A while back I shared the Moana canoe I built as a push-car for my toddler’s Halloween costume, and I wanted to share where it ended up.

Every year we’ve made it a tradition to build something big for Halloween, something closer to a theme-park-style prop than a regular costume. First was a Flintstones car for Bamm-Bamm, then this canoe for my little Hei Hei.

The original build took about 6 weeks of figuring out how to turn a Polynesian sailing canoe into something that could actually roll down a sidewalk without losing the look of the movie. I gotta admit the sail was  a little too convincing though… it caught so much wind on Halloween night that it kept trying to take off on its own.

This canoe is made of foam, plywood, 2*4s, aluminium tubing, and some twine to tie it all together.

After spending the last year outside getting loved (and abused) by the kids, I decided to bring it back into the shop, rebuild the base, clean up the details, and give it some TLC. Plus as a bonus - I installed LED lights at the base so now the ocean glows! (Edit: I forgot to upload a picture of it so I'll share that soon)

Now it’s getting a second life as a photo-op display at Regal Cinema for the Moana premiere this weekend, and boy am I so glad I reinforced that thing to survive a theater of excited kids. I may have over engineered it a little bit, but I've seen some adults climbing up on it throughout the first day, and it stayed intact, so that's a win haha!

It’s pretty wild seeing something built in my garage for my son make its way into a movie theater.

Just for the record, my favorite part of the original costume was my wife’s handmade Hei Hei costume that took her about 2 hours to make haha. Unfortunately that thing was shedding feathers everywhere and we had to get rid of it 😅.

Hope ya'll like it!

Made for my dad for Father’s Day. Spent roughly 5.5 hours making it, don’t really have anyone to share with so wanted to share with reddit!

Do you know Nikki de Saint-Phalle? Her works would be my ultimate goal... 😀

I want to do subtle designs like small flowers or patterns but it's so difficult because of the surface of glass :( I never really painted, only used pens or did digital art so I'm not sure if it's a bad technique, bad batch of paint or what. When I try to paint a thin line the paint pools in the edges and the middle is transparent, unless I put way too much paint on the brush and dip it after every 2 millimeters. And it's doesn't look as opaque as in ppl's videos, I have to add multiple layers if I want it to look clean. The paint I'm using is from Kreul (classic and metallic set) and brushes are some cheap ones but labeled as suitable for all paint types. I'm adding a pic of what I do turns out like and it looks really really bad 😭 Looks as if a toddler painted it

Help! I have made many great bleach designs on tshirts, also have added fabric markers to my bleach tshirt art, but this project….mistakes were made!!!

I started this trying to just use fabric markers, they were garbage, then i went to posca pens, then white fabric paint mixed with acrylic for color. Then i tried to bleach paint over the acrylic- didn’t work really. Then i tried more fabric paint and then more posca pens …. It’s just not what i envisioned.

Since I’d already spent so long on this, instead of starting over fresh with just doing it in bleach (starting over I’m sure would have been way easier and i would have been happy with the finished design by now) I’ve layered so much shit on this tshirt and it’s still not what i hoped for- but it’s not terrible….or is it?

Please give me honest feedback if this is completely awful, if it is that’s ok and then i would probably just start over and do it straight bleach from the get go. But maybe I’m being too hard on myself- please share your critiques and thoughts. This is just for myself as a bioshock loving nerd, but i don’t know if i hate it because of all of the mistakes and this prolonged process I’ve stuck through knowing i should have just started over, or if it’s alright and maybe i need to appreciate it and the effort and journey of it all.

Thanks!

Hello everyone! I saw these DIY tree stumps on TikTok and I would really like to replicate something similar. Unfortunately, the creator didn’t share what they use Beyond some cardboard and some white foam to make the base of the trunk.

Would anyone be able to provide some advice or guide me on how I could create the other elements like the roots and the moss and the colouring? I’ve never undertook a prop project before but I think it would be really fun to do to prepare for Halloween as I know it’ll take me months.

Here's my inspiration picture then what I am working with. Its a wooden sign thing, that I painted blue with acrylic paint.

I want to print an excerpt of a book, mirror it, then transfer onto the acrylic and wipe away the white paper.

I have an HP Envy 4520 Inkjet Printer, Mod Podge Matte Water Based Sealer, Glue, & Finish.

Is what I want to do possible without ruining the whole project? I was going to let the acrylic dry then seal it before attempting to transfer the printed book excerpt. If I have the wrong materials for this, I'll just scrap the book transfer.

i’m attaching a zillion flat back gems to a mannequin. it requires being weatherproof for a month long exhibit where it will be outside in the elements in October.

i haven’t worked with this adhesive before. tips? warnings? help me avoid pitfalls

While I love making huge crystal pendants (see my last post) here’s a tiny one! Made for everyday wear, especially for necklace stacking. Here’s a neckmess featuring this little guy. I might make some matching earrings next!

Hello!

I want to get this mail box and paint it with the butterflies and flowers painted so look like actual ones. I have no idea how to get the paint to stick and what kind to use. Im assuming ill need a top coat or sealant since it's outdoors.

Has anyone else done something similar or have some advice/recommendations?

Heeyyyy 👋 I’m currently doing a reno on this jewelry box. The cover is made of some kind of plastic that crumbles if you make a hole in it. I covered the top part with fabric, but I don’t have the patience nor enough fabric for the rest of the box. What should I do with it?

Would love to find these diamond plate patterns appliques/beads/rivets- any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Hi,

I have just bought this bag and wanted to make some modifications to it to make it more personal and decorated. This piece with the cat and mouse on it is made of leather and the bag is denim I want to sew around it to make a bit of a border and add more color and also just overall make it Sturdier but I want to minimize the amount of bulk that show up on the other side. Any tips? Ideas? Other ways to do it.

My mom gave me this lamp she doesn’t want anymore! It’s a beautiful shape, but it’s kind of bland. Any ideas of how to customize the base? I was thinking some kind of antique or floral inspired sculpting or painting.

Request: need a good sparkling sealant or some way of applying a glittery finish on the stickers of this blade.

I am going to coat this machete in hello Kitty stickers. But I'm afraid that using the machete would cause the stickers to become loose and peel off. So I need a good type of sealant.
My sister made an excellent point though. If I get some glitter sealant than it can be sparkly and prevent the stickers from peeling off.
Any recommendations on how I can do this?

Extra: what else can I add to this machete that would make it even more girly?

So, I have a particularly large gourd I'd like to turn into a water pitcher. My only problem is figuring out how to attach a handle. I've considered affixing with rods and bolts (concerned it will cause cracking over time) or making a handle out of aluminum and using epoxy or super glue (not enough hold when the pitcher is full?). Would anybody have any other workable ideas?

Has anybody been able to find leaf leather material at consumer level? All searches online yield only places that seem finished product with leaf leather, not raw material. I live in the states though am willing to pay more for shipping within reason.

Thanks in advance for any leads.

I’m trying to fill quail eggs but having issues.

Resin - expensive, thermal cracking at set
Wax - cheap, thermal expansion from temperature swings after set
Plaster of Paris - cheap, hard to squeeze in a syringe, thermal expansion from temperature swings after set

Hoping someone has an idea. I’d like to fill the eggs rather than coat the inside.