Lifestyle – Page 13

DIY Twisty Ghost Candles

Posted on September 26, 2022February 23, 2025 by Whimsically Angie

Shaping store-bought tapered candles with warm water is a useful technique if you want to customize their appearance. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Materials You’ll Need:

Store-bought tapered candles
Warm water
Heat-resistant container or bowl
Heat-resistant gloves (optional)
Paint Marker

Instructions:

Prepare Your Work Area:
- Set up a clean and organized workspace. Lay down newspapers or a plastic tablecloth to catch any wax drips.
Select Your Candles:
- Choose the store-bought tapered candles that you want to reshape. Be sure they are clean and free of any dust or debris.
Heat the Water:
- Warm up a container or bowl of water to a temperature that is not too hot to touch but warm enough to soften the wax. You can use hot tap water for this purpose. You may need to warm water on the stove, depending on your water heater settings. Do not use boiling hot water because that will melt the candle too fast and make it hard to work with.
Soak the Candle:
- Submerge the candle for 10-15 minutes in warm water.
Shape the Candle:
- Replace the hot water with fresh hot water and start bending your candles slowly. You can create curves, twists, or other unique designs. Be cautious not to apply too much force to avoid cracking or breaking the candle.
Hold the Shape:
- While maintaining the desired shape, hold the candle upright for a minute or two to allow the wax to cool and harden in the new shape.
Repeat as Needed:
- If you want to reshape other parts of the candle or make further adjustments, repeat the process by dipping and shaping one section at a time.
Trim the Wick:
- After you’ve achieved the desired shape, trim the wick at the top of the candle to your preferred length.
Let the Candle Cool:
- Allow the reshaped candle to cool and harden completely at room temperature.
Light and Enjoy:
- Once the candle has cooled and solidified in its new shape, it’s ready to be lit and enjoyed! Remember to consider how the shape of your candle will affect how it drips and plan to accommodate the hot wax accordingly.

Shaping store-bought tapered candles with warm water is a creative way to give them a unique and customized appearance, allowing you to match them to your specific decor or event theme. Just remember to exercise caution when working with hot water and warm wax to avoid burns or injuries.

Lifestyle

A note on life and love

Posted on March 23, 2022February 23, 2025 by Whimsically Angie

To my children,

𝓐𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓑𝓮 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽…

with yourself and with others. Even when it’s not easy, being honest will save you a lot of time and heartache.

𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼…

focus your energy on the good things. They’ll always outweigh the bad in the end.

𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓽.

Grudges only make your heart heavy. Let it go, and let God handle the rest.

𝓑𝓮 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓭.

This world can be cruel, but you should always choose kindness. Be the light in the darkness.

𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽 𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓐𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻.

Be gentle with each other when life is hitting hard. We are only human.

𝓚𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓮𝓼.

If you say you’re going to do something, do it. You’re only as good as your word.

𝓑𝓮 𝓣𝓻𝓾𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓔𝓪𝓬𝓱 𝓞𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻.

Be genuine and be loyal. Be each other’s biggest advocate and truest friend.

𝓑𝓮 𝓢𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮.

Your brothers victory is your victory. Help each other climb those mountains and conquer those dreams.

𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓐𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻

Love makes life worth living. You may not always agree, but look at each other through loving eyes because love conquers all.

Lifestyle, Mom Life

Sensory Play

Posted on February 23, 2022February 23, 2025 by Whimsically Angie

What is sensory play? “Sensory play is the exploration of the world through any of the 5 senses: touch; smell; sight; hearing and taste.” Sensory activities are designed to help children develop thinking, language, social-emotional, and physical skills. Sensory play also encourages children to problem-solve while they create, play, and explore.

Sensory play does not have to be complicated. There is a plethora of accounts on Instagram dedicated to sensory play. You can also search “sensory play” on Pinterest for a bounty of creative ideas.

Sensory Play Ideas

Rice Table

Rice tables are a fun activity to begin developing baby’s sense of touch. Fill any medium-sized storage container with uncooked rice. Make sure it’s big enough to add cups or bottles for baby to scoop the rice.

You can also use foods like pasta, or beans; along with spoons and scoops. It’s also fun to bury small toys for baby to discover.

Sensory Bottles

Fill an empty water bottle with small things that are visually interesting. You can use items like marbles, beads, pipe cleaners, glitter, sequins, etc. Anything small and colorful will work for this. Add water and use non-toxic glue to secure the cap back on to ensure spill-free play.

Alternatively, you can mix clear glue with the water to create a sort of “calming bottle.” Add a few drops of food dye and a bit of glitter before gluing the lid shut. Your baby can shake the bottle and watch the glitter resettle more slowly.

Make Musical Instruments

Children tend to enjoy crafting their very own musical instruments. With a little assistance, kids can create a variety of instruments with things found around the house.

It’s pretty simple to put together paper-cup maracas or a tissue-box guitar. All you need are some rubber bands and a box, or cup, and something to fill the maracas with. You can play around with the different sounds things like rice, beans, or even small pebbles make in your maracas.

Ice & Water

Teach your baby about temperature safely with a little bit of water and some frozen miniature toys. Trying to grasp the ice cubes and toys will also help with their hand-eye coordination.

Freeze small toys (like action figures or blocks) into ice and let your baby explore the cold sensation with their hands–(and probably their mouth too, so watch them carefully; and, don’t use anything too small for baby). You can also provide baby-safe things to chip the ice with and warmer water to contrast the cold, and melt the ice.

Play-doh

There are plenty of recipes for making your own dough at home. You can even add color or scents to any recipe.

However, if you don’t want to make your own sensory dough, you can buy play dough almost anywhere. Let baby roll, slice, and chop away the time. Play dough’s squishy consistency is great for working on those fine motor skills. Pounding and rolling is also a great way to let out a little extra energy.

Note: Never leave baby unsupervised when participating in sensory play.