DIY Teacup Candle Making

These candles make unique gifts for a Mother's Day, Birthdays or Weddings and can even be used to add that special touch to special ocassions. To make candles in containers you'll need to use special container wax that won't pull away from the sides as it cools. Soy wax is kinder to the environment and it's much easier to clean up, but reusing partially burned candles is also an enviromental option. Any utensils you use can be washed simply with hot soapy water or put in the dishwasher, when you use Soy wax.

What you'll need

* Teacup, pot or jar

* Flaked soy wax (£3.85 for 500g at The Make Lounge) or partially burned candles (if you want to go down the reuse, recycle route)

* Eco wicks (£2.00 for 5 at The Make Lounge)

* Double boiler or two saucepans that fit on top of each other

* Cooking thermometer

* Two pencils/ wooden skewers (to support wicks per Teacup, pot or Jar)

* Fragrance oils (from £1 a bottle) if you want to scent your candle

*Tongs (to pick out the old wicks)

How it's done

1 Pour your flaked wax/partially burned candles into a double boiler or a pan placed on top of another pan of water. You can work out how much wax you'll need by filling the teacup with water and weighing it, but I like trying the game of guessing. Melt the wax, heating to 165°C to 185°C. Add scented oils if using. The ratio of fragrance to wax is eight per cent, but do weigh it as some oils are heavier than others. Mix in the oil using a metal whisk.

2 Place the wick in the centre of the cup. It will come fixed to a metal disc enabling it to stand up. Wicks come in various sizes and the one you need will depend on the width of your container. Most suppliers will have a size guide.

3 Once you've melted the wax, slowly pour it into the teacup, filling it to the top. You should have some wax left over - you'll need this for the second pour. Hold the wick in the centre by placing it between two pencils balanced across the cup.

4 Once the candle is completely cool to the touch (about one hour), do your second pour. Wax shrinks as it cools so a crevice will develop in the centre. Heat the leftover wax to 10°C hotter than the first time and stir again for a couple of minutes. The wax needs to be hotter when you top up the container as this will give you a nice smooth surface once it's cooled.

5 Leave the candle to cool and harden thoroughly and then trim the wick to 1cm before lighting.

TTFN

MagpieSpirit

Jem Made This - Covered Button Broach

I recently joined my local WI  group (Shoreditch Sisters) upon signing up I was given a white sticky label to write my first name on and stick on myself. Easy, so far. While waiting for the proceedings to start a member shouted out asking for safety pin, to our shame, (he he) within a group of  approx. 40 ladies that had gathered so far, not one safety pin available. The member jokingly quipped "Ladies we are the WI", to some laughter. But that got me thinking if we are the WI, my white sticky label needs to be upgraded. You can see the result.

If you want to reproduce this covered button broach, you will need:

An embroidery hoop
some coloured embroidery thread
8" square piece of fabric of your choice
38cm or larger self-covered button blank (ideally the type with a safety pin on the back, otherwise you will need a safety pin)
An embroidery needle (or one that has an eye big enough for the thread to go through)
And little imagination and depending on your design and sewing skills, anything from 20 minutes to 3 hours to sew.

I felt I wanted to add alittle bling, so I also used my glue gun.

Happy sewing.

I would love to see any attempts at this project please email any pictures to jamila@magpiespirit.com.

TTFN

MagpieSpirit

My Guilty Pleasures... aren't so Guilty

I was recently watching a programme on the box, it was on of those film review bits, where a celebrity is asked about their favourite film choices and then reveals their film guilty pleasure. It got me wondering about  mine.

Lets start with my film pleasures; Dune "And how can this be? For he is the Kwisatz Haderach" and musicals Sister Act, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Burlesque etc.

Strawberry flavoured Angel Delight is high on the general pleasures list.

Craft/Design Mags may be more of a growing addiction, especially as they can not be thrown away. Or is that just hoarding?

Sugar Sifters - growing collection?? Or more hoarding?

As I write this, I realise that my guilty pleasures aren't so guilty... so with that said I will continue my list of pleasures.

Jam making, preserving and pickling is all part of my attempt at becoming some sort of domestic goddess. There is aslo the added realisation that no matter how good shop bought products are homemade always, always tastes better.

Notebooks are scattered around my studio space, most have had some kind of use, few have ever been finished.

Macaroni Cheese, hmm, hot fresh with stringy cheese sauce - homemade ofcourse. The thought makes my eyes roll back in my head and I think I'm mentally purring.

Tea - the proper stuff, I freely admit to being a bit of a tea snob. As a result, I try and avoid prepacked teabags unless I made them. Loose leaf is the way. Today I bought some fabulous Gunpowder and Mint at The Tea House in Convent Garden.

