Dana Marie's Country Living Blog

Here are some fun Halloween candles I worked on this weekend. I used little plastic bones and glass bowls I found at the dollar store. They turned out super duper cute! When you're burning your new candle, as the wax starts melting, the bones float around a little, adding to the creepy effect. It's fun to do unique projects like this. You can make things that no one else has but you!  Happy Haunting! ~ Dana   Halloween Skeleton Candle Supplies candle wax a glass bowl 20 drops essential oil made for candles 3 pre-made candle wicks small decorative plastic bones coffee grounds image for the sign cardboard Mod Podge® hot glue gun double boiler Instructions 1 . Melt the candle wax in a double boiler. You can use whatever brand you like. I like organic soy wax because it burns nice and clean. Add the essential oil and remove from heat. 2 . Pour the wax into a glass bowl. Add the candle wicks right away. Be sure to use wicks made for candle-making. You may need something to support ...

Look how cute my latest project turned out! Little trick or treat pails made from cans. I made them out of my dogs' food cans, some paint, some cinnamon to make them look rusted and old, Mod Podge® and some printables I found on the Internet. Super cute fun project!! ~ Dana Little Trick-or-Treat Pails Supplies used tin cans acrylic paint ground cinnamon, etc. vintage labels Mod Podge® raffia tissue paper candy vintage tags Instructions 1 . First, remove the original labels from the cans and wash them thoroughly. Dog food cans are a nice size, but you can use whatever size you have. I run mine through the dishwasher.  2 . When the cans are clean and dry, paint them with whatever color you want and let dry. Usually they will need 2-3 coats of paint. 3 . Select some vintage images for your labels.  You can find them on Pinterest® by searching for "vintage Halloween printables" or "vintage Halloween labels." And you can buy them on Etsy here . For dog food-sized can...

I have a story about Babybel ®  cheese. Lately I have been buying the big packs to put in the lunches that I meal-prep for. I got to thinking about the wax. Could you melt the wax into a candle? I often bring Babybel ®  cheese to work with me and share it with the little girl I take care of. One day I said, "You know what? We should try making candles from this wax." Well it turned into a fun project, saving all the wax for a couple of weeks. Her parents even went out and bought some so we could get as many as possible. It helps to have some extras in case you need them for your jar size. On the big day, we melted the wax down in a double boiler and added cinnamon scent to it. Then we set a wick in the jar and poured the melted wax in. We let it set up for about an hour and voila! A pretty red candle that smells good. I thought I'd better look up what was in the wax of Babybel ®  cheese before we burned it. And what do you know - it's actually a thing scientists have ...

This is a fairy ~ gnome house I made!  It all started with a cardboard box. Everything else was found on a nice walk with the three-year-old I was taking care of during the week. I was her Nanny for a few years. She's all "grown up" now and in school, so I have moved on to another family. I did the work on building the house, and the garden was for her to create. We picked up sticks, rocks, and moss on our walk. The only cost was the hot glue. Your imagination can be endless making these. So much fun! ~ Dana   Fairy ~ Gnome House Supplies 2 cardboard boxes large, shallow box or tray sticks, rocks, moss, etc. figurines, small props, etc. box cutter / utility knife garden clippers / pruning shears hot glue gun Instructions 1 . Make the house structure by choosing a cardboard box of the size and shape desired for your house. This will be the walls, floor, and gables. Choose a side to serve as the front, and cut a front door and a window in the front box flap. You can cut win...

My watering can sprinkles light, not water! This garden art is easy to make. It's a perfect project for your spring and summer gardens. I like to bring it out in April and leave it up through the summer. Then I put it away until next year. It's a painted and distressed metal watering can with solar-powered fairy lights pulled through the spout - so much fun to watch them come on every evening. All you really have to do is get a metal watering can and string solar or battery-operated fairy lights through the spout. You may need to drill the sprinkler head hole so it's bigger for your lights to fit. Solar lights are nice, as they come on automatically each night. To dress it up, you can plant flowers in the top of the can, as well. ~ Dana Watering Can Lights Supplies a metal watering can spray paint for metal (opt.) sand paper, fine to medium grit (opt.) solar or battery-powered fairy lights drill if needed shepherd's hook stake (opt.) blooming plant (opt.) Instructions 1...

Do you want to know how to make the easiest herb drying rack ever? It doesn't cost a thing except for twine and it looks really nice!  First you need to find a long stick. Next wrap a bunch of twine around one end and string it out enough to reach the other end leaving enough in the middle to hang it with. Secure it to the other end of the stick, and hang it up. Now tie some twine around the stems of your herb bunches and hang each of them from the branch. Easy peasy!  I have always dried my herbs above the kitchen sink. Not only is it pretty but oh gosh, they make your kitchen smell so very nice! In the photo I have lavender, cinnamon basil, pineapple thyme, and rosemary.  I love it!! Dana ~ Easy Herb-Drying Rack Supplies a long stick or branch twine herb bunches Instructions 1 . Wrap twine around one end of the stick and secure it with a knot. String it out to the other end of the stick, leaving enough in the middle to hang it with. Wrap the twine around the other end o...

My name for these little wonders is Shower Fizzles! What you do is set them on the corner edge of your tub or on a shelf while you take a shower. It turns shower time into a spa experience! It smells amazing when the steam completely soaks into the tablet. It will bubble up and fizzle until it dissolves releasing the amazing aroma. You can throw them directly on the shower floor but if I have flowers in them I prefer to put one on a small dish in the corner of the tub. That way I don't have flower petals going down my drain.  I made these lavender because I have a bunch growing in my yard so I have lots of lavender around. It's such a relaxing experience right before bedtime.  Lavender Shower Fizzles Ingredients 4 cups baking soda 2 cups citric acid approximately 3/4 to 1 cup witch hazel approximately 60 drops of lavender essential oil Instructions 1 . Add the baking soda and citric acid to a large bowl. Then using a large sifter, sift the mixture into another large bowl. That...

I made these adorable Spring planters out of my dogs' food cans, some paint, some instant coffee and cinnamon to make them look rusted and old, Mod Podge® and some printables I found on the Internet. I placed rocks in the bottoms of the cans for drainage, dug up some pansies from my garden, then added potting soil to plant the pansies in. Now I have these sweet little planters for just pennies. Once the cans are made, you can use them for whatever you wish. I made mine Spring themed because of what time of year it is, but you can make them for all the seasons. My next project is to come up with some herb labels and plant herbs to go on my kitchen window sill.     Tin Can Planters Supplies used tin cans acrylic paint sandpaper (optional) Elmer's® glue instant coffee powder ground cinnamon vintage labels Mod Podge® pebbles potting soil Instructions 1 . First, remove the original labels from the cans and wash them thoroughly. Dog food cans are a nice size, but you can use whateve...