04/16/2012 - Zoe's Cuckoo Clock

I went into Zoe's room after her rest and she tells me that I have to help her make a cuckoo clock...how could I say no to that? What was going on in that little head of hers when she should have been napping?

Reclaimed Material: game board, plastic lid, splash sticks, wooden stick, rubber band
Other Material: modeling clay, masking tape, straight pin, googly eyes
Tools: scissors, box cutter, glue, awl, X-acto knife, Sharpie marker, ruler, paint and brushes

How I did it: Since I started this project right when the 3 year old was ready to rock and roll and asking me every 5 seconds if it was time for her to paint yet, I had to distract her with random tasks like pre-clay modeling and painting on wood scraps until I put the house pieces together. I measured out two 5"x5" squares and three 5"x2" rectangles from the game board and used the box knife to cut them out. I used the masking tape to build an open top box with the three rectangles as the sides and let Zoe work her painting magic. While she worked on that I started on the roof of the house. I cut another 5"x5" square then cut it in half diagonally. I cut two 5.25"x2" rectangles for the top of the roof and one 7"x2" rectangle for the base. I cut the door for the cuckoo with the X-acto on one of the triangles, then made a slit on the other that lined up with the door. Next I taped the roof together and handed it off to Zoe to paint. I modeled a little bird (again using Zoe's paint, but with her blessing this time) and glued it onto the wooden stick.

The plastic lid that I used happened to have twelve notches around it, so I didn't have to measure it out. I used the Sharpie to mark the notches and make the numbers. I cut down the splash sticks for the clock hands then used the awl to start the holes for the pin to go through. I didn't punch it all the way through because the hole would have been too big. I poked the pin through the holes I started and through the clock face and glued the whole thing onto the game board box. I pushed the pin all the way through and bent the pin so it wouldn't stick Zoe when she stuck her hand in the box. The rubber band I used was just a circle I cut from an inner tube and I put it around the door that was cut out. I slid the stick under the rubber band and pulled it out the back through the slit I made and Zoe began "cuckoo-ing" it.

What I would do differently: This is obviously not a working clock...but it is a great teaching tool. It is amazing what kids pick up because Zoe immediately called the clock hands the "little hand" and the "big hand". After we finished this project Zoe decided we needed to make a cuckoo horse next. What I would do differently is figure out a sturdier cuckoo option.

04/14/2012 - Starbucks Wallet

Part 2 of the Starbucks experiment...which required buying a bag of coffee, but the bag was perfect for the face of the wallet. The green fabric was something random I came across. It was a half-sewn choir robe (or at least that is what looked like the intention) that someone donated to SCRAP. They get lots of fabric and do not accept clothing, but some pieces sneak in with the fabric and get donated to thrift stores. That is how I happened upon this unique fabric...oh, and if you plan to donate stuff, to SCRAP, be nice and don't try to sneak in clothing...even if it is half-sewn.

Reclaimed Material: coffee bag, coffee sleeves, choir robe, plastic bag
Other Material: none
Tools: scissors, ruler, sewing machine, thread, iron, parchment paper

How I did it: This was similar to the CD Cover Wallet with a few upgrades. I used the same measurements, but instead of using bias tape, I used the choir robe...the color matched perfectly. I didn't fuse the coffee bag since it essentially fused plastic and aluminum*. For the pockets, I gently peeled the corrugated side off of two coffee sleeves and cut them to size. I fused them with a few layers of plastic. I covered the outside coffee bag with the fabric so that there was a 1/4" overhang on the outside and stitched it into place, then repeated this for the smaller piece of coffee bag so that the fabric made a liner for the cash part of the wallet. Things got a little tricky with the cardboard pockets and putting the wallet together. I had to make my own bias tape to sew the two pockets together. I then stitched the pieces together similar to the CD Wallet, but then again, made strips of bias tape to cover the edges and did the final stitch work.

What I would do differently: I do love the contrast of the cardboard pockets from the coffee bag, but I would rather have used a coordinating color of bias tape because it would have been much easier. I have a bunch I bought from SCRAP...but none really matched.

*I was quite sure about coffee bags being made of fused plastic and aluminum, but did a quick search to double check. I came across some neat ideas for old coffee bags: Other uses for coffee bags.

04/12/2012 - Starbucks Pin

This was part of an experiment for a college classmate who was looking for a Starbucks themed gift for someone. I haven't done a resin bottle cap in a while so I created this diorama-like pin.

