Christmas Craft | Spiced Candle in a Jar

My granddaughter, Nadia, is the source of inspiration for this crafty blog post! Her mama, Riely, is an incredible talented maker, and a hands-on kinda mom who’s been doing a terrific job of coming up with interesting and fun home-school activities that reinforce curricula.

Here’s a lovely little project they completed recently that Nadia shared with me. I’m hoping to find a sample of her efforts under my tree on Christmas morning, and think it’s a terrific activity for adults and big kids alike!

It’s super simple, yet oh-so-elegant, and a wonderful way to fill a home with beauty, light, delightful scents, and love - so much goodness in a little canning jar!

(Candle-making kits, like the one shown, can be found in craft-stores and on-line.)

Supplies:

• soy-based candle wax

• a melting vessel, stir stick

• essential oils

• aromatic herbal tea of your choice
  (like Bigelow Tea - one of my 12 Stocking of Christmas Sweepstakes prizes!)

• small jelly-sized canning jars with lids

• candle wick & wick tool (a pencil or cooking skewer also works)

• twine or ribbon for decoration

Directions:

1. Assemble your supplies

2. Put down newspaper or craft paper to protect your work space.

3. Follow package directions to melt the candle wax (a tried and true family method is placing the wax in an old tin can, and placing the can in a pan of boiling water - don’t let the water come up and over the tin can.)

4. Scoop a few teaspoons of aromatic herbal tea into the melted wax.

5. Add a few drops of essential oils to the mix - more for lighter scents, less for heavier. Stir well.

6. Attach a measure of candle wick to your wick tool, (or tie it to a pencil or wooden cooking skewer.) Hanging length should match the height of the jar you are using.

7. Pour wax into little canning jars, suspend the wick in the center of each, resting the wick tool, pencil or skewer across the top of the jar.

8. Allow to set.

9. Release the wick from the tool (pencil/skewer,) and trim to about 1/2 inch above the top of the candle.

10. Place the lid on the candle, tie a piece of ribbon or string around the jar and label as you wish.

11. Gift away!

and Nadia!

Mother's Day Musts

There are many things to celebrate in the magical month of May, but none so splendid as Mother’s Day, the true (if I may say) Queen of the May!

Mother’s Day was always a special event when I was growing up; we celebrated with a multi-generational big Sunday brunch with either ham, turkey, or roast beef, sides, salads, and my Grandma’s home-made rolls. The flowers in bloom on the Oregon Coast by mid-May were enough to provide a handful of blossoms - azalea, forget-me-not’s, camilla and long-stemmed dandelions of course!. With a bouquet on the table and many hand-made cards on the mantle, we felt properly outfitted for the occasion.,

This Mother’s Day, many of us will return to the simpler ways that we look back on so fondly. And while I ALWAYS encourage hand-picked posies and Crayola colored cards, thanks to some of my incredible sponsors, I can recommend some more options for you - all available by order and delivered right to your mother’s door.

{SAVE}

I fell in love with {save} skin care products soon after the first box of samples arrived at my doorstep. This lovely line of products, made with exceptionally gentle formulas with 90-99% nature-derived ingredients, works to slow the skin’s aging process, and leaves my skin looking and feeling fresh and fabulous.

I’m especially proud to be partnering with {save} during this time of uncertainty, as they are committed to providing support to our community and some of the women who are disproportionately affected by the crisis. They are donating 10% of all on-line sales to Domestic Violence this month. Staying Strong Together - supporting survivors of domestic abuse.

Sign up today and receive 20% off your order, as well as free shipping for orders totaling $19 or more. All mother’s deserve to be pampered. From cleansers to creams, moisturizers to masks, {save} products are the perfect way to pamper the mother’s in your life!

Shop {save}

BALSAM HILL

Balsam Hill has been a fabulous sponsor for several years now and one of the reasons I love them sooo much is because they GIVE BACK in a myriad of big and small ways. In addition to providing the most realistic Christmas trees, fall foliage, and spring florals, as well as spectacular seasonal decor items, they’ve made Point Hope (my favorite organization) a recipient of many charitable campaigns, and I am so so grateful!

Their spring floral collection is created using the latest technology and highest quality craftsmanship for stunning realism that will add cheerful elegance your door, your table, your entryway, and any other space in your home!

Today, I love them even more (if that’s possible,) because, as a response to the on-going COVID-19 crisis, my friends at Balsam Hill are repurposing some of their warehouses to ship bulk quantities of nonperishable foods and essential home items to serve those in need. They are committed to donating all profits from this endeavor to support food-based charities. From soup, to pasta, to paper goods, it’s available on a special Balsam Provisions page. Click here to shop, and share with those who may be in need or help during this difficult time!

Place your orders today for fabulous florals celebrating spring and the importance of mothers (grandmothers, godmothers, bonus mother’s, other mothers, and special aunties too!)

Shop Balsam Hill

ALEX AND ANI

ALEX AND ANI, a delightful new sponsor to the Delilah show, isn’t just another fun jewelry maker, they are a humanitarian company that has carefully crafted partnerships with over 50 nonprofit organizations from around the world to design and sell unique and elegant jewelry pieces. Proceeds from sales in their Charity By Design collection go towards supporting their global partners and a myriad of humanitarian causes.

