Russian Triple Rings - Fidget Toy

Video HERE

Somewhere in the loft or some random box I have a silver Russian ring which is made of three interlocking rings - if I ever find it I will add a few pics here.

In time I expect that I can reduce the width of my rings to create a more delicate object, but I still actually like the chunkiness, it feels right in my hand.

You will need:
Wood Veneer
Ruler
Craft Knife
Sandpaper, files and/or a hobby drill.
Dish of water
Rolling Mandrill*
CA Glue
Masking tape
Small clamps
Wax or other finish

*If you can find a stepped ring mandrill that would be perfect, I used a glue stick and dowels. Look around you for solid things of varying diameters - hollow plastic bottles or things that flex are not ideal.

Method:

1. Cut the veneer into 10-15mm (1/3-1/2") strips of about 25-30cm (10-12"). You will need 3 strips cut along the grain, use the same wood if you like, but I like the effect of different ones.
2. Gently sand either end of each strip to a tapered edge then drop them into water and leave to soak.*
3. Roll the veneer around your mandrill as tightly as you can, rolling them on a flat surface to help bring the wood in tighter. Wrap with tape, remove from the form and leave to dry.**
4. Remove the tape and re-wrap the wood tightly around the mandrill, adding a little CA glue as you go. Hold the end for a few minutes until the glue sets, then remove from the mandrill.***
5. Place the ring on a non-stick surface (I use glass, which isn't) and drip a little glue into the layers, it will soak in and help bind the wood together. Wait a few minutes, then turn it over and repeat on the other side.
6. Once the glue is set you can even up the edges with sandpaper.**** Then cover the ring with CA, sand once more until smooth.
7. Roll your next strip through the first ring and then onto the mandrill, gluing as you go.
8. Repeat the gluing and sanding process, clamping the first ring to one side so that it doesn't stick.
9. Wrap the first two rings with tape, then roll the third strip through them, pulling it as tightly as you can - at least a closer size to the other two. Glue and sand in stages.
10. Unwrap everything then give all the rings a good sanding until smooth.
11. You can try and finish the whole thing with more CA, but the chances of ending up with a fixed knot would put me off, so I went with a coat of wax and some spray varnish.

*Soaking times do vary between species so you'll need to experiment, some will be really flexible after a few hours in cold, others need boiling before they'll bend without splintering.
**These MUST BE absolutely dry or the CA glue will develop white patches.
***You might want to add a layer of masking tape to the mandrill to stop things sticking.
****You could go at it with a drill or file, I did, but each ring needs smoothing and it could be easier to do that once they're all together. The choice is yours.
For future makes I will cut a notch from the side of my dowel so that I can get the second ring as close to the first one in size as possible - I can't see a way of doing that for the third.

3-Minute Skill - RE-MADE - Peg Bag-Style Shed Storage

Video HERE

This was supposed to be a scroll saw video about my new door sign, but human error stepped in - by that I mean that in a moment of uncharacteristic neatness I deleted what I thought was an old incomplete file, which actually turned out to be the finished one... leaving me with an intro, an outrow and a few pictures... suffice it to say a few bad words were said (rather loudly) and I have decided to bring forward a video intended for next month...

Last year I posted a 3-Minute Skill video on encapsulated buttonholes, sewing one as an example into a peg bag... little did I realize that people actually want to see how the peg bag is made as well (although I did put a full write-up in the blog post at the time) so, as a need for some clamp storage has arisen, I decided to make a peg bag again... sort of. This is what I did - and the exact measurements I used, you can change things to fit your needs...

You Will Need:
A Wooden Hanger*
Lining Fabric (2 pieces 24x30cm (10x12") or one 48x30cm (18x12"))
Outer Fabric (1cm or 1/2" wider than the lining)
Sewing Machine
Pins
Scissors
Matching Thread
Pen (water soluble if you like) and ruler

*Or a piece of wood with a large hook screwed in to it. I used a piece of pallet wood 20x2.5x1.5cm (8x1x1/2") - Remember to sand all edges smooth, it doesn't have to be perfect, just get red of the corners and any splintery surfaces. If your hanger is curved then be sure to add that curve to the top of the bag.

