Courtesy of Google Images
Looking for some last minute gift ideas this holiday season? Well look no further. Here are some of my favorite, home-made gifts everyone will enjoy.
Tea Cup Candles: For this gift you will need a tea cup, wax you can melt down, candle wicks, and if you want the candle to have an aroma, add a liquid scent. Most of these items can be found at a craft store. First things first, melt down the wax in a pot, keep temperature at about 185 degrees. Next, hold the wick in place and pour the melted wax into the tea cup. Now be sure to not let the hot wax crack the cup. Allow wax to set for about one hour. Once this is finished, your candle is ready to be gifted! This gift idea is from marthatstewart.com
Bath Salts: The materials you will need for this gift are one bottle or jar, Epsom salts, food coloring, and essential oil. First, combine enough Epsom salts to fit in the bottle or jar with food coloring. Mix well so that all the color is even. Add an essential oil of your choice and mix again. Spread the mixture out on a sheet of wax paper so that it can dry for a couple hours and then put it in the bottle or jar.
- Courtesy of Google Images
The salts can be used right away, but the essential oil will blend better with the salt if it is allowed to set in the jar for a few weeks.
If these creative gift ideas don’t fit in with your busy schedule don’t fear, at Mesa Arts Center we have the MAC Store Artist Cooperative Gallery. Here you can find one-of-a-kind gifts you cannot find anywhere else. Plus, every purchase supports a local artist. Now there are no excuses not to give a gift this season, so get out there and spread that holiday cheer!
-Tara Kerege
Mesa Arts Center
Julie Richter
Sarah Moran
Billy Clayton
Collin Reed
Billy Jones
Sarah Wheeler
matthewbodkin
tarakerege
Oh, my gosh, the teacup candle is in a Colclough pattern of bone china from England! I have that set and many others too! Colclough china is now a collectible, most of the ones I bought on ebay years ago came from England, Australia, and Canada. The shipping usually cost more than the cup and saucer sets. I live in Mesa AZ.
My step-grandmother, Jo Lee Rodke, was an artist who taught at the “Art Barn” in Mesa before it burned down. She was active in the Mesa Art League and won many awards. I compiled a book about her life and art, the Mesa Room at the Main Library has files on Mesa Artists and it houses the archived scrapbooks of the Mesa Art League. I remember my grandmother having “one man (woman) shows” at the old location of the Main Library when it was on the south side of the street it is now on – there was a wonderful arched stairway to go upstairs. She would set her paintings up in the seating area in front of the check-out desk in front of the stairway.
I had book signings for the book about Jo Lee Rodke (Storm) at Shawnee Oklahoma where she taught Art and was very active in the Oklahoma Artists Association (which no longer exists), and at the Pinal Country Historical Society Museum in Florence Arizona where she and my grandfather were charter memberes. She taught school (5th grade and Home Economics) for several years (1956-59) at rural Kenilworth School which at that time was part of the Florence District but is now owned by the Coolidge District. Her art studio was at her home on Cactus Forest Road where she taught art classes privately, and through Central Arizona Community College (I think). She became quite well known for her desert landscapes in the central AZ area, especially for her beautiful Palo Verde Tree scenes.
Sometimes, you’re having a gift, but you don’t how to wrap it. In this situation, you can use different gift wrappers altogether or you can tie up the gift with red ribbon or some other color ribbons as presentation of gift is also important.