DIY Hardware Accessories

In my older posts I mentioned how I sometimes find inspiration for my projects during trips to the hardware store. One of the upshots of these visits is a "tingga" choker that I created for Yahoo She!

Take a quick visit to your local hardware store and purchase a couple of pieces of washers or “tingga”. These disk-like thingies are generally used to support or fasten screws but is also used to play “sipa” if covered with  cloth or strips of plastic bags. 

Believe it or not, you could also use them to quickly create a fashionable accessory! Washers come in different sizes so feel free to experiment with different designs. 

For this specific piece use five washers in 3 sizes (1 large, 2 medium and 2 small). Keep the  smallest sized washers on each end, with the largest at the center. If you don’t like your choker to appear too shiny you may distress the washers by beating it with a hammer or by scratching the surface with sandpaper. Off set or balance the edgy hardware with a dainty and brightly colored ribbon. 

Materials needed:

Washers

Ribbon, about 1 meter

Procedure:

Step 1: Pass one end of ribbon through the under side of the 1^st washer.  

Step 2: Next slip ribbon through the 2^nd washer. This time pass it from the front towards the back 

Step 3: Flip 2^nd washer over and pass ribbon back through the 1^st washer 

Step 4: Insert ribbon into the 2^nd washer, from the back towards the front 

Step 5: Repeat steps 1-5 until you have threaded the 5^thwasher

Step 6: Tie both ends of the ribbon

Alonzo's 2015 Halloween Costume

How could it already have been a year since my last post?  Has it really already been a year ago when Alonzo was dressed in a Lego costume? Time sure flies by so fast. 

This year's costume is inspired by a vintage military tank toy hubby inherited from one of his cousins. It was Alonzo who requested to be a "tank" this Halloween. 

It really is not as complicated to construct as it may seem. The challenge was to find 3 boxes that would proportionately go well together. Luckily we have several boxes in stock (hubby knows me well enough to fold empty boxes flat and save them).

These are what you'll need:

1.Boxes(large,medium and small)- Find one that is just small enough for the wearer to fit but not unnecessarily massive to be heavy. The medium-sized box should complement the dimension of the larger one and at the same time also allow the wearer to fit through while the small box should just be enough to accommodate the "tank nozzle".  

 

2.Cardboard tube such as the one from paper towels, aluminum foil and plastic wrap - I used 2 tubes (1 longer and narrower than the other)but you could use just one.

3.Corrugated paper preferably in black or gray - For this project I used 2 cartolina-sized sheets

4. Paint for your base color, either dark green or brown

5. Spray paint, either gray, or brown  

6. Plastic take-out  bowl covers

7. Rugby adhesive

  

Procedure:

Step 1: Place the medium-sized box over the larger one.

Position it more towards what you decide to be the back ro

rear portion of the tank. Set aside.

Step 2: Place small box in front and at the center of the

medium box.Trace or mark this position with a pencil. Set

aside.

 

Step 3: Cut a hole at the center of the top and bottom part of

the medium box. Make sure that the top and bottom holes

coincide and that they are large enough for the wearer to fit

through.Set aside.   

  

Step 4: Similarly, cut a hole through the top and bottom of

the large hole. The holes here should coincide with each other

and also with the holes on the medium box.    

Step 5: Glue the large and medium boxed together with rugby. 

Secure the 2 boxes together with clothes pins or paper clips

until dry.

Step 6: Trace one end of the cardboard at the front end of the

small box. Cut around the tracing and insert the tube through.

Glue in place. 

 

Step 7: Glue the small box ( tube) at the marked position on

the large box. Let all pieces dry.

Step 8:Paint with base paint and let it dry completely.Use

spray paint to achieve a camouflage effect. 

Step 9: Cut corrugated paper into 3 equally measured strips.

Glue one end over the other to form a single strip. 

Step 10: Glue corrugated paper around the side of the tank

leaving about 2 inches off from the edge. Do the same on the

other side to form the "tracks" or "wheel links".

 

Step 11: Glue plastic bowl covers to form the wheels.        

Step 12: Insert narrower cardboard tube inside the shorter,

larger tube if you wish your tank to have a "telescopic

barrel". 

Step 13: Staple 2 straps on each side at the junction between

the large and medium boxes.     

 

    Happy Halloween and have fun treat or treating!!!

Alonzo's 2014 Halloween Costume

Hello, everyone! I know it's been a while. The past semester has been really tough and hectic. Needless to say, I missed crafting and blogging about my crafts. Don't get me wrong. I've still been into crafting small projects here and there. Nothing major.

 

All set for trick or treat!

But Halloween is a different story. Alonzo looks forward to his yearly trick or treat activity (the only time of the year he is allowed to eat candy!) while I also find the holiday as an excuse to prioritize crafting over work. Semester-enders can be quite busy for professors (final exams, grade submission, etc.) But how can I pass on one of my favorite holidays (and Alonzo's, too!) for some crafting? 

 

I started working on Alonzo's costume 3 weeks ago. He's been so much into his Lego toys lately that to dress him as a Lego man seemed so spot on. I had my hesitations, however. His past Halloween costumes have all been so fuss-free and easy to put together and wear. We never had problems about him refusing to wear his costume at the last minute or anything like that at all. But, as I said, he is so crazy about Lego that he is truly excited about his costume!  

 

Believe it or not, this year's costume is probably the most hassle-free of all (alright, probably because I had a 3 week head start) and it didn't cost me a thing! All the materials are recycled or made out of stuff we already had in the house.  

