craft

Repurposed Candle Jars

Hello World,

I’ll admit it. I have a candle problem. Whenever Bath and Body Works has their large 3-wick candles on sale, I can’t help but at least buy two. (And I stack the sale with a coupon, so the savings are even greater.) With that said, I have quite a collection of empty candle jars. I can’t just throw them away, so here is a project to repurpose them into a glitter colorblock vase:

1. Gather your supplies: a burnt out candle, glitter, Mod Podge, painter’s tape, a paint or foam brush, rhinestones, and glue (not pictured).

2. Either melt the candle on a candle warmer or in a saucepan full of simmering water. You also could pop out the wax with a spoon. Pour the melted wax into an unwanted plastic/glass container.

3. Remove all labels and tape off part of your jar with painter’s tape. Rub down any edges to avoid your Mod Podge bleeding through.

4. Cover your jar with your first layer of Mod Podge.

5. Pour glitter all that baby. Place a paper or mat on your work surface so you can later pour your leftover glitter back into its container.

6. Allow to set for a few minutes and repeat with a second layer of Mod Podge and glitter.

7. Allow to dry completely and remove your painter’s tape.

8. If you have messy edges, just scratch off the imperfections with your fingernail. Super or hot glue rhinestones onto your jar.

9. Fill your sparkly vase with fake/fresh flowers, twigs, pens, makeup brushes, etc.

Do you have a candle problem too? Check out this other tutorial to repurpose candle jars and this tutorial for using the leftover wax.

After covering the candle jar with glitter, I got a little excited and started glittering other items. I bought these candle sticks at a thrift store and planned on using them for another tiered jewelry display, but instead spray painted and added glitter to them.

Happy Crafting!

Embroidered Tote (Made with a Darby Smart kit)

Hello World,

Earlier this month I received my first Darby Smart kit and made this cute DIY marquee sign. Well, I bought another kit, and after watching a few episodes of Vampire Diaries, I finished it!

I bought the Cross-Stitch Tote kit (designed by Ana of We Love Citrus) which included a Baggu duck bag! I really like Baggu bags, they have minimal metal accents and are so sturdy! I personalized my tote with both embroidery and fabric paint. I decided on an abstract triangle-centric design, as I have been on a geometric kick lately.

Check out more Darby Smart kits here, and sign up for their emails if you love coupons like I do!

PS Do you watch Vampire Diaries? Are you Team Damon or Stefan? I just started season 4 on Netflix and am back on team Stefan. He is so gorgeous. THAT.HAIR

PSS I was not paid to write about Darby Smart. I just love all things DIY.

Darby Smart (December TO DIY FOR Kit)

Hello World,

Have you ever heard of Darby Smart? They partner with designers to launch DIY kits based on current trends. Their kits come with materials and instructions, to help crafters avoid all those Pinterest fails. They have subscriptions for their kits, or you can just buy them individually.

I recently purchased my first kit from them, the December TO DIY FOR kit. I picked this kit because the contents were a mystery, and I do love a good surprise. So if you were planning to order this kit, sorry for the spoilers below!

I absolutely love their packaging.

How cool is this DIY kit? I was really excited to make the marquee sign, as that was a craft that never crossed my mind before. In the kit they give you two pieces of foam core (so you have one to practice on). I instead cut my extra foam core into three long horizontal strips, and then cut one of the long strips in half. This gave me four strips of foam core that were about the same lengths as the four sides of my sign.

I hot glued these to the back of my sign, creating a backwards shadow box. This helped to create a sturdy frame, so that the sign can stand on its own. Check out the kit here for more info.

This kit actually has inspired me to possibly make more marquee signs. Maybe I’ll make a bigger one with an entire quote.

PS I was not paid to write about Darby Smart. I just think their kits a cool idea. Birchbox sends you beauty items, and Darby Smart sends you DIY kits. And I love all things DIY. 🙂

PSS If you sign up for their emails, they let you know the moment new kits launch (some of them go pretty fast), as well as coupon codes!

Happy Crafting!