Three little Trinket Boxes made from Gourds and the help of Proxxon Tools

My Proxxon Tools helped me to make three wonderful trinket boxes this week and I went crazy with all of my new Plaid Paints and Mod Podge and my new shipment of Creative Paperclay !  I just love all three of these products and can't say enough good things about them.

Supplies needed for this project:

1 or more gourds ( I made three)
Proxxon Jig Saw
Proxxon Drill
Proxxon Rotary Tool
Plaid Products and Paints
  Mod Podge and Mod Podge Glitter
  Watercolor Acrylics - Pastel Orange, Pink Dahlia, Turquoise, Meyer Lemon
  Brushed Metals -  Brushed - Black, Pale Silver, Antique Gold, Pearl Gold
  Coastal Paints - High Tide
  Color Shift -  Orange Flash, Green Flash
  Martha Stewart Paints - Lake Fog/satin
  Home Decor -  Chalk Vintage Mustard
  Outdoor -  Red Hot

Plain White Acrylic
Three sets of hinges
Head Pins
Assorted Beads 
Assorted Paint Brushes
Assorted Napkins and Tissue Paper
Creative Paper Clay
Assorted Molds for the clay

I had such a fun time making these trinket boxes!

I started out by choosing three gourds out of four and then

I used the Proxxon Jig Saw and cut them in half. Once that was done I used my Proxxon Rotary Tool with a small cleaning ball on it to help with the final cleaning on the inside of the gourds and then sanded the insides smooth by hand.

The next part of the fun came when I used my Mod Podge to put down some napkins and tissue paper (the green one) to cover the inside of the gourds. I then gave a light coat of the Mod Podge Mega Glitter to the insides.

Looks a little rough here but I let the gourds set overnight to completely dry.

Once dry I trimmed up all the decoupage and painted the outsides of the gourds with the Plaid paints shown in the picture above.

This is how the gourds looked after the Plaid paints were dry and the hinges were attached.

Here's some fun that you don't want to miss! I used my Creative Paperclay and molds that I had to create embellishments to glue to the gourds. I made flowers, seashells and a seahorse and also butterflies and a dragonfly to embellish each of the gourds with. I popped the pieces out of the molds while they were still wet and glued them to the appropriate gourd, let them dry and then painted them using all of the various Plaid paints listed above. I also took the Plaid Glitterific and went over the seashells, seahorse, butterflies and dragonfly I used beads on a string to go around the butterfly gourd and the rest of the beads and head pins to make little handles to open the gourd trinket boxes with. I used my Proxxon Drill to make tiny starter holes to put the head pins and beads onto the gourds.

These are the finished gourd trinket boxes.

Here's a picture of them opened.

And here's one with them closed. These boxes were kind of time consuming, but that was because I made three of them. This project was a lot of fun and I got to use several different products, and several different techniques. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and that you try making some yourself. Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought of this project and take the time to go to the different websites to check out these awesome products........www.proxxon.com, www.plaidonline.com, and www.creativepaperclay.com  You will undoubtedly find something you just can't live without!

Barbara

How to make a peek-a-boo birdhouse.

PEEK-A-BOO

Remember ant farms?  I remember watching the ants do their thing in their little plastic box.  Well that was a long time ago, I mean a really long time ago....   By the way do they still make those things?    Anyway, today I want to show you how to make a peek-a-boo bird house so you can watch some birds doing their thing. By that, I mean watch them make a nest, lay some eggs (if you are lucky), and hatch and raise some little birdies.

Supplies

1/4" plywood (front)

1/4" poplar sheet (sides)

1/8" Plexiglas sheet (back)

pack of wood shims (roof)

1/4" wood dowel

wood glue

suction cups 

Equipment

Proxxon band saw

Proxxon table saw FET

Proxxon delta OZI/E detail sander

Kapro measure mate 313

drill and drill bits

7/8" spade bit

clamps or rubber bands

I made a simple pattern to make my birdhouse.   I decided on a home for wrens because we have a lot of them around here, and they like a smaller home.  I didn't want anything too heavy to hang on the window.    This is my basic pattern, feel free to use it. The dimensions on the drawing are accurate but this drawing is just to show the basic shapes.

The first thing I did was to draw my pattern onto my surfaces.  This is made easy using the kapro measure mate 313.  It is a nice measuring tool with many extras.  I used it in this project to measure my lines, find the centers of lines (I didn't want my roof line crooked), and the straight edge ensured that my lines were straight.  It has a nice triangle shape. One side is standard, one is metric and one has a centering guide. 

The next thing I did was to cut my pieces out. 

I used the proxxon table saw to cut the wood pieces and the proxxon band saw to cut the Plexiglas

Note the masking tape on the Plexiglas.  This served three purposes:  1- I could draw a line on it 2- , It keeps the edge from splintering when cutting,  and, 3- It makes removing the protective plastic that comes on the plexiglas easier to remove later.  

Ok, now that the pieces are cut I wanted to make grooves in the sides for the Plexiglas back to slide into.  This Plexiglas is so thin that I didn't feel glue alone would hold it and I really couldn't screw or nail into it so.... we make grooves.    This is really easy using the proxxon table saw FET.  

