In making this lamp I used money from a LootCrate bundle I received I think back in 2014. The money was lovely really and came in blue and red, ($100 and $500 credit denominations.) It was perfect for the project because it was really high quality, thick paper with a solid tooth and was just large enough to fit into the allotted slots of the lampshade so long as I trimmed off the white edging.
For the extra elements on the lamp I cut the cardboard that came with the kit, painted it black with acrylic, and glued it along the outside to create another layer of paper lamp. I then cut out parts of the money to add shapes to the sides and top of the lamp.
Finally I painted the entire thing in a liquid metal antique copper paint and finished it with several layers of gloss mod podge.
After a quick but thorough boolean search of increasingly creative descriptors I am unable to find images of the kit. So here is a crappy drawing of the component parts, minus the various rectangular sheets of white paper that came with it. You’ll have to imagine those. It was four pine wooded legged parts, two with groves and two with elements that fit into the grooves.
And that my dears is the birthday gift. A one of a kind artistically rendered Firefly lamp.
I have been losing my mind with boredom as I have waited for my battered and confused body to return to some semblance of normalcy.
So I made stickers on this site that does’t charge too much for creating them! I made a bunch of Spoonie related stickers:
I plan on making more, but I got distracted by the cheating low-life scum-suckers in Georgia and the sheer criminal treason of passing a law making it illegal to hand out water to people waiting in line to vote.
Then I made a few motivation stickers and a Dr. Fauci one because my Mom asked me too.
Finally I added some of my artwork because I like the idea of having stickers of my work. I am sure I will be making more of those.
I have to admit it was nice to create something. It’s been a rough week. I spent most of it in so much pain and discomfort I wasn’t worth much. Now I can get up, walk around a little, cook a meal or two but I get really tired, really easily and I still have to spend most of my time resting.
So I am making stickers so I can stop losing my freaking mind.
If you like any of them I added a page to the menu at the top of the blog (Spoonie Merch). They are $3.99 each and are cut out vinyl stickers so there isn’t any extra outside of the image. In a few cases I approved a few other items too, but rarely. If for some reason you really want something in a shirt or hoodie or something kick me a message at misty@savvyspoons.com.
Back again after an interlude of extreme involvement in the art of forging metal into pretty shiny things. I am not sure why I am utterly entranced by this process but it makes me feel as though I have come home. Perhaps it’s the fact that all the problems that arise are so easily fixed with a reapplication of heat or a polish here and there. Whatever the reason, I am basking in the sheer joy of turning sheet metal and wire into pendants and bracelets.
Of course, not every will want pendants or bracelets for the holidays so I am back with another handmade gift suggestion list. Last time we focused on college age people, so let’s look at tweens and teens this time around.
I love the look of tie dye but I have always been intimidated by the actual process of it. After some savvy internet research I discovered a simple way to create tie dye decor.
For gift giving the possibilities are vast. You could purchase small canvas bags and create personalized tie dyed lunch bags for your kids. Go bigger and you’ve got overnight bags, beach bags, sport totes, etc.
You can certainly make gorgeous shirts for not a whole lot of money with this technique. Hanes has a crazy sale going on and their shirts are soft, durable, and come in light colors that would be easy to tie dye over. You could even check out their sweat pants sale and tie dye up some super comfy lounge wear for the cold holiday season.
On the opposite end of the DIY shirt spectrum we have bleach. A good friend of mine taught me this technique and it’s fairly simple. You choose a stencil, leaf, shape, etc, that you like. Lay a dark shirt flat on cardboard and place the stencil on it where you want the negative of the shape to be on the shirt. Spray with a bleach spray and toss in the laundry to rinse. You may want to scrunch the fabric around the shape or stencil to get a more even look.
If you want to take this idea to the next level and add additional materials, like fabric paint, the folks over at By Hand London have posted a DIY Galaxy Shirt idea.
Once again, Hanes is a great resource for well made and comfortable shirts, this time in a variety of dark colors, to assist you in making your teen or tween (or anyone really) a well made hand decorated shirt worth wearing.
Duct tape is your new best friend
Source: JoAnn Fabrics.
You can do nearly anything with Duct Tape. As we are approaching Halloween I felt a DIY Halloween Candy Bag was a good image example for duct tape madness. Before you dive in I suggest a visit to diyready.com for their basic duct tape fabric tutorial video. You don’t have to master making sheets of duct tape to make a project, but you do if you want to make a duct tape project easy.
A few ideas for gifting with Duct Tape:
Source: Duck Brand
Make a Duct Tape necklace as a cool stocking stuffer, or assemble the necessary parts for said necklace, slip them into a small gift box with several small rolls of colorful duct tape and printed out directions and gift your teen/tween with a duct tape necklace kit.
Source: Duck Brand
You can go a little bigger and create this stunning Owl tote bag. (Remember, it’s a sew free project!)
If you are looking for a fun gift for your technology lover (That doesn’t cost a small fortune) try your hand at a DIY tablet cover.
Source: The Craft Train
Does your tween or teen have a younger sibling? They can make these charming Duct Tape and sponge boats for the bathtub and gift them with something they made themselves, in addition to a great deal of bath-time fun.
I could do several months worth of blog posts on the power of duct tape. I strongly suggest you check out the Duct Brand websites craft section or just google “duct tape diy” and your browser will be filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of ideas ranging from fashion accessories to waterproof beach totes to wedding dresses.
Friendship Bracelets: Fun and Easy Accessories
Whether you are making them for your teen or giving your teen handmade gift ideas, the friendship bracelet is a time honored gift. Once again I’ll turn your attention to DIYReady.com. They have assembled 19 different styles of bracelet for your imagination to feast upon.
DIY Sites of Interest
The world of DIY is vast and there are so many people putting together lists of ideas for your holiday crafting. Here are a few of the sites I have found the most useful.
Boys often get the short end of the DIY stick. DIY Projects for Teens has a post devoted to them. From splash bomb trebuchets to skateboard shelves these project ideas are sure to delight your kiddo.
Moms and Crafters have a number of good DIY posts for both boys and girls, with one focusing on teens.
Craft Forest is filled to the brim with great DIY ideas, including the good old standby – the marshmallow shooter. However, they peg the meter of coolness with a DIY Lightsaber tutorial!
There’s more to come! Younger kiddos are next. I hope you enjoy some of these project ideas and have fun getting started on your handmade holiday!
Managing life with chronic illness requires savvy spoons
