A DIY project that gives you two presents in one.

This little DIY tale starts off with a little suitcase found at a garage sale. I picked out the suitcase because of its tattered appearance and would have bought it empty. To my surprise, it was filled with someone’s old leather crafts; straps of leather and metal tools with projects started but not finished. “Love at first sight,” my heart sang. I paid a few bucks and took it home. There I enlisted help from my two best friends and this is what we made.

With the holidays around the corner, this is the rare kind of perfect project that will make your friends and family feel special. It’s two presents in one: the leather candle wrap can be worn as a bracelet when the candle melts down.

Let me show you how it’s done.

The suitcase had some letter stamping tools along with the leather. If you don’t run across a kit at a garage sale, don’t despair; you can purchase these items online.

First, stamp the word you would like onto the leather. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bit crooked; as grandparents say, “it adds character.” Then rub a bit of shoe polish on it so the words stand out. We tried rubbing gold paint on one and turned out fantastic.

Punch holes on the sides and string a leather strap onto it. (Also available online.)

Next we adorned the leather with some beads and feathers raided from an old pair of earrings.

Don’t you love?

One more idea for you. When your candle has been used up, try recycling it into another candle.

Shave off the dirt with a kitchen peeler or just cut it off. Melt your candles in the microwave on a microwave safe dish. I put it on high two minutes at a time. Put a wick in a carved out pumpkin and pour in the melted wax.

Simply lovely.

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