1) How could something so warped and twisted…

2) …be so cool?!

I love it when my boys draw, but I don’t love tidying up their felt-tip pens afterwards (most of which are normally on the floor). This week’s project, a rather funky looking pen tidy, will hopefully encourage them to tidy up their own pens – I can live in hope!

It is quite a simple one to make, most of the work went in to illustrating the label. I was trying to give the impression that the bottom of the pens had warped and twisted – I’m not sure how obvious that illusion is, but I think the design is still striking in its own right. If you’d like to make one, I have made the artwork available for download, all you’ll need to do is print it out and wrap it around an old tin can. You may want to add a false bottom to lift the pens a little higher, it helps with the illusion. Hope you like it!

Download project files›

Includes:
1) Collectable instructions – they are useful and they look good
2) Colour artwork – just print it out and stick it on
448 downloads so far, thanks everyone!

I’d like to say a big thank you to Diane from Craftypod – she ran this very flattering post a few weeks ago. Diane has been a tremendous support over the last year, a sort of blogging mentor!

So how’s a pile of beads going to replace a toast rack?

Step 1: Insert ‘toast stackers’

Step 2: Start stacking…

Step 3: …keep on going

This must be my most simple project yet… a bead with a piece of wire stuck through the middle of it, or what I prefer to call ‘toast stackers’. Perfect for kids, in fact anyone who loves playing with their food – or is looking for a less conventional toast rack!

It all came about when I was attempting to design a toast rack that could arrange toast in interesting ways (rather than just lining the slices up side by side). Despite much head scratching, I couldn’t figure out a simple way of achieving this (well, without making the world’s largest toast rack). In a moment of inspiration, perhaps more perspiration, I wondered if the toast could be treated like it’s own building material, and be connected using a simple connecting device – rather like a kids construction set. This was the result.

Please note: You could use glue to attach the bead to the wire. However, I found the holes in the beads to be too large and decided to use silver Fimo (a polymer modelling clay) instead.

Download project files›

Includes:
1) Collectable instructions – they are useful and they look good
9 downloads so far, thanks everyone! (updated weekly)

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