Triangle Bin

James needs a bin for his room. James likes TRIANGLES. I made him a TRIANGLE bin out of paper mache. I like paper mache.

I rolled up three sheets of newspaper, folded them in half and taped them together to make a TRIANGLE.

I did this a few times and layered all the TRIANGLES on top of each other.

I started to paper mache it. I thought if I did too much at once it might get soggy and collapse so I just did one layer on the outside and just over the top. Then I left it to dry for four months.

Next I did the inside and then the floor, which I made from the newspaper sheet I'd initially used to stop the thing gluing itself to the table. As that sheet was stuck in place anyway, I just folded it over and glued down.

Then I decided the edges looked too chunky so I squashed them down with a book (which I wrapped in a plastic sheet because I wasn't gonna accidentally glue anything else to it).

After all three edges had been squashed the TRIANGLE was ready for decorating. James likes TRIANGLES, so I cut up loads of TRIANGLES from different colours of paper, card and tissue paper.

I squirted a few paints onto the bin and swirled it around to cover the newspaper. Then, with the paint still wet, I started to stick my TRIANGLES all over it. I added PVA glue for the paper and card ones but the tissue paper ones didn't need it.

Once it had dried I painted the inside. I didn't stick any TRIANGLES in there because you wouldn't see them if he's using his bin, but I did glue a few more tissue paper ones to the outside. And I let some of them overlap to create EXTRA TRIANGLES!

After it had dried it still didn't have enough TRIANGLES covering it, so I drew some on with felt tip pens.

I think that's enough triangles :)

Spring time hanging basket

It's time to redesign the basket that hangs outside the front door with a spring theme because it's spring now.

First I went out for supplies. I got the Easter Grass from The Works (£1), the butterflies from Pound World, and the eggs and chicks from 99p stores.

First I lined the basket with the Easter Grass. It came in a big clump so I didn't pull it apart too much, that way it should stay put. Then I shoved some little chicks' feet into the green stuff. I twisted them around to get the feet entwined.

Next I took the butterflies and found out they were on bits of wire, which is lucky. I fixed the wire in place by just pushing the end through the greenery and folding it over.

The eggs are some sort of polystyrene / foam type thing, so it's pretty easy to get a needle through them. I used green cotton thread to tie them in place.

Ok, it looks pretty cool and Springy, but it doesn't look finished.

I think for once I'll have to put some flowers in here. Fake flowers, mind. So I went back to the 99p store and found these. I made stems for them by colouring in some cocktail sticks with a felt tip pen and glueing them in place.

Then I dipped the stems in glue and shoved them into the basket greenery.

Only one thing left to do - hang it up.

Trinkets Bowl

I like paper mache. I'mma make a little trinkets bowl from paper mache :)

I take a plastic bowl and put a sheet of cling film over it, so the cling film bowl is shallower than the plastic one. Then I layer some paper mache over it. First newspaper, then pretty paper.

I let it dry then take it out of the bowl. Cling film always peels right off. I want my bowl to be steady so I make a ring around the bottom with a roll of glue soaked newspaper. I fix it in place with more paper mache strips.

And after it's all dry I just paint the bottom purple.

My first roller blind

I'm still organising my house. Today I'm putting a blind up in the kitchen :)

We've been to Dunelm and bought this roller blind.

We've also been to B&Q for a screwdriver (my first power tool) and to Wilkinson's for a hacksaw.

And B&Q have a really useful YouTube video about how to put up a roller blind so I know exactly what I'm doing. I've decided to fit the blind into the recess so it will close behind all the stuff we keep on the windowsill. So first I need to fix the brackets to the window frame. First one's easy, just screw it in place. I use the spirit level to make sure the bracket is perfectly vertical before putting the second screw in.

Everybody (including Daddy) says that you need to make sure the brackets are level with each other so the blind will fall properly, and if it doesn't fall properly it won't work. The problem here is that the spirit level that came with my pink tool set is this big.

Not to worry. I am resourceful. I get James's steel tape measure and use it to make a straight line between the two brackets. Then I put the spirit level against the tape measure to make sue it's straight. And once I've got my point I can just screw the second bracket in place. Easy :)

Now I need to cut the blind down to fit. The instructions say to make it 32mm shorter than the length between the brackets, but it doesn't actually specify whether it means the blind or the roller. The roller is another 5mm either side of the blind. To be on the safe side, I'll make it the blind itself - I can always trim a little extra off it if I need to.

I take the plastic piece out of the bottom and carefully draw a line up my blind to mark where I need to cut it. Then I use my good scissors (which I hardly ever use) to slice that blind right up.

I mark the rolly bit at the top and hack away at it with the saw. Then I do the same on the bottom piece before putting it back inside my blind.

Now it's just a case of putting the ends in the blind and slotting it into the brackets. Except that this is the point where we learn that they actually did want us to make the roller 32mm shorter than the space between brackets, not just the blind. So I need to go back and cut another 10mm off everything.

Ok, so I've cut everything a bit shorter and I'm ready to put the blind up. I was expecting this to be a bit tricky, being a snug fit and all, but it isn't. It slots into place so easily that for a second I worry I might've cut too much off. But I haven't - it stays up.

Look what I did! I'm on my way to becoming a proper DIYer just like my Dad :)