It's nearly Christmas once again! This year, make something fun out of your Aroma Beads, make Christmas Tree Ornies! They are absolutely adorable, easy to make and best of all fun!
What you will need:
Liquid Candle Dye
Fragrance Oils
Aroma Beads
Cookie Cutters
Optional Mica, Glitter and Puff Paint tubes.
Cello Bags
First, make your Aroma Beads following these instructions:
- Scoop out the desired amount of beads and weigh them on a digital scale.
- Once you know
the weight of your beads, you can weigh your fragrance oil.The beads
will hold up to 30%. I personally find 25% works well with most scents
and absorbs fairly readily. For every ounce of beads, using 25% you will
add 1/4 oz. fragrance by weight. So for example if you are using 1
weight oz of beads, you will use .25 weight oz of fragrance oil.
- If you wish to color
your Aroma Beads, you will need to add 1 or 2 drops of liquid candle dye
to your fragrance oil and swirl it around until it's mixed well. *Note: Food coloring or B&B dye will not work!
- Then add the beads to your colored fragrance oil.
- Stir the beads around with a stir stick until the liquid is dispersed evenly.
- Then put the lid
tightly on the jar and shake! It can take anywhere from 1 day to over a
week for the beads to completely absorb all of the oil, it will vary
with different fragrances. So keep shaking the jar every few hours! At
first it will seem soupy and look as if it will not soak up the oil...
but be patient! The oil will eventually soak in! Some fragrances may
take longer than others... for example, the Red Hot Cinnamon took 1 day
to soak in, but the Vanilla took 2 days, and some take over a week. If
you run into a fragrance oil that is not soaking in after a week, try
adding more beads and shake very well. Once the beads have absorbed all
of the oil they will feel dry to the touch and will not seep or bleed!
- Once the oil is
absorbed, you are done! Try making a second color & scent, and
layering them! You can also add a bit of our White Mica Powder to the
clear beads too for a shimmery,
pearly effect!
Next, make the Aroma Ornies from the finished Aroma Beads with these instructions:
- First make your scented & colored Aroma Beads as directed. Choose metal cookie cutters in the shapes & sizes you want for your ornaments. Lay them on a metal non-stick
cookie sheet. Fill each shape with the beads, completely covering the
bottom with a layer about 1/4" deep. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for
about 5 - 10 minutes or until you can see that the beads have melted
together. Baking times will vary with different ovens.
Watch them carefully!
*Note: They will not be smooth like glass, they will be bumpy.
*If you want a hole in the top for hanging, stand a flat head nail on it's head where you want the
hole to be.
- Remove from oven with pot holders, and set on stove top to cool. A small amount of smoking is normal when they first come out. Allow tray to cool completely before touching! Next, carefully remove the cookie cutters.
*I prefer to cool mine in the freezer for a few minutes, which helps them release
from the cookie cutters easier.
- Once you remove the cutters, your
ornament will be stuck to the pan, but it will peel off the non-stick
metal fairly easily. Don't be alarmed if it feels stuck. They may feel
like they won't budge at first, but once you start to pull it up it
will peel off.
*Note: I peeled this
one off after setting the tray outside in the snow to cool, so the cold
may help release them easier! Try putting the tray in your freezer!
- Peel the shapes off the sheet,
and they are done! You can use a sharp tipped object like a nail to
make a small hole near the top, and string some thin cord through to
hang it with. Or try using a paper hole punch for thicker ribbon!
Now that you've done this, you have the most amazing Air Fresheners/Car Fresheners/Tree Ornaments! I choose themed fragrances for mine. You can add some glitter or mica or puff paint to them for more interest. This is a cute and fun project even the kids can participate in. This is an exceptionally fun idea for a Sunday School class!
Happy Crafting!
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Bitter Creek North introduces the most amazing new wax in candle making today, The EZ ParaSoy™!
What makes this wax so special? Well we are glad you asked! We have for years known that the blend of paraffin and soy was like a marriage made in heaven.
Paraffin waxes have long been known for their beautiful, creamy appearance and their ability to easily accept most fragrances with amazing hot and cold scent throw. Paraffin candles also have amazing, vibrant, bold and beautiful color and can use literally any type of dye. But paraffin wax can tend to soot some.
Soy is a bit more selective with fragrances and most certainly with colorants. Soy tends to pit and grow if exposed to temperature extremes or it will do so if not poured at the correct temperature. Soy can also tend to frost which to some is unacceptable, but it is so clean burning and that's the beauty of soy!
We have found that this hybrid blend of paraffin and soy creates the very best of both worlds! EZ ParaSoy™ creates a candle that is smooth, creamy and beautifully colored weather it is a pastel, bright, bold or dark color. EZ ParaSoy™creates a candle that is cooler burning and reduced soot like in soy candle! EZ ParaSoy™has PHENOMENAL scent throw both hot and cold! It's the perfect marriage between two waxes!
Look on our shopping cart for this wax coming this week to Bitter Creek North! It works excellent with the CD series wicks, sizing is similar to soy and works great with the wood wicks as well. Sizing for those is more like the soy as well! We are sure you will love this wax as much as we do!
If you have any questions about this wax or need help with wick sizing, let our Tech Support know and we will be more than happy to help you out!
As always we strive to bring you ONLY the best products available in the market!
Happy Candle Making!
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This Christmas, have some fun with your product! There are so many cute ideas out there. The one I am focusing on this month is Beach Bum Snowmen! For those of you that live around the beach, in a tropical climate, have you ever noticed sometimes it just doesn't seem right to market the same "snowy" Christmas products as the rest of the country sells? I know you all wish for that one night of snow on Christmas or Christmas Eve that melts before morning but let's face it, Texas isn't exactly known for the frosty white stuff!
