Saturday, October 31, 2015

Easy DIY Werewolf Costume


So the youngest, a tween, gave up Halloween last year. Too babyish for him, he said.
We ended up staying home and enjoying treats.

We thought it would be the same again this year.

That was until he decided to go with a friend.

The decision was made this week.

"Really? This late in the Halloween shopping season? The supplies have been in all of the stores since August and NOW you decide to go? When everything is sold out? "

"Thanks."

Luckily there was a werewolf mask he liked. (He had one in his closet already. But this one was way more scarier and cooler.)


Of course we needed to put the rest of the costume together. So we went to a thrift shop for a men's size flannel shirt to shred up.


For furry hands, we snagged a pair of my old knit gloves.


Then sacrificed his old werewolf mask just to use the furry hair.
It was a bit smaller, but there was enough material to use.


Fortunately, the fur color matched up to the new hairy mask.


I shredded up the shirt in various places.


Then glued and sewed pieces of the fur from the old mask into the shredded areas. 


And onto the tops of the gloves. 


It was done in a couple of hours. 


And he loved it.


I like the back bulges.


He liked all of it.


So much, that he howled and danced around the front yard.


"Poser."


"Dude... get a grip!"


"You're hairy and scary! We get it!"


Saving Halloween?


I think I pulled it off. 


I know I'm not the only one who goes through this.

"Zombied" the photo by using PicMonkey.


What was your last minute costume?


Friday, October 30, 2015

Pinbellish Pinning Party 9


Welcome to Pinbellish! A pinning celebration! 

My personal favorites from last week

 It's In The Bag
at While I Linger


by Amy at Home Remedies


at Purple Hues and Me 


at Pillar Box Blue 


at Karen's Up on the Hill


Hostess Features


Follow Purfylle's board Pinbellish Features on Pinterest.

Remember, if you ever miss a party you can check the Features Board to see if you've been featured in the past.

Pinbellish Feature - awarded to all featured pins

What will you find at Pinbellish?


New things to embellish your Pinterest boards.

Show off your latest & greatest pins on multiple blogs.

We'll entertain you with weekly Pin Trivia.
Roman style penannular brooch 

'Small and simple penannular brooches in bronze, iron, and, rarely, silver were common in the Roman period as a practical fastener, but were not used for high-status objects.' source: wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_brooch#Roman_and_early_Insular_period

Link-up rules & Guidelines

  1. Link to your
    pinterest pin (not your blog, only links to pins get featured)
  2. Add up to 7 pins old or new (one for each day of the week!)
  3. Repin 2 pins for every link you add
  4. Follow your hosts on your favourite social media platform

Meet & Follow Your Hosts



Robin

Stella

Gina

Allie

Sarah

Google+ | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook 




Disclosures: By submitting a link to the Pinbellish Link Up you are giving the party hosts permission to feature your image on our blogs, across social media and future round up posts.  Pinbellish hosts respect you and your work; everything will be properly linked back to you and credit given where credit is due.  

Love the Pinbellish Pin Party?
Grab the Pinbellish party button for your blog, posts or sidebar!

Pinbellish Pin Party - Link your pins and get them shared



An InLinkz Link-up

Be sure to stop by the Creative Craft Challenge link up on Friday, November 6! 

Thursday, October 29, 2015

How to Peel Wine Corks and Flatten Them


I once saw "flattened" wine corks on a trivet. I loved it. Being my favorite, I tried to find out how to do it. As it turned out, it was the ONLY flattened wine cork project I could find on the internet. And, no such tutorial was out there. So through trial and error, I came up with my own.

I picked up a lazy Susan at a thrift shop and decided it would be my first flat wine cork project...
just for practice.

The lazy Susan is a manufactured pressed wood product, so it needed redoing anyway. For two bucks... it was a cheap trial.


Everything you've heard out there about heating up the cork to cut it easier is VERY true! Steam them, boil them, warm them in hot water... whatever method you opt for, the key is warm water

It makes the cork swell and it cuts very easily. 
(Cold corks are tough and crumble!) FYI: I used both real cork and synthetic. It was necessary to heat both to cut them. The synthetic type cut easier after heated.


After a low boil... and to start "peeling", I simply cut into the cork in the center and part way enough to start peeling it like an apple.

With the index finger holding one end of the cork and the thumb on the other, cutting was slow, but easy to do.

It was best to use a cutting board with a paper towel for traction. You don't want the cork and knife to slip, so a towel holds it in place perfectly while absorbing some of the hot water.


I used a serrated knife and "sawed" it back and forth while peeling a thin layer off the cork.


Once the peel was successful, the layer obviously curled.


Because the cork was still wet, I added weight to the cut layers and allowed them to dry on paper towels. For the purpose of showing you how, I used this photo...


but I actually used heavy cast iron bacon press to flatten the curled cork layers. It flattened about 8 of them at a time. 

You can use cast iron pans, heavy books, or whatever you have, to hold the corks flat for about a day to allow the cork to dry.


 Once dried, they can be glued to any project surface.


For the sake of the lazy Susan, I found the center to "tile" the cork peels onto it.
Quite similar to tiling a floor or wall.


I used chalk lines drawn on as a guide to place my "tiled" cork pieces with hot glue.


Taking my time, I pressed each piece on with my fingers, spreading the glue and cork out.
Then trimmed the edges off with an exacto knife.


I decided to freshen up the lazy Susan with some stain around the edges.


Then trimmed off the cork with a border of rope cord with glue. (For more interest and an extra lip on the lazy Susan.)


To give the cork and lazy Susan a top coat, I used two coats of polyurethane; drying in between.
It helps to have such a surface for cleaning purposes. It also brought out the cork particles for a better visual.


This rustic look speaks "wine country".


Or sparkling water indulgence. (My favorite)


This "peeling" technique worked nicely. 
I did try using the scroll saw and my band saw, but I prefer to keep my fingers. As careful as I was and know my shop tools, it was extremely scary. I don't recommend electric tools to cut the corks. If you do simple "half" cuts, it's fine, but not for "peeling". 

Control and time with a serrated knife worked best out of each of my attempts. Yes, they can be sloppy, but with practice and patience, they will become second nature. Like peeling apples. 


 Even though I like the look of half cut wine cork trivets, trays and such...


I like the look of flat corks more.


It's easier to keep clean.
And it looks neater.


By the time I do several peeled cork projects, they should get much better looking and easier to do.

The problem... I need corks. Luckily I have three resources to snag them from again. But, I don't know if they can supply my new demand. (wink!) Well, maybe the restaurant can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~