Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

Upcoming Candle Retreat at Village Craft and Candle

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Candles

Village Craft and Candle is holding their annual candle retreat from Saturday, April 30 to Sunday, May 1, 2011 in St. Mary’s Ontario.

On Saturday you’ll learn how to make votives, blend colours and mix fragrances. They’ll also explore packaging ideas and soy candles.  (Candle photo by Nerry Burg)

The afternoon is all about making cookies, ice cream and cinnamon bun candles. They encourage you to come just to explore this fun hobby or to help expand your candle making business.

Sunday sounds fun because they’ll be making hippie candles and hurricanes. In the afternoon you’ll get lotions, bath salts and warming foot oil. All supplies, instruction booklet, refreshments and lunch are provided.

Village Craft and Candle is my favourite Canadian place to purchase candle supplies because they have an extensive variety of products to choose from and their prices are reasonable. They’re also always very friendly and helpful if you ever have any questions.

Have you read?

Mini Pumpkins and Jack o’Lanterns to Cross Stitch

I just can’t resist sharing a few more Halloween cross stitch patterns when they are as cute and quick to stitch as these!

This boo cross stitch from Luzatolye was the first little Halloween cross stitch pattern to catch my eye. I love the pumpkin Os! At just 23 by 8 stitches and using four colors, you can stitch it up in no time. On 14 count fabric it measures 1.6 by.5 inches, or about 4 by 1.27 cm. 

Another cutie from the same designer is this jack o’lantern with a witch hat. Another four-color project, this one is 14 by 18 stitches, which is an inch by just a little more than an inch, or around 3 cm square, worked on 14 count fabric. 

If you like your minis a little bit bigger, this jack o’lantern with leaves is from White Protea Art and measures 47 by 28 stitches. That comes out to 3.4 by 2 inches, or 8.5 by 5.1 cm, when stitches on 14 count fabric. It uses nine colors. 

Or there’s also this little cutie from that same designer. I love the little leaf on top of the pumpkin. At 33 by 36 stitches, it comes out to 2.4 by 2.6 inches, or 6 by 6.5 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric. I think it uses around eight colors. 

Template Love Create also has two mini jack o’lantern cross stitch patterns that I like (I swear I didn’t plan to do two from each of the same designers, it’s just the whimsy of an Etsy search!). There’s one that is more round and one that’s oblong, which I like because it’s different from most of the pumpkin patterns you see. The pattern listings say both are six colors (though they look like four to me) and 28 by 28 stitches, but I don’t think that can be true. Either way they both fit in a 3 inch hoop and would be a super cute little addition to your Halloween decor.