Finished Pepper Pots + Free Stencils

My pepper plants' new homes are done! I think they look like cool hot sauce bottles. The only one without a pepper is the atomic bomb. I just couldn't sully the name-sake of my design. 

"The Atomic Age"

The Pink Flamingo is for the rise of the middle-class suburbs because I think that a contributing factor in suburban growth was the fear of bombs targeting major cities.

The Ray Gun is a toy popularized by sci-fi TV shows in the 50's, obviously influenced by rockets that were made to deploy atomic weapons.

The Gas Mask were stocked in bomb shelters, so if the unthinkable happened people wouldn't breath in radioactive particles.

The Angler Fish is because deep sea exploration was reaching it's peak during the time, and because deep sea creatures might be some of the only things to survive the nuclear apocalypse. 

The Mushroom Cloud is self explanatory. 

The DNA is for the damage and cancers that radiation from detonations has caused around the world.

The UFO is for the first sightings that coincided with the development of nuclear missiles and new airplanes.

The Bomb Girl was painted on planes and bombs in WWII.

Sputnik was launched using rocket technology originally meant to carry the bomb into enemy territory. 

The Atomic Symbol is the symbol of the age.

I still need to spray these suckers with some sealant. I hope they don't get damaged before then.

If you want to see how I made these pots:

Designing

Painting

8 Free Stencils Below!

I just used an oval for the atom symbol and did the pepper DNA freehand. The UFO is a little different than the one on the planter.

(the last two are a little tricky, but I'm sure you can figure them out)

Have Fun!

Painting Pepper Planters

I painted trippy new pots for my hot pepper plants! Don't worry - the strange black-hole look is not the final product. That's where The Atomic Age stencils go.

I got the 5 gallon, black pots from Amazon. I also got 1 inch painters tape. I sanded the pots a little and started taping. The ovals are just packing labels, which I do not recommend because the spray paint aerosol made them peel a little during painting.

On the striped pots I used other pieces of tape in-between the pieces that stayed to keep it all even. I peeled the measuring pieces off, of course. The checkered pots were taped all over then then cut with a box cutter parallel to the tape lines. The little squares took forever to peel off.

I used spray paint that is made for plastic. It took the whole can to paint 5 pots. I peeled off the painters tape about an hour after painting. It turned out super well!

I didn't really remember to take pictures of the painting process of the designs. I was concentrating too hard. I made stencils for the main designs and painted the peppers free-hand. It took a few coats of acrylic paint, which I mixed to match my designs. 

The doggie helped, too.

The Design Process

The Final Product 

How to Survive the Flu

I am not a doctor and this is not real medical advice. If that's what you want, you should go to the CDC website or something. That kind of site usually tells you to go get Tamiflu within the first couple days of your illness. I eschew going to the doctor except in dire situations, so this advice was not for me.

First, don't get on a airplane, even if you think you are just tired and cold. Your ears will be popping oddly for weeks after you get better. And it makes you a major vector for transmission, which no one wants. Someone could die from the infection that you passed on.

Lay down and sleep. Sleep some more. Put on blankets and let the fever kill those little viruses exploding your cells. Don't freak out if you have a 103.4 degree fever. No one has gotten brain damage from that low of a fever. If your fever lasts for more than a few days you might want to see the dreaded doctor in case you have pneumonia or some other secondary infection. 

Good-quality, soft, toilet paper works better and is less expensive than brand-name tissues. It doesn't chafe your nose as much, for some reason. If your nose gets raw, put a little of a beeswax based lip balm on it. 

Once you can't sleep anymore, then it is time to bring in the cough suppressant, antihistamine, and fever reducer. I highly recommend Severe NyQuil. Supplement this with Ricola, or if your throat is seriously hurting use something with menthol. Not cigarettes - don't smoke while sick, you crazy nut - I mean those gross, fake-sugar, dye filled, cough drops.

If you have a terrible post-nasal drip take lots of warm showers. It will loosen up that horrible, rainbow-colored, sticky stuff, which you must cough out. It also helps with the aches. And you will wash away some of that weird metallic immune system smell. 

If you have long hair put it in a side braid and dentangle every couple of days. It will save you a lot of work later and it seems to keep pillow tangles away better than a bun. 

