I feel very strongly about home made gifts. Especially at Christmas! It just means so much more to me, if you give me something that you have made. I don't care if it cost you less than a dollar to make. It's the time that you took. You were thinking of me when you took time to create something! It's like a hug everytime I look at it, or eat it! =)
I really enjoy making gifts and my family and friends seem to enjoy receiving them.
I always make something for my extended family. In the past, these have included: candles, soap, smelly jelly {air freshener}, scrapbooks and just last year I made photo candles. These were super easy and looks amazing! The candles looked like they had pictures printed right onto them. My family loved them!
Our extended family gets together every year before Christmas. We have a potluck dinner and a White Elephant gift exchange, with an emphasis on really silly gifts. We keep a max on the dollar amount spent. It is so much fun and we can just enjoy each other without the stresses of shopping.
I always bake yummy goodies for Christmas. These are included as part of our gift. I only bake certain items for the Holiday, so that they are more special. For example, my family knows that they only get peanut brittle, fudge and molasses cookies once a year!
I also bake for my neighbors. I have never had a neighbor give us a gift, but I honestly don't mind. I would prefer that they didn't. They all seem genuinely happy to receive my home baked goodies! {I always wrap them some pretty way, so it seems more like a gift}
photo candles:
1 candle, any size, white {I bought mine at the dollar store}
digital pictures or scanned pictures ready on your computer
tissue paper, white or light colored
hair dryer or heat embossing tool
straight pins
To print the picture onto tissue paper was the only tricky part. Tape a small piece of tissue paper to copy paper. {I discovered that the tissue would wrinkle if I didn't tape all sides} The size I used was approximately 5X7 inches.
The best way to figure out where to tape it onto the paper is to print a picture on a sheet of copy paper first. Then you know where the pictures will be printing.
Next, print the picture. After testing it, it should print right onto the tissue paper. Remove tissue paper from copy paper. Then you want to trim the tissue paper picture to fit the candle. Use the straight pins to secure the tissue to the candle.
Here's the fun part. Take the hair dryer or heat embossing tool and glide it side to side all over the picture. You don't want to leave it too long in one place. It's okay if some of the wax drips. You can smooth it out with your finger or a popcicle stick. The effect is a picture that looks like it was printed inside the candle. You want to make sure to completely melt wax over the entire picture. When it cools, you will see any spots that you may have missed. You shouldn't see or feel the tissue paper. Just keep melting the wax until effect is achieved.
Let cool and wrap in cellophane and tie a ribbon at the top.
I'd post a picture, of the ones I made for my family, but I like for the blog to anonymous. =) sorry
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