Their special Mother’s Day collection including beaded and charmed bangles, lockets, and earrings, symbolize the unique bond of motherhood. My girls go ga-ga over their designs and it’s so much fun to wear pieces that are coordinated for mothers and daughters. Visit them today and be sure to shop their Spring Collection for 30% savings on great gifts for yourself or other special someone’s!

Shop ALEX AND ANI

Free-range chickens we are not these days! Mother hens and chicks alike are cooped up more than we’d like. But in between impromptu bouts of the chicken dance, we can read to while away the hours and immerse ourselves in alternate narratives of time and space. Recommendations? Oh yes!

GROWING GRATEFUL

In Growing Grateful, which is absolutely perfect for the situation we find ourselves to be in, Mary A. Kassian offers 101 meditations on the joy of being grateful even in the hardest times. Each entry contains a Bible verse, a devotion on gratitude, and a reflection question. Learn how to be:

• Grateful for God’s abiding presence.
• Grateful despite your circumstances.
• Grateful that God wants you to flourish.

I discovered long ago, that happiness, contentedness, and joy are all “inside jobs.” If we wait for someone or something to fulfill us, we will be perpetually disappointed, sad, or angry even. The secret (which isn’t so secret, but often illusive) is the ability to recognize and cultivate gratitude. Growing Grateful is a lovely, generous, and forgiving, assistant to help you on your journey to gratefullness - and a cheerful companion once you’ve arrived.

Order your copy of Growing Grateful

DAWGS

My book club pick for April, DAWGS, by Diane Trull is the story of how a 4th grade reading class, called to action by a newspaper photo of a box of puppies in need of homes, started an animal shelter in their town of Dalhart, Texas.

Those with a heart for animals, will absolutely LOVE this book! It is the perfect example of how a 4th grade teacher, her husband and family, and an amazing group of grade-schoolers leveraged their passion, knowledge, skills and talents to change the world one heart at at time! And it provides so much inspiration for others to do the same!

When you get your copy, you’ll hear all about that day at Allyn Finch Intermediate School, and the weeks, months, and challenges they faced ahead to make their mission of helping every animal find it’s way home.

Order your copy of DAWGS

LAKESHIRE PARK

When the month of March came striding in, bringing with it the first tender shoots of a green spring, romance came to mind, so I picked just the thing for my book club, Lakeshire Park, by Megan Walker, a lovely little romance set in Brighton, England, in the year 1820.

Two sisters, Amelia and Clara Moore, are about to find themselves without means or home… so what’s a girl to do back then but conjure a white knight - or at least a suitable bachelor - to sweep her off her feet and into stable circumstances? Join the sisters on their quest while rooting not only for them to find a roof over their head but, (dare we suggest it?) loving partners as well!

I loved reading romance novels when I was young, and I’m glad my girls can pick up a book like Lakeshire Park, and enjoy the historical details, the interesting characters, and the “happily ever after’s” without being subjected to much of the graphic nonsense that’s floating around out there these days.

Get your copy of Lakeshire Park

HOME SWEET HOME

For many people, and especially the moms out there with kids our of school, this is a very stressful time! Treat someone special to a trio of short, feel-good stories that can be enjoyed during breaks from demands of the day with Home Sweet Home.

THREE’S A CROWD * Fern Michaels
This Mother’s Day will be is extra special for Samantha’s parents who’ll be greeting their daughter after an extended absence, and meeting their baby granddaughter for the very first time. Join Samantha as she seeks stability for her baby and answers about herself.
 
NEW BEGINNINGS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS * Donna Kauffman
Blue Hollow Falls is where Katie MacMillan finds herself once again, helping with her sister’s pregnancy, revisiting old feelings, and pondering fresh new ones…
 
BRING ME HOME * Melissa Storm
Hazel Long’s bed-side visits with her father bring forth the unexpected gifts of friendship, (offered by other hospital visitors,) insight into the mother she barely knew, increased gratitude —and the kindness of a handsome male nurse.

Order your copy of HOME SWEET HOME

I know that the idea of shopping right now is enough to create an extra layer of stress to an already intense time of anxiety and worry. That’s why I made all the recommendations on my Mother’s Day Musts list available via on-line shopping. I also understand if economic concerns make gift-buying not much of a reality for you right now, and if that’s the case, I promise you that a handful of pretty posies and a handmade card, delivered on a breakfast tray with toast, jam, and steaming cup of coffee or tea will send the message to the mother in your life that she is special, loved, and honored. So gifts, or no gifts, I encourage you to make this gesture.

If your circumstances allow for some discretionary spending, I stand behind my recommendations and the many companies with conscious with whom I partner. Pampering products, home decor, jewelry, and books are all things the revered women in our lives love and deserve when possible.

To all mothers and women who have made a difference in a child’s life, I thank you and wish you a very special Mother’s Day. May the Lord bless and keep you,