BEESWAX ORNAMENTS
Here's what you'll need to get started....a Mold, Beeswax, vegetable oil,
butter knife, microwave oven and bowl; or stove top, a pan and a tin can.
Chill your molds in the refrigerator (not freezer) for 20 minutes.
Microwave Instructions: Put wax in a microwave safe bowl with a pouring
spout and place in microwave oven.  Set oven to medium and warm until
beeswax has just melted.
Stove Top:Put wax in a tin can, pinch a spout and place in pan of water
over medium heat.  Heat until just melted.  (Note: Do not heat beeswax
directly over burner as it is flammable.  If wax catches fire, cover flames
with a lid to cut off oxygen.)
Do not overheat beeswax, as it will become brittle and will not release
easily from the mold.  Allow the wax to cool a bit, but not so much that it
starts to harden around the edges of the container.
Remove molds from the refrigerator and set on a level surface.  LIghtly
coat with vegetable oil.  Pour melted wax into each mold and set aside to
cool for several minutes.  The wax will shrink slightly as it cools and
will be easy to remove from the molds.
(If the wax does not release easily from the mold, put in the freezer for
several minutes and try again.)  Trim with a warm knife if needed.
Painting: Wipe your ornaments with a paper towel to remove oil.  Apply a
coat of acrylic paint, thinning with Acrylic Gloss Medium if paint is too
thick.  The first coat of paint may not cover perfectly, though it will
form a ground for the next coat.  Let the paint dry before adding a second
coat.  To add touches of gold or silver paint, choose paints that are water
based and opaque for best results.
For an antique look, paint with Brown Bag Crackle Paint* and acrylics.
This two step process begins with a base coat of Crackle Paint, followed by
a top coat of acrylic paint.  It's quick and easy to do.
Ribbons: Cut ribbons to desired length.  Being careful not to burn
yourself, hear the blade of a butter knife in boiling water.  Press the hot
knife into the back of  your Ornament to melt the surface of the wax for
ribbon placement.  Quickly position the ribbons, then press them into the
back of the Ornament with the hot knife.
*Look for Brown Bag Cookie Art* Pure Beeswax and Crackle Paint wherever you
purchased your mold.
Lee Ann Hamm / E-mail Addy:  lee.ann.hamm@clickers.org
            http://www.premier.net/~lhamm
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 þ SLMR 2.1a þ "The Preds will have picked up this signal" Rhinox, B.W.
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