Phillip read an article about an old hotel that had been sitting abandoned for years with plans to tear it down when the city decided instead to preserve it.
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Vacancy
Hang in There! 9 Unique Wind Chime and Mobile Ideas
Mobiles and wind chimes can brighten up your garden, patio, or a bare corner of your living room. And you probably have the stuff to make one right now!
Here are some unexpected objects you can use to make your own.
1. Wooden Discs
Emily Neuburger’s Simple Color Mobile could work inside or outside. I like the simplicity of the rainbow-colored circles, but you could also add a wooden initial or other shape.
(Side note: You know the wood-stuff-for-painting aisle in the craft store? I always have to browse through it, and, even though I don’t usually do wood craft projects, I always kind of want to buy everything in there.)
2. Souvenirs
Justina Blakeney made this Boho Mobile from an old lamp shade frame and small decorative items her in-laws brought back from India. If you have a lot of little knick knacks from trips taking up shelf space, this would be another way to display them. Like an oversized charm bracelet.
3. Paint Swatches
Love this minimal Paint Swatch Mobile from Natalme! You can mix up the colors like she did or use a gradient of shades for an ombre or rainbow effect, which would look especially rad spinning around.
4. Embroidery Hoops
Another Natalme inspiration: turn embroidery hoops into a place to hold photos (or holiday cards or kids’ artwork)!
5. Clay and Copper Pipes
Decorative ceramic bells made from Sculpey by A Beautiful Mess. Apparently, these are purely decorative, since they don’t actually ring. I’m wondering whether you could change that with some metal inside the clay. Or what if you hung more than one copper pipe from each bell, making every bell into kind of a mini-wind-chime?
6. Sea Glass
Crafts Unleashed has a turorial for displaying your beach-combing finds as sea glass wind chimes!
7. House Keys
You can also make a wind chime from old keys, like this one from Inner Child Fun.
FYI I found this on a list by The Garden Glove (with about a dozen more DIY ideas).
8. Bottle Caps
Trina Lyn (of Trina Is Artsy Fartsy) shared this tutorial of how to make a bottle cap wind chime, as frequently seen – but not always explained – on Pinterest.
9. Random Junk
Trina also combined a variety of found objects, including a smashed vintage beer can, into The Junk Windchime. It brings together a lot of the materials in the other projects above, like bottle caps, glass, beads, and a key.
What materials would you use for a mobile creation? Chime in!
For Your Inspiration
A few more shareworthy (and shoppable) mobiles and wind chimes:
- Metal and 3D-printed art mobiles by Hidden in the Hills artist Kevin Caron.
- Wooden Songbirds Mobile.
- Recycled glass bottle wind chimes on Etsy.
- Ceramic Moon Wind Chimes on Etsy.
- Gold mobile (above), which looks great against Happy Mundane’s teal wall.
Photos via their respective sites.
Hidden in the Hills Art Show Returns
This weekend is the annual Hidden in the Hills art show and sale. Here are some of the artists we’ve met and work we’ve seen in past years.
1. There’s something captivating about the vibrant acrylic work of Ravay Snow – it just draws you in.
2. Ken Ryan continues to craft weathered wood into rustic furniture and sculpture.
3. Bela Fidel works in encaustics (a wax technique) and mixed media. Some is abstract, and some incorporates sacred texts and imagery.
4. Robin Ray’s studio is always a hub of activity with demonstrations and work in progress, so you can learn about how her beautiful pieces come together.
5. Peter Skidd, who we found through Instagram, creates steel sculptures with rich, layered colors in his home studio. (Phillip enjoyed chilling on the patio there.)
6. Craig Frankowski likes to experiment with the traditional canvas format.
7. Natalie Keller does western oil paintings and even dressed to match!
Check out the current Hidden in the Hills site to see which artists are participating this year!
Women in the Arts and a Pop-up Makerspace
I am in Washington, D.C., down the street from the White House in a building that used to be a Masonic lodge, and I am sifting through a basket of embroidery floss, looking for just the right combination of colors. When you have been seeing/taking in, there is something especially refreshing about making/creative output.
