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Rack-n-Roll Dispenser

Rack-n-Roll Craft Room Dispenser

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Rack-n-Roll Dispenser

My Victorian-inspired Rack-n-Roll dispenser

I know, it’s been a while since I posted anything. I’ve been busy!! I’ll try to do better.

I needed a few small wall shelves for my craft room. I found some very cheap ($5/each) used wooden shelves to recycle into what I wanted. I quickly changed my mind after I got them home. I could use a wall-mounted dispenser more than shelves. Something that could hold all the supplies I use that came on a roll, like various tapes, wax paper, plastic wrap, foil, etc. This is what I came up with. I hope you like it.

old shelves

old used shelves

The shelves were very heavy for their size and made from a wood composite material…not sure what considering the age of them.

cut up and basic assembly

basic assembly

decorative moldings

Experimenting with IOD decorative moldings

altered yardsticks

Altered yardsticks for cross members.

I recycled the metal cutter strips from the boxes all the rolls came in.

Chalk Paint

Chalk Paint, wow what a great invention!

I love chalk paint. It covers almost any surface, no priming of raw wood, and it can be finished with a clear coat of Polycrylic or wax.

black wax

Homemade black wax

Check YouTube for DIY videos on how to make your own soft clear finishing wax (beeswax pellets + baby oil) and how to tint the wax with any unique color you may need.

Rack-n-Roll ready

Rack-n-Roll ready

The Rack turned out even prettier than I imagined!

Bill rolls

Big rolls

A friend discovered my unfinished Rack-n-Roll on the workbench and wanted it. I finished the Rack in the manner requested (with black wax).  I now need to make another for myself maybe with more racks! Good thing I made a pattern, huh.

YES, I made it myself: Constructing Molds

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OJ molded papercrete house

The OJ House still curing.

At my last selling event, once again, someone asked: “Did you really make that yourself, by hand? Well, how did you do that?” Sometimes folks don’t believe that I DO actually create the papercrete items I sell, from the design, the molds, to the painting and finishing of each piece. This post will be a step-by-step breakdown of a custom miniature house to show the amount of work involved in just creating the molds.Continue reading→

Experimenting With Cement Soaked Cloth

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I’m having way too much fun with cement-soaked towels to work on anything else at the moment. I’ve made draped vases, miniature fairy houses, funky steampunk looking flowers, and have a few more ideas I want to try before I work this obsession out of my system. So, I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned while experimenting.Continue reading→

Almost Finished

Papercrete Fairy’s Castle Cottage Almost Finished

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Old asphalt roof shingles can be cut, etched with designs, and then reused as shingles once more.

The Fairy’s Castle Cottage was one of the first batch of papercrete fairy houses for this season (2014). Creating the molds, forming the papercrete, waiting for the ‘crete to cure, and dry, are only a small part of the fairy house building process. Like building an actual house, the finish work takes the longest.

The Fairy’s Castle mold was formed from disposable plastic containers, foam packing materials, and a shopping bag.

 

Out of the mold, then back inside the moisture tent to finish curing. Meanwhile, I’m considering the potential finishes for the castle.

 

Starting the finish

After the castle had cured and dried out, rough spots were cleaned up, the balcony floor and railing were mounted, and other accessories were constructed.

Custom-fitting the doors from scrap wood and craft sticks is a long tedious task. They were cut, sanded, carved, painted, stained, and door knobs (seed beads) installed. The drawbridge was a must for a castle, but my hopes of hinging the balcony doors meant quite a bit of filing, sanding, and drilling the hinge holes before it all came together.

NOTE: If you may be interested in making the hardware cloth railings, planter baskets, ladders, and furniture, please see this PDF: Hardware Cloth Wire Forming Tutorial

Paint -Drawbridge-Rails

A couple of coats of paint to get just the right color and mottled look, drawbridge in place, and second balcony railing installed.

Pesky Holes

The mounts for the drawbridge chains were a real pain. A drill couldn’t reach so a bead reamer was used to make the holes. There was much more glue used than I would have liked!

Emergency Ladder

When a fairy might need to escape the castle, an emergency ladder was installed on one end of the main balcony. And all the balcony doors were mounted.

Hanging Rail Planters

Hanging planter boxes were made from hardware cloth and an old coconut coir basket liner with a few tiny faux flowers tucked in.

NOTE: The black accents above the doors are painted aluminum can scraps that were created from the gate and fence templates on the cutting/embossing machine.

After the roofing is done, I’ll add the drawbridge door latch and black bands from aluminum can cutouts. There is a possibility that I may add a hardware cloth flower trellis with potting bench to the left side (too much action on the right side) . . . still pondering.

 *.:｡✿*’ﾟ’*✿｡.:* *.:｡✿*’ﾟ’*✿｡.:*

 

Catching Up . . .

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Baby Box became “Dew Drop”. After painting, she was embellished with aluminum soda can cutouts for window frames and round leaves for the potted tree. A pull-tab, screen, and wires form the front door. A plastic end cap was cut down to create a pot for the twisted scrap wire tree, and crushed lava rock dust was added for the pot mulch.

I’ve had the flu and been out of commission the last few weeks, so I’m taking a day to catch up the Blog with the papercrete fairy house projects.  Some of the fairy houses were pretty cut-n-dry to develop. They were hand formed over disposable food containers, un-molded after set, dried, painted, and embellished.Continue reading→

Fairy house molds for papercrete

Gettin’ Ready . . .

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Fairy House Molds

Fairy House Molds

I’m gearing up for a big papercrete house and pot-making session! Cross your fingers that I can get these molds out of the houses once the ‘crete has set. I’ll be posting pics of the process as I go.