DIY gel air freshener

As much as I love scented candles, there's always this fear that I may one day leave them burning unattended and burn my house down, especially now that I have baby brain. These gel air fresheners are therefore a wonderful alternative; to use, just remove lid and place in any room that needs a bit of freshening up for up to a month, after which you simply wash it out and re-use glass jar. Smells great and looks pretty too!

To make 250ml gel freshener, you'll need:

1 tablespoon or 1 sachet of clear and unflavoured gelatine
Glass jars
Essential oils or fragrance oils (I used lavender and rose)
Bamboo skewer or paddle pop stick
1 tablespoon salt
Dried lavender and roses (optional)

Method:

1. Add gelatine and salt in 175ml boiling water and whisk briskly until dissolved. The salt acts as a preservative and prevents gelatine from moulding.

2. Add 175ml cold water and mix well. Allow gelatine mixture to cool until just warm to touch.

3. Add fragrance oil and stir well with a paddle pop stick. The general rule for adding fragrance oil is to use 10% of the gelatine volume. So in the case I added 25ml of fragrance oil to 250ml of gelatine mixture. Note if using essential oil (which is more concentrated) to only use 5%.

4. Pour into glass jar(s). Add dried flowers, if you like.

5. Allow to cool until set. Tip: To help the gel set faster, place in refrigerator.

Review and giveaway: Air Wick Multicolour Black Edition candle

Call me easily amused, but even though I've been using Air Wick's Multicolour Black Edition candle for a couple of weeks now, I still find myself staring at its fascinating changing colours every time I light it up.

This is the first time I've used Air Wick's range of scented candles, and I must say I'm pretty impressed. I've always had this preconceived idea that their fragrances are too heady and strong for my liking but I was proven wrong. It's certainly not just the lights that's captivating, the warm smell of apples and cinnamon also creates the perfect ambiance at home. I especially like to use it at night when the temps drop and I can still pretend it's Winter time and snuggle up with Stu.

Giveaway time! Today, Air Wick is giving you the chance to win one Multicolour Black Edition candle so you can enjoy its beautiful fragrance and stare at its captivating glow too.

For your chance to win, simply leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, 17th September, EST when the giveaway closes. Good luck! (Open to residents of Australia and New Zealand only)
Update: The winner is Africanaussie...congrats! I will be in touch soon. Thank you everyone for participating.

Mums the word

I had originally planned for this to be a Mother's Day post but gosh life has been so hectic of late I only got to it now. I guess late is better than never right?

Growing up in Singapore, Chrysanthemums were traditionally used in temples, or at the altar. I never saw them as anything other than prayer flowers until recently. They come in so many shapes, sizes and colours and come with a light delicate smell...I've started to use them around the house. Just lovely.

Do you like mums?