Not Just Christmas Wreath Makers

The History of the Wreath

Diane — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:21:13 +0000

In the history of the wreath, the word Wreath comes from the Old English word, Writhen, which means to writhe or twist. The history of the wreath notes that ancient Romans and Greeks used wreaths of evergreens to adorn the head of Olympic athletes, kings and heroes. Soon they began embellishing the wreaths and garlands with precious metals and jewels. This became the first crown. The word crown, or corona, itself means wreath or garland. Today, in addition to the history of the wreath, wreaths are decorated with a huge array of sparkling wreath decorations and fancy wired ribbon. Evergreen plants such as ivy, pine, mistletoe and holly, which even bare fruit in the winter months, have been used to make wreaths for decades because they have always been known to symbolize the hope of new life. The circle shape of the wreath itself symbolizes eternity, and is used in the bible as a symbol of joy and honor. The history of the wreath also notes that people began using the wreath as a door hanging somewhere in the 15^th century. People would exchange holly sprigs as a token of good will for the upcoming New Year.

During the 19^th century, the history of the wreath includes that evergreen boughs were formed into wreaths and pillows to adorn the graves of dead loved ones during early winter months. They were later brought home and used to decorate the home for the holidays. Today many people decorate the outside of their homes with fresh pine wreaths and garlands. Many are decorated with ornaments, decorations and ribbon. Outdoor lights and outdoor decorations are also added.

Because of the shortage of evergreens in the countryside in the early 1900’s, artificial evergreen products were made to keep from endangering our nature. In the early 1900’s plastic was primarily used to make berries and greens, but by 1960, new materials hit the market such as silk and vinyl and allowed the products to have a much more life like look and feel. This was a nice addition to be able to add fresh looking artificial wreaths and artificial Christmas trees to the homes interior without having to worry about drying out and fire hazard.

Today many people decorate their wreaths, whether real or artificial, with fantastic decorations, ornaments, ribbon, and lights. No matter how you decorate your wreath for the holiday, it still symbolizes faith and the continuous circle of the wreath still symbolizes the eternity and love our God placed before us on that first Christmas night with the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ. May your holidays find you and your family blessed.

The History Of Candles

Diane — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:21:07 +0000

Candles today are used to create warmth, scent and ambiance in our homes.
There was a time quite long ago when candles were a necessity for lighting the darkness.
The first mention of candles in the bible was as early as the 10th century BCE. Clay candle holders found
in Egypt date back to 400 BC. The candles were then made from sticking wicks into containers filled with
flammable material.
It has also been noted that the ancient Egiptians used rushlights or torches, made by soaking the core of
reeds in molten tallow. This type of candle had no wick. It was the Romans who are credited with developing
the first wick candle.

Candles 500 BCE

The Egyptians and the Roman’s gathered tallow from cattle or sheep suet as their main ingrediants in candles.
Since tallow was cheap and easily available, Tallow candles were widely used for many centuries.

It is said that the Romans used candles during the Saturnalia festial. During the festival, tall papers of wax were offered to Saturn (an angel of God).

The Chinese made candles from whale fat.
In India, they used the wax from boiling cinnamon for candles in their temples.
Japanese candles were made from extracting wax from nut trees.
In the first century AD, the indigenous people from the region between Oregon and Alaska used a fish called
the eulachon or “candlefish”, which is a type of smelt.

The oil from this fish was used, or a candle could be made by putting the dried fish on a stick and lighting it.

Tallow was still used during the first century AD, however the tallow was smoky and oderous. In the early 1500’s
the beeswax was introduced as an alternative, however, beeswax was more difficult to obtain. Since beeswax
was difficult to obtain and costly, beeswax candles were used almost exclusively by the wealthy, upper class
and the Church.

With Christianity becoming more widespread, the custom of placing candles in the window began
to be popular. The Irish Christians believed that placing a candle near a window on Christmas Eve would guide
the Christ Child as he wondered from house to house. The people of Europe have kept this tradition going.

Early colonial women made their first contribution to candlemaking by boiling the berries of the bayberry bush
to produce a sweet smelling, clean burning wax. This didn’t last long, as the task of extracting the wax from
the bayberries was tedious and the use of the bayberry candle diminished.

