For the past 2 weeks I've stepped away from my computer to enjoy my family and of course some Thanksgiving festivities here in Canada. My mum and I have been up to trouble this passed long weekend - crafting, and sharing our exciting new toys and crafty gadgets! What fun! Together we experimented with some candle making. We don't have one of those heat guns for crafting, so my Mum brought out her ancient old paint stripper - YIKES! I guess you can say it is the Uzi of all heat guns - Ha! But ya Know what? It actually worked...err..umm...well, after two candle casualties, but we finally mastered it! Hehehe!
First I coloured my Cuddly Christmas Penguin digital stamp with Promarkers. You can buy him
here. Next, I scanned it into my computer at 300 dpi (I'll be making several of these for gifts and this will save a ton of time especially if I want to make a matching card). If you want to skip this step, use the image you coloured on the desired paper. Next I printed it on Canon Photo quality paper. I cut out the image as tight as I could, leaving a little bit of white. Next, I place the image on a pure white candle purchased from Walmart - $3. The dollar store usually has these, but none were to be found as they still have their Halloween stuff out. I used waxed paper/grease proof paper to cover the image and pulled it tightly across the image. Make sure your Waxed Paper doesn't have wrinkles or creases. While holding it tight with an oven glove, I used the heat gun/paint stripper on HIGH with my other hand, moving it with a smooth even motion over the covered image. Don't leave it in one spot for too long though b/c you don't want the candle to melt unevenly as it can be a real pain to re-shape it. WARNING - CANDLE MAY DRIP. I used a metal cookie sheet covered with tin foil to catch the wax drippings. Once the image changes from a foggy look to a clear look, it is time to turn off your heat gun and slowly peel it off of your candle. Tada! A beautiful smooth candle, with a gorgeous image made by you! YAY! Now decorate your candle! I used silver ribbon and red rope for the base (nice choice Mum), pearl stars for snowflakes, and glitter on his hat. This was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to make more! Great idea huh? This would make the cutest gift for "Secret Santa" for a co-worker, or beautiful Christmas decorations for yourself or friend. This candle is meant for decoration purposes and not meant to be lit for obvious reasons, so make sure you remind the person if you choose to give it away. Have fun with this project - I promise, you will want to make more! =) Have a crafty Wednesday everyone!
What a horrible time to have my internet go down periodically all week! So frustrating! We had Rogers (our crappy cable/internet provider) come in the other day to fix it, and as I expected, they were completely useless! He spent a few minutes in our home and then a few hours tinkering in the cable box in the neighbour's yard. He never came back to tell us if everything was fixed. Well, I don't think he did a thing b/c it's still failing. We have complained more times than I can count. The next call will be to cancel our service. I am praying to get through this post - HA! *how ironic, internet went down again right after I wrote that.* Hehehe, bare with me folks! <:0S
First I coloured my Cuddly Christmas Penguin digital stamp with Promarkers. You can buy him here. Next, I scanned it into my computer at 300 dpi (I'll be making several of these for gifts and this will save a ton of time especially if I want to make a matching card). If you want to skip this step, use the image you coloured on the desired paper. Next I printed it on Canon Photo quality paper. I cut out the image as tight as I could, leaving a little bit of white. Next, I place the image on a pure white candle purchased from Walmart - $3. The dollar store usually has these, but none were to be found as they still have their Halloween stuff out. I used waxed paper/grease proof paper to cover the image and pulled it tightly across the image. Make sure your Waxed Paper doesn't have wrinkles or creases. While holding it tight with an oven glove, I used the heat gun/paint stripper on HIGH with my other hand, moving it with a smooth even motion over the covered image. Don't leave it in one spot for too long though b/c you don't want the candle to melt unevenly as it can be a real pain to re-shape it. WARNING - CANDLE MAY DRIP. I used a metal cookie sheet covered with tin foil to catch the wax drippings. Once the image changes from a foggy look to a clear look, it is time to turn off your heat gun and slowly peel it off of your candle. Tada! A beautiful smooth candle, with a gorgeous image made by you! YAY! Now decorate your candle! I used silver ribbon and red rope for the base (nice choice Mum), pearl stars for snowflakes, and glitter on his hat. This was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to make more! Great idea huh? This would make the cutest gift for "Secret Santa" for a co-worker, or beautiful Christmas decorations for yourself or friend. This candle is meant for decoration purposes and not meant to be lit for obvious reasons, so make sure you remind the person if you choose to give it away. Have fun with this project - I promise, you will want to make more! =) Have a crafty Wednesday everyone!
