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Sparkly Valentine Gel Candle

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For this valentine candle I picked a pretty glass to pour the gel into. A wine or champagne glass would also work well.

You can figure out how much gel you need by simply comparing how much water it takes to fill the glass.

Then I inserted and centered the pre-tabbed zinc wick. You could use a little glue or wax to stick the wick to the bottom. Melting the gel took awhile, but it sure sets fast! I tried to keep it at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 C) because you’re not supposed to heat gel past 250 (121 C).

Before pouring the gel into the glass, I added the dye and shook some sparkles into it. If you wanted, you could also embed some ceramic or acrylic hearts into your valentine gel candle.

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New Year’s Resolutions for Cross Stitchers

As the year comes to a close, you might be thinking about things you want to do, or do differently, in your life in the next year, and your crafting life should definitely be part of whatever resolutions or goals you set.

I feel like one of the most common goals for crafters of all varieties, not just cross stitchers, is to be more organized. Earlier this year I shared a post about organizing cross stitch supplies, and in the vault you’ll find ideas for storing embroidery floss in particular, as well as this post about how one cross stitcher uses a Caboodles box to keep her projects contained.

You might also want to finish projects that you’ve started but abandoned in the past, or to let go of some things that you know you’ll never finish (if you need help decluttering your craft supplies, I’ve got an ebook to help!).

Making more time for your crafts is another good goal, and may be especially important if you’re trying to avoid the news or social media. Start small, with scheduling in an extra 10 or 15 minutes a day, or declare that after supper is craft time, or whatever you need to do to hold that time for yourself. Doing something like a 100 day project is an easy way to commit to working on a craft regularly.

Another resolution you might consider is learning new skills or trying more difficult projects. I’m guilty of staying in the beginner zone when it comes to cross stitch for a really long time, but writing about it here has inspired me to try bigger, more colorful and more difficult projects, which is the challenging kind of fun. If there’s a project you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid to try, make this coming year the time you do it.

And if you are still learning the basics of cross stitch, check out my learn to cross stitch guide over at Our Daily Craft.

Do you have a cross stitch related resolution or something you want to learn this year? I’d love to hear about it!