Category: Freebies

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Back to the Future Design Freebies

Making the skyway sign from Back To The Future II

3D printed skyway sign from Back To The Future 2

The year my father turned 70 I knew I wanted something over-the-top for his birthday gift. This is the tale of how I made a scale(ish) model of the skyway sign from Back To The Future and knocked his socks right off.

By now I’m assuming that you know I have this thing for Back To The Future (I might have mentioned it before in my sweet hoverboard costume post). But did you know that my dad gets the same grin on his face if you bring up Back To The Future?

When I was young my mom would spend a few weekends a year away at teacher’s conferences. This left 3 girls home alone with dad.  Being the model parent that he is, the first thing we did Friday after school was head over to Blockbuster to rent several VHS tapes and a VCR. Crazy, right?

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Back to the Future Costumes Freebies

Becoming Spike – a Back To The Future 2 costume

BTTF2 Hoverboard Costume (Spike O'Malley)

It was late February when Kim mentioned that the cast of Back To The Future would be at the Calgary Expo. I spent the evening poring over the Expo website, checking ticket prices and schedules (there might also have been a bit of squealing). Not only would the cast be there, but Doc Brown (the inestimable Christopher Lloyd) was going to posing for fan photographs with a DeLorean. I was hooked.

Herein began a 2-month race to the finish for my first con/cosplay. I’d always been a bit envious of Kim and her costumed shenanigans each spring, and now it was my turn – featuring my favorite trilogy of all time.

The next day I kicked off costume planning. After my husband Jer volunteered to dress up with me (he doesn’t even like dressing up, best husband ever) and we got the kids in on it, I knew we had a big job ahead.

The first question was who to dress up as? Marty and Jennifer from the 80s? George and Lorraine at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance? Marty’s kids from the future? Or our final choice – Griff’s gang from 2015. Jer and I have always had a thing for hoverboards and the cheesy futuristic tech in the second movie, so it was an easy sell.

What’s wrong, McFly? Chicken?
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Freebies Hook & Needle House

Knitting (and sewing) the Billow Pillow (+free pattern)

Do you ever wake up in the morning just wanting to make something? Although I hate having to get out of bed, about half an hour later, post-tea and pee break, I’m ready to create. A few weeks back I got the bug to make a knitting/sewing pattern for the Billow Pillow. And today I’d like to share it with you.

Let me take you back to last June when I was digging through all of Knit Picks’ yarn for the perfect colors to match this beautiful mixed media piece of my grandmother. My aunt made back in the ’70s and it hung in my parents’ home for years, so when I look at it I not only enjoy the simplicity but have all those lovely nostalgic feelings mixed in too. See exhibit A for my inspiration:

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1:6 scale Freebies

How to make 1:6 scale bricks

Diy handmade miniature bricks (1:6 scale)

I’ve always had a thing for brick walls. They have so much texture, depth, personality. Brick makes everything better.

So when I thought of making a dollhouse for my daughter, my mind immediately said “brick”! I’ve watched a lot of tutorials on how to make scale bricks, from making forms out of foam core to cutting a slab of clay in the right sized rectangles. You can also laser-cut your brick pattern into MDF and just paint the bricks and grout lines. I even saw a few people recommend painting foam bricks or gluing brick-sized cutouts from egg cartons to your wall.

But I’m a sucker for authenticity, and so decided to go perhaps a little too far in the direction of laboriously handmade.

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Costumes Freebies

Need a quick costume? Go Incredible(s)!

A Quick & Easy Incredibles Costume Tutorial

I’m really a cosplayer at heart. I say at heart because it’s not something I’ve ever devoted a lot of time to, though I do routinely plan out costumes I’d make if I ever had the time (Princess Peach, Jennifer Parker, Petra Venj… the list goes on). There’s something about dressing up and going out dressed to the nines that I love. Something. I don’t know. Something amazing, I guess.

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Costumes Freebies Harry Potter Hook & Needle

How to crochet a Slytherin scarf

How to crochet a Slytherin scarf

It all started with a pair of socks.

It was one of those rare occasions when I managed to bring my husband to the mall. This means a mandatory (though painless) stroll through the collectibles merchandise store.

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Freebies Papercraft

Vintage Childcraft Paper Dolls

paper-doll-clothes

I must admit I’ve always had a thing for Childcraft. When I was growing up in the oh-so-long-ago 1980s, there was a series of books a lot like dictionaries. But thinner. And illustrated. And actually interesting. The set covered a bit of everything, from science to poetry, in a well-illustrated way perfect for young, inquisitive minds.

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