiest to stamp multiple tags at once. Stamp the “p” on all 3, then the “u” on all 3, and so on. It’s so much quicker stamping out one whole tag when you are fumbling around with tiny stamps like this.

I don’t stress if they aren’t perfect…that just means they are one of a kind and have a little home-made charm!

I used to print out labels on brown craft stickers and just tie a piece of fabric around the neck. The labels were a pain in the @$$ to get just right, not to mention those stickers aren’t cheap or easily accessible. Cute, but just not efficient for me.

I really hope people think my new candles are as cute as I do. Guess we’ll find out very soon! If they do sell well, maybe I’ll make a bunch for the craft show in Dec.!

In other news, here are some cool thrift store finds from last week, starting with this very cool, retro scale! I am getting quite a nice collection of old scales and can’t wait to display them together.

Grapevine heart wreaths…for a buck? Heck yeah!

Two country-style boxes, both in great shape!

A round pink jar with a wire frog lid

An itty-bitty rug beater…at least I think that’s what it is! It’s so stink in’ cute!

And lastly, this cool wood pharmacy sign. Not sure if it’s a repro or not but I love the graphics and lettering.

Well that’s all for now! Has anyone else been working on any Fall crafts yet? Or am I the only one who wants Fall to hurry up and get here?! Have a fabulous weekend and BBS! 🙂

Making Over Dollar Store Candles and a Few Other Crafty Tid-Bits…

08 Aug 2011 20 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Country Decor, Craft Fair Sellers, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts, Halloween

Ever see these at The Dollar Tree? They are in the tiny wedding accessories section, usually near the craft supplies. I am guessing they are meant for favors? I don’t know, but they are good quality little jar candles, and 3 to a pack is a great deal.

I knew right away I wanted to texture them, but I didn’t want to use the dark brown or the gold. I am tired of these colors and there aren’t other colors of Texture Fierro except a bluish-gray and green.

So…I mixed these two to make a light brown/tan color! I then added a little strip of homespun with the trusty hot glue gun.

I was going to embellish them with a rusty star, but I decided at the last minute to use these left over Fimo crows I made. I originally made them to mix with some Fall themed “fixins” but I had some extras…exactly enough for the candles! It was meant to be! 🙂

I think they are super cute. and great for Fall/Halloween! I just LOVE crows!

The other weekend projects I have been tinkering around with are the mini clothespin snowmen for my December show. They were a huge hit last year so I made TONS!

All they need are their scarfs!

And finally, I have been working on some pins/magnets/wine corks for Fall with pumpkin faces. It’s taking a lot longer than the snowmen did, but I am liking the results. Here is a sneak peek!

Welp, even though it’s a crappy, rainy MONDAY morning (eww)…try to have a GREAT day!!! I am in major crafting mode…more to come soon!!!

Folding Ruler Stars

23 Apr 2011 3 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Antiques, Candles, Christmas, Country Decor, Craft Fair Sellers, Craft Tutorials, Thrift Store/Flea Market Finds

Welp…I got my first check and summary of sales since I have opened my booth. I made more than double my rent in a little less than 3 weeks…I couldn’t be more excited!!! I think I definitely made the right choice of where to set up my space, and I have gotten to know a lot of the vendors and the owner quite well. I can’t wait to see what the future at the co-op brings…I hope the rest of the summer goes as well as my first few weeks! So lately I have been doing less crafting and a lot more stock piling items from thrift stores and estate sales, trying to make sure I am able to fill my booth as needed. I’ve been in a bit of a crafting “rut” lately. I keep wanting to go outside to do some spray painting but the weather won’t let me. Anyway…I found a bunch of these folding rulers at a garage sale yesterday and remembered an idea I saw somewhere online ages ago, where it was shaped as a star. I decided to give it a try!

Pretty stinkin cute, huh? I love how they turned out. So easy…just bend em! I tied a little piece of homespun to hold it together. The hinges are pretty stiff and there’s not really an issue with the star losing it’s shape, so no need to glue it or anything…it pretty much stays in the shape you fold them!

Here are some other recent thrift store/household sale finds!

Ok, does anyone know what these scissor things are?? I have looked around online and no one knows. I keep thinking something along the lines of candle snuffer, fire tongs, etc. Anyone???

I am always on the look out for things like this little wooden sleigh, for displays at craft shows or in my booth. For .50 cents, I will use this to hold some of my Christmas trinkets at the craft show for sure!

And one of my favorite finds…this “Courting Candle” which I decided to do a little more research on:

In the 1600s to 1800s, fathers, parents or guardians of a marriageable young lady would allow suitors to visit her in her home. The couple were allowed to visit in a sitting room, parlor or on the front porch. The father would prepare a candleholder called a courting candle or suitors candle and set it up in the area where the couple sat. The father would observe the suitor and decide an amount of time that he felt comfortable with for the man to visit and socialize. The candle height would be adjusted to measure out the time. The candle was raised or lowered with a peg or thumb lever. When the candle burned to the metal at the top of the candleholder it was the firm yet polite signal that it was time for the suitor to bid the young woman good evening and leave. (Found this info here).

