Water Slide Decal Paper Candle - DIY

This is a great little DIY before Mother's Day but it can be used for so many gifts, wedding favours etc.

Water slide decal paper is brilliant - slightly fiddly but when you get it right, it looks great.

I bought a pack of 20 sheets from Amazon - WARNING - make sure you buy the correct type for your printer (i.e. laser or ink jet) and I recommend getting the 'clear' paper as you don't have to worry about a white background/border around your pictures.

Decorating a Candle

You will need....

• A candle (!) - any plain pillar candle, any size you like
• A printer
• Scissors
• A bowl of water
• Kitchen roll/dry cloth

First of all, decide on what design you want to put on your candle - there are millions of free artwork sites/free downloadables out there. If you want to be super clever, scan a photo or a drawing done by a little 'un and resize it to fit your candle. One image I used was a free printable from here. 

I'd advise printing on regular paper first before inserting the decal paper into the printer.

Once you are happy with the image and its size, print onto the shiny side of the decal paper.

Cut around your design and submerge into water for about 30 seconds for the backing paper to start to slip away from your decal. 

With the backing still on, start to slip away the design onto your surface. Be careful as it is delicate and rips easily. Position the decal then gently smooth out any water left under it and gently dab it dry with a cloth.

Leave it overnight before handling. 

According to my instructions, if you use the decal paper on ceramics, you can pop them in the oven to harden (although this doesn't make it dishwasher safe).

And there you go! A personalised candle. As I mentioned earlier, the paper is very versatile and works really well on glass and ceramics.

And finally, big up to Anne who used it on The Great Interior Design Challenge this week! If you haven't watched this yet, get onto iPlayer now!

Lowri xx

Hearts are not just for Valentine's Day

This is a great little DIY and it is not just for Valentine's Day - but seeing as it's heart shaped, I thought now would be a good time to post it.

Danish Heart Ornament

I first made one of these last year - they're simple to make and the weaving is the only fiddly bit. You can make these from thin cardboard or any robust fabric but I think contrasting felt works really well. They make very cute Christmas tree decorations too. Yes I've mentioned Christmas IN February.

Anyway, let's get on with it...you will need:

• Felt, two contrasting colours
• Scissors
• Pins
• Printed template (there are plenty online, just search for 'Danish Heart')

First of all you need to print this template and cut out one of the long ovals.

Pin the template to one piece of felt and cut around the edge - take your time to cut it well as this will be half of the heart.
Repeat with the other colour of felt.

Fold the felt pieces and carefully cut the slits - they need to be as even as possible - I was pleased with the purple felt more so than the cream, as the sides are too wide, but anyway....

You then need to weave the two pieces into a heart - here is a great diagram and works not matter how many slits are cut into the felt. Just ensure that the colours alternate.

Et voila!

Here's one a made exactly a year ago - this was a second attempt and I sewed around the edges to keep the pieces in place. Also, I stuck on a little message (permanent ink stamped onto calico).

Have a good weekend xx <3

Weekend Drinks

Here are two drinks recipes - perhaps one more suitable for Friday/Saturday night and maybe the other one for Sunday night....? :)

Bloody Mary

This is a great cocktail to make at home as you need some store cupboard ingredients - chances are when you have it anywhere else, it won't be that great and will literally just consist of vodka and tomato juice. But there's so much more to it than that....

• Ice
• 75ml Vodka
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (bottled is fine if you haven't got lemons)
• 1 tsp Worcester sauce
• Dash of Tabasco or to taste
• 1/4 tsp celery salt
• 150ml tomato juice
• Dash of red wine

Put the ice, vodka, lemon juice, Worcester sauce, Tabasco and celery salt in a tall glass and stir a little. 

Add the tomato juice and give it another stir. Add the red wine. Drink!

Flamingo optional

You can chop and change different elements of this recipe - A Beautiful Mess have some great ideas such as using Jalapeños. 

Vanilla Chai

Here is a great recipe I picked up from one of my favourite YouTube-rs Estee Lalonde.
The recipe can be found on the old version of her website - click here. Here is the recipe as she describes on her video.

• 2 cups of water
• 2 peppercorns
• 2 cardamon pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tea bags - you can use decaf if you prefer
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Milk

Combine the first six ingredients and simmer for a few minutes. 

Take off the heat and add the brown sugar (sweetener works fine too), vanilla and tea bags to stew (length of time depends on how strong you like your tea - but about 2 minutes).

Strain into your mug and add the milk.

Again, you could make this into a latte, by heating up the milk beforehand and then using a milk frother before adding the tea.

If you'd like more drink-related posts let me know in the comments!
L xx