Zips and Haberdashery

I recently traveled to England. While I was in York, I came across a shop called "Duttons for Buttons: zips and haberdashery." Of course I went in and oh, the buttons! There was a whole wall of them. I could have browsed all afternoon in the buttons. I finally picked some  white and transparent buttons, and payed for them. The young lady at the checkout told me that the ceiling upstairs was really cool. All the old buildings in York (and much of England) have exposed beam ceilings. Many of the buildings in this part of York are from the 13th and 14th centuries and have lots of character. So, I went up the first narrow flight of stairs, and there was more haberdashery! Incidentally, I looked up the word haberdashery and the dictionary said: "Goods sold by a haberdasher." Um, right. So:

Haberdasher: 1. British: a dealer in notions. 2. a dealer in men's clothing and accessories.

Ok, cool. A dealer in notions, I like that. If I could be a dealer in notions from my mind, I could really get somewhere. Anyway, I went up the second narrow flight of stairs and there was more haberdashery, and zips of course, and the ceiling, which was amazing.

Even though I had paid for my buttons, I found a cross stitch project that I liked, so I paid for that, as well as a cross stitch project for my Mother-in-law who also likes to cross stitch. I was really excited to get this project started and I did today! I will update my progress on the project and as the days pass, the suspense will build, and when I am done you will be able to see the final picture!

In the Heat of the Night

This entry is in honor of my friend who almost burned her apartment down trying to be crafty. For this I give her a Crafty Badge of Bravery.

How to make candles out of the wax from your old candles:

Step One:
Go to the thrift-store and purchase an old saucpan that you will use only for crafting. Go to a craft store and buy candle wicks.

Step Two:
At home, make a double boiler by filling a slightly bigger saucepan about one-third of the way with water. Bring this water to a simmer. Collect your candle wax. If there are huge chunks, break them into smaller ones to speed up the melting process. Place them into the thrift-store pan. Place your thrift-store pan into the simmering water. Keep the heat on medium-low to low. This will gently melt your wax. Swirling is the best way to mix it. That way you don't have to get a utensil all waxy.

Step Three:
Here you can either begin the lengthy process of dipping your wick into the wax repeatedly to make a dipped candle, or you can pour it into a mold like a small milk carton (the kind from lunch in grade school). If you pour it into a mold, make sure you tie your wick to a pen or pencil and place it on top of the mold to that it hangs down into the mold. Then carefully pour your wax in. Leave your wick tied to the pencil until the wax has hardened. If you make a dipped candle, tie the wick to a wooden spoon or the like, dip your wick into the wax letting it harden between each dipping. Keep adding layers until the candle is the desired thickness. Hang it up to dry.

Step Four:
When you are quite sure that your candle has completly hardened, you may remove the candle from the mold and trim the wick. Or for a dipped candle, trim the bottom so that it fits into your candle holder.

Step Five:
An easy way to clean up the wax from the pan is to stick it in the freezer for a while. Then take it out and chip the wax out and into the trash bin.

That's the basics. You can do it!