Homemade gifts: Army Men Necklace

First, a bag o’ army men.

Of course you need to play with them a bit. MAN DOWN!

Now we need to remove their pedestals. Don’t be tempted to just snap them off, you will take their poor little toes with it. I used a pair of wire cutters, then filed down any points.

Next heat up a needle and stab him in the head with it.

Not only are you making something cool but you get to relive your tortured toy youth. Ah memories. . . Fun!!

Don’t allow the needle to cool off in there too much, you will have a hard time getting it out. Next you will need a piece of wire, folding it to create a hook to hang the army man from. This too will need to be heated up before torturing your toy. Shove the wire into his head and allow it to cool.

You can stop here and add leather or chain. But I just happened to have a can of Aluminum spray enamel

*insert evil laugh here*

Spray one side of your army man, dry, flip and repeat. Be sure to get his crotch and the top of his head.

They make great ornaments as well.

Egg Incubator

Egg incubators can be expensive. We made ours using the parts out of one of those cheap Styrofoam ones (that had been crush and a friend gave to us), reclaimed wood, and screws. We purchased the egg turner for around $30.

Be sure not to seal it until after you have gotten a temp reading. And remember that eggs need oxygen to hatch.

Tree Stump Coffee Table

I am a bad trashy girl. I have not posted in a couple of weeks. Time just seems to get by me during the summer months. So many things keeping me busy outside. I will be starting Christmas projects next month so will post more… I promise. Meanwhile I find this idea at one of my favorite sites Tip Junkie .

Now that is something free and easy to do. Getting that time of year where we are all thinking firewood for winter. Save one or two stumps the size you like and either paint, stain, or poly and there you have a free coffee or even end tables…. I just love this idea!

Transforming a Lamp

Katie from Matsutake did a great transformation on a floor lamp! I can’t believe all she used was duct tape and clear plastic coke bottles.

I have everything but the lamp and will be going to the thrift store tomorrow to search for one. Can’t wait to transform my own lamp. Am thinking of trying this on a table lamp too. The link to read the step by step and check out the rest of Katie’s blog is: http://go.tipjunkie.com/dc/1199/matsutakeblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-done-glampsformation.html

Winner of Book Contest Giveaway!

Congrats to Cody, winner of the book “Back to Basics”. I’m posting it for Erin because she is still having internet connection issues…

Here is Cody’s winning submission on trashiness! Some great ideas here!

 

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My trashiest moment required a little bit of ingenuity. I was touring with a comedic troupe doing small towns and colleges back in the fall of 2002. We were living hand to mouth. The tour would end just before Christmas. I’m from a family of 6, with our in-laws and extended family, that puts us around 13 people to buy for Christmas (we’ve since moved on to choosing names). I knew I wouldn’t be able to get a lot for my family for Christmas, but I did the best that I could that year. Suffice to say, people got some of the weirdest gifts from me that year. My oldest sister got a used bowling pin. We had a show in a bowling alley, and the dressing room was behind the alley and pins, so I took a pin with the owner’s permission. Another sister got a great garage sale find while we were in New Mexico. It was a sculpture of a foot that had a music box in it. She says it’s the best door stop she’s ever had. My brother got an ash tray that John Waters had ashed in, (he has no idea who John Waters is shamefully).

Everyone wanted postcards too. I couldn’t afford them, so I took the local attraction flyers at the hotel and collaged postcards for everyone. Everyone still has them to this day.

So those are some of my trashier moments. I think they were rather ingenious. Please enter me for your Back to Basics giveaway.

thanks,
Cody
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