Odd Bird Toy

It's all about birds this month at Alpha Stamps! This month, we were given a bird shrine, and since I've been having so much fun making toys lately, I couldn't help but make this shrine into a toy as well. My goal was to make it look like a well-loved toy from years gone by; you know, something you'd pick up at an antique shop or, I guess, at a thrift store.

The shrine comes with a front and a back, a plastic disk for the window, and two pieces for the inside. I used both of the inside pieces of the shrine to make a deep niche, and added some mini bird eggs and some micro beads to achieve a snow-globe affect. On the outside, I covered the shrine with black and white polka-dotted paper and colored it with Copic markers. It was way too bright and new looking, so I sanded it down quite a bit, and then brushed on some Cognac colored ink to make it appear aged.

 

After gluing all the pieces together, I drilled a small hole in the back to insert the winding key. It may look like it, but this is not actually a working toy. I used two sizes of wheels, 3/4" and 1 1/4".  I painted them black, and then added a little turquoise to the inside. Once the paint was dry, I sanded them down and added an axle. Dowels would work best for this, but I didn't have any at the time, and I was impatient. I used the handle of an old paintbrush that just happened to fit. Luckily for you (and me, now that I destroyed my only junky paintbrush handle!), Alpha Stamps carries the appropriate sized dowels to fit each sized wheel. The wheels are attached with some E6000 glue.

The eyes are bead caps, and I just had to add a little crown on her head. I love these little crowns. I need to stock up on some more! For a complete list of the supplies available at Alpha Stamps, click here.

One More Scary Toy

I had one more eyecharm left, and lots of wooden blocks, so I added one more toy to the collection. This one has a big honkin' nose.

That's all for now. I've got an order in for more eyeballs, but word has it that my next Alpha Stamps package is on its way. I'll be busy with that for a while.

Scary Toys for Girls and Boys

My husband has been doing a woodworking project, and he's been kind enough to save all the little leftover scraps of wood for me. I've been having the best time the last few days, making "windup toys" from the tiny blocks, none of which are bigger than 2" on any given side. A few years ago, I bought a bunch of old wooden blocks and other toy parts, and I dug through them to find bits and pieces to help construct the toys. Some rusty bottle caps and some creepy eye charms to add to the fun.

I started out just fiddling around, and came up with this. Once it was done, though, I thought of all the things it could have been, and started making more.

 

I like the first one, but as toys go, it doesn't look like too much fun. Since they all have windup keys, I thought they should look like they do something, so I decided to make the rest more mobile, and add wheels.

For the circus wagon below, the block at the top was conveniently already broken in half. I added some painted accents and some wheels made out of spools. The hand is a vintage charm with some sequins at the cuff.

Here's the third one I made. I really love the look of one wheel in the middle, but of course that won't balance on its own, so I added some doll hands to help keep it upright. I used Apoxie Sculpt to make the sleeves and attach the hands to the sides of the block.

Its windup key is in the back.

This metal propeller was also in that box of old toys, as were the red metal wheels. I added a kickstand on the back of this vehicle to keep it upright.

  

Here's how it sits with its windup key:

Here's the final toy in the set (although I can't promise I won't make more!). I think it looks like a little weird animal.

All together now! 

Something Fun

I've just returned from a long family vacation. We had such fun, but it's been forever since I had a chance to make anything! I've been working this week on items for a craft swap. I'm going to try to mail them out tomorrow, and I'll post them when my partner receives them.

Meanwhile, look at this fun thrift store find: it originally held a buttonholer part for a Singer sewing machine, but I'll use it for storage. Doesn't it look like something straight out of "The Jetsons"?

It's almost 12" across, and I kind of love it. 

Attic Finds

I was rooting around in the attic with my younger daughter, and came upon a box I had been holding for my parents. It was lightweight and had no markings, so I had to look inside. What a discovery! The box was full of old baby toys. I used to play with these back in the 60's, and I'm betting some of them may have belonged to my parents as well. They are all made of rubber, and they all squeak loudly. Ouch, poor baby's ears! Anyway, I am so excited, and have added these into the decor of my craft room.

For scale, the dog with the ring around its neck is about 12" tall. My daughter claimed the cat and the hammer, which I generously gave her with threats if they're not well taken care of. 

When I was little, that dog was my favorite toy. Now that I've grown, it's this clown!

 

How awesome is he?!?

New (old) Toy!

I went thrifting today, and had some great luck. I got several old wooden alphabet blocks, a big bag of vintage white buttons, a glass jar filled with wooden spools, and a small beat up looking hardware shelf with plastic drawers (rusty blue metal!).

Here's the best thing, though...I saw this wooden stacking toy from the 40's the last time I was at a local antique mall. I drooled over it then, but it was too expensive. It was still there today, but on sale! It's mine now. I just love it so much. Look at that patina.

LOVE!

Thieves Market

I was driving around in nowhereville, SC, with my two daughters, when we passed a large building with the intriguing name "Thieves Market" on it.  The outside was surrounded with equal parts treasure and junk. Even though we were running a little late to our destination, we found it impossible to resist. We did a quick U-turn and went back to check it out.

That place was chock full to the brim with all sorts of interesting items; I found several old yellowed dictionaries and other old books. My favorite find, though, was a shelf of giant Ziploc bags filled with old wooden toys. I bought three bags, and now I can't wait to see how they will find themselves in new assemblages.

Here are a few of my favorite goodies. This is just a small portion of the total haul.

I'm definitely glad we stopped.

Happy Friday!

I still can't show you what secrets we're working on at Alpha Stamps, but while I'm waiting to post that, I have to share what I just bought from there. It's a reproduction vintage ticket holder from those rascals at 7Gypsies, who are always inventing new ways to get my money! I can't wait to play with it.

 

I can see filling it with old photos, tags, ephemera...when I receive it I'll post a photo of it "stuffed". Meanwhile, have a great weekend!