Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: diy, domesticity, holiday how to, how to, thrifted materials, thrifting
I have this horrible tendency to hang on to way too many things, vintage tea tins being one of them. Which is why, in the course of the past week, my kitchen has been transformed into a veritable tea tin candle-making factory. If you, too, find yourself in a last-minute gift-making frenzy, here’s the how-to.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
❤ Miscellaneous vintage tea tins—all of mine were from thrift stores, where you can find them easily, priced anywhere from 25 cents to $2.
❤ Microwavable soy wax—a four-pound box of microwavable soy wax ($10 at Michaels’s with a coupon) flakes made three average-sized tea tin candles.
❤ Wicks of the extra-large variety (tea tins are pretty big in diameter, so you need a fat wick)—also available at Michael’s
❤ Silicone chalk (for the tins that are not water-tight)
❤ Wick holders (optional)
❤ Newspaper (not optional)
HOW TO
Step one: Test your tins. Fill your tins with water to see if they leak. If you find some are not water-tight, seal the inside bottom rim, corners and sides with a silicon chalk. Do not be an eager beaver and skip this step! (Unless scraping a counter-full of wax off with an old credit card sounds fun—then by all means, skip away!) Follow chalk dry time instructions before moving on to step two.
Step two: Cover your work space with newspaper. (Again, please learn from my mistakes!) Center your wicks in the middle of your tins, making sure the bottom of the wick is flush with the base of the tin. I prefer to use wick holders to accomplish this. (If you don’t want to buy holders, you can dip the bottom of the wick in melted wax and then stick/center in the bottom of the tin.)
Step three: Melt your wax—fun! I melted four-plus cups at a time in my glass liquid measuring cup. Four cups took about 4-5 minutes to melt entirely, quite a bit longer than the box o’ wax predicted. If you have a thermometer to test the temperature (per package instructions), feel free to do so. I did not and everything worked out just fine.
Step four: Fill your tins on up with wax, but not all the way up, just close to it. Wicks will need adjusting after you pour the wax; this is totally normal. It’s also normal to run out of wax before a tin is full. Just get going on nuking the next batch right away and add it when it’s done.
Step five: Leave your tins alone for 45 minutes to an hour. Go watch a Golden Girls episode, read a magazine or take pictures of your cat…I’m not one to judge.
Step six: After an hour or so has passed, poke a few holes near the wick, going all the way to the bottom of the tin. This allows air to escape and makes for a more evenly topped candle. Top off your candles with a little more wax.
Step seven: Leave them alone again, this time for a while. In a few hours time…boom. Tea tin candles are ready to go. Cozy on up and enjoy your handiwork.
xo,
Meghan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clickin' around, Dolly Parton, domesticity, links
Yipes, I’ve been squirreling away some of these links for ages! I apologize for the delay; I’ve been sorta busy.
♥ Red-eye reduction tips. Helpful stuff, especially now that holiday party season is in full swing.
♥A nicely curated list of DIY stocking stuffers. I like.
♥ I’m not the hugest scallop fan–on average I make one dish with them a year. This noodle-y goodness might be it for 2011!
♥ An easy, vintage-y, girly decorating idea.
♥ Majorly digging this Dolly P. inspired editorial in the latest Rue magazine. Lovely outtakes found here.
♥ AMEN TO ALL OF THIS: What I won’t ask you if you tell me you’re engaged.
♥ I wouldn’t mind if these notebooks wound up in my stocking.
OK, I’m off to warm up some supper and then it’s off to see a rockin’ (old country) band. Happy Tuesday y’all!
xo,
Meghan
Is it wrong if I want to skip actually shopping for presents this year and skip ahead to the part when I spend an entire evening listening to Christmas music and wrapping them up all cute? The trio of gift-toppers featured below can all be made mostly with materials you can find easily at, where else…your local thrift store!
♥ These Monopoly tags, c/o Glossary, give new life to a vintage game that was missing some pieces.
♥ Personalize a prezzie with a yarn-wrapped pipe-cleaner letter or go all out and do the lucky recipient’s name. Once the gift’s unwrapped, these would make great ornaments. (Idea c/o giddy giddy.)
♥ File this under why-didn’t-I-think-of-this: Dyed paper doilies, c/o Blue Eyed Freckle. How sweet would a single poof be atop a package? Very, I say.
Ahh, now all I want to do is sit around and wrap gifts! Fortunately, I do have some crafting action of my own going on tonight…working on this Saturday’s limited edition Mighty Swell giveaway. It’s going to be so tight…I can’t wait to share it with y’all!
xo,
Meghan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cooking, domesticity, family, good times
Something you should know about me: I could read recipes all the live-long day. Another thing you should know about me: I absolutely love projects, especially ones that require sorting or better yet, alphabetizing. So yesterday, when my mom pulled out two huge recipe boxes full of my grandma Ella’s recipes, and asked me to categorize them all, I was pretty much in heaven.
I came across a lot of old favorites from growing up, including this one for Sloppy Joes, aka one of my most beloved comfort foods.