Method:

1. Mark the position of your opening on the lining at least 5cm (2") below the top of the bag. I went for a downward-facing triangle of 8x8cm (3x3").
2. Align the lining and outer fabric with right-sides together and pin in place.
3. Sew around the opening with a 2-3mm stitch (1/8").
4. Cut through the opening and out to the corners as close as you dare to the stitching - DON'T cut everything away, just cut from a central point to each corner leaving the waste in place.
5. Pull the lining through the hole and press the fabric wrong-sides together.*
6. Run a top-stitch around the opening about 3-4mm from the opening (1/8").
7. Fold the lining fabric and pin it out of the way before pinning the outer fabric right-sides together.
8. Sew around the outer fabric, leaving a 1-2cm gap at the top for the hook.
9. Trim the outer fabric to about 1cm (1/2") sewing allowance, clipping the corners on an angle.
10. Open out the lining fabric, then fold and pin back the outer fabric.
11. Pin the lining together and sew around it leaving a space for the hook at the top and a 7-8cm (3") gap at the bottom.
12. Trim the lining and remove all the pins.
13. Reach through the gap, then through the opening and take hold of the bottom corners of the outer bag, then pull them back through.
14. Fold the bottom edges of the lining bag together and sew across the opening.
15. Tuck the lining into place - stitch the corners if you like.
16. Put the hanger into place - you will find it easier to unscrew the hook first, then push it through the holes before screwing it back into the wood.

*Pressing probably isn't necessary - I usually just pin the layers together.

Story Writing Tips

Video HERE

Storytelling is as old as mankind. Our tribal ancestors used stories to teach and learn and pass knowledge down through the generations, these stories became myths and fairytales and - eventually - emasculated animated movies. [If you want to study the development of fairytales and mythology I would suggest reading Vladimir Propp's Morphology of the Folktale - I would also suggest that you'd be crazy to try! Propp's theories melted my brain back when I was writing my dissertation, but he has been able to break down all folk/fairytales down to a rather simple formula] I have been writing stories for as long as I can remember - but that doesn't make me an expert, by any measure - through my experiences reading and writing I have come to the conclusion that there are three most important elements required for a good story - not that these are the only elements required, but they cover the bases and if you can master these three points then your stories will be worth reading.

First, Character.

However you come by your story idea I find it best to get something down on paper first - whether that's a few notes or a couple of paragraphs of story is entirely up to you. After a few hundred words I find it best to stop and take a step back, then break the idea down and identify the main character/s.

For each character I set aside a page in a notebook and make a note of their appearance first - simple details like hair and eye colour come in handy down the line -  then I imagine them sitting down with me for coffee (Yes, it sounds odd, particularly as most of my stories are Fantasy based and a warrior hung with steel looks rather odd sipping from a Costa venti mug) Some writers really push for you to write a whole autobiography, but at this early stage I prefer three simple questions...

• Who are you?
• What do you know?
• Where are you going?

The Who is rather simple, you could extend the question to Who are you now? Who are your family/friends? Fantasy in particular has a habit of starting with a nobody (See Garion in Edding's Belgariad or Rand in Jordan's Wheel of Time) and then giving him some great destiny.

The What can - usually - be 'nothing much', particularly in the beginning. The point of a story is for the main character to develop and grow. Even when the story starts with a war-weary warrior (See Sparhawk in Edding's Elenium) the main character knows what they know, where they have been and what they believe the world to be... that is likely to change as the story progresses.

The Where is - at least in the beginning - a far distant goal. It may be an unknown destination, or a long lonely road or a trail following a mysterious Man in Black (See King's Dark Tower)

Whenever I have a pause in writing, particularly if I find myself blocked, then I take the opportunity to go back to my character notes and re-ask these three questions so that I can see how my characters have developed and changed - and where they are still missing something. All of my characters get this treatment, even those who are only walk-on parts because you never know when you'll need a random villager to drop in with some vital piece of information.

