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What's the weirdest/funniest thing...


Cheverly

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... that you've had the idea to make from "normal" stuff?

The other day I was in Michael's looking at their beads when I saw a strand that reminded me of poop balls. I instantly thought about making Fimo dung beetles and decided I had to have it. Now I'm contemplating an Egyptian room box.

What about y'all?

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Thanks to Patricia King there's no telling what can be made from "normal" stuff. She's the one who looked at the tray in a set of tube watercolor paints and saw a row of urinals to make a men's public restroom from, after all... I made her Gilette Range for the Westville's kitchen (she called it that because many of its parts come from a package of disposable razorblades): http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=blog&module=display&section=blog&blogid=10&showentry=382

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Well this isn't so weird, and it wasn't even my idea, but a friend made me two brooms from tiny strips of insulation and toothpicks. It was a simple enough thing to do, yet they look very realistic.

The weird, and very nice, part about this was how the idea occurred to him while he was in the process of doing an ordinary thing in his everyday life. He was doing a chore for his sister, and as he cut the insulation, he asked her to get him some toothpicks. That just goes to show you how many people can get involved in this hobby. And the even weirder thing was that he didn't even know my dollhouse family needed a broom.

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I build strange things all the time. The latest was the hookah pipes. http://caseymini.blogspot.com/search?q=Hookah+pipe. Beads jewelry findings and... Telephone wire.

Probably my all time weird was the egg carton chair. http://caseymini.blogspot.com/2014/01/buy-extra-large-eggs-next-time.html

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Lawanda, I dont know where you are located, but here in AZ I get them at Fry's food stores. They are an affiliate of Kroger stores. I also mentioned on my blog that every time we go to the movies, I pick up a food tray. The ones at our theaters are the same thing as egg cartons, but a little heavier and a bit more texture on one side. They work well and each one has a lot more material than the egg cartons.

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I would just like to find egg cartons that aren't Styrofoam.

Wish I would have known sooner. I just threw out big bag of them the other day. I could have sent them to you instead.

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I think Maureen may be on to something there! Rby, I think the yarn for grass is a great idea, and I LOVE your bicycle!

Here in Texas we can get our egg cartons from Whole Foods or Market Street (United Supermarkets). Our local grass-fed shop has the good ones too. I do love the styrofoam ones as paint containers though. Cool hookah pipes!!

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I wish I could show you a photo,but my oddest use of a normal everyday object: I take crushable clear plastic bottles that water comes in-the single size,not the gallons-I turn them upside down and cut bottom off. Then I trim around the indentation on the bottom. I continue to trim it and sand with an emery board until the edges are smooth and it's evenly rounded,then I paint it with nail enamels. Makes a fancy shallow bowl/dish to display on a shelf or hold mini fruit,chips,etc. Carbonated soft drink bottles won't work,it has to be bottled water in the softer,crushable plastic. I have no idea what made me look at the bottom and see a mini bowl,but it's there! :)

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I don't think outside of the box very well, so I don't usually see ways to use non-mini items to use on the houses. However, I do like to get the most out of the materials I use. It doesn't qualify for "weird" or "funny", but I ran two fiber optic cables through a wall and use outside, ambient light to illuminate the Modern Tudor's security panel:

I thought it was funny that such a low-tech method added a high-tech appearance to the item.

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Another way to make the clear mini mint powls is to use that wee depression in the bottom of the water bottle for a mold and drizzle a drop or two of clear-drying tacky glue in, enough to cover, and let it dry; glue glass mint bowl. You can tint the glue with transparent water color beforehand.

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OK. You just reminded me of a couple other weird projects. When I first got into minis, I used to carve the plastic containers from gum all machines to look like cut glass. No. I don't do that anymore. Not that crazy now...

The other one is a Sangria pitcher that I made from a #11 seed bead tube. That was also a long time ago, but with better results. http://caseymini.blogspot.com/2009/12/plagued-by-penguins.html

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Such great ideas! I think I have some of the individual water bottles at the house, so I know what I'm doing this weekend. And Casey, the Sangria pitcher looks fabulous!! Like how you bent the piece down for the handle.

Jeremy, it may not be "weird" or "funny" but it is horribly cool. Such a neat effect, and really adds to the overall look. I'll have to look into working with fiber optic cables because I don't know the first thing about them. They did make cool table-top Christmas trees back in the day that would fascinate me for hours.

I love being able to get ideas from you guys. Lots of this stuff I'd never in a million years have thought of on my own.

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Corwin once had a topic going where someone would list a found object and people had to come up with a mini use for it' except it was supposed to be like a game, where whoever came up with a use for some wierd thing (like the plastic hanger that holds packages of socks on a display hook being used for the pothook in an old fashioned kitchen fireplace) had to post some other wierd thing they couldn't find a use for' I had to stop playing, because there's usually some mini object's ingrdient that can be made from anything. Look for books by Helen Ruthberg and Patricia King to get you started.

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Not sure if this qualifies as "making", but I've discovered that the caps from the cat flea meds make great glasses. My vet's office actually saves stuff for me....

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Don't ask.

post-329-0-31914700-1403278450_thumb.jpg

hehehehehehe Actually, this was the result of a day years ago when we were running amok on the forum and someone said something about how they bet I had a mini bomb somewhere and I replied, "not yet, gimme a minute" and came back with this. I don't the paint was even dry on the mini dowels before I took the picture. <cackle>

Speaking of Corwin, one of the oddest minis I've made was this bullwhip to go with a bed I dressed for one of his dungeon residents. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was done with thin leather lacing from a leathercraft kit.

post-329-0-18049800-1403278501_thumb.jpg

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and I replied, "not yet, gimme a minute" and came back with this. I don't the paint was even dry on the mini dowels before I took the picture. <cackle>

This made me cackle my ownself!

I actually have a book by Patricia King! Funny thing is, I didn't even realize it until last night when I was staring at the bookshelf looking for something to read in bed. Then I had to tell DH who you were, Holly, because apparently I said something like "hey, look Holly" out loud without realizing it.

My brother and sister-in-law both work for vet's offices. I'm going to have to hit them up!

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Save your IV tubing whenever you have a procedure done requiring an IV; I made beersteins for my pub from filigree tube beads, jumprings and sections of the IV tubing used for anesthesia when I had my first colonoscopy.

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Holly, I remember that discussion.ive got a shoe box started with stuff that I have found in my stash. Obviously, someone gave me an idea and I saved the items, now I don't remember what it was. I may look that thread back up and start posting this stuff.

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I didn't think to save the I.V. tubing, but I did save the little pill cups when I was having all those surgeries last year. Not to make into minis (although they might make good lamp shades), but to use for mixing small amounts of paint, epoxy, etc.

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