Candle Decorating Tutorial

Last August I was a guest writer on Latter-day Homeschooling and did a candle decorating tutorial. Now that Christmas is just 53 days away, I thought I’d finally share the tutorial here for those of you who are in dire need of ideas for Christmas gifts. Or birthday gifts. Or whatever gifts.

A person can never have too many candles.  Pillar, taper, tea light, votive, melts, jar, gel.  Some are scented, some are not.  (Still waiting anxiously for the mulled cider candles to become available again.)  They can be plain or elaborately beautiful.  Best of all, you can use them whenever you want.  And for us candle lovers they make great gifts – especially since Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye.

These candles take 5-10 minutes to make, if that.

You will need:

· a white or ivory pillar candle about 5-6 inches tall, scented or unscented

· white tissue paper

· a sheet of wax paper two or three inches (maybe even more) wider than the circumference of the candle

· stamp(s) of your choosing

· heat embossing tool or hair dryer

· inkpads in color(s) of your choice

· scissors

· markers to color in the stamp design (optional)

· ribbon or other decorative finishing (optional)

1. Head to the store and choose your candle(s).  (Unless, of course, you already have candles on hand.)  The designs you choose will show up best on a white candle, but if you feel adventurous, pick a colored one.  I haven’t, so I don’t know how that would turn out.

2. Choose the stamp or stamps you want to use for designing the candle and ink them in the desired colors.

Stamp the tissue paper as many times as you want in your design, re-inking or changing colors as you need, being mindful of the circumference of the candle.  I was able to fit four big stamped images around a candle.  Color in the designs if you want.

Cut out each image as close to the edge as you can get.  If it’s multiple images in a line, just cut out around the group, again as close to the edge of the designs as you can get.

Position the tissue paper wherever you want on the candle…

… wrap in the wax paper that’s just two inches or so wider than the circumference of the candle, so you have something to hold on to…

Turn on the heat embossing tool or hairdryer and wave it slowly back and forth across the image.  I tested out the hair dryer for the Snoopy and Christmas Fire Hydrant candle and it works just as well as the heat embossing tool; it just takes a little longer.  Whichever you use, keep it no closer than three inches from the candle, otherwise the candle will start to melt.  As it is, the wax will start to melt a little as the tissue paper adheres to the candle.  And that’s okay.  When the tissue paper has completely melted onto the candle, remove the wax paper…

… and you’re DONE!  Repeat as desired for each candle.

“Show Me a Haste…”

“…and I’ll show you a singer.”  [Quoted in Singing the Glory Down: Amateur Gospel Music in South Central Kentucky, 1900-1990]
It’s my assignment to share a genealogy moment with my family in our weekly Family Home Evening meetings. But I’ve been rather neglectful the past few weeks, despite the fact that I enjoy learning these stories.  When I was at the library this morning, I was looking at my family tree on NewFamilySearch, trying to decide on who to research, who I could learn about, etc., when my grandpa’s grandfather popped out at me: Huston Thomas Haste.  Beyond his birth and death dates, I knew nothing about him; no stories, no pictures.  So what did I do?
I Googled him.
Expecting to be disappointed, but hoping for at least a mention of his name in a genealogy forum, I was astonished to discover that the first result was a book – available from Google Books and Amazon – entitled Singing the Glory Down: Amateur Gospel Music in South Central Kentucky, 1900-1990 by William Lynwood Montell. (Click on the book cover to follow it to Amazon.)
Turns out that in 1900, Huston Haste and three of his brothers – James Frank “Jim Frank”,  John Thomas and Andrew J. “Drude” – formed the Haste Brothers Quartet in their small community of Sardis in Pulaski, Kentucky, and were “the only quartet singers in south central Kentucky for more than a decade.”  Looks like they led the way for other singing trios, quartets and ensembles in early 20th century in their region.  According to the book, Jim Frank sang lead, John sang baritone, Huston sang bass and Drude, tenor.  The brothers were all known as “awfully religious” men, and Huston and his family specifically were called “great Nazarenes.”  In the 1920s, Huston began singing with his three daughters, Ebbie, Anna and Samantha; they were billed as the Huston Haste Trio.
There’s even a picture included of the four Haste brothers taken in 1929, found here through Google Reader.  It's on page 53.  Unfortunately, the caption doesn’t list who was who.
The whole Haste family, it appears, was very gifted in singing.  All of the accolades received point to one conclusion: “Any one of the Hastes can sing if they want to, and most of them do. … One person observed, ‘All of the Hastes were singers.  Show me a Haste and I’ll show you a singer.”
I might be interested in getting my own copy of this book to read more about my ancestors and the other gospel singing families of South Central Kentucky.

Entrelac Scrap Sweater

With all the scrap blankets that have been made since before Christmas, we have finally whittled down my yarn stash to two big tubs of yarn instead of three.  But those yarns still call out to be used.

