Amazing Aroma Bears!

Making Aroma Bears is something fun to do and what is better is that you can still enjoy great scent even where a candle or even a wax melt normally are not allowed. These are excellent for dorm rooms, children’s bedrooms, nursing homes, assisted living homes and more, they offer excellent scent without the risk of fire.

There are two basic ways to make an Aroma Bear, the first is using our Aroma Beads or Scented Corn Cob in the back pocket of these bears: 7.5" Brown Scruffie Teddy Bear, 7.5" TanShaggie Teddy Bear, 7.5" White Scruffie Teddy Bear, and the 7.5"White Shaggie Teddy Bear. These bears specifically note they have a Velcro pocket on the back suitable for filling with aroma materials. To make these bears, you do not have to dip them in wax, simply make our Aroma Beads or Scented Corn Cob, and fill a sachet and add to the Velcro pocket. 

To make the Aroma Bears you will need the following:
7.5” Bear with Velcro Pocket
Sachet Bags (I like the organza 3” x 4” Bag or the 3” x 4” Cotton Bags)
Aroma Beads or Crushed Corn Cob
Fragrance Oil
Clothing and Accessories

 

To make the Corn Cob, you will simply place the amount of Crushed Corn Cob in a jar with a cover, add fragrance to your desired strength up to about an ounce of fragrance to a pound of the Crushed Corn Cob material, once the fragrance is added, shake it well and allow to absorb the fragrance at least overnight. Be sure that the fragrance has absorbed and the material is not super oily, you can add more corn cob if needed. Once this is done, place about an ounce of the now scented crushed corn cob in one of the 3” x 4” bags and place in the back of the stuffed bear.

 

To make the Aroma Beads you will also need a jar with a lid to shake them. Some people choose not to dye beads that are going into the bears to prevent any possible color transfer but you can also use colored beads. For that just use a small amount of liquid candle dye, added to the fragrance before you add the beads. Our Aroma Beads can hold up to 30% fragrance! I personally use 25% to make measuring easier. For every 4 ounces of beads, add 1 ounce of fragrance. Place them in the jar and shake often to allow the fragrance to absorb into the beads. This process can take up to two weeks to complete and some fragrances are ready in just a day. Once the beads are dry to the touch, fill the bags with about an ounce each and place in the back of the bear. 

The second process for making the bears involves dipping them in hot, scented wax. For each bear, I use about 12 weight ounces of IGI 1343 Straight Paraffin, 1/2 tsp. Vybar 103 and 1 weight ounceof fragrance oil. I try and coordinate the name of the bear with the scent and also by adding different clothing and accessories. Its a fun way to change things up a bit. When using the darker colored bears you may want to lightly tint the wax a brown to avoid the look of dandruff from combing the bears. Melt your wax and put on insulated rubber gloves and dip the bear in your wax. I find a Presto Kitchen Kettle works great for this.

Once the bear is dipped, you will then want to take him out of the wax, squeezing out any excess wax and then start grooming him.

I find a pick or a fork works best to comb out the bears. I try and place them in their final position at this point and to try. This is what it looks like when I comb their fur. 

Once I have combed them out, I let them completely cool and dry, then I choose their clothing and accessories to dress them in. The bears are adorable dressed in cute sweaters and hats! This little Red Hat girl's name is Hattie, she is scented in Lily of the Valley fragrance, sure to be a hit with most any Red Hat Lady on your list!

If you find that your bear suffers from wax dandruff, the simple solution once dried, posed, and clothed if you plan to is to “melt” the wax dander back into the fur using a hair dryer. This is the quickest way to correct this and keep the bears looking pretty. Alternately, you can also use this method to refresh the bears after a few months to bring the scent back to the surface. Scented bears that I have made looked and smelled great for years!

Next time you log on to our website be sure to check out all the awesome supplies for making these super cute, crafty bears! We have a huge variety of stuffed critters, metal pans to place them on, fragrances, clothing, and accessories! They are a great way for those who can’t burn candles or where safety could be compromised burning a candle to be able to enjoy all of our amazing aromas! 

Happy Crafting!

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