Often associated with the summer solstice, the month of June doubles as Pride month. This celebration is an amazing opportunity to honor human diversity, embrace love, and embellish your space with rainbow Pride decor. Between the longer days and…
Two years ago my DIY floating candles for our Harry Potter tree got a lot of attention online, so you might recognize these: Those are battery-operated candles, though, so if you need to make LOTS of them - say, more than 10 or 20 - then the battery cost alone starts to add up. (They each take 2 AAs) The only other floating candle method I've seen uses toilet paper rolls and LED tealights. The tealights are too small for the rolls, though, so you have to use hot glue to make a "shelf" inside the roll, then hang the candle from the roll itself with a V of fishing line, making it hard to hang straight. I don't like the look of the fishing line V or the TP roll seams, and I'm too lazy to collect and paint dozens of TP rolls, so I set out to find a better, easier way. And here it is: My method requires no painting (unless you count the "wax" drips), no fiddly hot glue shelves for the lights, and no fishing line Vs. These hang directly from the flame tips - so they hang straight - they only cost a few cents more than the TP method, and best of all, you can make them any length you want! Here are a few hanging: Instead of toilet paper rolls, my candles use cream-colored card stock. Want to see how I did it? Then let's make some candles! You Will Need: - cream colored card stock, cut in sheets 5.5 inches wide by however long you'd like your candles to be. (I did a variety of lengths) - paper glue (optional, but handy, since it dries faster than Elmer's) - Elmer's/white craft glue - hot glue & hot glue gun - battery operated tealights (I ordered these 100 from Amazon for $36) - clear thread or fishing line (quilter's thread is great) - white craft paint - Dremel (not pictured) *or* a heavy duty needle Step 1: Roll a tealight into the top edge of your card stock: Step 2: Now add a second tealight into the bottom edge: Tighten the card stock around the two tealights, making sure the edges are straight. Give the tealights a tug to make sure the roll is tight enough to hold them, but not too tight. This will take a few seconds of fiddling, but you'll get the hang of it, promise. Step 3: When the roll is snug and straight, open your hand to allow just the very edge to open, like this: Keep pressure with your thumb to prevent it from unrolling more. Add a thin line of paper glue to the edge: Then spread the glue outward with your opposite finger. This part's important; you want the glue spread all the way to the paper edge, and not too thick, or it will make the paper buckle. Immediately close the roll up again, and hold the flap down with both hands, like this: I had to take the picture, but imagine my other hand in the same position on the other side. If you're using paper glue, this will dry in about 5 or 6 seconds. White glue may take a little longer. Ta daa, a paper tube! [Quick note for longer length candles: for anything over, say, 6 inches, it helps to pre-roll your card stock around a thin piece of PVC pipe or a broom handle to curl it. This makes it easier to glue, and helps avoid creases/dings in the paper.] Step 4: Now let's add a bottom. This is optional, but I think it looks nicer when the candles are hanging. Cut a small square of the same color card stock, and remove one of the tealights from your tube. Use Elmer's (or white craft glue) to make a heavy bead around the bottom edge of the tube. Squish it down to the square of paper, then immediately smooth the glue bumps with a scrap of paper or your finger. Ever caulked a baseboard before? Same idea. When you're done, there should be no visible cracks. Step 5: Once the glue is dry (make sure it's dry!) trim off the excess square with scissors: Your candle has a bottom! Mazel tov. Step 6: Now the fun part: HOT GLUE WAX DRIPS. Start with a heavy, extra-long bead of glue over your paper seam, to help hide & reinforce it. As with my last candle tutorial, start your drips at the bottom, then work your way up. More drips = more drama, but if you're doing a ton of these, feel free to be more sparing, like this. Step 7: You could almost leave the hot glue drips as-is, since they look kind of waxy, but let's go the extra mile and paint them. Luckily this is fast, easy, and you don't even need a paint brush: Just squirt some paint on a plate (or the lid to your hot glue sticks), then use your finger to lightly rub the paint on the very tops of the wax drips. Be generous, so the paint covers well. Here's the difference the white paint makes: This is also why I recommend cream colored card stock; it helps the white "wax" show up better. Feel free to experiment with different color combinations, though! Step 8: Ready to string 'em up? Most LED tealights have a rubbery plastic "flame" which extends far enough past the inner LED to let you to do this: (I couldn't do this one-handed, so thanks to John for stepping up. ;)) Not gonna lie: a Dremel will make this job infinitely easier, but you can pierce the plastic flame tips with a thick needle as well. Just thread your clear line through the needle and go to work. With a Dremel, however, you can zip through all the candles at once, then poke the clear thread through the hole later and tie a knot, no needle required. It helps to brace the flame tip on a flat surface, like this. Step 9: Use flat white thumbtacks to hang your candles. Stick the tack into the ceiling partway, wrap the end of the clear line around it 6 or 8 times, then push the thumbtack the rest of the way into the ceiling. Step 10: To turn your candles on (oh yeah, nearly forgot this part! Ha!) simply pop the tealight out of the tube, switch it on, then re-insert. This is why your tube tension is important: too tight, and you'll have a hard time putting the light back in! Fortunately even my "too loose" tubes still hold fine, though, since the paper weighs so little. In a dark room the ceiling tacks are barely visible, but even with the room lights on, I'm betting your guests will be too wowed by the candles to notice them all that much. That's what I'm banking on for ours, anyway! Here are about half of my finished candles: I'm not sure we'll be hanging all hundred, but we plan to blanket one room with at least 60 or 70 floating candles. Rest assured I will be taking plenty of pictures when we do. [CANNOT. WAIT.] This is all for a Harry Potter Christmas party John and I are hosting next month, btw. Here's a peek at another, mercifully faster craft we put together last week: The sign is foam board, and the letters are craft foam. I'm aging it here; still not quite done! Hope you guys enjoyed! And if you decide to make your own floating candles, please share pics over on the Epbot FB page, so I can see! **** New here? Looking for more Harry Potter crafts? Then I *highly* recommend checking out my Craft Page for everything from light-up wands to mandrake bouquets to flying snitch ornaments!