Back in January – I think – I was at Kroger with mom and picked up the Winter 2010/2011 issue of KnitSimple magazine, having found too many beautiful patterns to just put it back on the shelf.  In that magazine was a pattern for an Entrelac-style blanket. (Entrelac coming from the French, meaning “interlaced”.)  Unfortunately, I didn’t get beyond the first two rows of the blanket and forgot about it for a month until I had a conversation with mom about how I was getting more enjoyment out of knitting sweaters.  But I really wanted to do something with all that scrap yarn.  Can’t let mom have all the fun with it. LOL.

Just a few weeks ago, mom came home from shopping and handed me the Spring 2011 issue of Interweave Knits.  Voila! An entrelac sweater!!!  Of course, being the procrastinator I am, I didn’t seriously start work on it until this weekend, alternating rows of black and scrap yarn blocks.

Not much completed right now, but I look forward to the progress I make on it.  It’s a size large.

Knitting Lessons, Chess, Dinner & Good Fun

 

Since New Year’s Day, we’ve had a couple of friends, Chelcy C. and Thomas McF., come over once a month or so for a movie day and dinner.  Chelcy couldn’t make it last month, so we wanted to make certain to have a day in March so she could come over.  This time there was something extra – she wanted to learn how to knit.  I had loads of knitting needles and two big tubs of yarn waiting to be used. What better purpose to put it to?

They came over last Saturday.  After about ten minutes of chatting, Chelcy and I headed out to the barn, found several skeins/balls of yarn to work with, came back inside and chose a pair of needles to get her started with.  After showing her a couple different ways to cast on, we found that it was easiest for her to cast on with the long-tail method.

 

While we were thus engaged, Thomas found our Pirates of the Carribean chess set and played several games with Buddy and Patrick.

In between turns in chess, Buddy would serenade us on the piano.

After some cast-on confusion, Chelcy was finally ready to begin learning her first stitch – the knit stitch.  I was knitting right along side her for a visual reference.  And as the time went by… the first row was completed!!

 

 

 

Here we celebrate the completion of the first row!!

 

After the lesson was over, Chelcy headed over to the piano with Buddy and started playing, eventually playing “As Sisters In Zion” while Buddy played “We’ll Bring the World His Truth,” two songs contained in the EFY medley.

I helped mom get the last of dinner ready – chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles – while they played and Patrick played chess with Thomas.  When dinner was finally ready, we filled our bowls, cut up slices of Crusty Cuban bread and headed for the living room to watch “RED”, a movie that mom had picked up from Redbox that day just in case they hadn’t seen it.  They hadn’t.  We, on the other hand, have watched it over and over and love it more every time we see it.  Bruce Willis + Morgan Freeman + John Malkovich + Hellen Mirren + Mary-Louise Parker + Karl Urban + CIA = AWESOME and HILARIOUS!!!!

We plan on doing this again.  Next month!

Matthew and Luke - Christ's Genealogy

When I first began my study of the New Testament this month, I wrote down in my study journal my question as to why Matthew and Luke have slightly different genealogical lists for Christ's ancestry.  Lo and behold, I found my answer on the 5th when I was also using the study manual The Life and Teachings of Jesus and the Apostles, which can be read online or downloaded in PDF format at institute.lds.org, or a hard copy purchased from ldscatalog.com.

Matthew's account lists the legal successors to David's throne; not necessarily father-to-son, but legal heir (which could mean grandson, great-grandson, nephew, brother, etc.).  Luke's record is the father-to-son genealogical list linking Joseph and Mary to King David.

Now that that has been cleared up for me, I can help others know!

I love the gospel and everything I'm learning this year.

Another Etsy sale

Just found out yesterday that someone bought a pair of the autumn stripe fingerless gloves I have in my Etsy store, KnitWit's Knits & Crochet.  That is so exciting for me.  I haven't had a sale since December. :(  Looks like I need to be knitting more autumn-colored items for people to buy.  Not that I'm complaining; I love autumn.  I've got other projects in the works, including some Christmas gifts, but I'll for sure get more autumn stuff done!

The Joy of Autumn

After a seemingly-unending summer heat, at long last I can smell it, almost taste it.  The air is just beginning to feel and smell crisp in the evenings.  How does it smell crisp?  There’s a slight bite in the air and the inside of my nose tingles as I breathe deeply.  We will see the trees turn red, gold, sometimes even purple or other colors before finally turning brown.  They’ll be such a beautiful, majestic sight.  Soon we’ll hear the crisp crinkle of fallen leaves on the ground.  The cicadas and frogs still call to one another.