Bayberry Candle

In the 18th century, candlemakers began to use sperm whale oil to make candles because it was clean burning
and low on oder like beeswax. They also found that it was harder than beeswax and withstood the summer
heat better.
In the Victorian period, candles were being placed on the Christmas Tree as a symbol of the star which guided the
three wise men to the dwelling of Jesus. In 1890 candle holders were used for only one
year to hold the candles to the tree. Before that, melted wax was used or the candles were pinned to the tree.

In 1834, Joseph Morgan introduced a candlemaking machine that used a cylinder with a movable piston that
ejected the candles as they hardened.
In 1850, paraffin wax was made from oil and coal shales. It was processed by distilling residue after crude
petroleum was refined. Paraffin was found to burn clean with no oder, and the cost was very economical.
The only threat to paraffins popularity was its low melting point. By the end of the 19th century, stearic acid
was being produced and most candles consisted of paraffin and stearic acid.
Soon the devastation would begin in the candle industry.

The distillation of kerosene would hurt the
candle industry because it made an excellent fuel for lamps. In 1879, the introductin of the light bulb caused
the candlemaking profession to decline until the turn of the century when there was a renewed popularity for
candles. Candlemaking was enhanced during the first half of the 20th century due to the growth of the U.S.
oil and meatpacking industries. Several meat packing and oil producing companies also had candle businesses.
In 1829, Price’s Candles, William Wilson, made candles from coconut oil and later he tried palm oil. In 1854,
Williams brother George distilled the first petrolium oil. In 1919, Price’s Candles was purhased by Lever Brothers.
In 1922, Candles Ltd was created. By 1991, the last remaining owner of Candles ltd was sold off by Shell Oil
Company.
Today, candles have become more of a decorative item. Candles are now available in a broad variety of sizes,
shapes and colors. During the 1990’s a new type of candle wax was being developed due to an unusual demand
for candles. Soybean wax, which was softer and slower burning than paraffin, has become popular.
Candles are used today to warm our hearts with alluring scents of rememberance and romance. They are
also used as symbolic in celebrations. Candles are used in weddings to define ceremony and in our homes to
accent decor. Candles are even popular to light paths for outdoor parties. In fact, I can’t think of a single
reason not to use candles every day!!

How To Make Gel Candles

Diane — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:05:55 +0000

Candles are a lovely way to add the right atmosphere to any occasion. Candles also make wonderful, thoughtful gifts any time of the year. There is no denial that a “personal” touch expresses more sincerity for the receiver. Your creativity plus a few tips from us would make that special occasion or special person feel extra special because of your own custom gel candles.

1. Prepare the following materials:

Ceramic containers like mugs or any fancy-shaped figurine that could hold the candle wax when melted and cooled. Glasses are also great. Find a container that would best hold into form the candle you have in mind. Make sure that you will be using non-flammable containers. Use glass if available, they could show the gel.
Gel wax – For the gel, cut the gel wax into small parts or cubes and place it into a container and heat it up. Make sure that the heat is not too hot or too cold. 200 Fahrenheit could make it melt well.
Candle wicks – Plan to have the wick like about 1.5 inches from the sides.
Pencils – To wrap the wick around to hold it at the top of your container.
Pot (for melting wax)
Candle scent and color (non alcohol-base)
Sharp scissors

2. With the use of a pencil, twine the wick around it but leave some of the wick free so it will reach the bottom part of the candle container. It must be straight down the center of the container. You can dribble a bit of hot glue in the bottom of the container you are using to hold the wick in place as you are pouring the wax.

3. Melt the wax by cutting it into cubes first to make melting easier. Make sure that the heat is not too hot or too cold. 200 degrees Fahrenheit is a good temperature to use. Maintain the advised temperature until the wax is completely melted and turned into a smooth, thick liquid.

4. Add color and scent but make sure that they will not make the wax cloudy. Be sure to use only non alcohol based color and scent. Ignore the use of water-based and paste dyes as a combination. They do not complement each others components.

5. After the wax is melted, pour the gel wax into the container you have prepared. Make it a point to preheat the container to 150 degrees if possible. This will minimize the presence of bubbles that may ruin the form of the finished product. At this time, you could also add some things inside the gel like glitter, small ornaments, beads, and other items that would withstand the heat of the wax. Be sure to place these items in layers if you want them spread throughout the candle.

6. Check that the wick is in the center of the container.

7. Let the candle cool down for 3-4 hours.

8. Trim the wick to ¼ of its total length.

9. You could tie a ribbon around it or stick a piece of fancy paper with a special message or a mini-picture of the receiver.

