CREATIVE CRAFTING

Posts Tagged ‘Pumpkins’

Nothing warms up a home during the holidays than candles.  Something about the warm glow and fragrance that makes one feel relaxed and content after a busy day of shopping or getting home from work.

Using small winter squash as molds creates graceful shapes for these candles, and they can be made at home quite easily. Choose various colors of tablets to represent the range of harvest tones.

Materials and Tools:

• acorn and hubbard squash (and others, if available)
• beeswax or regular paraffin candle wax (allow about 1/2 lb. for each candle)
• yellow, orange, coral and/or purple wax color tablets
• candle wicks
• wick tips
• melon baller
• double boiler

Steps:

1. Cut off the tops of the squash and hollow out the insides. (For hubbard squash, scrape out the seeds with a large spoon. For acorn squash, use the melon baller to scoop out the flesh, following the natural grooves of the squash, making the grooves as deep as possible, and smoothing them with the back of a spoon.)

2. Melt the wax in the top part of the double boiler over–not in–boiling water.

3. As the wax melts, add color tablets. If you want to make different colored candles, melt the wax in batches, adding various color tablets each time.

4. Meanwhile, cut lengths of wick a few inches longer than the squash are tall. Attach the wick tabs to the wicks.

I recently returned from a short visit to Pennsylvania. While there I noticed in a magazine these pumpkins. So naturally (for me anyway) I looked them up when I got home. I decided to try it and it was not only fun, but easy and fast. I used acrylic paints that I had on hand. I put them out on my porch yesterday, and the neighbors love them! Give it a try and see if you agree!

Give orange a rest -- a coat of blue paint makes no-carve pumpkins jump out of the shadows.