Craft a Cinnamon Apple Candle

My daughter either dreamed up this idea or saw it somewhere and was determined to make it.

All the items came from the Dollar Tree except the hot glue and ribbon that I already had.

Items needed:

1 apple scented candle

1 pack of cinnamon sticks

accent ribbon

1 gift box

hot glue and hot glue gun

 

With a sharp knife, we cut the cinnamon sticks to about the same height as the candle.  Using a hot glue gun, we carefully glued the sticks around the candle, arranging them as needed.  The glue is hot, so be very careful.  Let each one cool before adding the next.

Finish the candle off by tying a pretty ribbon around the candle. Place in a gift box and present with a smile.

My daughter made this one last year for the birthday of her beloved grandfather, Papa.  Being the gracious man he was, he acted very happy to receive such a great gift.

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Today I’m late, but I’m linking to

Have a great Sunday!

Felted Wool Fingerless Arm Warmers

Felted Wool Fingerless Arm Warmers,

modeled by my daughter.

I made these last year for my brother using a wool sweater I got from Goodwill.  I thought they turned out really cute and they’re really warm, too! I got so excited, I purchased several wool sweaters from the Goodwill and made several pairs of arm warmers for my daughters.

Directions: Take a sweater that is at least 85% wool and and cut off the sleeves and separate the front from the back.  Toss the pieces into the washer and wash with soap on hot cycle, and rinse on cold cycle.  They should shrink like crazy. If you want them even more dense, toss them into the dryer too. They may shrink as much as 70 percent.   (The old name for this process was “boiled wool” or “fulling.”)

When you pull the sweater from the dryer, check to see if it shrank and if you can see the texture of the knitted stitches.  If it did indeed shrink and the stitches aren’t visible, the sweater is felted and you’re ready to make the arm warmers.

Cut the sleeves to the length you want the arm warmers to be.  Pull them on your hand and mark where you want the thumb hole to be.  Remove them and carefully cut a small slot to put your thumb through.  Some hem around this hole, others do not.  I chose to.  Using embroidery floss,  I hemmed the hole with the arm warmer on and my thumb poking through.  It wasn’t perfect, but for the first time, it wasn’t bad either.

Now’s the time to add any embelishments you want to add to the arm warmers.  I chose 2 medium size black buttons since I was making these for my brother.  I think they turned out great!

Read more about felting wool and how to use felted wool for other craft projects here.

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