Mushroom Bird Feeder

This follows on from the milk bottle feeder. The mushroom bird feeder is easier. All you need is a milkshake bottle (Frijj is ideal) and 2 litre pop bottle, twigs and string.

First wash out milkshake bottle and remove sleeve. Then cut windows in each side of the bottle and pierce the lid with two holes.

Cut off the bottom off the 2 litre bottle and pierce two holes in the bottom. (If you're savvy, you could use the top for a milk bottle bird feeder). Using red metal/wood emulsion I painted the bottom of the pop bottle, left it to dry and then painted white spots on it.

Inside or outside?

I have also tried painting on the inside of the lid. This makes it a little easier to hold the bottle bottom. I quite like the texture you get when you paint on the outside. It's entirely up to you.

Simply assemble the roof and stalk by threading string through the holes you've made on the lid and the bottle bottom and screwing the lid back onto the milkshake bottle.

Add a few twigs for sills and you're done!

**Update

I have since changed the position of the twigs. Rather than sticking them on the edge, I have turned one longer one 90 degrees and pierced it through the plastic at the bottom. The birds certainly prefer this.   

***Also nearly a year on the bird feeder is still outside and the paint on plastic has survived - hurrah!

Milk Bottle Bird Feeder

Next week our school is having an upcycling week and each class will make a few items that they can sell at the end of the week. Whoopee! This has given me the ideal excuse for a range of crafty diversions as I support art in two classrooms - meaning this will be the first of at least three posts! 

In class 3/4 we've decided to make bird feeders out of plastic milk bottles and 2 litre pop bottles. Some of the examples I've seen using a small pop bottle, sticks or spoons, are good enough but don't have too much for the children to do. Instead I'm going to try using bottles which the children can paint and decorate to look a little like bird houses.

First I needed to wash out the milk bottles and cut windows in the bottom - starting far enough up for a layer of seed to go in the bottom. I've cut the top of a 2 litre pop bottle to use as a roof. You could use the top for a mushroom bird feeder - next post. Keep the milk bottle lid but you won't need the pop bottle lid (save it for something else too).

Next - painting! Plastic is notoriously difficult to paint. Many sites say don't bother - you can't. Well these aren't supposed to last forever but I'd rather the paint doesn't flake off straight away. I've decided to try using emulsion paints mainly because we have lots of tester pots at school and it is about repurposing.

I've experimented with emulsion and this is what I've found out:

Hints and Tips - Painting onto plastic milk bottles.

Tip 1 - It's a bit of trial and error!
Different paint and different plastic will give different results!
Tip 2 - Specialised paints
Thick gloopy paint for metal or wood seemed to work well (see Mushroom Bird Feeders - next post). As did Lifeproof paints - they must have something in them which makes them more flexible. Also a paint with a sheen or silk will work better than a matt emulsion.
Tip 3 - Denser plastic
Paint seems to last better on harder plastics so it is easier to paint small plastic milk bottles (1pt) where as a proportion of the bottle there is more dense plastic, around the neck and the edges. So see how easy it is to squidge the bottle (not very technical I know). 

With the 2pt/1 litre bottles the one the left has more ridges on the corners and was denser around the neck - this seemed to take the paint better  and was less 'squidgy'. 

Tip 4 - Sanding
A light sanding of the plastic definitely seems to help - you can tell the different when you apply it. However I didn't need to do this with the wood/metal paint or the Lifeproof brand.
Tip 5 - PVA
Again using PVA blended with normal emulsion paint will help the paint to adhere.
Tip 6 - Car Lacquer
Spraying with a cheap car lacquer seems to stop the paint from flaking even if it splits (not sure how safe for birds though).

So I painted my small milk bottle with some light brown Lifeproof emulsion. I've used a normal emulsion for the plastic bottle. So far that seems to be working ok (just luck?) but I would still suggest using the same tips as for plastic milk bottles.

I pierced two holes in the milk bottle lid, threaded string through it and then slipped the plastic roof on top.

Finally, I hotglued some twigs to make windowsills and used permanent marker (and a bit more paint) to add details.

Quite cute I think!

10 minute Infinity Scarf (2)

Well, I don't have an infinity scarf but I do have a bit of spare material around. So, yesterday I decided to test the claims that you can make one of these in 10 minutes.

I've used a black, stretchy material that has a kind of sheen to it. Can't remember exactly what it's called but at the time I bought it, I was also recommended to buy ballpoint machine needles - if that helps.

Right the clock is ticking! 

Basically I used the same method as before. First I made a long tube by folding the material over lengthways and sewing along the edge. I used the whole width of the material, cutting off a small piece to use for a cuff later. The tube ended up being about 58 inches x 8 inches. 

I turned the tube the right way out and folded it in half so that the open ends met. I pinned and sewed together the two middle edges (for photos see Infinity Scarf (1), black material isn't good for clear photos).