My recent D.C. visit happened to coincide with the monthly community day of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and their second-ever pop-up makerspace. Inspired by several of the artists on exhibition, they had tables set up for crochet, drawing-machine making, and turning various odds and ends into jewelry.
I made a necklace from a couple of metal washers, some thread and wire.
The museum itself is organized into different floors for different time periods. Their current exhibition, Pathmakers, explores how women have used alternate media to create art, from midcentury to today.
Community days are the first Sunday of every month with free admission in the afternoon.
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DIY Armor: Tips from cosplay experts
“Making costumes is addictive. You never just do one costume. It destroys your life.”
–501st Legion
I went to a couple of fascinating back-to-back maker panels at Star Wars Celebration. They shared tips that would be useful in all kinds of craft – even if you’re not into Star Wars.
The panels were given by two groups.
- 501st Legion: make/wear Star Wars “dark side” costumes (Darth Vader, stormtroopers, etc.)
- Mandalorian Mercs Costuming Club: make/wear armor-clad bounty hunter costumes (Boba Fett). Four members constructed armor for a panel audience volunteer in just 40 minutes (!)
Like Justice League Arizona (who I’ve mentioned before), members of these two groups build their own costumes, often make free appearances for charities and other good causes, and are passionate about what they do.
Getting started
501st Legion:
Don’t do a complicated metal costume like Boba Fett for your first costume. Do a soft costume.
Mandalorian Mercs:
You can get everything you need to make your armor for under $50 – tools, Bondo, gloves, etc. But know what level of tools to buy and when to spend less. Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on good tools, if you’re able to.
Safety
Mandalorian Mercs:
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- Wear gloves. Hot glue will burn you and will not stop burning until it cools off.
- The most dangerous thing is an X-ACTO knife. That’ll cut through you faster than a hot knife through butter.
Sizing for Costumes
Audience question: How do you adapt costume templates for people who wear larger sizes?
Mandalorian Mercs: Use optical illusion – black fabric, extra flanks, etc. Adapt templates to fit your body. People don’t all have the same proportions, especially women. Get up close with a friend, who can help you get your exact measurements. Armor must be molded to your body. I don’t think anyone else could put on my armor.
501st Legion:
It’s better to have slightly less accurate armor that’s proportionate to you. You don’t have to stick with on-screen measurements.
Mandalorian Mercs:
Make a duct tape dummy for a perfect cast of your body you can use to create a costume sized to fit.
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- Put on a t-shirt that’s one size too small.
- Duct tape around yourself.
- Have friend cut it off down the back.
Materials and Tools
Audience question: Does costume material have to be the same as the original?
501st Legion: No. It comes down to the finish. If a piece is painted well, you can’t tell what it was made from.
Mandalorian Mercs:
- A dremel set is one of the most important tools. It makes plastic look like metal. However, it is extremely messy. It goes so fast it can eat into your armor.
- The best place to find expanded PVC board, a.k.a. Sintra is a sign shop. [I believe Sintra is what they used for the armor-making demo. –TCJ]
- You can get Bondo at Walmart. It comes in large container that should last a long time. Do not glob Bondo on. Use rubber spatula to smooth on small bits.
- Krylon paints dry quickly and last. Don’t mix them with Rustoleum, because it won’t cure. Some people prefer to airbrush.
- Primer is like the Velcro to help your paint stick. It’ll last longer.
501st Legion:
Use rare earth magnets when working with metal that you can’t clamp down on. Just don’t accidentally glue your magnets to your armor!
Sourcing
Mandalorian Mercs:
Costume pieces may be incorporated from found items, seemingly random things like a battery cover from a palm pilot. We like go on what we call “scavenger hunts”. You’ll never look at the thrift store or dollar store the same way.
501st Legion:
It’s funny how our costume obsession has increased the price on random and ridiculous stuff on eBay! 3D printing can be a cost-effective alternative.
Final Thought
501st Legion:
Sometimes we get too obsessed with details and have to remind ourselves: “Just relax. We’re just plastic spacemen.”
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Thank you to Star Wars Celebration for providing media passes.