Christmas in Feb??!

I know... I know.... A little late, perhaps?

BUT! This works all year round! Simply use different scrapbooking paper! Or even family photos would be super cool!!!

Just start with your average primitive barn star... One that has a horrid finish will make re-doing it even more satisfying! :o) lol!

To measure the paper, simply place over star and crease with your fingernail to know where to cut.

Cut the paper.... It should look like this....

Do one for each star. Another option is to use 10 different papers as opposed to 5. Just use a different paper for each angle on the star instead. More difficult... But way cool!!

Now is where you'll break out the modge podge. My newest best friend!

I. LOVE. THIS. STUFF!!!!

Spread modge podge on each point and smooth paper over it. Be sure do work out all the air bubbles... They will leave bumps all over the thing!

After it has dried, coat the entire thing with some more modge podge. I did 2 coats of the stuff. It'll protect it. You can either use the matte which is a duller finish. Or high gloss which is obviously.... ummm... shiny! :o)

I'm kicking myself that I didn't take a picture of the finished project... but it turned out SUPER cool!!! I added a ribbon and bow to hang it with and TAA-DAA!!!

Way cool star that has a LOT more character! Whoohoo!

L-O-V-E

Wondering what to do with ALL THOSE leftover candy canes??!

How 'bout this?

Here's how.....

Preheat oven to 250 degrees...

Unwrap all your leftover candy canes....

Put them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper....

Cook for 5-10 minutes.... (Watch'em REALLY close! It doesn't take long for them to get too warm... Don't ask me how I know! lol!!)

Immediately start forming them after you pull them out. They'll be warm, but not too hot to handle! If they start getting too stiff, just throw them in the oven for a sec again and you'll be able to bend and mold them! I made lots of L's, O's, V's & E's for Valentine's day.

For that part of it, I spray painted all sides of a 6 in. 2x4... Modge Podged a piece of scrapbooking paper on the front... Super glued the L-O-V-E on.... Sprayed clear sealer over the entire front... (To seal the candy canes. If you don't the candy will get soft, sticky, and squishie by next year! Icky! Thanks mom for letting me in on that secret!! What would I do without you??!) And finished it off with tying ribbon around it with a big red bow on top! Love them!! And what a nifty way to use up leftover Christmas candy canes! Be creative! Make other words... Names.... You could even "fuse" 2 of them together to make a heart! Let me know what you come up with!!! :o)

*cough cough*

Okay.... I have a confession....

I've kinda sorta abandoned you all....

And gone on to greener pastures....

Now they're not really greener, I guess.... It's missing YOU!!!!

I've started a blog for our storefront, so that's where my few free minutes have been going!!! To make it up to ya'll here's the link!!! http://www.mastershandcandles.blogspot.com/ Does that make up for my non-posting-habits??! Now you have 2 blogs of mine to read.... Which.... Might mean that you'll have to endure twice the abandonment!!! Yikes! :o)

No really.... I'll try to do better on this front! :o)

P.S. I've got a brand new blog layout for y'all..... Does that make you feel better too? I know if does for me!!! :o) lol!

***NEWSFLASH*** -- New store

Hey ya'll!!!

Things are coming together... We're SCRAMBLING!!!

And...

***DRUMROLL***

We have our open house this weekend! If you're in the area, be sure to stop by!!!

CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE

at

Master's Hand Candle Co. & Gift Shop

(Just south of Tekemah on HWY 75-- Old Nordstrom Bldg)

Saturday, Dec. 6th

2-6 pm

Door Prizes... Refreshments... Live Music... and Amazing Sales!!!

We'll have Face Painting and Balloons from 2-4!

Come see first hand how things are looking around here!!! I'll be posting pictures of everything after it's all over!

*** Hobby Lobby NEWSFLASH ***

Yesterday afternoon Hooby Lobby went 90% off on all fall/Thanksgiving stuff!!!!

Don't walk... RUN! :o)

Want a tour??

Alrighty! I'm in Branson MO this week.... but thought I'd post this quick!

So... if you find yourself in the unfortunate position of being bored to death... And if ya have 12 minutes to kill... And you want to spend it checking out our new building.... Here's a "tour" Gracie recorded the day we closed on the building! :o)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaIwzrabpq8

September 9th...

Okay... I looked... **gasp** September 9th was the last time I posted. That's almost 2 months ago.

TWO MONTHS!

May I beg your forgiveness? Plead, perhaps?

In my defence, a LOT has happened since September 9th!!!

Namely... WE BOUGHT A BUILDING!!!!

A GI-NORMOUS building!!! In fact... At home, we had our candle stuff in several rooms. The combine sq. footage of those rooms was approx. 800ish. Want to know how big our new building is??! OVER 10,000 SQ. FEET!!!! Lots and lots of room to grow!!! No more carrying 60 lbs. boxes of wax dooooown the stairs.... And no more carrying the finished candles uppppp the stairs! We're all on one level and can roll pallets of stuff around... Back around to the back door and load the truck right there... It's fantastic!

We'll have a storefront where we can sell our candles, my JUNK, ect... (It is in the process of bring completely gutted and redone! LOTS of fun but I'm supposed to have it done by the weekend before Thanksgiving! Besides pouring thousands of candles! TONS of fun... but... YIKES!!!)

A WHOLE room just for my workshop and beloved tools! Yeah baby!

WE'RE EXCITED AND LOVING IT!!!!!

More details to follow! :o)

P.S. Sorry Rachel.... I know I said I'd post last week, but my computer charger diiiied!

Just got it fixed! YAY!

Want to see our babies??!

Our spring babies sure have grown, haven't they??

Brandy's 'lil one!

Gypsy's Baby!

And my favorite... Maggie's colt.

All boys!! Go figure!

I'm back!

After a brief reprieve... (And not one that I wanted... the camera just wouldn't upload the pictures for me! And who wants to read a blogpost of mine without pictures??!)

Want to see a bit of what Caleb did for the fair??

Remember these bottles?

Well... Caleb made a "bottle bug!"

Isn't he cute??! Oh what you can do with a bottle... a little copper wire... and a few beads!

And... Do you want to see what he made for the "Recycling" class??!

The thing that got wow's everywhere it went??!

The thing that the judge said was the most creative thing she had ever seen entered in the class??!

The thing that won RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION??! (Yay Caleb!! 2nd year in a row, baby!)

Prepare to be amazed here people!

So what do you do with...

A spindle....

A cast from an unfortunate event this spring...

A very thick medical book, drill, gorilla glue...

And a sock and some stuffing?

Why, with a little imagination and work...

Make a LAMP of course!!!! :o)

Way to go Caleb!!

What exactly do I do, anyway??

Okay... someone asked what exactly it is I do at the fairs on weekends? Well... here goes... A look into my summers!


Our family owns and runs a "family entertainment buisness" called Sonshine & Company. We do...

SHAVED ICE

CAPPUCCINO FREEZES

FRUIT SMOOTHIES

WILD ISLAND SLUSHIE DRINKS

BLOOMIN' CARAMEL APPLES

MINI MELTS (Kinda lke Dippin' Dots only better! :o) lol!)

COTTON CANDY

And we also have a moonwalk bounce house... train rides... baseball radar throw... face painting... occationally balloon animals... ummm... I think that's it. I loose track! ;o)

So there's a reader's digest version of what we do!