The Simple Candle Wax Trick That Takes The Hassle Out Of Holiday Decorating
If there is one seasonal craft that every DIY lover simultaneously loves and dreads, it's making a cute holiday garland. While threading colorful cranberries, rustic popcorn, or delicate dried orange slices can be relaxing and fun, the process of stringing them is tedious and often even frustrating. The instant that your twine hits the dry rough edge of whatever you're working with, it snags and frays, making it nearly impossible to push through the next slice. But thanks to a short TikTok clip (from user heatherkpurdy), you can ditch the frustration and trade it in for efficiency with one of the cleverest tricks you're likely to see: Using candle wax to harden the end of your string to make it easier to push through.
This simple, game-changing solution will instantly transform your orange slice garland crafting experience and hopefully speed up how long it takes you to make these decorations. To do it, light a neutral-colored candle and let a small pool of liquid wax gather. Then, take roughly a half to a full inch at the end of your twine or thread and gently dip it directly into the molten wax. Carefully pull it out, pinch the tip if necessary to form a point, and let it cool for just a minute or two. The wax stiffens the string. It creates a hardened temporary point that's surprisingly sturdy, just like an aglet (the plastic bit at the end of your shoelace). This stiffened point is a quick fix for fraying fabric and makes it super easy to slide through whatever you're making a garland out of without much friction.
How to apply wax to your thread for garland making
While this viral technique works beautifully on stringing up notoriously delicate orange slices (which offer an easy, natural touch for holiday DIYs), it might also help speed up making your other strung DIY decorations. And maximizing your crafting speed while minimizing your holiday stress is everyone's holiday goal, right? This hack could be a great choice for smoothly handling the most delicate and snag-prone items, like crisp bay leaves or the famously friction-heavy cranberries (although you might need to re-dip your thread every so often to keep things moving smoothly).
@heatherkpurdy Quick and easy hack for your orange slice garland! #christmascrafts #cottagecore #whimsicalchristmas #crafttok
To make the most of this clever approach, use natural and slightly porous strings like cotton butcher's twine, thick embroidery floss, or natural jute. Why? These materials tend to absorb the wax way better to create a firmer tip than slick synthetic threads. A small word of caution: Since this hack involves hot wax (and open flames), always supervise children closely during the project and make sure their hot wax has sufficiently cooled before they handle it. Then, once your beautiful orange slice garland is complete or you've strung the orange slices to keep your cat away from the Christmas tree, just snip off the hardened wax tip, and it's ready for display. This genius, simple hack turns one of the most tedious holiday tasks into a smooth and joyful endeavor and makes sure you'll spend more time enjoying your decorations than making them.