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Monthly Archives: March 2012

I make! Foam water bottle holder edition

During that time when I was wracking my brain for appropriate kids’ crafts, I came across this idea from Michael’s.  It’s a foam bottle holder that requires very little assembly and you can decorate it after.  I’m fond of crafts that are useful, so this project definitely had potential.  But I felt that it might be a little too easy for the kids I work with.  The original design called for just braiding three pieces of ribbon and then using that as the handle.  I replaced the ribbon and braiding with Chinese knotting (because I have LOTS of Chinese knotting string) and I had a good (and cost efficient) project for the kids.  Tada!

Here is the sample I made.

Materials:

  • Foam can holder (available at dollar stores or the dollar section of Michael’s)  [1$/ea]
  • Foamies stickers (or other foam pieces).  I used a package of ladybugs and leaves Foamies stickers, which was enough for 6+ bottle holders.  We also had some letters on hand.  [2.99$]
  • 1-24″ length of Chinese knotting string (basically satin cord), color of your choice.  This will be the core of the handle and the part that ties to the can holder.
  • 2-24″ lengths of Chinese knotting string, color(s) of your choice.  This will be the thicker handle.
  • Sharpies or related (optional)
  • Glue or a lighter to seal the ends of the string

Procedure:

  1. Just follow the directions you find on Michael’s site.  I’m including the Chinese knotting below.
    Some notes:

    • I made holes about 0.5″ from the top of the can holder.
    • You don’t need a hole punch to make the holes.  I used the awl on my Swiss army knife.  You could easily use a bamboo skewer to make the holes or the tip of some pointy scissors.  It’s foam.  It’s not hard to make a hole in it.
    • If you don’t want kids playing with sharp objects, you probably want to pre-punch all the holes before giving them all the materials.
  2. Tie or pin about 6″ from the end of the core string down to anchor it.  I had the kids tie one end to a table leg and they sat on the floor while they were knotting.  I have also used a push pin before and just pinned the end of the string to a board.  Or you can just have someone hold the end for you.

    I have already put all the supplies away. You'll just have to deal with poor illustrations.

  3. Tie the two handle strings in a double knot toward the top of the strings.
  4. Place the two handle strings under the core string and you can stick the pin through the core string into the middle of the knot.
  5. With the right side string, make a loop over the core string and under the left side string.
  6. Take the left side string and bring it under the core string and through the loop on the right side.
  7. Pull the knot tight.  You’re basically making a bunch of single knots around the core string.
  8. Repeat steps 5-7 until you run out of string.  Always make the loop on the right side to make the twisted effect.  If you alternate sides, you’ll get a flat string of knots all the way down.
  9. Untie the original double knot you made at the beginning of the handle.  Cut off any excess and seal the ends with glue.  I normally use a lighter and just melt the ends, but I was working with kids and I didn’t want to bring a lighter for them to play with.
  10. Unpin or untie your core string and poke one end through one of the holes in the can holder.  If your holes are small, use a pencil to help poke the string through.
  11. Repeat on the other side.
  12. Adjust the lengths so that the handle portion is in the middle.  You want a really long handle (as in, use almost the full 24″ of the core string) you can firmly hold one end of the core string and pull the whole mass of knots that make up the handle.  It should move freely on the core.
  13. Tie down the core string on either side of the foam holder.  I used a fancier knot that would allow me to adjust the length of the whole handle.  I had the kids just tie double knots.  If you use double knots, make sure they’re tight.
  14. Cut the excess and seal the ends of the string.
  15. Decorate with the stickers and/or pens.  I went with a ladybug theme and made dots with a Sharpie.  The kids really liked the ladybugs and now I’m left with a bag of leaves.  They also but their names on their bottle holders with the Foamies letters.

Someday…someday…I’ll be home during daylight hours and then I can take nice, bright pictures with natural lighting.

Mwah keess, mwah keess, mwah keess

Um…if you don’t know where my title comes from, you need to watch more cartoons.

Anyway, recently a friend and I were talking about perfumes and how some people wear waaaay too much of it.  Now normally, I wouldn’t say anything about other people’s personal beauty routines.  Mostly because I don’t care.  I mean, I may compliment you (btw, I’m using a generic “you” and not talking about you specifically) if you’re looking especially nice that day, but really I just don’t care.  It’s not really that important to me how you look…or even how I look.

But the thing with perfumes and colonges and eau de toilettes (eaux de toilette? eaux des toilettes?) and even strongly scented lotions is that I can’t help but notice them.  They intrude upon me unlike how your hair looks or how your makeup is done or how fashionable your clothing is.  If you want to cake on makeup, that’s your choice.  It doesn’t really affect me at all.  I mean if you choose to put on makeup and do your hair so that you look like this:

This is outside societal norms girl.

It’s fine.  It’s your decision to do so.  I may be momentarily startled by your appearance since it’s out of the societal norm for “beauty” but beauty is in the eye of the beholder right?  And if that’s the way you choose to look, well fine.  If you’re happy with the way you look, that’s great.  And you don’t have to (nor should you) conform to my tastes and standards of how people should look.

But with scents, it doesn’t work like this even if you so desperately want it to.  I mention this because I’ve heard many huffy arguments about how it’s a free country and that the scent-wearer should be able to smell however he or she wants.  Yes, I agree with that…to a degree.  You should have the right to smell like you want.  But at the same time, I might have to exist in the same place as you, the scent-wearer.  Shouldn’t I be allowed to breathe unscented air?  Especially since as an asthmatic, a lot of perfumes and colognes and ESPECIALLY heavily scented lotions trigger asthma attacks.  I really would like to have a chance to breathe without wheezing and hacking and choking.

So perhaps you think you present yourself like this with your immaculate hair and makeup and wardrobe and scent:

This is generic mysterious/elegant lady.

And maybe you do…to yourself.  But perhaps fragrance is in the nose of the beholder?  Because more often than not, I see/smell you more like this:

Yes. Full on stink lines.

Or maybe even like this:

Ok, ok.  The flies are a bit much.  I don’t think you stink to the point where you attract monstrous, anatomically incorrect flies (unless you have poor personal hygiene, but that’s a different topic).  But a lot of perfumes are definitely cloying and illicit such reactions like wheezing and coughing and hacking and choking.  And no, I’m not doing it to be rude.  I don’t even do that to smokers.  I’m doing it because your overwhelming scent is triggering an asthma attack.

Anyway, the point is…sometimes the scent-wearer reeks.  And while that may seem really mean to say, please keep in consideration that scent invades another person’s space and being.  It lingers in the air.  It doesn’t just disappear.  It’s not like makeup at all.  With makeup, it’s just a bunch of photons resolving on your retinas and your brain interpreting the signals as something visual.  Nothing of your makeup actually interacts with me.  With scent, molecules of it are actually entering into my nostrils and latching onto receptors.  If you wear a lot of perfume, there are a lot of molecules around you and more of them end up in my nose.  You’re constantly shedding these molecules.  They’re still around when you leave.  Scent is nothing like makeup.

So, you should be allowed to wear a scent if you choose.  But I think you should also take into the consideration of those around you especially if scent is in the hose of the beholder.  Just please…don’t dump half a bottle on yourself.  If you want to wear a scent, maybe try for this:

Instead of this:

Thanks.