Beeswax Wraps for the Win
A
few moments on Pinterest looking at home-
made gifts is enough to make the craftiest of
us feel woefully inadequate. Pinterest is the
place where bloggers use Christmas fairy
dust to turn a pile of pinecones into a whimsi-
cal table centerpiece.
Where these bloggers get the fairy dust is
unclear, as no stores carry it locally. Amazon
also appears to be out.
A pile of pinecones, without it, remains a pile of pine-
cones.
“Pinterest fails,” they are called, and the internet is
littered with them.
Yet the holidays call for carefully made, locally
sourced, up-cycled goods. And so one has to search for an
easy, thoughtful item to make the holidays cheerier for
our friends and family.
Beeswax wraps have been tearing through Facebook
groups like wildfire, as an easy and eco-friendly way to
ditch Saran Wrap. Unlike plastic cling-wrap, they are
easy to use and won’t get stuck on themselves or cut your
fingers when you pull the wrap out. But beeswax wraps
are wicked expensive online, with a three-pack setting
you back $10-20.
After a couple of hours digging through Pinterest wins
and Pinterest fails, this seems like a project for even the
least crafty.
First stop, Mountain Rose Herbs, 152 W. 5th Avenue,
to purchase an ounce of beeswax (1 oz., $4), jojoba oil (4
oz., $14.75) and copal resin (1 oz., $2). Chat up the people
at the counter. They are very knowledgeable and can help
you with even more tips for the project.
Then stop at MECCA, 449 Willamette Street, to grab
some cotton fabric (or use your old sheets) to up-cycle
(suggested price of $1-3). While you are at MECCA, look
10 Eugene Weekly’s GIFT GUIDE 2018
at snagging a paintbrush you can use solely for this art
project. It is sticky and will ruin everything it touches.
This mix of natural products appears to be the best way
to get cling and decrease cracking in the wraps. While
most of the DIY recipes say to sprinkle the ingredients on
the freshly cut fabric and place them in the oven at 185
degrees, many complain that the cloth gets gloppy and
never properly mixes. Think mixing peanut butter and
goopy jelly after it’s already on the bread.
Instead, use a double boiler to heat the ingredients to
allow for proper mixing. Yes, it appears trickier but a
Pyrex bowl on top of a pot of boiling water will make the
process easier and make noobs feel badass.
Or, if you already have your badass badge, use the
double boiler you already own. Put the resin in first, as it
will take about an hour for the hard rocks to melt into a
consistency that can be mixed with the beeswax. Add
your jojoba and beeswax and mix until smooth.
Once the ingredients are properly mixed, paint a thin
layer of the mixture over your fabric pieces (for the sake
of clean up, use a cookie sheet lined with parchment
under the fabric). Place the wrap on the cookie sheet and
then into an oven set to 300 degrees, let sit for five min-
utes in the oven, and then flip the wrap and bake for
another five minutes. When finished, wave the wrap
around until the beeswax sets a bit and hang to dry com-
pletely.
To wash, use cool water and a gentle soap.
The beeswax wraps can be gifted in a box with a bow,
wrapped around cookies or other treats, or you can make
a quick sugar cookie recipe and wrap the dough log in the
beeswax wrap. The wraps will keep the dough fresh in the
freezer for up to three months.
#PinterestFail? Nope. #Winning.
A CRAFTY HOMEMADE GIFT
THAT WILL KEEP YOU OFF THE
#PINTERESTFAIL LIST
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY AMANDA SMITH
Ingredients
2 oz. beeswax
1 tbsp. copal resin
2 tbsps. jojoba oil
Cotton fabric cut to size (use pinking
shears to avoid fraying).
Place copal resin in double boiler, let
melt until liquid (about an hour).
Add jojoba oil and beeswax and mix
(use a popsicle stick to avoid ruining your
favorite spoon) should combine in 10-20
minutes.
Use a paintbrush to lightly cover fabric
with mixture.
Place cookie sheet with fabric on it in
the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes,
flip half way through.
Take the wrap out of the oven and pick
it up by corners, wave until the beeswax
has set up a bit, hang dry.
Clean with cool water and gentle soap.
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