TTNF

MagpieSpirit

New Year Means Back To School

Now that my knitting and textiles classes have restarted, life has definitely returned to normal, creatively and literally my hands are covered in inks. It’s great not to be a newbie anymore and to return and be familiar with your surroundings, your tutors and the other returning students. One thing that is definitely different about this term is that, I have actually joined the college library and have already borrowed books to research/explore some of the ideas that I have for my possible entry to the college student exhibition for my hand knitted course.
I will update the blog with whatever I eventually entry for the exhibition.

TTFN
 

MagpieSpirit

Carp the Day

Here I go again! Yes 2012 seems to be off at an amazing pace with Valentine's Day just around the corner. This year has all the makings of a very exciting year;

One, it's a leap year and although it is just one extra day I feel that I have been internally woo hooing at the thought,
Two, the Queen's Jubilee which is a fabulous excuse for a ladies day with pretty sandwiches,
Three, the Olympics, and although I do not have tickets for any stadium events but that is what street events are for.

So another reason why I'm feeling the time pressure is due to the fact that I am finally taking the leap and putting some of my creations on sale via Etsy. It's actually quite an exciting time and a little scary. Oh well! Carp the Day and all that!! Keep an eye on Etsy for unique and handmade sewn, knitted or screen printed creations.

As I continue to work on my first collection and new website, I will continue to blog regularly. In fact, blogging at least once a week is one of my New Year's resolutions. You will be hearing a lot more from me.

TTFN,

MagpieSpirit

Is it me or is 2012 off to a flying start?

It's already mid-January and I feel like I have hardly taken a breath since New Year's (which I spent in Cape Town, SA).

So with my new tan lines I'm going to dive feet first into creative life, keep an eye out over the next few weeks as I launch my first etsy shop.

A Long Weekend Craft Bonanza - The Workshop - Day 1 part 3

The Workshop

Run  by Make, do and Mend, our instructor Joe was fabulous with just enough information to inform and inspire but not so much that you would feel lectured, even the safety bit was handled with humour.

What I liked most was the really solid fast paced introduction to Lino Printing.

I definitely plan to try and join the longer worker when it next runs in February 2012.

A long Weekend Craft Bonanza - Day 2 Part 2

As it's the season, we visited the Frost Fair at Hatfield House, Hatfield.

You enter the fair through a little wooden trellis arch, where a foam machine above drops/blows faux snow onto you. An attempt I'm sure to get you into the festive spirit. So from the foam machine you find yourself in a marquee portico, through that we emerged into the first marquee proper. The shopping temptress appeared instantly in the form of Linden Lady and their handmade English chocolates, fudges and other things naughty but nice's. Another highlight hidden  amongst the silverware, toys, books, furniture and much, much more to purchase was a Sarsaparilla stall, Yes! Sarsaparilla!! complete with vendor dressed like he was about the serve Calamity Jane in one of those white aprons that buttoned to his waistcoat and a bowler hat atop his head.

Just so you know sarsaparilla is tasty hot or cold, I prefer it hot personally. Apparently it's a natural source of iron, an anti-inflammatory and cleansing. The Taste of Yesterday, I wish I had bought more than just those glasses to drink as I wondered the fair and more for over the Christmas period.

A Long Weekend Craft Bonanza - Day 1 Part 1

Today was the first day of my craft weekend bonanza and with my craft comrade Carole, we wondered the beautiful city of Cambridge.

We had an extremely early start, arriving by train at 9:30 in the morning and after a short soup stop, we made our way to the Christmas Made-It Market held in Cambridge Guildhall. this is a relatively new and growing designer/crafter-maker market. That said this market had over 50 stalls to browse, 19 workshops to try throughout the day. as they say in their welcome leaflet, " relax, feel free to browse .... and take home inspiration if nothing else."

Our first port-of-call was to make our way to the workshops desk to book Lino Printing, at only £15 per person it was an absolute bargain.With that locked in motion, there was just over an hour free to browse the rest of the Made-It Market.

The browsing hour soon turned into a shopping spree and with the quality and variety of goods available was truely impressive, from bespoke traditionally made rocking horses to woven sterling silver jewellery, to toys, doorstops and brooches.

Screenprinting - what a rush

I have just completed my 5th week of my silk screen-printing course at the Morely, and I am loving it.

Although the process is very structured, at the same time the experience feels so organic.

Have a look at what I have done so far.

As this is only a 6 week course I only have one week left, which I will definately be making the most of and as for next term, I have all ready signed up.