Eat something. Yes, I know everything tastes gross, but have some toast and soup. It is no fun spending the next month trying to build back up all the muscle mass you lost. 

And last and probably most importantly - write down some of your fever dreams/hallucinations. I have a fever poem that I wrote in high school that I still enjoy reading. 

Studded Wrist Brace

I am always injuring my wrist. I think there might be something wrong with it - it's been weird since I was a kid. Even knitting or playing guitar can set it off. It gets better pretty fast if I don't move it around too much, so I need a wrist brace I can wear to help it heal and prevent future damage.

Wrist braces are pretty ugly. I got this one that can work on either hand and wasn't too bad looking except for the white, brand lettering. I took some fabric paint and covered it.

It looked a little better with the paint, but as you can see - it totally didn't match. That was when I decided to add studs.

I think it turned out pretty rockin'. Now it looks more like a fashion accessory than a medical device. It makes me feel hardcore instead of a wimp with a weak wrist. Most of my gloves even work over it!

Secret Pocket T Shirts

I have debated for a long time about posting these shirts. I didn't want anyone to know the secret held against my breast. But now, I am throwing caution to the wind and saying "what the hell?"  I mean, I've never put anything other than a little cash in the secret pocket, so it's not like I'm giving away anything big.

This the first one I made. I had a problem with two of my favorite t-shirts. The grey shirt developed a hole in the front. My boyfriend bequeathed me the green Kurt Cobain one, but it was made out some horrible overheating, sweat inducing fabric. 

I did a messy cross-stitch around the edge, except for one corner where I just did the stitching on the Cobain fabric leaving a small opening for the pocket. I could've just left it with the hole in the back, but I didn't want it to get bigger and it would be pretty awkward getting anything out of it.

I love pockets so much, especially secret ones, so I made another one. This one I did with a fancy stitch on my sewing machine and started with the secret opening so I wouldn't have to struggle getting the fabric under the machine. I loved the color of the main shirt, but it had a graphic on it that I wasn't fond of. My Tank Girl shirt was always a little tight across the chest and as much as I loved to wear it, it just wasn't comfortable. You can see this shirt before I destroyed it here.

3 Ingredient Lotion

There are so many weird ingredients in store-bought lotion. You don't want to be rubbing unknown synthetics into your body's largest organ, right? I tried to just get away with coconut oil for a while, but the winter makes my skin super itchy so I had to add a couple things.

2 parts Coconut oil

1 part Shea Butter

3 parts Vegetable Glycerin (try to get this ethically sourced to you don't end up vicariously killing orangutans)

You can fool with the ratio of the ingredients because everyone's skin is different. I like this one because for me it doesn't leave too much of a greasy residue and doesn't make me break out.

 Just mix up those three ingredients in whatever container you are using.  If you heat it, it will come together better, but it is entirely unnecessary. I just mixed mine with my fingers. 

The glycerin works better with some added water, so I put mine on after my shower. I wouldn't add water to the lotion or it might mold. I had a test batch sit in the open for months and it did not spoil one bit, so it is fairly shelf stable.

You can also add essential oils to make it smell nice. As is, it had a bit of a musty smell from the shea butter. 

It also works pretty well as a hair moisturizer, if you don't put too much in.

Star Wars Snowflake Review

These snowflakes are hard. I'm saying this as someone who is mildly proficient with an exacto blade from making models for set designs.  I am grateful that the patterns are available for free, even if they were a more time consuming project than I originally thought. 

I think my main problem was that I used paper that was too heavy. If you are going to make these, use a lightweight paper. I wanted to use a heavier paper so they wouldn't rip in storage, but that was not the right idea. I ended up breaking the tips off a few blades by trying to cut more than one layer at a time.

I skipped a few parts that just seemed insanely intricate, like the rebel insignia on the Y-Wing. I cut the T-47 Airspeeder off of the imperial walker snowflake because it just had to many little, tiny cuts. I did this to a few other snowflakes, too, and I think they turned out fine. 

I was really sad that I accidentally cut the top off of my Star Destroyer, but I wasn't about to start over. That was the only big mistake I ended up making.