As you follow these quick and easy steps, you could unravel both the artist and entrepreneur in you. This way of preparing gifts would tickle your resourcefulness and creativity. Moreover, it may be an initiation of your new business specializing in candles. They are making it big on the market today.

Decorating Your Dinner Table

Diane — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:21:01 +0000

Decorating your Christmas Table can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want. If you are going to shop for items to use on your dinner table,
be sure to set a budget. Even better, if you want to find bargins, either shop early or shop after Christmas for clearance sales.

1) To begin with, unless you have a really beautiful table top, you are going to want to find a table cloth. You can either purchase one already
made to fit your table, or you can purchase fabric and make your own. It really is quite simple.

Measure the length of your table and add the amount you want for an overhang plus 1″ for seam allowance. Also measure width.
Most fabrics come in widths of anywhere from 32″ to 60″.
See a fabric size conversion chart

Click here for more information on making your own table cloth.

2) The next items you will want are dinnerware, flatware (silverware), and stemware.

Dinnerware: There are tons of choices for holiday dinnerware on the market.
You could choose a holiday pattern like these from Lenox:

View Seasonal Dinnerware
View Standard Dinnerware

Be careful though if you choose to use a pattern that you don’t make the table too busy or gaudy. With patterned dinnerware, you could keep the table cloth and napkins plain and keep the decorations to a minimum.
You could also choose a plane pattern in a color that match your table.

Flatware or silverware: Flatware will also be an important part of your dinner table. Again, there are many choices on the market for
flatware.
Below are just a few.

View Flatware Here

Napkins and Napkin Rings: Here is a link to a great website called storybookwoods that teaches you how to make napkins into recipes that your dinner guests can keep. Also BHG on You Tube has some great videos on how to fold napkins.

Folding a Tree Napkin

Folding a Showflake Napkin

This Napkin Folding Guide gives you step by step picture instructions for many different ways to fold napkins.
View Cloth Napkins Here
View Napkin Rings Here

Stemware: Stemware comes in as many shapes and sizes as you could possibly imagine. Listed below are just a few of the thousands of choices out there.

View Stemware

Something that intriques me greatly is the use of recycled glass for stemware. In a world where “Going Green” is a household word,
using 100% recycled glass stemware just makes sense.

100% Recycled Glass Stemware

Of course using what you have is always an option. Just be sure to match your table cloth, napkins and decorations to your dishes if
they are patterned or a certian color. Now days it is easy to find Christmas decorations in every color.

3) Now we get down to the fun part…adding decorations…I have included several links here that will give you some ideas on how to put everything together.
Ribbon and Bows are a beautiful way to add warmth, color and sparkle to your holiday table.
Bows are easy to make once you know how.

Bows can be added to the back of each of your chairs.

If you are using folding chairs, you can also add some fabric and cushions to the chairs to add comfort and beauty. This can also be done if you are using unmatched chairs at your table.

Or you could just leave your chairs unmatched for a little country charm

Jars of all shapes and sizes are beautiful when filled with your favorite christmas decorations in colors to match your table.

Real pine centerpeices are beautiful to use on your Christmas Dinner table.

Though the real pine centerpeices are beautiful, there are a couple of words of warning:

Be sure that your guests do not have alergies to pine as pine can have a strong scent, especially when it has become warm.
Be sure that you keep water in your centerpeice. There is floral foam in the center which absorbs water to keep each stem wet.
It is a good idea, if you purchase your real pine center peices early in the season, that you try to keep them in a cool place, at least part of the time.
The idea is that you have a fresh, beautiful, decoration on your table the day of your dinner party.

Candles are a great way to add warmth and sparkle to you table. Place candles on mirrors for extra brilliance.

Add metalic garland around the table or use the packaged metalic icecycles to create even more shimmer.

Watch this great video for some real inspiration.

See More Table Top Decorating

Music

Diane — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:45:27 +0000

“I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas”…You gotta love this one by Bing Crosby. Please feel free to post your favorites in the comment section below. I am always looking for an awsome Christmas tune or album.

Christmas Journey

Diane — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:16:18 +0000

Christmas Jug Band

Diane — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:13:25 +0000

Christmas In Detroit

Diane — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:09:36 +0000

Christmas Baking

Diane — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:37:59 +0000

I sure do like those Christmas Cookies Baby!!! Here you will find information and how to videos on baking all of those yummy holiday treats!!

Christmas Dinner

Diane — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:36:11 +0000

Find here information about what to cook for Christmas Dinner with recipes and how to information.