Rustic Upholstered Pillar Candles

I needed a bunch of pillar candles for centerpieces for a rustic event setting. So, I got some burlap fabric from the store, and a couple of colors of grosgrain ribbons to match my theme. I took out my hot glue gun*, put down some newspaper, and precut the burlap strips and ribbons. Then, I just hot glued the layers. I did all the burlap wraps, putting a bead of glue on the burlap at the beginning and the end; laying the candle on its side and rolling it onto the strip. Be sure to do it tightly, so they don't want to slip off when cooled. Also, adjust and even everything up while glue is still warm and malleable. Then, let them stand and cool. Next, I did all the first color of ribbon, then let them cool. Then, I did all the second layer of ribbon and let them cool. I am considering adding an embellishment over the overlaps. But you don't need to, the flaws add to the charm. I didn't do it alone; I had two people working with me and together we were able to do 23 candles in under an hour.  Alone, I probably would have gotten into a groove and still finished pretty fast.

*cautionary note: Hot glue gun and melted glue is very hot. Use caution and uncommon sense with these tools and products.

Nothing fancy, Just a little moss growing experiment

 I watched a show once and their feature was on how to make moss grow in selected locations. While at my family's cabin i decided to try it out. I walked the old familiar trails of my childhood, in search of some already grown and thriving moss patches to take home with me.

 

This isn't the prettiest chunk i could have dug up, but for an experiment it would work perfectly. 

I then assembled my necessary tools;

• A blender
• Some bricks
• Plain yogurt, a beer, or buttermilk
• A glass of water
• A dish pan

There are several different ways to cultivate moss. I chose to pull the moss from the dirt, throw it in the blender, and puree it with a few scoops of watered down yogurt (moss thrives on highly acidic areas, and the yogurt provides that acidity).

 

I read that some people paint on their mixture, and some pour it. I chose to pour. Mine may have been too thick, it was almost a chocolate milkshake consistency. 

 

It has been raining for the past two days, so my moss is incubating in my spare bedroom with the door shut. This is not strongly recommended. Within the first two days it started to grow white mold, which is to be expected, and when the rain stops I'll move it to the back of my house where it will thrive under the boat, or I'll put it under my front steps. Avoid direct light, as moss is used to shade and will dry up quickly in the sun. Within 4-6 weeks i should have a thriving set of brick moss!!

So, just to update: 

My moss experiment was a total FLOP. I did however manage to cultivate some fuzzy white mold. I think the cold blast we had a few days after the trial killed the possible moss growth. we will have to try again using a different recipe.

*EDIT*

Well i gave it its go. If i had had time to spray it every day it probably would have been successful, but doing it indoors can leave a funky smell in the room. I suggest doing it outside.