Hybrid Design’s energetic identity for TED2016 reminds attendees to dream seriously.
You might want to save your leftover tin cans when you see this insanely cute backyard idea! This might be the coolest thing you'll see all day! A perfect craft for Earth Day or Easter - upcycle your tin cans into gorgeous luminaries for your patio space.
New Years Eve party ideas for adults, with all the best tips to make an awesome party at home. With decorations, recipes, cocktails & more
By Amanda Nijem, CHC We celebrated Compliance and Ethics Week last week at South Georgia Medical Center due to scheduling conflicts. Our theme was “To Comply Is Right” based on The Price Is Right game show. We had “Code of Conduct” Plinko, Guess the Price of compliance violations (fines and penalties), a puzzle on our […]
Explore celebrationsta's 76 photos on Flickr!
For relevant, accurate, and appropriate current events to share with your students, try watching CNN Student News. With new content daily, the ten minute segments are an easy way to incorporate nonfiction into your classroom and engage your students with real world issues.
Trevor Clements from Cedarbrook Church in Menomonie, WI brings us this lightweight and well-lit set. (originally posted November 2015) This back drop was inspired by Stage Siding. After switching to LEDs Trevor and his team wanted a new design to show them off. Challenged with a corner stage and limited space, the design needed to be slim and symmetrical. […]
En Español Since the theme to my daughter’s birthday is “An enchanted Birthday”, I created an invitation that would go with the whole idea. This little magic wand was very easy to…
Operation is a great game. It teaches kids hand / eye coordination as well as the extreme anxiety and nerve-rattling paranoia that comes with being a real
Romance is magic
This BALLERINA 3RD BIRTHDAY PARTY by Liesel & Gitta of Glee Projects is just precious. I love the treat cones, doughnuts on top of the milk filled glasses, the giant cupcake cake, the photobooth, the paper dolls, the doily banners & more! Here is what Liesel had to say about the party- We loved creating such a […]
Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs stands in the dugout prior to the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on August 27, 2015 in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Cubs 9-1.
Top 12 Hawaiian luau party games to play at your luau bash! Check out this list of luau games to find a little something for everyone at your theme party! Perfect for kids, teens, and even adults.
This is an instant download file of our print: Set of 5 coloring pages. Bible verse coloring sheets. Beach and ocean theme. Included are: 1. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6 2. Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 3. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19 4. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. Isaiah 43:2 5. As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart. Proverbs 27:19 Save it. Print it. Color it. Print and color them different colors. If you print on cardstock paper, you could color it, frame it, and display it. Great for kids and adults. You will receive 1 file for an 8 x 10 print for the 5 prints - in PDF This is a digital purchase - no physical items will be mailed. Please see the "Shop Policies" tab for printing guidelines and more information about our printables. COPYRIGHT Grapevine Design Shop, 2016: Personal use only for yourself or as a gift (gifts not to exceed 30 copies). Strictly no commercial or promotional use. All images, designs, and text are copyrighted and cannot be stored, reproduced, or used without obtaining prior written consent from the owner. --------------- Thank you! --------------- Thank you so much for visiting our shop. Please take a moment to check out the rest of our items at: grapevinedesignshop.etsy.com printsoflife.etsy.com artisintheheart.etsy.com Beach coloring pages. Set of 5 Instant download printable. PDF diy digital wall art. Kid or Adult coloring sheets. Ocean coloring pages.
