Melting Basket 109: Halloween and 5 Sister's Crafternoon

Look at all that orange and black!! And with only a handful of days until Halloween arrives I thought it prudent to break out the most Halloweenie scents that I have on tap. Tarts that I melted previously that I loved enough to want to buy again include: LSC Spooky Apparitions, CFTKR Pumpkin Peppercorn, Bohemienne Life Pumpkin Forest, SMT Dragon's Blood/Apple Cinnamon and BHG Fall Into Autumn. For some reason my Dessa scents weren't throwing or smelling like I normally enjoy, at least those two. I am putting them back away in case it was my nose or house going through a weird climate shift or something bizarre. 

MooScents- The Rumpkin

The Bathing Garden- Haunted Hayride

The Bathing Garden- Boozy Vlad

The Bathing Garden- Mini Pumpkins galore from the sampler.

Dessa's Homespun Scents- October

Lasting Scent Candles- Samhain

Lasting Scent Candles- Jack O'Lantern Cookies

Lasting Scent Candles- Spooktacular

Lasting Scent Candles- Dracula's Dungeon

Lasting Scent Candles- Cast A Spell

CFTKR-Full Moon

CFTKR- Bogeyman

CFTKR- Pumpkin Lager

If you would like any of these reviewed in depth, please drop me a comment below with the particular tarts of interest. 

Last weekend marked the 4th Annual Five Sisters Crafternoon. Unfortunately, one of the five sisters moved to Houston and could not attend. But the rest of us gathered nonetheless and tried to FaceTime her but she was enjoying a sports game somewhere across the Gulf. My sister Lindsey hosted this year in her brand new apartment a few cities over from where she used to live in our hometown. Her place looks really cute and she welcomed us with lit candles and hot apple cider. 

We all brought food and crafting supplies and gathered to catch up and have some belly laughs. Lindsey is in her first year as a 3rd grade teacher. Dawn is in her first year as a 4 year old VPK preschool teacher. Darby completed her LPN and is working with cancer patients while she braces herself to start her RN schooling. Heather graduated UF with her Masters' in entomology and landed a job in Texas. So much happens in a year. <3 I am so proud of all of them. 

Past Crafternoon projects include: pumpkin wooden signs, Mason jar pumpkins and Mason jar lid pumpkins. This year we bought fake pumpkins and decorated them. Darby had a stone plaster pumpkin and painted the beautiful "G" on it, Lindsey painted a cute spoopy batty "boo" pumpkin and Dawn painted a gorgeous "R" on her pumpkin. I carved mine out because I wanted to turn it into a diorama scene.  

I ended up loading Savanna up in the Jeep and booking it out to Michael's craft store and we rummaged through the Halloween clearance bin and came up with the spiders, skull and raven sign, several trees and the fence. I hot glued a circular styrofoam disc into the bottom and strung a battery powered pack or red lights around it. I stuck the trees in the back and covered it all with moss. The figurines went in last. 

It is fun and silly and the girls are enjoying it. I want to do more of these types of things with them. Maybe we can make a Christmas one? 

Have you done any fall crafts or projects?

Fall Fun Series: Crafting Time

Before I start totally cheating on this Fall Fun Series post... here is a yummy tart.

Candles From the Keeping Room Apple Dumpling, a medium throwing stewed apples and cinnamon sugar syrup elixir.

Deb gifted me a Torch and Key tart scented in Autumn Solstice and it was amazing. The description includes things like rain, leaves and brisk air but I got sandalwood, cedar and mahogany type notes. Nice throw. I will be looking into them for sure.

Another favorite was Dessa's Homespun Scents' Cinnamon Broomstick.  Need a tart to clear out lingering bacon fumes, burnt popcorn or litter box mishaps? This be the tart for ye. Strong concentrated cinnamon that burns with fires of pleasure. Spice lovers need only apply. 

You saw the cuteness of those hand crocheted pumpkin coasters up there right? All my mother-in-law's doing. And I even wheedled my way into taking a set home. Sheryl is a top-notch crocheter and she was whipping up these cuties for family back in Ohio. Her niece, my cousin-in-law?, is getting married next weekend and she is flying up. We were just up there or we would go too. But they are coming down to Orlando for part of their honeymoon so we will see them anyway.

These are the white themed ones. I love the softness of the colorway. This is the bundle of four. 

This is a single orange one. After I exclaimed how gorgeous they all were she asked which one I wanted and I picked this one. Even though I knew one wasn't earmarked for me, she is very nice. 

This is Kit, her Sheltie fur baby. 

I feel like a lump of a failure on this post, as I had grandiose ideas of crafting up something winsome but in the end, we ended up visiting relatives for the weekend. My poor planning skills dive bombed. I do have a craft post coming but it won't be for a few weekends yet. 

