Candle making

Candle making

We have been given a lot of candles that needed to be melted down and made into fresh candles.  I have been trying different techniques to make the candles look different.  Some of the wax has been poured into glass jars and then an inspirational sayings put on the outside of the jar.  These jars in the picture have the candles placed in the jar after they have been taken from the mould. Both ways work well. The other candle is dipped in the burgundy colour and then has a flower painted in acrylic paint on the outside.  To seal the candle after you paint it you need to buy some wax paper and then wrap it around the candle with the wax side of the paper facing towards the candle.  A heat gun is then used to put a thin layer of wax on the outside of the candle.  The roses behind the candles are the first for the season from my husband Robin's garden.  As you can see I love roses.

Projects with pallets

Projects made with pallet wood

I love using old pallets or going to the pallet yard where they put out the front the rejected timber for free.  I have just bought some tools to help me with these projects.  On the weekend James and I decided to do a project with the pallet wood.  We are going camping and wanted some crates that we could carry the camping gear in and then be able to also use while we were away.  The crates are very solid and can be turned on their side to create storage.  We will be able to create a very serviceable kitchen area with these crates.  In the picture you will see that the crate has a shelf.  This shelf is the lid for the crate and when it is turned on the side can slide in to create an extra shelf for storage.  I will take a photo when we come back from camping to show you the end result.

Renovating ideas

Renovating ideas
I love renovating and thinking of different ways to make something look unique.  My daughter Jo and her husband James are renovating their home at the moment.  They are using an open cupboard for their linen.  We went and bought some normal plastic tubs but found when we put in the linen that it was difficult to make the boxes look neat and tidy.  I had just finished renovating my laundry and had some left over federation style wallpaper.  I used this to cover the boxes.  Hobby glue was painted on the back of each piece of wallpaper front and back and then the sides.  I then used a paper doily with a computer print out which I laminated and then glued on the front.  This is the end result to the project.

Crunchy Nut Biscuits

Today my daughter Jo, son-in-law James and their four children have come to stay for a couple of months while their house is being renovated.  Having three growing boys in the house I need to get a supply of snacks ready so today I used the Crunchy Nut Cornflakes that I had in my cupboard and made biscuits.  Below is the recipe and the link.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/1464/cornflake+choc+chip+cookies 

Ingredients

• 125g butter, chopped, softened
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 cups cornflakes
• 2/3 cup milk choc bits

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a large, flat baking tray with Mackies Nonstick Bakeliner.
• Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add flour. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add milk. Stir until dough comes together. Using a wooden spoon, stir in cornflakes and choc bits.
• Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on Mackies Nonstick Bakeliner, allowing enough room for spreading. Flatten balls slightly with a spatula.
• Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden. Stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie mixture.