To make grooves:   first remove the blade guard and splitter.  Set the blade height to approx. 1/8" high.  My speed square bottom is 1/8" so I used it as a guide.  Set the fence 1/8" from the blade.  Pass the sides and bottom where the Plexiglas fits over the blade.  This will make a slot into the wood.  Test the fit with the Plexiglas.  If the Plexiglas does not fit simply move the fence out just slightly and run pieces over them again.  This will widen the slot slightly.   The Plexiglas should fit snugly.  Don't glue just yet.

Drill a couple holes in the Plexiglas, top and bottom where you can attach the suction cups

I drilled 4 but then decided to only use two.  See below, this is a picture of the outside of the house. with the suction cups attached. 

The front of the birdhouse needs an entrance hole.  I used a 7/8" spade bit to drill my hole.

Sand everything smooth using the proxxon OZI/E delta sander.  I love, love, LOVE, this tool. 

💗💗💗

Put your house together.  Clamping was tricky so I used glue and rubber bands to hold it until the glue was good and dry. 

Then I glued the front on after I added a little perch.

The roof is made up of wooden shims I had on hand from the hardware store.  They are a little uneven but hopefully birds are not picky.  You could choose a different material if you wanted, such as corrugated tin, plywood, or... umm...use your imagination.  💡💡💡

All done..  Check it out

     
  View from inside my house.   .  Hope the birds come...   
 

How it looks stuck on the window.  come on birdies

I had fun making this project.  Takes about an afternoon to make.  Proxxon and Kapro tools made it super easy.   I do hope the birds come and I do want to thank you all for coming and visiting this site.  Thanks Proxxon, Thanks Kapro, Thanks Terri.

Upcylng Wood using Proxxon Tools

Left over scraps of wood can be recycled/upcycled.  Why not pick out some wood scraps and use your Proxxon tools to create a new project.

Supplies:

Delta Jigsaw

Delta Sander

Plaid Paint - Milk Paint - Petticoat

Kapro 313 Measure Mate
Wood scraps

The wood I used is from an old left over fence panel.  To be sure I cut straight lines, I used the Kapro 313 Measure Mate.  

Then I used my Delta Jigsaw to cut the panels, following the line created with the Kapro 313 Measure Mate.

Next I used the Delta Sander to sand down the fence panels to remove all the rough patches and imperfections.

I used the panel as is, but found it too dark.  So I decided to paint on a light layer of Plaid Milk Paint in Winter Harbour to give the panel a nice white washed appearance.

Once the panels dried, I sanded the panels again to remove some of the paint and give it a more distressed appearance. 

Now my panel is ready to use as a background for my projects.  It's large enough for my bigger projects, yet light enough to pick up and move around.

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by.

How to Make a Flock of Shelf Birds

Brighten your corner of the world with this flock of adorable shelf birds. I love the contrast between the painted bird bodies and the waxed beaks. This is a great project for learning more about your Proxxon Micromot tools.

Supplies and Equipment for Making the Shelf Birds

• ¾" wood, plywood, or MDF at least 5" in length (great way to used scraps!!)
• 1/8" dowel rod
• Pattern for shelf birds
• FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paints
• FolkArt Home Decor Was, Antiquing
• FolkArt Color Shift Black Flash
• Liquid glue
• Proxxon Table Saw FET
• Proxxon Band Saw MBS/E
• Proxxon Scroll Saw DS 460
• Proxxon Disc Sander TSG 250/E
• Proxxon Professional Rotary Tool and Drill Stand
• Twist drill set with brad point

Instructions for Making the Shelf Birds

1. Set the height of the table saw blade to accommodate the ¾" wood.
   
2. Use the table saw to cut five 1" wide pieces of your ¾" wood. These will be the bodies of the birds.
   
3. Cut out each of the birds and beaks from the pattern.
   
4. Trace the shapes of the heads onto the ¾" lengths.
   
5. Cut the head shapes using the scroll saw.
   
6. Measure and mark the height of each bird, and cut to length using the band saw.
   
7. Trace the shapes of the bird beaks onto a piece of the ¾" wood, and cut these using the scroll saw or band saw. The straight edges can be cut on the band saw; curves on the scroll saw.
8. Sand each bird body and beak on the disc sander or the Delta sander.
   
9. Measure and mark holes on the edges of the body and beak pieces for the dowel rods that will attach the beak to the body.
   
10. Mount the rotary tool in the drill stand. Use the precision depth gauge on the drill stand to drill holes with the rotary tool that are no deeper than 5cm deep. Use a 1/8" brad point drill bit.
    
11. Cut five 5/8" lengths of dowel rod. This length allows for a small gap between the beak and body when assembled.
12. Paint the bird bodies with FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paints.
    
13. Coat the bird beaks with FolkArt Home Decor Wax. Let dry overnight and buff with a soft cloth.
14. Paint the birds' eye using FolkArt Color Shift Black Flash paint. Use a stylus of end of a paint brush to dot the eyes in place.
    
15. Apply a small amount of liquid glue to the end of a dowel rod piece, and insert in bird body. Apply glue to the opposite end, and insert in the beak.
16. Enjoy your flock of shelf birds.
    

Carole