DIY Citronella Candles (No Double Boiler, Melting or Hot Wax Required!)

Happy Weekend Eve!

I am so glad that it is finally Thursday. Tomorrow is kind of a fake day at school (parent-teacher conferences, no actual teaching = a break kind of work day!)

Then it is Memorial Day Weekend!

Do you have any plans for the long weekend?

Our plans are pretty relaxed - see a movie, get the tuxes for the wedding, and spend lots and lots of time outside!

Of course, we can't spend any time outside after dark without citronella candles.

And, thanks to pinterest, and this pin, I just had to make my own.

Mine were a little different than the original pin. I didn't have the materials to melt down the wax, but I found these awesome bags of wax crystals that don't need to be melted at Hobby Lobby.

So, without further adieu, here they are...

You will need:

1 bottle of citronella oil (I got mine at Whole Foods)

4 mason jars
3-4 bags of wax
candle wicks
4 large Ziploc bags
1 glue gun
glue stick

Directions:

1. Place a dot of hot glue on the inside of the mason jar, in the center. Quickly put the metal part of the candle wick over it. Repeat for all of the jars.

2. Pour each bag of wax into their own Ziploc bag. Add 20-25 drops of citronella oil to each. Seal and shake the bags. If you have more citronella oil left over, evenly distribute it among the bags. Seal and shake again.

3. Pour the candle wax beads into the jars. You can do all one color in each jar, or you can layer them like sand art. While pouring, try to keep the wick as in the center/straight as possible. Since the candles don't set, you can always wiggle the wick around. A plastic utensil or even a toothpick is good for moving the wax around to where you want it.

4. Cut the wick to about 1/4" above the top of the wax.

5. Light the candles and enjoy!

*NOTE* If you are going to leave your candles outside, I'd put the mason jar cover on them. Mine got all wet from the huge rain storm we had two days after I made them. I mean, they still lit beautifully the next day, but the wax got a little shaken up by that storm.

I loved this craft so much that I actually boxed up all the supplies and sent them, along with these directions, to my mom for Mother's Day!

She loved making them, and here are her beautiful candles:

Do you ever love a craft so much that you just have to pass it on?

25th Birthday Tag

Last month, AJ and I were invited out for his coworker's birthday. We decided to pick up a bottle of wine, and since I was feeling a little crafty, I decided to throw together a tag...10 minutes before we had to leave!

I'm actually really happy with it. I really like the cupcake stickers. I bought them so long ago, but almost never use them...I'm definitely hoarding them!

Do you hoard your cutest supplies too?

Project Life 25 {3.25.2013 - 3.31.2013}

I know I was going to share this page on Friday. And then on Saturday...Sunday...and Monday.

But, I hadn't made this page yet, and I was so reluctant to. Just so not motivated!

You see, its the first page about Baton Rouge, and I was still in my I don't love Baton Rouge funk.

Then I realized, all the pictures I have are about the things I do like down here - AJ, the apartment and our new car!

 Our pool ~ AJ very carefully reading the directions on the Swiffer ~ Our new apartment

New car! ~ Riding in the new car ~ Getting ice cream in the new car

You know, creating a Project Life page about Baton Rouge makes it seem not so bad!

I'll be around to visit everyone tonight! I missed visiting all of you the past few days, and its the biggest, most brightly colored thing on my to do list today!!

See you all later :)

Third Thursday Scrapbook Stories {05.16.2013}

Happy weekend eve!

Have you ever made a picture-less layout?

I recently did!

Here's a little sneak peek...

Stop by Julie's to see the rest :)

I'll be back tomorrow with a Project Life layout - my first about Baton Rouge!

WOYWW {05.15.2013)

Its Wednesday!

The day that we share our desks and get to sneak peeks at everyone else's, thanks to the fabulous Julia.

 My desk got moved onto the chairs to make room for this:

Chocolate ice cream and Reese's cups cake! Yum!

What's on your desk today?

About Me Birthday Layout

Today is my birthday!

In honor of my birthday, I wanted to do an about me layout. Ali Edwards created this layout for her son's birthday, and I thought it would be fun to do my own.

Of course, I didn't make it until last night, and I didn't have the paper to print out an 8x10 picture, so the picture is temporary. But that's okay!

What are your plans for today?

I'm going to have my favorite pizza for dinner, and then AJ has a surprise dessert. I wonder what it is?! I'm very excited about it though!

Project Life 25 {March 2013}

So, I have a confession.

I totally stopped scrapping two weeks ago. I finished my last Project Life page about Chicago, and I kind of freaked out.

Before that, it hadn't really hit me that we live here. It all kind of felt like a vacation.

Suddenly, I realized, while we may live in the mid west again one day, I won't ever live in Chicago ago. Like, in the city.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Baton Rouge, our apartment is lovely, and I really like how close my job and Super Target are.

But I miss the city - being able to walk everywhere, having restaurants, museums, parks, the beach, basically everything, right outside of our door.

And the realization that we won't ever live in Chicago again wasn't pretty. I couldn't even watch Mike and Molly, and don't get me started on what happened when I noticed Ferris Bueller's Day Off was on TV!

So, I'm going to share all of my Chicago Project Life pages with you right now.

And that is that. All of Chicago. Documented in scrapbooks + Project Life.

I do have one more layout about Chicago. But I'm not sure when I'll be up for making it, let alone sharing it! But I am excited to start scrapping about Baton Rouge!