Stumbling across blogs is something I do on a daily basis.... as do many others.  And sometimes you'll find giveaways.  Really, you can win something for free, all you have to do is follow their blog, leave a comment... easy!  So here's the giveaway place- it's a blog called 'A Doctor in the House' (click the name to go directly to the giveaway page).  It's a cute blog with some awesome pictures and ideas... I LOVE the baby shower stuff!!!  Nice peaceful music, too! :)  Go check it out!

~Sarah

I love candles.  Well, mostly the candle holders- I don't really use many 'real' candles with three kids running around. (Besides, when I do, my 4-year-old must have an internal buzzer that goes off and tells her that there is a candle burning, and she MUST blow it out immediately...)

The thing that triggered these holders is a fallen birch tree up the road from my house.  I've been looking at that thing since fall, because I knew I could do something with that bark.  I LOVE birch trees.  Anyway, these candle holders came to me all at once, and after pestering my husband to do the cutting and drilling, I made these:


I love the way they turned out.  Here's what you need:

• 4"x4"x8" kiln dried timber (not pressure treated) cut into lengths of 4", 6", and 8"
• drill and 1.5" wood boring bit
• sandpaper
• hot glue gun & extra glue sticks
• sharp craft knife
• birch bark
• floral moss mat
• raffia
• battery-powered candles (for safety)

Always use caution and be super careful when using power tools.  No boo-boos!

I'm using rechargeable votive-size candles, just because I don't want these things catching on fire.  I don't recommend using real candles in these...

Now, start with the 4"x4".  I'm sure you can have these things cut at the hardware/ home improvement to whatever sizes you want, but I had the hubby cut them down for me.  Plus, I know I'll use the rest of that 4"x4" for something.  I had him cut out three blocks; one 4" high, one 6", and the last 8".  Then, being the good guy that he is, he drilled out the holes for my candles, too.  He used a 1.5" wood boring drill bit, and drilled a hole deep enough to have the top of the candle sit flush with the top of the wood.  1.5" was just a little bigger than the candles, so it was a perfect fit.  Nice!  Take the sandpaper and sand out any rough spots or super-sharp edges.  Once you've done this, you'll end up with these:


This is the fun part- covering them up with stuff & glue.  I chose to make the smallest the birch bark holder (because that's how much bark I had).  When I ripped the bark off of the tree, it had been sitting there for a looong time, and was pretty dirty, so if you're going this route, just take a damp washcloth and give the bark a wipe.  It comes surprisingly clean. 

Start with the sides.  Squeeze on a good amount of hot glue, making sure to get the edges, and lay the bark on top.  Give it a good press, and using the craft knife, cut the excess off, using the edges of the wood as a guide.  Repeat on the other three sides.


Do the same for the top, and cut the hole for the candle.  One down, two to go.

Next is the moss holder.  I used the floral moss mat instead of the loose moss.  The mat has a mesh backing, is easy to cut, and while it's messy, it's a whole less messier. 

This one is super easy.  You pretty much just glue and wrap the mat around the wood, and cut off the excess.  Then glue some on top, cut out the hole, trim the excess, and you're done.  One to go.

Last is the raffia holder.  This one was by far the most time consuming.  Start at the bottom, glue the raffia strand in place, and wrap the raffia around the block, gluing lightly at the corners.


Keep on wrapping all the way up to the top.  I used a package of raffia that was 80' long for this.  Oh, and I recommend cutting off the knots along the way that tie the strands together, to have a nice, bump-less look.

When you get to the top, glue and wrap around the square.  There may be a better method to this... anyway, just keep on gluing and wrapping and sticking the raffia in place until the top is covered. 

After making my plastic bag and t-shirt bracelet, I knew I wanted to try that again but in a necklace.  And I wanted some more pattern and color that didn't involve me painting anything.    Then I remember my pile of scrapbook paper under my desk.  A little something about me- I love scrapbook paper... but I don't scrapbook.  It's a weakness.  Anyway, here's a pic:




Alright, to make one of these puppies you'll need:

scrapbook paper (or any other paper you like, even magazine pages could work)
straws
tape
Mod Podge (or another gluey substance; I like Mod Podge because it makes the paper beads super strong)
t-shirt strips


Start by cutting out some strips of scrapbook paper.  Make them as wide as you want your beads to be; they don't all have to be the same size.  Mine were all around 3/4" to 1" wide.  And make as many beads as you want on your necklace.  I made twelve and used eleven.  It's not really a perfect-science kind of project... they don't have to be perfect :)


Take a strip of paper, tape the end to a straw, brush some Mod Podge on the paper, and roll it up.  Brush on some more podge to really make the beads tough.  Do this for every strip of paper, and let them dry (it doesn't take very long, maybe an hour or two for them to be dry enough).


Cut the excess straw off (and save if you're going to make more), and now your beads are ready for stringing.
Cut some strips of tee as long as you want your necklace to be.  I cut three pieces that were about 21" each...


To start making the necklace, tie one end to another.  This is were the first bead will go.  String your bead right up to the knot, and then tie a knot on the other side of the bead to hold it in place (you may need to double knot).



 Tie another knot where you want the next bead to go, and just keep on repeating until you run out of beads and string.  There's no measuring or set pattern for where the beads go... just wherever they look good to you.
I try to make sure that when I add the next piece of tee that the knot is right next to a bead, and the same for when I close the necklace off. 




Now it's ready for wearing!  How easy was that???