Written by:
Johanna Lietz and Beatriz Go, Year 12
As students of this day and age, we are constantly bombarded with numerous projects and exams that leave us on edge and simply just waiting for the holidays. Yet when our breaks do arrive, we find ourselves wondering what we should do with our spare time. So, on the next fortunate occasion you have some free time on your hands - but don’t want to dip into the next set of deadlines just yet! - here are a few ideas to keep you occupied, DIY style:
1. Clean up and gain a record
You know what they say; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This DIY takes it to a new level: instead of simply throwing things out for the next guy, you could make your junk your own treasure.
A great way to start is to rummage through storage material and try thinking of ways of turning the things you’ve never used into household staples. If your parents for example, own vinyl records that are either damaged or happen to be any of ‘The Shaggs’ albums, then this DIY is just the thing for you.
The first thing you need to do is to preheat your oven to 100-120 Celsius and ensure that your kitchen area is well ventilated. Grab an ovenproof glass vase or metal pot, ensuring that the bottom of the vase or pot is much smaller than the record. Turn the pot/vase upside down and put the vinyl atop the upside down container. Stick this into the preheated oven and watch the record carefully as it slowly begins to droop as it heats up. Wait until the record appears malleable, which usually takes 4-8 minutes. Pull your moulded vinyl piece out of the oven with oven mitts and reshape your record bowl before letting it cool and taking it off of the vase/bowl stand.
And there you have it, a vinyl record bowl to add to your side table!
2. Make someone happy with something…eggciting!
Still want something to do? Why not try a novel way of putting a smile on people’s faces? This DIY present is perfect for those who truly want to share the Easter spirit with others. This is a bit more delicate and requires certain patience as well as some level of artistic skill, but rest assured the end result will no doubt be worth it.
First thing’s first, decide what kind of egg you want to use: regular quail eggs, medium eggs or large eggs? Generally, the larger the egg, the less fiddly the procedure will be. Once you’ve decided on the type of egg, use a corkboard pin or any other pointy object to poke a small hole on both the top and bottom of the egg. Hold the egg over a bowl and blow into one of the holes to remove the yolk and egg white.
Next, run a bit of water through the egg, shake, then blow out the water to rinse the shell and leave it out in the sun to dry. In the meantime, cut a strip of paper about 15-20 cm long and about half the height of your egg in width. Write a message on the paper and roll the piece of paper as tightly as possible.
Grab your now dry egg and decorate it with acrylic paint. Next, stick the rolled piece of paper into one of the holes in the egg. Place the egg in a nice box and there you have it!
3. Washi giving herself?
If you want some evidence to show that you actually did something this break, try making a Washi tape phone case! Haven’t already heard about these tapes? Just imagine masking tape except smoother, more colorful and all around prettier. You can buy Washi tape here.
Our last DIY takes little more than some cutting and sticking skills. First off, choose the Washi tapes you’d want to see on your phone for a few months. Take a clear or plain phone case and just start sticking the tapes on anyway you want: horizontally, vertically, diagonally, it’s really your choice! If there are any holes on the case, get a cutter and slice through any Washi tape that might have covered them. Don’t worry if your cuts aren’t perfect; you could always tuck in the extra tape so it’s not seen on the outside!
Once you’re satisfied with the design, get some Mod Podge and apply a layer of it with a paint or foam brush. After it’s dried for at least 20 minutes, apply a second layer and again, wait until it dries. It’s best to leave it alone for 24 hours before showing off the fruits of your labour.
So here you have it, 3 DIY starters that can get you through a boring day.
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