It makes a batch large enough to feed a small army, but it freezes like a dream. I remember eating this at Grandma’s on a homemade whole wheat bun, with raw veggies, ripple chips and dip. And now I’m hungry.
xo,
Meghan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Beauty Bets, domesticity, gettin pretty
Today over on Beauty Bets, I shared a bunch of beauty-related, gift-y DIYs I want to make this holiday season. The bows pictured above (c/o Oh So Lovely via My Girl Thursday) didn’t make it into the story, but I really love them. So, please go check out that how-to too. (Too. To. Tutu!) I figure if anything’s going to entice me to dust off the ole’ glue gun, it’s making pretty (pink) bows for my girls. For more fun budget-friendly crafty ideas like this, pop on over to Beauty Bets and read my post.
Also…I hope your Wednesdays are wonderful!
xo,
Meghan
{c/o country dreaming}
I’ve been thinking about Tammy Wynette a lot lately. Maybe it’s because I changed my work computer’s desktop to this last Friday, or maybe it’s because I’m saying her name 100 times a day, scolding my naughty kitty, her green-eyed namesake. So last week, when I came upon a couple handwritten recipes of hers on the Country Music Hall of Fame’s website (check them out here) I decided her pumpkin bread would be the perfect baking project. Like most of my go-to recipes, it’s pretty simple and pretty delicious.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
♥ 3 1/2 cups self-rising flour
♥ 1 teaspoon nutmeg
♥ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
♥ 4 eggs, lightly beaten
♥ 3 1/2 cups sugar
♥ 2 1/2 cups mashed pumpkin
♥ 1 cup vegetable oil
♥ 1 teaspoon vanilla
♥ 1 cup chopped nuts
HOW TO, ACCORDING TO TAMMY
Mix dry ingredients, blend other ingredients, except nuts. Mix alternately and add nuts. Grease two Bundt pans and fill. Bake approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Then try to fend off your cat and dog while you enjoy a slice and a glass of milk.
Obviously, I’d recommend baking these babies with Tammy on. I’ve been listening to her “Another Lonely Song” album a lot. Every song is a winner.
xo,
Meghan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: domesticity, recently thrifted, thrift-store shopping, thrifting
Hey lovelies!
I’ve been on a sprucing up kick around my house and I started with my dressing room. Here are a few things I’ve thrifted that have been put to work in this space. I got this solid wood shoe rack at the Salvation Army in Blaine for $2.50 on a half-off day. Originally intended to be a plant stand, it works perfectly in this space, storing my heels.
This minty Formica table turned vanity has seen better days, but for $10 (plus four chairs) I couldn’t pass it up. The mirrored perfume tray is from the ’50s and was found at an estate sale in Superior for $3. The GE Make-Up Mirror I’ve had for too many years to recall where it’s from or how much I paid for it.
Any Wisconsin girl in her right mind would never pass this baby up…a moo-cow mounted necklace holder, from a Twin Cities estate sale ($1).
I bought house plants a few weeks ago, including these little succulents, and I’m doing my darndest to keep them alive. This Cracker Barrel jar, now a terrarium, was purchased at Salvation Army for $2.99.
How are you putting your thrifted finds to use around your home?
xo,
Meghan
Hi dears!
I went to an amazing estate sale Friday afternoon out in the country. The contents of an entire old farmhouse were for sale, and I had so much fun wandering around the grounds, barns and massive house, picking out treasures to take home. My favorite find of the day is definitely this rolling dumb waiter I got for $1. 
I’ve been looking for a small bar table to for my dining room for ages and this baby fits perfectly. Plus, it has wheels! When I got it home, I gave it quick bleach-water bath outside (and discovered two daddy long legs!) before bringing it inside and polishing it top-to-bottom with Old English. I topped it with my favorite bottles and thrifted bar utensils (including these babies) and voila—this girl is ready to host a party! I still can’t get over that it was just $1. That’s $2 less than the cheapest beer at my favorite bar!
Did you go to any estate or rummage sales this weekend? Find anything fun?
xo,
Meghan
Hi dears!
I dabbled in a spot of diy-ing this weekend in between moving, housework and work-work. It felt so good to sit down, watch a movie and do something that didn’t involve heavy lifting or heavy thinking. My decision about what to make was essentially made for me when I saw “you don’t have to be a careful cutter” in the instructions for these fabric-covered thumbtacks. Because a careful cutter is a thing I am not.
I won’t go over the entire how-to because the original tutorial on How About Orange does a fantastic job of doing just that, but here are a few peeks of the final product. Cute right?
I would say they add a cheery touch to my cork board and I’ll definitely be making more soon. Are you having decent Mondays so far? I turned in a project today that had become a giant monkey on my back and I feel so, so, so relieved to be done with it. Here’s hoping it sets the tone for a stress-free week!
xo,
Meghan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: domesticity, METRO magazine, mighty swell, recipe, shameless plug
Hello, dears!
The April issue of METRO magazine arrived at our office today and a vintage dress from my inventory is featured on the cover!
You could throw any old thing on that cover girl though and she’d look cute-as-a-freakin’-button. This summer-ready frock, along with a zillion* others needing good homes, will be up for grabs at Mighty Swell’s upcoming Spring Has Sprung event. You know. In case you you were wondering.
Well, I’m off to catch up on some housework and then get going on making this divine-looking dessert. (Thanks for the Bon Appetit subscription, Marmee!) Wish me luck!
xo,
Meghan
*Small exaggeration.