My heart yearns for this time of year.  I didn’t fully realize that until tonight when it tugged me outside to sit for a few minutes in one of our camp chairs under a tree, writing and breathing.  I had brought my scriptures out, but ended up not even cracking the cover.  I don’t think I would have been able to concentrate on the words, anyway.  I’d just be listening and breathing, taking in the approach of autumn, the best time of year.  The time of fallen leaves and pumpkins, of corn mazes and bonfires, of a beautiful night sky.  God must have created autumn as a special blessing for his children.  Especially this child, for which I will be ever grateful.

I wish it could feel like this for ever and a day.

Good Ground – Jacob 5

No matter how often I read the Book of Mormon, I always find something that I don’t recall seeing before.  In my reading of Jacob 5 tonight – the allegory of the olive tree – for the first time I really saw verses 43-44.  It’s near the end and the lord of the vineyard and his servant are going through the vineyard for the last time, harvesting what fruit was good, burning what had corrupted.  But by these verses, all the trees of the vineyard had become corrupted, even the branch broken off and grafted in a good spot of ground:

  43 And behold this last, whose branch hath withered away, I did plant in a ^agood spot of ground; yea, even that which was choice unto me above all other parts of the land of my vineyard.

  44 And thou beheldest that I also cut down that which ^acumbered this spot of ground, that I might plant this tree in the stead thereof.

We know that the “choice land” is here in the Americas.  In the Book of Mormon, the Jaredites – who had come out from the tower of Babel – quickly fell into wickedness and didn’t much change until they were utterly destroyed, despite all the opportunities they had been given to repent.  They were “cut down” and the colony of Lehi put in place.  By that time, the Nephites and Lamanites were beginning to fill the land, having been brought from Jerusalem to the promised land.  Yet the Nephites eventually met the same end as the Jaredites, becoming so wicked that they were past feeling and chance of repentance.  Then the Spirit of God wrought upon Gentiles to come to this land and build up this country and people.

We live in the promised land.  God Bless America!

Hyrum, Joseph and the Book of Mormon

After years of desiring – but never yet owning due to such a high price – and after discovering that Deseret Book no longer carried it, I found at last the statue of Hyrum and Joseph Smith, two better men the world may never know save Jesus only, is now mine.

 

Here it now holds a place of honor on my dresser (which has actually been cleaned off and rearranged to display this statue that means so much to me).  I found it on eBay of all places.  You can view it (and even purchase it) here.

Here is a video clip of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles bearing testimony of the Book of Mormon and these two magnificent testators.  It gives me such a thrill every time I watch/hear it.  I also own the DVDs of this conference, so I can watch it over and over.

These brothers gave their lives for this work.  I know it’s true.  I know the Book of Mormon is true.  That cannot be taken away from me.  Ever.

1 Nephi 1-4 – Tender Mercies of God

We are immediately introduced to the family of Lehi, specifically to the youngest son Nephi, who, despite the “many afflictions in the course of [his] days,” knows that he was “highly favored of the Lord.”  He had a “great knowledge” of the goodness and mysteries of God.  We learn that his parents were diligent teachers.  His father Lehi taught him in “the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.”

In the same year that the Book of Mormon begins – approximately 600 B.C. – prophets such as Jeremiah are coming throughout Jerusalem prophesying and crying repentance.  Even Lehi was grieved for the wickedness and spiritual blindness of the people that he prayed to the Lord “with all his heart, in behalf of his people.”  He sees and hears things to make him “quake and tremble exceedingly.”  Lehi sees a vision of the heavens, of the Savior and His Apostles, of a book he is bidden to read from.  He is led to praise God for what he reads, though he sorrows for what will happen if the people continue in wickedness.

But he must do his part to warn the people and is called to prophesy of the coming of the Messiah and to preach repentance to the people, or else Jerusalem will be destroyed.  Well, they don’t want to hear it.  They know they’re righteous.  How dare Lehi come and tell them this?  Yet, despite the threats on his life, we see the “tender mercies of the Lord… over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”  Lehi is commanded in a dream to take his family and provisions and leave Jerusalem, leaving behind all the comforts they had known.

Yet, the Lord knows they will need His word in order to teach their children and raise them in righteousness.  Though, why he waits until Lehi’s family have travelled so far away from Jerusalem before calling Nephi and his three older brothers, Laman, Lemuel and Sam, back to retrieve the brass plates from Laban is not clearly stated.  I believe that it’s a test of faith for all involved.  Are they willing to go back to get the plates from this wealthy, wicked man?  Laman and Lemuel complain about it being a “hard thing”, but Nephi expresses his willingness and faith to do as the Lord commands.  The first two times, the brothers rely on themselves and their wealth to attempt to get the plates from Laban, both times ending in nearly a loss of life.  The third time, Nephi goes in alone, having no plan but relying solely on the Spirit to guide him.  Laban is delivered into his hands and killed, and Nephi retrieves the plates of brass, bringing along Laban’s servant Zoram.

Our Father in Heaven truly watches over those that obey his word.