Candle holders

Since Thanksgiving was on the way I thought I would try and get in the autumnal spirit and decorate my home. I love leaves; I love them when they are that bright yellow-green in the spring, I love them when they are that vibrate green in the summer, and I love them the most when they are that rich gold-red-green mix in the fall.

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it seemed like a simple way to dress up some basic candle holders...

http://diyreal.com/diy-stained-glass-candle-holders/

Seemed to me that if I could stick coloured tissue paper on glass candle holders, I could likely stick gorgeous fallen leaves on glass candle holders. Right?

I have about 60 candle holders leftover from my wedding in a dusty box at the farm; they would be perfect for this project! They are just simple glass candle holders from IKEA and they fit a large tea light, but any candle would work. (Sorry Dave, I mean OUR wedding).

The leaves were free for the gathering! I got a mix of greens, reds, and yellows. Turned out better to use "fresh" leaves that were still attached to the tree, as opposed to the fallen ones, more pliable and less likely to break down into a pile of dust.

I got things set up on the table in the porch, Mom was sewing a quilt top and Miss R was napping, so I thought that I could decoupage my afternoon away.

First I tried to attach the leaves to the glass with Modge Podge. Disaster! They didn't even stick for a second. I tried to let the Modge Podge dry a bit and become tacky, thinking that then it would work better. Wrong. It worked worse. Now I just had glue covered candle holders, a sticky mess. When they fully dried they looked a bit cloudy and mottled, it was a bit of a milk glass look...cool, but not the look I was going for.

Mom goes digging in her crafting stash to find a solution. She pulls out a can of spray adhesive. Now you have to understand my hesitation in using this stuff...the label was yellowed and peeling, the nozzle appeared to have melted and deformed many years ago, and there was no MSDS attached. Whatever.

I went outside to spray the adhesive on, thinking that would avoid a hazardous chemical spill in the house. It was a good idea I did! That deformed nozzle broke and sprayed glue chunks everywhere. Like, everywhere! I think it must have surprised me at just the right moment because my eyelids were glued open and my forehead was glued wrinkled. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not!

So I came back inside and tried to wash up and regroup. As a semi-experienced crafter, my trusted go-to for sticking things together is the hot glue gun. Yes, that's right; I ended up using a glue gun to adhere the leaves to the glass candle holders. Simple, right? I should have thought of it first! So simple in fact that I got a bit caught up and instead of just making 3 for me and 3 for Mom, I ended up making 21 in total. I just loved the way they look!

Once they had all been decorated I gave them a quick spray of acrylic sealer. Done and done.

They look so nice on the mantel. A little autumn decor for the home!

~Jess

Cards Galore!

I really enjoy making cards. I used to go to card making parties that my friends were hosting and pay a few dollars for the joy of it. I would always say that I like crafting handmade cards but I don't want to have to store all the stuff - boxes of paper and stamps and ribbons. No thanks! I am a bit of a minimalist and seem to get anxiety when I see messes, and piles of things. I know I'm crazy. My sister will definitely say that her kitchen island is a source of anxiety for me. Thankfully my husband is a neat freak as well!

Anyway, it seems that more I resisted owning anything stampin' related, the more it came into my life. I hosted a party a while back and based on the sales I ended up with some hostess gift stamp sets. Then I saw on my Mommy Buy and Sell Facebook group that a lady was selling most of her vast collection of stampin stuff. I went to meet her and she was just so lovely that hearing about her cancer diagnosis and her inability to scrapbook anymore made me tear up! She said that she wanted her stuff to go to someone who crafty and kind and could make good use of it. I felt kinda honoured. Seriously, I did. She sold me a ton of stuff for a great price. So out of respect for my new friend Lori, I got into card making.

I invited some ladies over for a "Creating Cards Party", have a coffee and a visit and make some beautiful cards.

We used chalks on this one to create that soft effect. So pretty!

Lately I have been into this 'quilted' look. Just made the zig-zag seam with a marker!

A bit out of my comfort zone, this bright one. I usually make cards with a more rustic or vintage feel but I like how cheerful this one is!

This one is my favorite. I love leaves and I think it was perfect for the season.

Looking forward to a Creating Christmas Cards Party!
~Jess

P.S. I clearly need to think about the photos a little more. Spread out the raffia on the counter to decorate the fall card, but didn't consider the dishes in the sink behind it. :-(
The dishes were from the scones Jess made, which were delicious, and they would have been better with the apple butter we made except Jess forgot to take some home with her!
~Lisa