 

The first thing that I worked on was the "body". This is made of an electric fan box which I cut and re-structured to form a trapezoid. The dimensions were measured and cut according to Alonzo's size (shoulder width, neck and arm hole circumference, etc.). I spray painted the outer surface and left it to dry over night. A computer printed Lego logo on sticker paper gives it a more distinct look.   

 

 

 

As for the Lego hair, the technique was the same as for creating Alonzo's  paper mache egg. I just made sure that the balloon used is slightly larger than the widest circumference of Alonzo's head. After it has completely set, pop the balloon and cut to resemble a Lego snap-on hair. I made a couple of zig zag cuts to create fringed bangs. We didn't have black paint around so I used gray spray paint instead. This turned out to be a better idea because it allowed me to draw "hair waves" with a black marker pen. 

 

 

 

To top off the look, I made his treat bag to resemble an over-sized Lego block. I took on empty medium-sized box and spray painted it with red and glued soda bottle caps. I also punched holes on each side to tie strings for the handle.  

 



 

 Voila!



Alonzo giving me his "orc face" expression when I asked him to smile for the photo

Alonzo's Fist Day at School

It's official. Alonzo is now a school boy! Unlike when he started daycare at playhouse last year, I didn't feel apprehensive at all about him getting anxious being left in school. 

 

Of course, we had to do the 1st day of school photo-op tradition!

  

 Here's my little preschooler -- smiling and excited -- just before entering his new classroom. 

Speaking of traditions here's another one that I intend to follow through. Thanks to Pinterest for giving me the idea of asking Alonzo's playhouse nurturers to write messages for him on a favorite story book. After each school level I will be asking his teachers to do the same thing.

All of these (books, messages, first day of school photos) will be compiled and presented to him on his college graduation day. It's a looooong way from that but I really love this idea! 

Reading all those messages made me miss Alonzo's playhouse days. He joined playhouse at age 1 year and 4 months. We began with the one-day per week, parent-child program until last year when he started the 3-day, half-day, day care program.  Alonzo has come a long way and it's time to move on. 

Frugal Finds at Merriam and Webster

Thank God it's June! I never thought that I'd actually hope for June to come. Normally I'd wish for summer to last forever and really hope that the month of June (er... back-to-school dread) never to come. Needless to say, we had a busy month of May.   

Anyway, I had a "blast from the past" moment when I stepped in Merriam and Webster Bookstore along Morayta Avenue a few days ago. Flashbacks of my college days at the U-belt area came to me as the sight and scent old books, intermediate pad paper as well as whiffs of dust greeted me on the first floor of the building. 

Holy time warp! I haven't seen watercolor like this (not even in National Bookstore -- or maybe I wasn't just looking) since grade school.

The old lady standing beside me probably thought I was crazy for almost knocking over a basket of rolled wrapping paper as I rushed towards the far end of the 2nd floor. Lo and behold -- shelves and shelves of Stryrofoam letters! I got a little carried away, and yes, even a little tachcardic. I have been planning on creating an alphabet wall since the day I bought ceramic letters from Uniwide. These styro letters come in either upper or lower case sets, script or print. The price essentially depends on its size, between P4.00 to P19.00.   

I also found more books to add to my children's dentist book collection. Alonzo favors the "Maisy, Charley and the Wobbly Tooth" over "Titus's Troublesome Tooth". He didn't particularly like how Titus' tooth fell off when he hit his head on a gate. While the former book gave me a chance to introduce to him the concept of how a baby tooth will eventually fall off and be replaced by a big tooth when he gets older. Understandably, he was excited about the concept of the tooth fairy. "Mama, the tooth fairy is a santa who is a dentist", he told me after explaining the story to him. 

I've been back to the bookstore two times after my first visit and got 2 more books for Alonzo. Too bad, they don't re-stock that often. I should remind myself to lengthen the time between visits.

Refashioned No Sew Bikini for Toddlers

Refashion an old t-shirt into bikini top and bottom for your little toddler. All you’ll need is an old t-shirt and a pair of scissors. This project is so easy that you could put everything together in less than 10 minutes. Sewing skills are absolutely not required. Trust me; all it takes are a few cuts and knots!

Step 1: Lay t-shirt on a flat surface.

Step 2: Fold the middle part of the front and back of the shirt towards the sides, positioning the side seams at the center.

Step 3: Position scissors at the corner of the neckline and cut downwards at an angle, leaving around 3-4 inches from the bottom hem 

Step 4: From the shoulder area cut downward, using the side seams as a guide. Direct the scissors horizontally to leave about 2-3 inches from the bottom. You will end up with 3 separate pieces. The bikini top will be made from the larger center piece while rectangular piece will form the bikini bottom. Discard the third scrap of fabric.   

Step 5: Cut the back portion all the way through and unfold fabric.  

 

Step 6: Make 2 vertical cuts along upper portion of each of the “triangles” and braid to make the straps.

 

 

Step 7: Make a simple knot at the center.

 

Step 8: To form the bikini bottom, get the other piece of fabric that formed the back of the shirt and fold in half. Fold in half again.

Step 9: Trim off the top portion (open ends) to form a straight line.

Step 10: Measure about 1 ½ inches from the center fold and cut at an angle. Direct scissors horizontally to leave about 1 ½ inches from the open ends.

Step 11: Unfold and tie to straps together.

Tadaa!