DIY, Part 2

Hope you've been enjoying the summer! It's been a busy month, but i managed to squeak in a couple more of the DIY projects i picked to make from one of my Pinterest boards. This one i like to call "Doodle Dishes". Pretty simple and fun to make! I used Pebeo Porcelaine ceramic markers and a couple white porcelain dishes from Ikea and created these... 

Once the dishes are baked in the oven, the markings become dishwasher safe. So far, so good and we'll see how they wear over time. If you try this, be sure to wash your dishes first and try not to touch the surface as you work. You can see some spots where the ceramic pens resisted the plate surface and resulted in thin, faded lines — probably from finger oils. But no biggie, after all, "handmade" means you actually use your hands and i don't mind the irregularity at all!

Next up...shibori tie-dying of cotton napkins. Some of you may have seen the live photo-feed on Instagram when i was making them. It was an amazing and super-satisfying experience that i'll share more details with you soon. Until then, have a beautiful day!

xo,

kate

DIY, IRL Part 1

Here we go! I'm happy to share with you the first of the DIY projects from Pinterest that i set out to make this month: Crayon color-blocked votive candles. If you're not sure what the heck i'm talking about,

please jump back to this post.

For step-by-step instructions, the tutorial i followed can be found here. The following info includes a few pointers to help along the way. In gathering supplies, i ended up going to Ikea to get the small glass votives. Everything else, including the soy wax flakes and wicks can be found at just about any well stocked craft store.

The tutorial called for microwaving a mix of the wax flakes and crayons and since we don't have a microwave (i can hear your gasps of horror), i improvised by heating water in a shallow pan and using paper cups to melt the wax. In general, it worked fine. I was surprised by how quickly everything melted when stirred with the wood popsicle sticks. However, if you use a lot of wax, it will take longer to melt and you may end up with a leaky cup and {pretty} mess like i did. Luckily, everything was very easy to clean up — even on the pan, counter and floor!

This step was pretty clever. You use a plate stand to tilt the votives so the colorful wax stays at an angle. I found that you had to use two votives per plate stand or they wouldn't stay in place. Another pointer, as you layer the wax, make sure to adjust the wick so it's straight and stays in the middle as much as possible. 

I had originally planned to use only three crayon colors per votive. I picked them out and even figured out which order i wanted them to appear. But then i learned something about myself (again) that has happened for as long as i can remember anytime i get around a new box of crayons...i get this irresistible urge to use every. single. color. in. the. box. So i kinda did.

These were really fun and easy to make and i love the little bursts of color they've added throughout our house!

Next up: Felted wool coasters

Fun!

XO,

kate