TARDIS Coin Bank

For this round of Iron Craft we were challenged to make something London themed since the Olympics just started in England.

I came up with a few ideas but really wasn't feeling the desire to create these ideas.

Finally about a week in I mentioned to my husband that I needed to make something England themed. He said, "How about something Dr. Who?"

At first I wasn't sure but I thought about it and decided on something great.

A TARDIS coin bank!

I drew on wood what I wanted and hubby cut it out for me.

I then attached all the box pieces, except the lid, and painted blue.

That was the easy part. 

Next came the detailed paint.

Based off the TARDIS used in the Dr. Who episodes with David Tennant I very carefully marked out the details of the outside look.

For the lid I attached two pieces of wood and had hubby cut out the coin slot.

I also had him drill a hole in the middle and he wired up a blinking LED light.

A quick video to show the blinking light: Pretty Blinking Light

I attached the top via a small hinge so that the money can be easily accessed (no smashing this piggy bank!).

Everything has a layer of protective gloss spray on it.

The one edit I made was I skipped writing a couple of the lines on the sign on the front of the door. I wrote what I could, that sign is under an inch square!

Each side has the windows and detail like it should.

Now I'm thinking I should make another as a treat/goody holder. What could be better then a TARDIS filled with little candies?! 



My entry into The DIY Dreamer... From Dream To Reality sponsored by Appliances Online and their best Range Cookers.

Recently on Etsy

If you want something unique and great, then handmade is the way to go.

Besides, we support millionaire corporations enough already, sometimes it's good to support "the little guy".

So recently I got a few things off Etsy and wanted to share some of the neat stuff I got.

First from Solo Flair I got an adorable bookmark, with a quote from "The Wizard of Oz". Beyond these she has many other things. Octopuses and various gauges are just a few things in her shop.

I am a total pin back button freak. I love em. And I fell in love with a few at Cute Button. I got a photography button fix but they have soooo many other options. And they have more than buttons, there is magnets, pendants, etc.

Whysper Fairy has molds in so many shapes and sizes. Good luck choosing your favorite!

I got a puzzle piece one and one for rose type flowers and they sent me an extra one for leaves. Basically with molds from their shop you can make pretty much anything you want and not have to buy a bunch pre-made.

I already tested all the molds with baking clay and they work great!

 I also made a multi-colored puzzle piece with a braided bookmark to sell for charity.

 So go shopping on some of these handmade sites. You'll get some great stuff and make someones day!

Plus, since there is a lot of unique stuff you can do your Christmas shopping now and not worry about if they have it or get it before Christmas!

  

Blue Jean Trivet

For this round of Iron Craft we were challenged to make something out of blue jeans.

I am no stranger to working with blue jeans.

I've made multiple different types of jean purses. I've made jean skirts, jean rugs and jean flowers. I've patched jeans and edited jeans.

This project I wanted to do something new.

I happen to have some jean material that is flame resistant. Really, I tested it once. Lit some frayed pieces on fire with a lighter once, it quickly fizzled out.

I decided to use these jeans to make a trivet for hot pans.

I cut eight pieces of jean fabric that measured four inches wide by eight inches long. I sewed these over into cylinders, turned them right sides out and ironed.

Then I weaved the pieces together and sewed around the outside.

I had considered finishing off the edges but found that I wasn't a fan of any of the options. So I'm leaving it as is. 

Each spot has four layers of flame resistant jean material so it should be capable of withstanding a hot pan or dish.

Deliciocity Friday: Kryptonite Cupcakes

Yes, I realize that title shows some nerdiness. 

I'm alright with that!

This is another semi-homemade recipe but of course you could tweak it for your abilities and preferences.

I started by making a filling.

I used:

4 Tbsp cream cheese

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Start with the cream cheese being soft (room temperature) and mix all these ingredients well. 

I started with a basic yellow cake mix. I prepared that as instructed but added mint flavoring, about 1/8th of a teaspoon. But you can make that more or less as you want. My goal was a slightly minty flavor, not over done.

I also folded in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

I put most of the batter in first then added the cream cheese mixture. Finally finished off with the rest of the mixture.

Bake as directed on the mix.

For your frosting; start with a simple white frosting. Add green food coloring till you like the look and just a couple drops of mint. The frosting you can easily taste test but remember that you'll be adding the mint of the cupcake.

Allow the cupcakes to cool, then frost and try to eat just one at a time!  

Thrift Store Redo

Sometimes second hand stores are a creative person's dream.

I used to volunteer at a Community Services Center/Thrift Store and can't remember how many times things there struck my creative mind.

A while back I went back to that thrift store to visit. While there I found an odd metal thing.

I wish I had taken a before picture. It was kind of ugly. The previous person had painted it various reds, pinks, white, bronze and had glitter and just all around looked bad.

So much so that when I bought it the cashiers stated "finally we can be rid of that ugly thing"!

But I saw it's potential.

I sanded what I could off (which wasn't much) and covered in white paint.

I decided to go with a blue and green theme. As if the hearts were blue flowers growing on the green stem.

I left the 3d dangling heart the original bronze. But painted the rest.

I figured it would make something pretty to display a pair of earrings to be pictured. Or to hang a light such as was done here.

What have you given new life to lately?

Kids Craft: American Flags

I help out at a home for mentally challenged adults.

One of the things I do is occasionally teach craft classes.

 While everyone here is an adult, because of their mental development, kids crafts are often best for their enjoyment.

With Independence day coming up and the potential to attend the town parade I thought it would be fun to help the clients here make some flags they can take with them if they want.
This is also partially inspired by the Iron Craft "red, white and blue" theme for this round.

My example for the participants to follow

One of the things I did to prepare was use a star shaped hole punch to cut out a bunch of white stars. Alternatively, you could have your participants draw stars on white paper and cut them out.

Next I took red sheets of construction paper and cut them in half. Each sheet was big enough for two flags.

I gathered the stars, red rectangles, some blue construction paper, white construction paper (or card stock), glue sticks, scissors and thin wooden skewers for the craft class.

(I snipped the pointed ends off the skewers to minimize accidental injuries.)

I had everyone cut out a small square of blue construction paper and glue it to the upper left corner of the red rectangles.

Crafting should be a bit messy!

Next they cut strips of white paper to glue on for the stripes.

To finish the flag they glued on the stars.

Even more messy and that's what makes it fun!

In order to make them wave-able they cut out a rectangle of construction paper and after putting glue on the paper they laid the skewer down the middle of it and then placed on the back of the flag.

Let them lay flat to dry.

Now take to your local parade or stick in your pencil cup or indoor plant! 

A couple of the finished flags