And lastly, in honor of Easter, I thought I would share a picture of the evil wood bunny that stares at me every time I go up and down the stairs to my craft area. He kinda scares me. Happy Easter everyone!

Grubby Candles and Tapers

12 Mar 2011 29 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Country Decor, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts, Primitives

Who doesn’t love a grubby, chunky, little candle? I decided to make some today, by modifying some small votives and tapers I had lying around. I think they came out pretty darn good! Wanna try?? Here’s how I did it!

Start out with your basic votives. I got these at Wally World.

The other supplies can be found at the Dollar Tree, except this large pillar candle which I also got at Walmart. I chose this color/scent to melt down, because it sort of matches the votives. I HIGHLY recommend using a tin pan or something disposable for this project. It’s SUPER messy and washing wax off of dishes is not easy. Trust me.

I made my own ghetto double-boiler using a small pan that set in a larger flat pan. This prevents the wax from getting too hot and burning. All of these pans have been sacrificed and are my permanent candle-making pans…I wouldn’t use them to cook with afterwards.

Pour some melted wax into the foil pan. You gotta work QUICK! Wait just a few moments for the wax to cool (just hot enough to work with), and start rolling your votives. I recommend using gloves! I just got my nails did, and I refuse to chip wax off of them for the next week!

Shake some cinnamon/nutmeg right in with the wax. Be liberal, depending on how grubby you want them. The consistency shown below seems to work best – when it’s still melted but just starting to harden. Roll the votive around and pack it on the sides, like you’re packing a snowball!

Meanwhile, Paco supervises this messy operation.

After they dry, they look like this.

Next, find a small container that the votive will fit all the way in, to dip them once more to seal. I cut down a ricotta cheese container because it’s narrow and I won’t need as much melted wax to fill it up. I knew I hoarded those plastic containers for a reason!

And dip…

Place on wax paper to dry. Once dry, I dusted them with cinnamon. Here’s the finished product! I love them!

And now for the tapers. I got these like a year ago, for 25 cents a piece, when some craft booth was going out of business. I knew I’d find a use for them eventually.

Any tall, narrow container will do. I used an old glass vase. Being tall and narrow, you don’t need as much wax to fill it up, as say a large pot. I like to melt as little wax as possible, for times sake. Then…dip, dip, dip away! *Please note the delicious roast in the crock pot in the background. Dinner tonight…YUUUM! 🙂

Roll in cinnamon mixture and re-dip. Repeat as much as you’d like, to create, thicker, grubbier tapers.

My professional candle drying rack…nifty, huh?

And here they are. I plan to finish them off by tying together with some raffia or homespun and adding a little rusty star, or something like that!

Whew. It’s a very time-consuming and MESSY project, but well worth it. I love how everything came out. Here my helper Paco rests after a long, day…

As always, if you try these, I’d loooooove to see some pix!

And now for that pot roast…..:P

Country Themed Dollar Store Crafts

25 Feb 2011 124 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Christmas, Country Decor, Craft Fair Sellers, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts, Primitives, Uncategorized

While the selection is better, large craft stores prices can be a little rough on the wallet. There are tons of supplies for general crafting at the dollar store; i.e. tacky foam shapes, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, etc. Those can be great for kids, but it gets a little tougher when looking to do primitive/country crafts.

Here are a few projects that I have done that involve dollar store supplies. A lot of these have been featured in previous posts, so the pictures may look familiar! All of the photos with a white background were found at dollartree.com.

Salt Dough Ornies & Cinnamon Applesauce Ornies

Salt, flour, cinnamon, and applesauce, wax paper – all of your main ingredients for both salt dough and cinnamon applesauce ornaments – can be found at the dollar store. The recipes can be found all over the web, I don’t feel like typing it out…hehe. I make cinnamon applesauce ornies in bulk – usually stars, hearts, and gingerbread men for the holidays.

A wonderful salt dough tutorial can be found at

http://andbabymakesfive-colleen.blogspot.com

This “snowman pop” I picked up at a craft show looks like salt dough. I definitely want to try this. A cute stocking stuffer perhaps?

Primitive Electric Tea Lights and Jar Candles

My best seller and favorite dollar store craft: electric tea lights! I recently found the tea lights on the right at a local Dollar Tree…. 3 for $1! I have found that they are as good the ones at the craft store, and last just as long!

