• Bewusst Leben,  Sarines Göteborg

    DIY – Three tier servers

    Like I said: I have been obsessed with (making) these three tier servers.

    You need:

    • 3 plates in different sizes
    • 2 candle holders or other appropriate items to stack the plates
    • Two-component adhesive
    • a pencil to mark where to glue what

    The first time I made these I went through a complicated process of figuring out the exact center of each plate and the candle holders. It was time-consuming, and I realized that it was no guarantee for getting everything perfectly centered anyway. So now I am just going with my visual judgment, which works fine, so I recommend you do the same.

    To glue the pieces together, follow the instructions of the specific glue you’re using. With the one I used, that meant applying glue on both objects you want to glue together, not just on the one of them. That’s all, now you just need to wait for the glue to do its thing.

    Yes, La, you guessed it …
    … this one is for you.

    This one’s a little more funky:

    I use candle holders to stack the plates.
    As always …
    … everything’s thrifted.
    Well, except for the lemons. And the super-glue I use to keep everything from falling apart.

    Which do you like better – romantic or „funky“?

  • Bewusst Leben,  Sarines Göteborg

    DIY – Scented tea cup candles

    Do you have a hard time throwing away stuff that’s practically useless? Do you stuff it in a drawer, telling yourself you’ll come up with something it’ll still be good for? Here’s a suggestion for what to do with leftover wax from candles that are technically burnt down:

    Tea cups: my latest thrift-store hunt. Wick: some linen cord.
    For the wick it’s important that you use a cord from a natural fiber, since, you know, you’re going to light it. I used linen since it happened to be around. Cotton works, too.
    To make the wick not drown in the wax, I wrapped a rubber band around the cup …
    … and hung the linen cord over it. One mustn’t be stupid, as the Swedes say.

    Now this step I forgot to document in pix: melting the wax. I just put the chunks into a tin can, which in turn I placed in a pot filled with water. Heat until the wax is melted. I put the linen cord in there, too, so that it would soak up some wax (which I imagined would keep it from burning too fast). Also, I added some tea tree oil. I am sure any essence works, but I probably wouldn’t use anything that’s not organic.

    And this is the result. You like?
    I do!

    These are going into the bathroom. I don’t like having the fluorescent light blinding me when I brush my teeth at night, so I’ve been decking out the place with tea lights. To state the obvious: this is prettier.