Click Here for the Free Star Wars Snowflake Patterns

I think the patterns were well done overall, but could use a bit of simplification. I'd say this is a project for nerdy adults with long attention spans and a propensity for detail. 

DIY Dump Truck "UGGs"

How can you convince a toddler to wear boots? Put dump trucks on them!

My youngest is notoriously picky when it comes to footwear. He would wear his crocs all year if I let him! He has really wide feet which doesn't help the selection process.

After some searching I found some gender neutral "UGGs" at Walmart. They are marketed for girls but they run large and have no sparkles or frills on them. He really didn't want to try them on. Then I took him to the craft section and let him choose some patches for them. Instant win!

Materials Needed:

• Boots
• 2 patches
• Synthetic Fabric Glue (E6000)
• Or needle and thread
• Glue Applicator 
• Toothpicks work well
• Scotchguard (optional but recommended)

Process:

1. Ensure that the boots are clean and dry. 
2. Decide where you want to place the patches. Lightly mark with pencil.
3. Apply glue to the back of the patch.
4. Add pressure to the patch and hold until the glue is set.
5. Repeat with the other shoe. 
6. Spray shoe with stain repellant. Be sure to cover the patch. 

A Few Things I've Learned:

• Do not iron the patches on. The synthetic materials will shrivel. It's ugly.
• Liquid Stitches glue does not fuse synthetics to patches. Stick to E6000 or Quick Grip.
• It may take a few touch ups to get all of the edges secured. 
• Next time I may just sew them on. 

These EMU shark boots are adorable if you'd prefer to stray away from Walmart shoes.

Happy Holidays!

<3 KM

Dried Fruit Decorations

A year ago I stuck some cloves in an orange and forgot to eat a pomegranate. These pretty decorations were the results. I think it would be awesome to make a bunch of these and use them instead of those styrofoam balls on a tree.

Making the clove orange is easy, but a little time consuming. Make holes in a nifty design with a metal skewer and stick the cloves in those hole. I took the cute, little, powder-filled balls off the top of my cloves so it would be less messy. 

I don't know how this would work in a damper climate, but my two fruits dried beautifully.

Pizza Rat Shirt

My man got me a ton a t-shirts for my birthday, including this pizza one. I decided to add some rats, mostly because I love them, but also because of Pizza Rat.

In case you missed it, pizza rat went viral a few months ago. So cute!

I drew some rats.

Then I traced them onto my shirt.

I got some fabric medium so mix with my acrylic paints. I filled in the pink and brown, and then added black outlines. Then I ironed it, like the bottle of fabric medium said to.

I kind of also want to add some yellow, drippy cheese, but that will have to wait for later.

Louise Hat

I made a hat like Louise's from Bob's Burgers for Halloween. I love Louise and her evil plans. She is my favorite cartoon character right now, which is saying a lot because I really like cartoons.

Unfortunately, I did not make it out this year, so I will have to think of something else fun to do with my bunny-ear hat. 

I made the hat out of pink flannel and used wire to make the ears stand up. I also added a couple of wig clips so it wouldn't fall off.

It also reminds me of Gummo, so that's a plus - maybe a 2 in 1 costume piece?

Voodoo Dolls

I sewed up some voodoo dolls to give as gifts. Turns out everyone wants a voodoo doll to call their own. I like to use the one I kept for myself as a pin cushion. I mean a real pin cushion - for sewing. Man, I feel bad if anyone is connected to that doll.

Here is the pattern I made up. The big piece is the head, the medium piece is the body (x2), and the small piece is the arms (x4)).

Sewing the head is the hardest part because the seams are so small. I sewed through my finger while doing one of the heads. I think that doll is cursed. It wasn't that bad - only hurt for a day or so. 

Anyway, it is easiest to sew straight across on the heads and leave one of the four seams open to stuff and the hand sew later. You can even make it faster if you leave the bottom of the head and the top of the torso open and then just sew them together after you are done stuffing.

Leaving the arms open at the top is also the faster option, which I obviously hadn't leaned yet when I took this picture. I used a chop-stick to push the stuffing in.

Then I took some black thread and sewed little X's for eyes and a cross-hatched line for a mouth. I used three stitches for the mouth line, so they look more smiley. 

Now you can make your very own voodoo doll. Who wants to inflict some majik pain?