These particular ones have been coated with gold and brown texture fierro, a textured paste made by DecoArt (found at the craft store for about $6 a jar). I have however used plain cinnamon which I get at the dollar store. First I put a piece of tape around the base of the little silicone flame, so my cinnamon doesn’t get on it. Then, paint them with regular glue or modge podge, roll in cinnamon, and let dry. Once dry, re-paint with glue/modge podge to seal! The cinnamon technique works great, but I prefer the look of the texture fierro.

This candle was grubbied up using the cinnamon/glue technique.

These candles were found at the Dollar Tree. I used the same technique as the electric tea lights. This can be done to any glass item or jar candle. Same thing goes for these – dollar store cinnamon works great for a more rusty look!

Wooden Spoon Kitchen Decoration

You can get packages of wooden kitchen spoons at the dollar store (usually 4 per pkg) that can easily be painted and made into very cute country kitchen decorations. I spray painted them black, sanded the edges, and finished off with a homespun tie and dollar store faux berries!

Silicone Dipped Bulbs – Christmas Lights and Country Night Lights

Hand dipping silicone bulbs looks like a daunting task, but is actually quite easy. I do this with night lights found at the dollar store and also with strands of Christmas lights. I scooped up a huge supply of plain white Christmas lights at the dollar store during the holidays to use all year round! The silicone must be bought elsewhere, but I found it real cheap at Walmart. To see how to dip silicone bulbs, view my previous tutorial here.

Turn these…

into THESE! 🙂

Christmas lights for Everyday Country Decor

As I said, I stock up on these after the holidays to use for a variety of projects. One simple idea (not a “craft” per say, but cute nonetheless) is to look for old bottles at yard sales or thrift stores, and put a strand of lights down inside to illuminate the colored glass. I got this blue house shaped bottle at a yard sale for 10 cents, added a string of white Christmas lights, and it looks so darn cute! This picture doesn’t do it justice, but I swear it looks awesome up on a shelf!

Another idea is to take small strips of homespun and knot them on the strand of lights in between each bulb. I have seen it/done it before but can’t seem to find a picture! Cute idea and super-duper easy!

Brown Craft Paper

The Dollar Tree has a surprising selection of brown crafting/wrapping paper that can be used for numerous craft purposes. The one on the far right has little gold stars, and is super cute – one of my favorites.

They also sell plain (without patterns) brown craft paper by the roll. I use this to make labels for my products like the one seen below. I use a paper cutter to cut 8.5 x 11 sheets that can be run through the copier. The Dollar Tree also sells a really great red gingham craft paper – the one that the snowmen are clipped to!

I use it to cover my craft table too, so I can make a mess and then replace it as necessary!

Brown craft paper gift bags are great for stamping.

Homespun Wrapped Candy Cane Ornaments

You get 6 plastic candy cane forms for $1…you can’t beat it! Simply wrap in homespun. I used hot glue to dab on the ends. Another one of my FAVORITE crafts of all time. This could be done with the large candy canes also found at the dollar store!

I haven’t tried these LARGE Dollar Tree candy canes, but I bet they’d look great!

Jingle Bells – As Bowl Fillers and Accents for Other Crafts

Dollar Tree sells all kinds of little jingle bells at Christmas time. I typically spray paint them barn red, navy blue, and forest green, tie a bit of homespun on the top for a little country flair. I use them as bowl/jar fillers and tree ornaments.

This cute holiday candle decorated with these same (spray painted) jingle bells was found at re-purposed.blogspot.com.

Scatter around candles or mix in with your potpourri. Heck, plop a big wooden bowl on your table and fill it up with these suckers for a nice holiday center piece! A nice silver candle and bell display is shown here, by http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com

A list of other craft supplies I have found at the dollar store:

Small round magnets & clear gems/marbles (marble magnets)
Styrofoam cone forms and balls (rag ball ornaments)
Basic floral supplies (wire, moss)
Baskets
Mini terra cotta pots & spanish moss (country witch head)
Jute
Large Christmas bulbs (the old-fashioned looking ones)
Small glass jars (use to hold potpourri, putka pods, cinnamon sticks, buttons, etc!)
Buttons
Glitter
Wooden frames (to paint and distress)
Wooden shapes for all kinds of crafting
Super glue/basic craft glue

Visit The Dollar Diva for more great dollar store craft ideas!

Hope you found this post helpful in saving a few bucks while working on your country/prim crafting endeavors. I don’t think I could survive without my local Dollar Tree. If you have any great dollar store ideas and/or crafts, I’d love to hear! Have a great week ya’ll! 🙂

Cinnamon Sticks

26 Jan 2011 6 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Country Decor, Craft Fair Sellers, Craft Tutorials, Dollar Store Crafts

Winter in western New York sucks…to say the least. It’s gray, depressing, and we probably won’t have sunshine for another 3 months. Needless to say I have been kind of lagging on my crafting lately, even though I’ve got a bunch of really great ideas for 2011. Lately I’ve seen cinnamon sticks on sale at the craft stores…not sure why they are all on clearance, unless they are considered “Christmas” or holiday items? Anyway, I have always found great uses for cinnamon sticks and thought I would share a few. Sorry the pictures aren’t great! Basic long cinnamon sticks like these are great for making “cinnamon stick stars”. I just laid them out in a star shape and tied the ends with a small piece of homespun. You have to “weave” the sticks, so they don’t fall apart. You’ll see what I mean if you try it. These are so simple and cost next to nothing to make! A cute Christmas tree topper perhaps?

