recycled solar crayons

old crayon bits in a silicon mold, inside a clear shoe box in the full sun.

two-hour time lapse.

trying it with a full set!

fix-it felix golden hammer

Because I won't hand a three-year-old a hammer spray-painted gold, I had to come up with another idea for the kiddo's Halloween costume hammer.

I could have used a regular toy hammer and spray painted that gold, but I thought something scaled a little more cartoonishly large would be fitting for Fix-It Felix.

I used a 90-cent piece of foam pipe insulation from the hardware store (it's sold in six-foot lengths), a piece of doweling that fit the space in the center, and some duct tape in regular and gold colors.

The handle is cut from an 18-inch piece, with an 8-inch top and two 1.5-inch pieces for the hammerhead.

I used an 18-inch dowel to connect the pieces.

The two pieces of the hammer head fit around the end.

Here's another photo to help illustrate how they fit (some trimming will be necessary to help them fit exactly).

 Then I trimmed the other end to make it look more like a hammer. The bits I cut off were used to fill the hollow spaces at the end of the handle and the hammerhead.

I secured all of the parts together with a layer of standard duct tape. Kids are kinda rough on stuff, so I made sure everything was extra sturdy.

Finally, a decorative layer of shiny gold duct tape to make it shine!

And there you have it! A perfect Fix-It Felix hammer.

You can click here to see how I made a Fix-It Felix cap for the kiddo's costume and here for a tutorial on the shirt and patch . . . and of course, here for my post on Felix's tool belt, pants, and boots. Thanks for reading!

baby-safe "roman shades"

We had a homemade Roman shade in the kitchen (I made it when we first moved in six years ago), but considering the number of recalls of Roman-style shades in the past couple of years, I was never comfortable with it after my kiddo was born. Have I mentioned what a crazy climber he's become lately? I think he has mountain goat aspirations.

Anyway, it was time to nix the kitchen's strangulation hazard in favor of this simple faux Roman shade.

A lot of the tutorials you'll find for "faux roman shades" are actually valances that don't ever drop to cover the entire window. This one does.

It's in no way perfect, but it is inexpensive, easy, and functional. And by functional, I don't mean "easy to open due to an elaborate system of cords and pulleys", but "covers the window at several different heights, providing privacy without blocking too much light".

Again, no strangle-y bits here.

First, clear out your old window treatments.

Acquire three simple tension rods long enough to fit the width of your window, and a painter's canvas drop cloth. Your canvas drop cloth should be wide enough to accommodate a (pre-washed) single piece as wide as your window and twice as long (plus seam allowances and about three inches of length to make a pocket for the rod).

Loosen the screws, fit the tension rods to your windows, and tighten the screws.

Install two of the rods as shown, effectively splitting the window into equal thirds.

Hem your canvas panel along all sides and bottom, and create a pocket at the top that can accommodate the curtain rod. Hang it at the very top of your window.

Loop your shade behind the second (middle) rod, creating a deep fold.

Pull out the tail from the bottom, and repeat the loop-and-fold for the third (bottom) rod.

That's it! For us, because the window looks out into the less-than-scenic car port, it's not important that the shade open and close quickly and easily. When I want a breeze, I just pull and tuck and have this again:

Total time: about an hour (not counting the wash cycle). Total cost: $40 including three tension rods and one canvas drop cloth. You could cut the cost by using any fabric you have on hand, sheets, etc.

What's on your windows? I'd love to visit your (non-spam) links in the comments below!



(p.s. pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them, but you probably already knew that.)



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