Teacup Candles

So I've seen this idea on Pinterest for weeks and I decided to FINALLY give it a try (after my brother made one). Making teacup candles is so easy, the only problem is finding the right ratio between scent and wax.

Step One: Assemble the ingredients!
What I used:
Soy Candle Wax (as filler)
Wax Melts (you can honestly just use this if you want, you don't really need the filler)
Candle Wick
Something to hold the wax in (in my case it was teacups!)
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if you plan on reusing your teacup to drink out of then do not use the hot glue gun and wick base. Just tie the wick to a safety pin (not a bobby pin, that ended up failing for me) and let it sit overnight.
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if you don't plan on reusing the teacup then get a wax holder and a hot glue gun.

NEXT STEP
If you don't have a boiler then make one yourself! A double boiler is easy to make, just get a pyrex (sp?) glass bowl (or really any bowl you can put in heat) and a pot with around a cup or two of water. Start put the oven on medium-high and then dump the wax in there. I ended up putting more scented wax than this because I wasn't getting a strong enough smell...you guys experiment with what you like



While the wax is melting, measure and cut the wick to your liking. Attach the wick to the metal base holder and hot glue it on to the bottom of your tea cup.

OK! So your wax should be melted, your wick should be attached and hot glued...now you need to pour the wax into the teacup!

Let it sit overnight (NOTE THAT YOU SHOULD KEEP AN EYE ON THE WICK, IT MIGHT START LEANING OVER TO ONE SIDE)

and voila...you have a teacup candle
Please let me know if they worked out for you :D

Tabata Workout #1

So those of you who know me, know that I LOVE HIIT. They're quick, super effective, burn fat and are a great cardio workout. My favorite HIIT are Tabata's!

Quick History Lesson: "If you do not know what Tabata is, I’ll explain a little bit about it. Tabata was founded in Japan by Izumi Tabata. He conducted tests on two groups of athletes; comparing moderate high intensity training with high intensity interval training.

The results were that the athletes training in high intensity interval training improved their aerobic systems as well as their anaerobic system. The athletes who did the moderate high intensity training only improved their aerobic system and had little to no increase in their anaerobic system." (stolen from this website)

Essentially when you do a tabata you do 20 seconds of intense training (as hard as you can) and then 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds.

Tabata Workout #1

I'll try and post various Tabata workouts that I come across or find particularly helpful. This one is inspired from a CrossFit workout (which I'm trying to get into). The reason I like this particular one is because it targets EVERY major muscle group, legs, chest, tris, abs and back. What you're going to do is

4 rounds of squats – 20 seconds per round and 10 seconds rest between each round
4 rounds of pushups – 20 seconds per round and 10 seconds rest between each round
4 rounds of sit ups – 20 seconds per round and 10 seconds rest between each round
4 rounds of pull ups – 20 seconds per round and 10 seconds rest between each round

in CrossFit it's called "Tabata This" and they do 8 rounds so if you want to try the CrossFit version, be my guest!

NOTE: if you don't have a way to do pull ups, substitute something else like jump rope, mountain climbers, high knees, etc.

So get off your chair and go try it out! Let me know if you like it :D

First Blog! How exciting!

So I'm starting a new blog, which tracks my own DIY attempts, plus any attempts my friends make. Hopefully this will be somewhat successful! If you want me to try anything in particular please let me know, and I'd be happy to give it a whirl.
BTW this is me and my roommate! She's French and SUPER cool (tres cool, if you will). She's pretty much the baker, so if you have any recipes you want us to experiment with we are taking requests :D