Here are a few ideas for some fun products to sell this holiday season in the tropical areas of the United States!
As shown in our photo, Beach Bum Snowman! I found this graphic for $5 on a graphics website, there are tons out there for sale, reasonably cheap OR take your own! I loved the idea of the ocean and a "snowman" made of sand on the beach! It just makes this northern girl giggle with delight to see it! I used the Jack Frost Scent from BCS for this particular bottle. This is made with the Lotion Base from BCS, the Labels from BCN and the Bottle and Cap from BCS. I thought it still played on a traditional Holiday scent and yet was fun enough to sell on the beach! It's about fun! Make your products fun, make them different and people will buy them!
Other ideas: A Palm Tree decorated for Christmas and then scenting it in Coconut or Coconut Lime! A friend of mine does Reindeer Poop and Snowman Poop. To me those are funny but best suited to wax melts! Fill the clamshells just so the cavities are filled with white and or brown wax accordingly. For Snowman Poop, Try the scent Homespun Sugar! For Reindeer Poop, how about Creme Brulee! You could also make these scents into candles! Try any of the same scents in a jar with a cute label too! This is fun....have fun with it!
If you live in a cold climate you can still have fun with this idea! Montana could do a camo snowman with a deer rifle! You could do a Redneck Snowman and his wife, in Camo and Blaze Orange! The sky is the limit with this! People love uniqueness! Things that are different sell! Grab their attention this year by labeling your products uniquely and fun! These are GREAT stocking suffers! People love to buy silly cute gifts around the Holiday!
Happy Candle and Craft Making!
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This Holiday season the HOTTEST thing is Frozen, the movie from Walt Disney. It's not just girls, it's boys too! I have three kids, girls who are 17 & 19 and a son who is 11. They are fanatics! I can't tell you how many times I heard "Let it go" in the car, at the dinner table, on the sofa, during the movie! It's everywhere! My niece who happens to be turning 4 in a few months however was my real inspiration today. I kept thinking "What would a little girl like?" when it comes to something in body products.
When our office sent me the list of scents on sale in October, I KNEW I had a winner! How about Frozen inspired solid perfume and body & room spray?! I think so too!
Here is everything you will need to make these great products that will have ever little girl cooing for more!
Body & Room Spray
Holographic Glitter
Cyclomethicone
Frost Bite Fragrance
Clear 4 oz Bullet Bottles
Black 2 & 4 Oz Spray Caps
Instructions:
Add 1/2 oz. of Frost Bite Fragrance to the bottle, then fill with Cyclomethicone and add a small pinch of the glitter. Place the cap on the bottle and shake well. Label and it's ready for sale!
Solid Perfume Sticks
Lip Balm Base
Holographic Glitter
Frost Bite Fragrance
White Lip Balm Tubes
Instructions:
For 6 tubes melt .9 weight oz of base in the microwave just until melted in a small pyrex measure cup (1 cup size works well), add .05 weight oz of the Frost Bite Fragrance. Add the glitter and allow to cool until it stays suspended then pour into the tubes. Label and it's ready for sale!
Hopefully this project makes for a happy little girl in your world too!
Happy Crafting!
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I am maybe a bit fanatical about my Candy Corn but this time of year is my favorite because of it! Did you know that October 30th is National Candy Corn day? It's a day set aside for others like me who can't get enough of the sweet candy treat. I really can sit down and eat the whole bag ;)
So this months project is a simple one but one you can sell starting now through the end of October and even until Thanksgiving, Candy Corn Melt and Pour Soap. This a simple project and when Halloween is over, you can change your scents and make them for other holidays as well. Layered soaps have always sold well for me and attracted a crowd.
Materials:
Melting the Soap Base:
- Microwave Method: Cut the Melt and Pour Base on the score lines and place it in a microwave
safe dish. (Pyrex measuring cups work nicely) Place the dish in
your microwave. Using full power, heat the base for one minute at a
time until it begins to melt. Once it has started to melt, decrease
this to 30 second intervals until it is fully melted stirring often.
*The melted soap should be between 130-140̊ F.
Adding the Dye:
- Once your
soap is melted, just add the dye a drop at a time, stirring after
each until you reach your desired shade. The amount used will vary. For the yellow part, just use the yellow the white can be left uncolored and for the orange, two drops of yellow to one red until you reach your desired shade of orange.
Adding the Fragrance:
- For Melt and Pour, it is safe to use up to, but no
more than ½ Weight Ounce of fragrance per pound of soap base. Each
block of Melt and Pour Base is Two pounds. For one full block of
soap, you would use up to 1 ounce of fragrance. Stir well after
adding the fragrance oil to the melted & colored soap base.
Pouring into Molds:
- Pour
your scented and colored soap base into the molds in layers. Use a fine mist
spray bottle filled with Rubbing Alcohol to lightly mist the tops of
each of the just poured soaps to remove any bubbles. Allow to cool, then re-mist the tops with the rubbing alcohol jsut before pouring the next layer and again spritz after to remove air bubbles and repeat. Allow the
soaps to cool at room temperature until completely cooled, about 4-5
hours then remove from the molds. You may need to pull the edge of
the mold back to get the soap to release.
*You
can place the mold in the freezer for a few minutes if removal is
difficult but I typically suggest waiting longer instead before
resorting to this method.
This fun theme can be carried into jar candles, wax melts, pillars etc! Its fun to layer different scents into jars that coordinate well too! Have fun with this project and enjoy a handful of candy corn for me!
Happy Candy Corn Eating!
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