Category: Crafts & Creative Ideas

How To Make Tea Light Candles From Leftover Beeswax

beeswax candles tea lightsNatural beeswax candles are my favourites; they smell of honey, are completely sustainable, and they are healthy for you (unlike the paraffin variety).

Intricate designs can sometimes cause the candles to drip, but any leftover beeswax from a candle isn’t wasted. You can use it to make tealights.

How to make tea light candles:

All you need to do is collect leftover beeswax in a cheap non-stick cooking pot and buy some reusable tea light holders (you can even re-use the metal holders) and wicks.

For tea lights you don’t need to collect that much beeswax as long as you have enough to fill at least a couple of holders.

If you have a lot of wax, you can melt it in stages, otherwise it can take ages to melt.

Rather than buying an expensive candle melt pot, I simply use one I bought in a Pound shop – really cheap. You don’t need to spend a fortune on that.

Melt the wax in the pot on a low heat on the hob. It will take about 5 – 10 minutes for all the wax to melt depending how much there is; the more wax, the longer it takes.

beeswax tea light

Keep an eye on the melting wax to avoid burning.

And once you’ve made them, you can use a large ivy leaf and cones for decoration.

But remember – always burn your candles and tea lights safely on a heat-proof surface.

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How To Create DIY Happy Jars

happy jars

Here at Cosmic HQ we love creative ideas that are inspirational and fun. 

Our guest blogger Laura Fernandez shows you how you can record and collect your happy moments in a simple yet imaginative way, and even turn them into a gift:

There is nothing like happiness coming from one simple jar and that is exactly the purpose of happy jars.

The do-it-yourself, happy jar also called as ‘a jar of happiness’ was created to bring back smiles and laughter amongst friends and family. One simple concept of happiness can take a person a long way and that it exactly what this jar does.

People have confused happy jars with cupcake jars or candy jars but this concept is completely new.

The basic purpose of a happy jar is that it acts like a simple reminder of all the good things that happened in a month or a year. With small things a person can go back into time and remember all the small, but important things about his or her life.

The do-it-yourself process is simple and requires just a handful of items. This is how it works:

 Things Required

A person takes a large or medium sized jar with a lid. Some people like using fish bowls instead as well.

He or she needs to place it in one of the busiest parts of the house, let’s say the kitchen or the sitting lounge. Next to the jar should be a pen and a notepad containing small pieces of paper.

Some people also like to add instructions next to the happy jar so that anyone passing by can read the instructions first.

The Setup

The best part about happiness jars is the personal touch. Some people keep candies next to the jar and some people keep photo frames to remind them of best times and close relationships. However the main step comes next.

The Purpose

An individual is required to write what made him or her happy that particular day, fold it and throw it in the jar.

The essential part is to add the date so that it could be recorded. Happiness has no boundaries and so doesn’t the happiness jar.

A person can write anything or everything that made him or her happy, whether it was a newly bought piece of clothing or an act of kindness that someone else did.

happy jar ideas

Some people also like to add receipts of memorable times or trinkets of any kind.

Opening the Happy Jar

An individual carries out this practice of writing on small pieces of paper and putting it in the jar for an entire year.

It is usually opened up again on New Year’s Eve, which makes it a perfect time to reminisce about the past.

The happy jar reminds a person of all the good things that happened to him or her throughout the year and makes the person thankful for all the blessings.

Make it a present

When a happy jar is shared with another person, he or she can give it to the partner as a gift. The jar or the bowl can be wrapped up in a nice wrapping with a bow and can be presented on New Year’s Eve because that is the time to share the happy jar.

A happy jar is a happiness recording system which might not be a famous concept but it is certainly a unique one. Years pass by for people and they hardly remember what they did all year. With the help of a happy jar, special or happy moments can never be forgotten; in fact they will always be remembered and cherished till the happy jar exists.

Have fun creating your own personal happy jar!

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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