Wood Lathe Turned Wizard Wands!

 Wood Lathe Turned Wizard Wands! In preparation for more Wizarding world, we're celebrating with geekery  and crafts to get us excited about the new movie! We had a big party for Halloween and had fabulous wood turned wands as the  Jackpot prize on the spinner wheel. These were a big hit...and why not!? They are amazing! We even detailed the packaging, so they would let the wielder know what magical elements their wand was made from! We had lots of fun making them. I bought a benchtop wood lathe from Harbor freight. It takes about 20-30 minutes to make one wand. We sold a bunch at the county fair and the extras we used as prizes! I colored a few of them with Plaid Ultra Dyes. They are like colored stains for wood and natural fibers.  It allows all the knots, grains and perfections of wood to show right through! They are easy to use and come in all colors! I also added touches of Liquid Leaf in gold to add more fun! Some of the wands we ...

Harry Potter Catch and Keeper Totes!

Harry Potter Catch and Keeper Totes! I love geek crafts and especially with the new movie  "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" coming out next week!  You will need: Canvas Tote Bags (I got mine from Oriental Trading ) Heat transfer vinyl  (I used gold from Silhouette) Fabric Webbing strap Sewing machine I cut out the images in reverse on my Silhouette Cameo and then weeded the excess out. Lay them plastic side up on the tote. Cover with a tea towel and iron. Iron on high for about 2 minutes and then check the plastic and see if it will peel off, if not, iron again. Then peel off the plastic cover. Next you will need some fabric, about the same size as the tote with a couple inches to spare.  Sew around the the fabric, about 1/2 inch wider than the tote.  Keep the fabric inside out and stuff it inside the bag. Fold over the top edge once to tuck in the raw edge, then fold over the top of the canvas bag one mo...

DIY: Harry Potter Magic Wands

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them comes out on Friday!!! DIY: Magic Wands I will never tire of making Harry Potter wands!  You will need: Black construction paper Elmers glue Chopsticks Paint Gem Hot glue/gun  These are just plastic gems. You could use marbles or rocks too!  Put some glue on the paper. Then roll a chopstick in the paper. It naturally makes one end smaller than the other, but roll it as tight as you can.  Hold them and let them dry to the touch. Then let them dry on the table for a few minutes.  Next, fire up the hot glue gun. Fill the top and bottom with hot glue. Let the glue cool completely.  Add glue in the wide end and put a gem in the end.  Then add drips and designs all over the paper wand.  Let them cool completely.  Then paint! Use glitter paint and metallic paint and go crazy! They are so much fun to paint!  Now...