I did have fun watching Sheryl crochet and visiting a Trader Joe's for the first time (and thoroughly annoying my Fall Fun Series blog friends with constant photo bombing of fall Trader Joe's goodies) and I came back with a Kringle in Pumpkin which we all devoured with Viking fury. 

And I placed a couple orders this weekend. Candles From the Keeping Room bit a chunk of my wax budget and Lasting Scent Candles got the rest of the dregs. I must tell you though.... FuturePrimitive is back in the wax game and that news makes me rub my paws together.

Can you crochet? Knit? Can you teach me how to knit please? I will pay you in wax.

Wax Tart Craft Session

My friend Stephanie used to have a soap business a while back and has quite the collection of supplies left over. We have been meaning to have a candle/soap/tart making night for a while but it didn't get to happen until this past weekend. Stephanie, Giffe' and I only had time to make some tarts, but it turned out to be a really fun night with lots of laughs and spills and fragrance soaked noses.

Stephanie eyeballed the wax formula: mostly soy with a dash of pillar wax and some kind of beads that helped to hold the scent. We followed the 2 ounces of fragrance oil per 16 ounces of wax. No idea if that is accurate. But it seemed to work. We colored and poured and had fun!

This bag of mush was me using waaaaaay too much fragrance oil. I combined Barber Shop, Enchanted Apple, Fresh Picked Apple, Very Sexy for Him, and Vanilla. I went wild. So this mush mash will go in the bathroom warmer. Lord knows it's strong enough to hold off a stink. It is heavier on the apples. 

Stephanie filled these "bloody pumpkins" with Fresh Picked Apple and Creme Brulee. It reminds me of Apple Noel. I like it!

Giffe' created the blue flower by mixing Fresh Picked Blueberry and Creme Brulee, while she let her daughter Mia make the red one by combining Bubble Gum and Bird of Paradise. The blueberry is yummy and vibrant. Bubble gum and Bird of Paradise actually meld really well together! Scarlette will love this one.

This is me being fancy pants. And failing. I wanted to do the embedded blueberries but they just sat there on top. I let the wax underneath get too hard before I pushed them in. Ah well! The white base combines Cake Batter Ice Cream, Creme Brulee, French Vanilla and a teeny drop of Cinnamon Leaf. The blueberry molds are Fresh Picked Blueberry and Fresh Picked Apple blended.

The blue stars are robust. A knock your nose hairs out blend of Festival of Lights, Home for the Holidays and Cinnamon Leaf. That Cinnamon Leaf holds nothing back. My lips tingle just sniffing them in the bag. 

This last blend is our Friendship Blend. We all picked one oil and color then blended them all together. Stephanie picked Dreamsicle, then Giffe' chose Twisted Iced Tea and I grabbed Bird of Paradise. The tea is the strongest and the citrus notes just add some fruity fun. 

It was a fun night of playing around, staining shirts and cackling over the suggestive peach mold. We all know the real test comes when you melt them. But regardless, it was all just in fun. I liked being able to get a tiny glimpse into the life of a vendor. Kudos to them and all the hard work it takes to create blends, get the wax formula right, and the constant inundation of scents. My mind was buzzing with all the aromas. Totally overwhelming at points. I am definitely appreciative of the hard work it takes. Now I am ready to try my hand at soaps.

Tutorial: Lord of the Rings Potholders

Because... who doesn't want Lord of the Rings potholders?! Probably a lot of people but just for the sake of the argument, we will pretend most of my readers are geeks like me. I have posted about Fandom in Stitches a few times. They are my absolute favorite site for fandom patterns. They are all free and created by incredibly talented people. Please only use the patterns for personal use and not commercial. These potholders are made using the Lord of the Rings Eye of Sauron pattern (and Sting below) but using their site you can make them from virtually any fandom you wish: from Disney to Supernatural to Harry Potter and Sherlock. This tutorial is short and sweet, assuming you already know how to make and use bias tape. If you don't check this out. You can also save time by buying pre-made bias tape.

After making your Eye of Sauron (or fandom block of choice) gather the following items:

Insul-Bright batting made for handling of heat (please DO NOT use regular batting... your hands WILL burn!!!)

Fabric for backing (a fat quarter should do)

Bias tape

Thread

Using your block as a guide, cut out the Insul-Bright and backing of the same size and sandwich. Make sure the backing is facing out. 

Quilt the three layers together by stitching in the ditch of the design. I chose to outline the mountains and eye.

After joining the three layers, create a loop for the potholder by sewing a 3 inch piece of bias tape together. Add the loop to a corner on the back and attach the bias tape to the edges of the potholder. I sew mine on the back first then fold it over to the front and finish with a top stitch. 

Here is Sting, Bilbo's orc finding sword. These potholders are fun to make as gifts or just to make you smile when whipping up some Elevenses or Second Breakfast in the kitchen. 

Which fandom would you make potholders out of?