The other great idea I had was a simple one – use them as jar fillers. These were some small ones I had on hand that I mixed with a few seed pods/potpourri, and filled these small jars I found at the dollar store. I spray painted the lids black, and sanded the edges. I did the same thing but in mason jars, with slightly longer cinnamon sticks. I used this jar set up (below) which then creates a cute votive holder!

Even easier is bundling them to sell as decorative bowl fillers. I literally tied together 6-7 sticks, tied with homespun, and added a grubby tag that said “Cinnamon Sticks” and sold them as is. A cute prim tag can do wonders! I love the simplicity of things like this.

Though these are not cinnamon sticks, I did the same for these really cool bean pods that my mom found. She picked them off some tree and we let them dry out…they were really neat! Does anyone know exactly what they are or what kind of tree they come off of? I tied and labeled them and they couldn’t look cuter in this little cast iron bowl.

Lastly, I tied them onto some rose hip potpourri just as a fun accent.

I found this picture at Country Living and would like to try this eventually. Seems easy enough…just hot glue em on to the side of a little glass votive! They look very Thanksgiving-ish here, don’t ya think?

Guess that’s all for now. What other ideas do you have for using cinnamon sticks??

Happy Crafting! 🙂

More Marble Magnets

20 Jan 2011 2 Comments

by Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night in Candles, Christmas, Country Decor, Craft Tutorials

Gosh I have been so busy lately…too much WORK and not enough FUN! By fun I mean crafting! I have been experimenting with the marble magnets and think I may have got it down. Here are the latest sets: Vintage bugs and butterflies found at my favorite clip art site The Graphics Fairy! These were little scrapbooking stickers that I had left over from a project from years ago, and they were the perfect round little circles. They worked great. The designs are a little teenie-bopper-ish but I made them more for experimenting sake. I like that these stickers were smaller in diameter than the marble…and that they were pre-cut…it’s a much cleaner look. So I did find smaller magnets. Here is one of each. I can’t decide which I like better. The small magnets look nicer (you can’t see them as easily when it’s up on the fridge), but the bigger ones are more hardy and cover the whole picture used on the back of the marble. I am leaning towards the larger one. What do you think? This is the glue I used and it works GREAT!!! I let the original sets dry completely and then tried to pry one apart to test its durability. Those babies aren’t going anywhere!!! Home Depot carries this brand…probably Lowes does too. Since I was having a hard time finding pics in magazines, I decided to make my own themed sets, as you saw above with the vintage bugs and butterflies. I got the pictures from The Graphics Fairy, brought them into Photoshop, and laid them out at about 18 mm wide at 300 dpi. I printed them out and then used the magnet to trace a circle around each picture and then cut it out to size. This way I can create my own themes and sets, and don’t have to rely on finding random pictures that “go together.” I am doing the birds next! 🙂 So…I just had to share these awesome skeleton keys I found at the Hobby Lobby for half off. I got a few sets of them because I thought I could use them for different projects. I LOVE their look and the different shapes of each key. They are reproductions obviously, but I felt they still looked old and had a certain charm. I found this picture on Confessions of a Plate Addict using the same exact keys attached to a great little French County inspired tea-stained tag. How clever! I will just have to try this! Another thought was Christmas ornaments, hung with a homespun tie. I have also seen them sewn on hearts for Valentine’s Day decor…hmmm. Any other ideas? Went to the Dollar Tree last week – a different one than I normally go to – and I found these 3 packs on electric tea lights!!! 3 for $1…score! I cleaned out the whole box of them…and looked like a crazy person with a basket over-flowing with candles. They are they are the exact same ones I used before and run just as long as any of the more expensive ones, at least in my experience. I also got a bunch of these Christmas lights on clearance because I want to dip the small bulbs in silicone and make a few strands for my next show. Not necessarily for Christmas, but just as general country decor. Last but not least, I got this little guy for .50 cents at Hobby Lobby because I thought he would be great for small cinnamon applesauce ornaments. I made larger gingerbread men out of cinnamon applesauce dough and they sold like hot cakes at the show, as scented bowl fillers. As I always say…I love anything in miniature! Hope everyone has had a great week. I’d love to hear about some of your post-holiday crafting!!! Be back soon! 🙂

Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night