Yesterday spent more time with the laser cutter at the library, mostly figuring out how to use the attached software to create the grid for tiny trinket shelves. After much time struggling to remember what I'd done 2 weeks ago, asking for help made a big difference and led to success at last. Time and practice will hopefully make turning design ideas into cut files easier.
Between time there and time today at the PCC makerspace, was able to generate a number of components. These still need to be glued together in pairs, as a 3mm deep shelf is Very Shallow indeed! And they will also need to have a solid thin wood backing attached.
How very silly it turned out to be that what smelled appetisingly like smoked fish all Tuesday evening was really the small bits of laser cut walnut forgotten in my dress pocket?! (After laser cutting the first grids for trinket shelves, there were many many small rectangles remaining that seemed worth thinking about what sort of miniature they might be turned into rather than just discarded.)
※※※
~ 1, 2, 3, many... ~
The laser cutter works so quickly! It only takes a few minutes to cut out a half dozen of these 1:12 scale trinket shelf grids from walnut plywood. It will be a fun challenge finding assorted miniature items to fill the shelves, once they are assembled. ~ 1, 2, 3, many... ~
※※※
In additional tinyworld makerie, the cap of an eye drops bottle has been turned into a miniature MCM flower vase, first by applying blue paint to the knurled part of the cap giving a striped effect, then painting on several layers of nail varnish for a shiny "glazed" surface. Drilled out the center of the tip and covered up the open end with cardstock. Now all it needs is a coffee table or display shelf. The shape is surprisingly lovely, and am wondering if others could be painted differently for variety sake and/or to share
※※※
Yet another tiny treat today, as the "potion creating" station at the makerspace has been set up all this week as part of their spooky season activities. What they call potions, are what I think of as Vortex Bottles, remembering the booth at OCF that was filled with many recycled glass bottles large and small with different colors of swirling sparkle inside. Turns out the effect is made by combining isopropyl alcohol, vegetable glycerine, and mica powder. Two of the 1" tall wee glass vials now contain a dark and a light golden swirling vortex, and on Acantha's advice, I used sealing wax to cover the cork stoppers, holding them in place and preventing evaporation.
※※※
In an earlier frenzy of Etsy shopping, I ordered the pattern to make a beaded giraffe charm for Kestrel, and (also/unrelatedly) ordered punches to cut very tiny leaves. Have been dreaming of making miniature botanical arrangements and house plants. Also am mulling over how to design the tiny MCM plant pot holder for laser cutting and how to generate the shape for a matching tiny plant pot in TinkerCAD. Since said pot is simply a hollowed out cylinder, my hope is it won't be too difficult. Need to look up some video tutorials from the "University of YouTube...
※※※
Monday, while video visiting with Mischa, we got to chatting about singing, that being an activity impossible over zoom. This sent me down the rabbit hole to events at Spring Hill decades ago, and the performances by On Wings Of Song. Like much else of the niche music from my younger days, there is no digital audio available, but there are old LP's out there to be purchased,. And, the assorted hi fi components (turntable, speakers, etc) are also long lost in the mists of time and moving, so there would be no way to listen to older music without also creating space and a setup for such. Not a project I want to take on currently, but perhaps could be an incentive for deeper decluttering. I really don't need another hobby, though it is entertaining to think about.
※※※
October SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | tiny Wishbone chair | wheels for 2nd RÅSKOG | greenwaste bin |
| 2 | 3 laser cut walnut trinket shelves | - | recycle bin |
| 3 | vortex bottles | - | - |
| 4 | - | - | - |
| 5 | - | - | - |
| 6 | x | x | x |
| 7 | x | x | x |
| 8 | x | x | x |
| 9 | x | x | x |
today's gratitudes -
- Albina Library had USB sticks available
- swirly sparkly vortex bottles
- got to hear some wonderful live music back in the day
Time of Isolation - Day 2272
