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Creating and Blending Colors

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Colored CandlesDifferent shades can be achieved by mixing the primary colors red blue and yellow together. White can help you achieve a paler shade while black can darken your candle color.

To test your color, try putting a bit of the dyed wax on a paper towel and wait for it to dry. If it’s not dark enough or too light you can then adjust it before pouring. It’s hard to tell what the color will look like just by looking at your melted wax as some colors can appear quite clear while still in their liquid form.

    Overheating can affect the color of your dye and it’s also important to make sure you have no particles left floating around if using solid chips or blocks.

    Basic color mixing ideas:

    • Blue + Yellow= Green (the more yellow the lighter the green)
    • Yellow+Red= Orange
    • Blue+Red= Purple
    • Blue+Green=Turquoise/Teal

    Some people use liquid candle dyes and others use solid dye blocks or chips. I prefer the dye blocks and chips because they’re not as messy and I find it easier to be accurate with the amount I put in. One the other hand starting out with one bottle of red, blue and yellow liquid dye and experimenting that way with color mixes can be fun.

    Reddig-Glo has a handy booklet which I purchased for 3.99 but it’s probably cheaper in the US. They have tons of blending suggestions for their color chips and also include troubleshooting and special effects in candle making.

     

     

     

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    Reflecting on the Past Year with Kids

    I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

    Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

    There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

    • Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
    • NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
    • Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
    • The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

    Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

    And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

    [Photo: Mrs. Merry]