Reclaimed Material: bottle cap, coffee sleeve, aluminum logo, lapel pin
Other Material: modeling clay, resin, clear nail polish
Tools: scissors, safety pin, jewelry pliers, glue, green paint pen

How I did it: The first step I did was to cut out the coffee sleeve to fit inside the bottle cap and cut the logo from an aluminum can. I glued the cardboard circle, corrugated side up inside the bottle cap, then glued the logo in place. I used the paint pen to paint over the outside of the bottle cap. While the paint dried, I modeled the coffee cup to fit (shhh...don't tell Zoe I used some of her modeling clay for this project) and glued it inside the cap. The tip of the paint pen was to fat, so I used the safety pin as a paint brush of sorts to paint on a semblance of the S-bucks logo. I didn't actually set the resin until the next day since it was too late to go to the store when I decided to do this. I mixed a small amount of resin in an old container and poured it into the bottle cap and let it set. After the resin set, I painted over it with a couple coats of clear nail polish. I glued the old lapel pin to the back of the bottle cap using an epoxy glue to make sure the metals would stick together.

What I would do differently: I poured the resin outside near the end of a beautifully sunny day and didn't pay attention to the quick shower that blew in...I should have known better since I have lived in Oregon close to a year now. A drop of  rain got in the resin before it was fully set, so that little bit didn't set right, which why I ended up covering it with a few coats of nail polish. This would be fun to make little scenes in the bottle caps.

03/31/2012 - Cardboard Gift Tube

Three months of recycled crafting down! Only nine more to go! 

The nice thing about being a garbage picker/collector is that people save me their nice garbage they think I can use. Grandma Betty June gave me this neat little tube with a lid and bottom, but she didn't remember what she got in it. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it until I went to a fancy little chocolate shop that also sells beautiful paper crafts with a French theme to them and they had these on sale for $10. 

Reclaimed Material: cardboard tube, scrap paper
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, glue, brown shoe polish, gold paint pen, thin wire

How I did it: The base of the tube was glued on so I used a little wire to pull the edges away a little so I could tuck the paper under it. I used a bit of paper leftover from my SCRAP name badge project and cut it to cover the tube and glue it on. I painted parts of the instruments with the gold. I rubbed the shoe polish lightly over the paper to give it a vintage look. I used my finger as a paintbrush and lightly rubbed gold paint over the whole piece.

What I would do differently: It seems like the tube is missing something...like a pop of mauve or something. I also should have used tea to stain the paper. I do want to learn to do more vintage, Victorian-era, turn of the (19th) century crafts.

03/26/2012 - Super Hero Wristbands

Super powers are not included in this craft...unless you count the power of crafting! I think this would be a perfect craft for a kid's superhero birthday party! Also, I love Wonder Woman, so I may just have to wear these out and about town.

Reclaimed Material: cardboard coffee sleeve, Velcro
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, paint, paintbrush, pencil, ruler

How I did it: I pulled each sleeve apart where they were glued together, then wrapped one around my wrist to figure out the size and trimmed off the excess (making sure to cut off the glue-y part. Next I coated the front of the sleeves with paint, then waited for it to dry. I used the ruler to draw out the stars then painted the stars red. I got adhesive Velcro strips from SCRAP and cut one piece long enough to fit the height of the sleeve. I then cut the Velcro in half vertically because it was thick and used one piece for each wristband.

What I would do differently: I usually do my crafting once Zoe is asleep but this is one I need to do again so she can make her own bands.

02/27/2012 - Random Notecard

This is the follow-up to the envelope. I used more goodies from my sister and didn't have glue or clear tape, but I think this is pretty decent improvisation.

Reclaimed Material: cardboard gift bag, drink pouch, ribbon
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, black electrical tape

How I did it: I used the template (from my sister used in the envelope post from 2/26) to cut out the gift bag to make the base of the card. I cut a rectangle from the drink pouch and cut two slits in the center for the bow. I cut out circles from the tape to match the base and attached the rectangle to the base.

What I would do differently: Of course there are so many ways to do this differently. Access to my scrapbooking stuff would make a difference.

01/25/2012 - Plastic Lid Quote Magnet

This wasn't as ambitious as the previous project, but was still fun. I was originally going to make a photo frame, but changed my mind when I saw this neat picture in an old newspaper and the car reminds me of my new home, Oregon. This is an easy craft for everyone. 

Recycled Material: plastic lid, newspaper, cardboard
Other Material: clear nail polish, magnet
Tools: X-acto knife, glue, Sharpie marker, paint pens

How I did it: I used a lid from an empty raisin container and cut out the inside, leaving about a 1/8" border from the rim. I then cut the cardboard and newspaper to fit tightly inside the lid and glued the paper to the cardboard. I used the paint pens and Sharpie to add small touches of color to the picture then popped it into the back of the lid. There is probably a better way to do this, but I squeezed some good ol' Elmer's glue along the edges between the cardboard and plastic to hold it in place and wiped off the excess. I cut a magnet sheet to fit and glued it onto the back of the cardboard and let it dry. The picture was still missing something so I painted it with clear nail polish. I liked the effect because it pulled the newspaper print from the back side and gave the car a little more personality.
 
What I would do differently: I cut the plastic by hand, but next time I will use a straight edge to get a nice cut.