Turn the tube inside out, seams now on the outside, and sew together the remaining two edges, leaving a gap of a couple of inches. 

Watching the clock, I turned the scarf inside out again and used the machine to sew the gap closed, sewing neat and close to the edge.

Result - basic infinity scarf complete in about 20 minutes! Not bad.

My model, no.2

Remember the material I saved for a cuff? I made a rectangle about 2 1/2 inches x 5 inches (double thickness) and sewed round edges leaving a small gap so I could turn it inside out. I put on the scarf, doubling it over and then slipped it all back over my head. I then wrapped the cuff (turned right side out) around the scarf and sewed the cuff together using the machine. 

You could add buttons or flowers to the cuff too, but they look good without cuffs too.

Infinity Scarf (1)

This evening I've had a go at repurposing an old pair of my daughter's flannel pj's into an infinity scarf for her. To make an infinity scarf all you really need is a long tube of material (my measurements are at bottom).

So, I started by cutting off the legs of the pyjamas. I thought if I cut off both legs, I could stitch them together and tadah! - long ready made tube of material. However, when I measured the material I realised that even if I stitched them together it would not quite be long enough to go around her neck twice but a bit too long for once. It's OK to make an infinity scarf that just wraps round once but I fancied making one that went round twice as I thought it would be snugger. 

As I'd already cut the legs off, I had to piece some more material together to get a longer tube. (If I wasn't trying to repurpose something it would probably have been easier to simply cut a piece of material and fold and stitch to make the tube). Anyway, once I had my tube the process was quite simple.

Completed tube, turned right way out.

With the tube of material the right way out, seams on the inside, I first folded the tube so that the open ends met, like there were now four layers of material. I pinned and then stitched together the two middle ends of the material.

I turned the scarf inside out so that the tube seams were now on the outside. Just go with it, it really does work! Surprisingly, I found that the two remaining unstitched ends of material were now lying together. I pinned and stitched these ends, leaving a few inches gap.

I turned the material inside out again through the small gap - right sides now back on the outside - and hand stitched the opening closed. 

Basic infinity scarf finished!     

My model!

You could leave it like that but as I'd pieced a few bits of material together to make the tube I had some ugly seams. So I got some scraps of t-shirt material and made a few cuffs to hide the seams. 

Later on we decided to secure two pink cuffs into place. However with a third cuff, we thought we could add buttons or a flower to it and then leave it loose so that the wearer could move it into place once they were wearing it.(I say we because as it was for youngest daughter she did have some say in this!). 

Update: The following day we decide to add a flower.

I cut a 27 x 2 inches long piece of white material, folded it over, turned it under at one end (just to neaten) and sewed a running stitch along the edge. 

I pulled the thread until the whole piece softly gathered. I secured the gathering with an extra stitch but left the needle on the thread. 

Then I started to roll the gathered material around itself from the neatened end, occasionally sewing a couple of stitches to secure it. You could use hot glue. 

Keep rolling and securing until you get to the end of the material. I found this a bit tricky and was a bit too fussy at making it look just right. Maybe I rolled too tightly at first but it turned out lovely in the end....

Infinity Scarf Measurements

I think if you're making your own scarf you can probably just estimate length and width (wrap a measuring tape around your neck twice to where you want the scarf to hang to). 

This scarf is snug but still wraps comfortably over my daughter's head - length was determined by however long the pyjamas were!

However, as a rough guide, measurements for a double wrap would probably be a tube about 55-60 inches long and 7-9 inches wide. For a single wrap I guess a tube somewhere round 35-40 inches long.

Having made this infinity scarf I think I'll definitely be trying it out in different materials or widths. You could repurpose other clothing - eldest daughter has now offered black jog pants that she's going to bleach dye first! Or how about the sleeves from long sleeved tops for a thinner look.

Shaving Foam and Glue

As you might know, I'm a teaching assistant and so sometimes my posts will be a project I've done for school - like today's.

I should also say that, like many of my friends and colleagues, I'm currently addicted to Pinterest. For me, Pinterest is the IT alternative to printing ideas out and pasting them in a 'to do' folder. I try and pin a lot of things that I do genuinely have an intention of trying or of adapting for my own ideas.

Shaving foam and glue is one such thing. I've seen people mix the two to make snowmen pictures - we tried this at Christmas. However, I was looking for something to paint a large earth with some texture to it.

I've drawn an outline of the world on the backing paper using chalk (note: holding it down with anything handy - paracetamol - third child poorly at mo!) 

Then, I've mixed PVA glue with green acrylic before mixing in shaving foam. It's meant to be half PVA and half shaving foam - but seriously how are you supposed to work that out!? 

I've used a paintbrush to dollop it on rather thickly. Occasionally I leave a bit of shaving foam unmixed or add a bit more green, so that the finished map isn't just one colour.

All I need to do know is leave it to dry overnight.