Craft Time: Birthday/Anniversary Calendar + Bulletin Board

I used to keep track of familial birthdays and anniversaries by having a piece of paper stuck to the fridge that I used to transfer the dates that month onto our refrigerator monthly dry erase calendar. This paper began to yellow and fade with time (hey ten years is a long time) so I took it down with the intent to remake another one. 

Instead, I bought this chalkboard/bulletin board combo from Target for $3, along with permanent while chalk pens (around $5 for the set of three, also at Target) to create a new birthday/anniversary tracker.

I sanded the edges to create interest. Be easy. After all it is a cheap board. I almost broke mine. I also accidentally scratched the chalkboard surface, but then went a head and scuffed it up more to look intentional. 

Using a ruler, I measured out twelve sections in a 3 by 4 pattern, marking with a pencil lightly. One box for each month. At the top of each box I wrote the months and then dates and birthdays or anniversaries. I also added random doodles.I have the month of October open if any nieces or nephews want to be born that month. ;-)

Have you flexed your crafty muscle in a while? Found any fun projects? With fall coming up I am starting to get the crafty itch. 

Guest Post: Craft Time with Lindsey!

This is a guest post by Lindsey from A Little Bit of Lindsey blog. Thank you sister for contributing while I am away! Check out her blog! It is really cute and uplifting. 

I'm Julie's youngest sister, Lindsey, and I'm excited to be writing a guest post for The Redolent Mermaid! Both of my older sisters are extremely talented when it comes to art and creativity. You should see some of the things those two have whipped up over the years! While I don't quite have the skills they possess (thanks, mom) I still find immense joy in channeling my creativity.  

I was on Pinterest the other day and spotted this painting. I really like the abstract look! Simplicity is my thing. I decided I wanted to try to recreate this as a birthday gift for my boyfriend, Casey. He's a sucker for all things coastal!

Luckily I already have more paint than I know what to do with and Hobby Lobby's canvases are dirt cheap (literally, $5 for a two pack). Once I had everything laid out I popped on Pandora and dove right in!

I started with the darkest middle layer first. I figured blending with lighter colors on top of that would be a little easier. I didn't follow any steps, I just looked at the Pinterest picture and then did what I thought they did. I wanted this to be relaxing which is achieved much more easily when you free yourself from guidelines.

I added the other layers of teal, light brown and white. I couldn't decide if painting white on a white canvas would do much but it seemed to help blend it a little more.

There she is! The finished product. Like I said, I may not be the most talented girl in the family but I thoroughly enjoy being crafty. I don't let my abilities hinder my excitement for creativity! It took me not even half an hour to paint and I had a great time. I'm thinking of adding a quote Casey likes to it, maybe in gold. Or maybe I'll just leave well enough alone. We shall see!

You can't post on The Redolent Mermaid without a little waxy action! This is my favorite warmer given to me by Julie <3 melting pink sugared lavender, I think. Don't hold me to that. Nonetheless, it smells like heaven! 

Until next time,

Lindsey

5 Sisters Crafternoon

A friend posted a fun Mom's Night In event recently on Facebook; the project was Mason jar pumpkins. Being unable to make it to this event, but still jonesing to make them, I asked all four of my sisters if they would like to come over and have a Sunday Crafternoon. Wrangling four 20-somethings with packed schedules was iffy, but thankfully they could all make it. Heather requested Butterbeer and I also whipped up a quick snack.

Thinly sliced baguette, brushed with olive oil and toasted. Top with proscuitto, thin sliced Granny Smith apple and a generous chunk of bleu cheese. If I have fresh chives on hand I usually add a tiny stalk on top.

Butterbeer! I use this recipe:

1 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

  In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.
Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.
To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

My beautiful sisters: Dawn, Lindsey, Heather, and Darby. Heather brought some snacks too and Darby brought a box full of CanDo Candle tarts for us to smell and share. Since I have never ordered from them I was eager to sniff and excited to have my sister school me on a vendor. For the record I grabbed Autumn Spice, Leaves and Cider Web (I think?). We laughed and cut up, only to be chastised by the littlest because we were being "too loud" and she could not hear her movie. They gracefully put up with my crotchety inability to hear people crunching on pita chips, and I discovered how each one is artistically gifted. We all started out with the same materials: Mason jars with lids, wooden knobs for stems, wire for vines, wooden leaves, and paint. We chose to spray paint the lids. Then we painted the inside of the jars. Even the kiddos joined in.

Here lies our beautiful pumpkin patch o' Mason jars. I love how they all turned out so differently! Dawn had the great idea of using battery powered tea lights to illuminate them.

Heather made these for her future mother-in-law and snapped this photo for Instagram (using with her permission) ;-) I love how they turned out, all glowing and mottled like mercury glass Jack O' Lanterns. This was my fun Fall Pinterest Project, made even sweeter by my sisters' presence. Have you been eyeing any fall recipes or crafts?