Marvelous Monday Update 1/21/13

WORK
A few have asked about the new job. It is going well! Just the other day, I was thinking to myself, "It's nice to work for a company where morale is good and coworkers seem happy." Going home at the end of each day knowing I had a productive one is also a plus! (As opposed to sitting around twiddling my thumbs wondering when my job will be eliminated.) Recently, we received an email that my new employer was giving everyone a Happy New Year gift:

Since the dress code is very casual, I'll be able to wear it to work... almost anything goes as long as it's not offensive and body parts aren't hanging out.

FRUGAL MAKEUP TIPS
Have you ever bought lipstick and it turned out being one of your favorite colors? Then the cosmetic company doesn't make it anymore?! Why?!! When you get to the bottom of your favorite tube, you can make it go a bit farther. One way is to use a lipstick brush and swipe it out. Another way is to make lip gloss with it. Yep, that's right! Take a small bit of petroleum jelly (and I mean small... like 1/2 tsp or less) and put it in a small plastic sandwich bag -- push it down into a corner. Then take your almost gone lipstick and scoop out the remainder from the tube. Put it into the plastic bag with the petroleum jelly and twist the bag so that it all stays in the corner. Smoosh it up until the color is distributed evenly in the jelly. Once mixed, snip the corner and squeeze it into a small container with a lid. I used a contact lens case. Petroleum jelly makes for soft lips and you still have your favorite lip color! Cool, huh?

I don't know about you, but it seems like my mascara thickens up way before it should. Is there a fix? Multi-purpose contact lens solution! A few drops in the tube will make the mascara less thick and extend tube usage a bit longer. (You should replace your mascara every 6 months, though, to reduce chances of eye infection.)

STITCHY STUFF
Last week, I think I spent just as must time frogging as I did stitching. Whoever sent the frogs... thanks. Could you please take them back now? Because I am sooooo close to finishing Sampler aux Bouquets! Here's the progress:

Other progress pics can be seen HERE.
I brought my lunch hour work project home so I could take a photo and show you its progress. Doesn't look like much progress after 2.5 hours of stitching, does it?

I received word that my first finish of 2012 arrived at its new home so now I can show it off:

For Sue in VA
Design: Christmas Cardinal
Designer: Stoney Creek
Fabric: 14ct Zweigert White with Silver Metallic Aida
Fibers: DMC, Kreinik
Embellishments: Handmade Cording, Snowflake buttons
Yep, just like the one I made Glenda at Christmas. Now, I just have to make one for myself. I really like this design!

Until next time,

But It Smells...

...so good! Have you ever bought or received as a gift a candle that smelled really good? Then you burn it and it doesn't burn down evenly. Next thing you know, you have a bunch of wax with no wick? I hate to throw those great smelling candles away when this happens. Or, what about those so-so smelling candles? What do I do?

I make new candles and firestarters!

For the candles that come in glass containers, I melt the wax by either putting it in the microwave for 2 minutes (Do not "cook" for more than 2 minute intervals AND do not leave unattended), or I place the glass container in a pan with water and let the "double boiler" effect do the job.

If the candles are the larger ones that don't come in containers, like pillars, I break them up into smaller chunks. The orange one above was a 3-wick 8" diameter pumpkin pie spice candle. It smelled sooo good! The red one was a cinnamon apple scent.


Once the wax is melted, I use a small pair of needle-nose pliers to lift the glass container out of the hot water and pour it over dryer-lint filled paper egg cartons (Recycling at it's best!), if the wax scent isn't all that great. These make great firestarters for the fireplace, or camping.
Or, I will continue to add wax to the glass container and let it melt until the container is full of melted wax. Then, I will add a wick and let it solidify. Voila! A new Pumpkin Pie Spice candle.

After melting the wax, how do I clean the glass containers if I'm not using them to make candles? I use paper towels to wipe out the residual wax. Good as new!

A few things to note: 1) Make sure the water in the pan doesn't evaporate, otherwise the glass may shatter and you'll have a mess on your hands if there was a lot of melted wax. 2) The glass container gets REALLY hot, so be careful when lifting out with the needle-nose pliers. 3) You can "mix and match" colors/scents, but I've found that the resulting color usually ends up being a "dirty" mixture of whatever was mixed together.