Oh WOW!

I'm a naughty, naughty blogger. As you can see, it has been a  LONG time since my  last project update on here. So now is the time to catch you guys up. I have done a few projects since my last post. But first to finish up my last one. As you can see in the pictures below I have finished the 1920's Windsor silver clarinet. 

All shiny and new. This project was a lot of fun, I learned a lot but it was hard. It has my blood, sweat and tears. No, Seriously, look!

Here a few pics of the project along the way.

Ooh! Shiny!

The first time I picked up a clarinet was freshman year of high school in JV band. Soon as I picked it up I loved it, the sound, the feel. I practiced all the time, couldn't get enough of it. I was pretty good too (not to toot my own horn, no pun intended lol). Sophomore year I joined varsity band, I played Bb clarinet in the marching band in the summer and Bb contrabass clarinet concert band in the fall. Needless to say, I love clarinets. And ever since I started to play the clarinet 13 years ago, I have always wanted a silver clarinet. Guess what? I bought one.

One of the biggest projects I will probably work on this year is restoring this 1920's Windsor Silver Clarinet and Case. Bought on Craigslist for $70. I plan to fully restore this clarinet and reupholster the case. As you can see from these pictures the clarinet has decades of patina covering it. Also the years of neglect have rusted screws, fused hinges and destroyed the pads. I have many many hours ahead of disassembling, cleaning, polishing, reassembling and installing pads. Not to mention the case. This should be fun. =D

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Hush, little baby...

Gift baskets are one of my favorite things to make. I'll make them for baby showers, birthdays, holidays and even weddings. 

This project was for a friends baby shower, she was having a little girl and I already knew that every gift was going to be covered in PINK. So I wanted a more gender neutral gift, for boys and girls. Sesame Street seemed like a no-brainer, everyone loves Sesame Street. So I started with the basics: Toys, books, wipes, diapers, and a baby take along pack.

Started with:

 Red fabric for Elmo's Crayons Box (take along pack), accessorized with crayons, ribbon and 3D scrapbook stickers.

Blue fabric for Cookie Monster's Cookie Box (diapers), accessorized with ribbon and 3D scrapbook stickers w/ mini cookies.

Yellow fabric for Big Bird's Bird Seed (baby wipes), accessorized with ribbon and 3D scrapbook

Green ultra soft blanket fabric for Oscar the Grouch's Blanket w/ ribbon.

Once all the wrapping and accessorizing was done it was time to put it all together and wait for the baby shower. The basket was a big hit and made all the uber pinkness seem less overwhelming.

Bone daddy!

This project was a lot of fun to make, but also came with its own challenges (mostly the $ kind). I made this for my friend Helen's birthday, she has a beautiful Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) tattoo on her back and I wanted to make something very special for her. First things first, find a skull. There are SO many types of replica skulls out there (Plastic, ceramic, plaster) with different grades of quality. I chose a very simple plastic one with a removable top that was about $30 and was satisfied with the quality of it

Supplies:

Skull

Paints (acrylic and paint markers)

Flowers (silk and dried)

Hat box

Project took about a week, from designing the outside, painting all the pieces, drilling hole (top, for flowers) and reassembly, but the finished product was worth it. Painted hat box w/ dried moss and flowers for the skull bed.

This skull was the center piece the buffet table at  Helen's baby shower a few months later, with rave reviews from her guests. 

Cost

Skull                            $30

Paints                          $15

Flowers/Moss            $ 15

Hatbox                        $8

Total                          $68

The Brave Little....Radio!

I never leave a thrift store empty handed. Walk in with $5, walk out with an old box, a cool plate, or at least a bag of fabric scraps. 

Found this old wooden radio, KLH model 21 from 1965 (Not working) at a Goodwill for $5. Had a melted wax stained ring on top of it, scuffs and chips. The front fabric was stained and tattered, also missing main dial.

After a few hours of cleaning, sanding, cutting and gluing here is the finished project.

The final product came out better then I had hoped, after a thorough cleaning it started to work again. 

Cost:

Radio                 $5

Fabric                $3

Supplies             $2

Total              $10