Where business and design collide
We are birthday party UNDERachievers in my house. Our kids have low key parties every year. The grandparents come over, they have cake, they go home. No frills- no fuss. When my kids have a party with their friends, we usually do a craft (that I buy at the store all ready cut up and ready to just assemble since I have no crafting ability!), we let the kids play and run around and then go home. I'm not the mom who does treat bags, or cool party games. I wish I was- but those kinds of things just don't seem to happen in my house! But this year was a little different. I've mentioned maybe a zillion times on this blog about how we are Amazing Race junkies. Sadie asked if she could have an Amazing Race themed birthday party with her friends. I'll be honest, I got so excited about this one, that I actually threw a party that required some thought! If you aren't familiar with the premise of The Amazing Race- teams are on a scavenger hunt type race that requires them to perform tasks to get their next clue to continue on in the race. Sadie wrote and erased this sign at least 10 times before it was just like she wanted it! The point is- we had an AMAZING time at this party and it was not that difficult to plan. If a birthday party underachiever like me could pull this one off, I'm convinced that anyone could do it! First we sent the invitations (which I made by pulling the Amazing Race logo and simply pasting onto a word document). Easy peasy. On the day of the party, excitement was high in our house! Since the kids are all 9 and under, we kept the area small (no traveling in cars or going out of sight in our neighborhood). Kamron took the kids to the end of the cul-de-sac, gave them the rules and then told them to take off running to find their first clue (on our front porch). GranMary was there to pass out the first clue- which told teams to grab a golf ball and walk the length of the driveway with the ball on a spoon without it falling off. (I found a website that has a downloadable clue template with made the race clues seem so professional!) This task proved to be way too easy for the age of the kids. If we ever do this again, I would change this task to make them carry the spoons in their mouths to add some challenge! Once the kids finished this challenge, their next clue sent them to the neighbor's house where they had to memorize a short poem- After they memorized the poem, the kids had to come back to our house and recite the poem for the judge. Kamron played the role of a hardcore judge! He showed those kids no mercy! It took at least 4 or 5 tries for each team to get the poem right. It was so fun seeing them run back and forth between the houses trying to see which team would get the poem right first! Reciting the poem for the judge. Once the team memorized their poem and recited it correctly, they were given their next clue. Teams had to choose between two different tasks- eat a jalapeno pepper (quick but spicy) or make butter (easy, but time consuming) I thought for sure that several of the teams would be squeamish about eating a hot pepper and would choose to make butter even though it would slow them down. However, all the kids were hard core and swallowed down those peppers! (And now I have enough cream to last me a lifetime!) Immediately afterwords, I think they regretted the decision to eat peppers! The world is full of difficult choices, no? After they successfully ate the peppers (and chugged a lot of water!) they were given their next clue which led them inside the house for an eating challenge! For this task, I took about 50 paper bathroom cups and filled them with various goodies (just enough to cover the bottom of the cup) About 6 or 7 of the cups had a smiley face drawn on the bottom of them. The object of the task was to pick up one cup and eat the contents. When you found a cup with a smiley on the bottom, you could receive your next clue. In retrospect, I would add a few more marked cups. The kids had to eat WAY too many cups to find the marked ones. They loved this challenge, though! Once that challenge was completed, the next clue led them to the door of our basement where posters with each contestants' names were printed. Each girl at the party then had to write encouraging, kind words to each other party goer. I think it's never too early to teach our kids to value and honor their friendships (and to recognize and admire each other's strengths!) I loved watching the girls effortlessly write sweet things to each other- and themselves. Yes, I made each girl write things that she liked about herself on her own paper. Self esteem building, people. Getcha some. Good Lord, my basement window needs a good cleaning!?! Once their affirmations to one another were complete (each sentiment had to be at least 50 characters long) they were given their next clue with led them to the kitchen table... For this leg of the race, teams had to put together a 100 piece puzzle. For this age of kids- that was too many pieces! It took so long that we lost a little of the momentum of the "race" aspect. A 50 piece puzzle would have been better. Once a team completed their puzzle they were given their last clue which led them to the pit stop (finish line). Kamron was waiting at the finish line (the mat from our bathroom floor) to check them in. The first team to the finish line was... Sadie and Gracie Team Lucy and Miles and Team Alexis and Noah were not far behind. We passed out lip gloss and candy bars at the pit stop for prizes. The kids had a blast on the giant scavenger hunt! I had so much fun that we are planning to do this the next time we have all of our friends over and have families race together as teams! It was a pretty cheap party to throw as most of the tasks only required things we already had around the house or could be purchased at the dollar tree. Overall, the birthday girl said it was "the best party ever" and that's what really counts! Like what you read? Join us on Facebook!
Cocktail Party Ideas: Colorful and Modern Tiki Party Inspiration with flamingos, pineapples, and tropical flowers by Oh So Beautiful Paper
Nutter Butter Cookies dipped in dark chocolate decorated with marshmallows and candies to look like cute penguins.
You have never had such a great rhubarb crumble – and Wellington’s Billie Lusk, as a very busy caterer to the stars, says this is the most requested recipe! I added a little orange zest to the rhubarb, and please note the variances in the sugar: if, like me, you are not a sweet-tooth person, […]
Information and Communication Technology for Competitive Strategies: Proceedings of Third International Conference on Ictcs 2017