Video HERE

Some authors really don't like Plot, the idea of trying to control and contain their stories goes against the freedom of creativity (See King's On Writing). If you reach the dizzy heights then you can put aside the chains of Plot, but at least in the beginning you need some idea of where things are going - particularly if you're going for a short story with a particular word count, or some kind of epic adventure. Christopher Vogler wrote The Writer's Journey, which is more closely based around screenwriting, but really does relate to the general stages of a plot - although he goes really in depth and lists 15 stages of the story, I would suggest that you have a look at his work, or a simplified list in the introduction to Edding's Rivan Codex. This is what I consider the stages of a story... (this fits pretty much any genre except Beat Poetry)

1. Home - This is the protagonist's starting point, usually their home - or at least where they have grown up. There are many heroes who discover that they are not native to their land but still consider it home. This place is all the hero has ever known, it is often a carefree place - think Hobbiton, Faldor's Farm or the Two Rivers. In Gaiman's Neverwhere it is London Above - normal London. You should introduce Home as quickly as possible in order to set up the next stage of the story. King's The Gunslinger opens with 'The man in black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed.' This may not seem to be Roland's Home place, but it is where he begins, the start of this cycle of the books.
2. Change - The moment of change in Fantasy is often quite obvious - the threat of the One Ring, the sickness of queen Elhana, Eragon discovering a mysterious rock. In other genres it may not be as clear, but the change must make the Home place no longer safe or comfortable and drive the hero to seek his Grail (I'll come to that in a moment).
3. Quest - This should take up about 2/3 of your narrative. The hero starts on a journey - whether physical or mental - and along that journey they meet companions and competition. Jung - and other writers - have written many things on the stereotypes of dreams and stories - hero, heroine, warrior, wise man, trickster etc. Not all characters fall into one pigeonhole, however, so don't be afraid to mix things up. The quest is a learning experience as well - Harry Potter for example, learning more spells and more about the mythology of his world, so don't forget to develop your characters in that way as well.
4. Minor Conflict - This could be any minor moment where the hero faces his villain and realizes exactly how similar they are - hero and villain are often two halves of the same coin - Often writers choose to kill someone the hero loves and drive them to the next stage with rage or grief. This often leads to a moment of...
5. Choice - The hero's choice is the culmination of all their experiences to this point, but may not be a huge moment. In The Philosopher's Stone Harry chooses to go through the door rather than take his suspicions to one of the teachers.
6. Final Battle - Basically what the whole story has been building towards, a moment of pressure release. In other genres this final confrontation could be a wedding or other moment of coming together - or final separation.
7. Grail - From the Final Battle the hero gains the Grail. This could be a powerful object or an objective completed.
8. Return - Once his quest is complete the hero returns Home, but he is changed by his experiences. This change could be for the better or the worse. The hero's eyes have been opened, or his power discovered or he has been damaged - like Frodo - and he may never be able to settle back into his place.

This cycle occurs in every story - try analyzing and episode of your favourite programme and you will see the pattern. A skilled writer can play with the pattern, change its order like the films Pulp Fiction or Go, but it is always best to do it the right way first before you start experimenting.

Video HERE

Editing is a constant process as each thought passes from your mind to your hands - usually one you do automatically as you order your thoughts - but in my opinion the best practice comes from remembering just 5 simple points...

1. Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar - Obviously! Nothing jars the reader more than typos and little errors - DO NOT rely on spellcheckers.
2. Narrative Flow - Does the story flow easily from one scene to another, do those scenes make sense. Have you mentioned something that you have not 'shown' to the reader?
3. Dialogue - Do your characters speak in a realistic way? Can YOU speak their lines aloud without getting tongue tied? Are you over-narrating? (If your character is pacing and stamping around the room as he speaks is it necessary to say that he speaks 'angrily'?) Do you need to SHOW rather than TELL.
4. Actions - Along with the dialogue, are your character's actions consistent? Does a normally honest character suddenly decide to lie without good reason?
5. Will my READER like it? - Write for someone, I find that much easier than just writing for a large audience. My reader was a housemate from uni, I know what she likes and what things aggravate and what will cause her to laugh or cry.

I have mentioned before that I have written a number of novels - and started to serialize them through Kindle Direct. I am actually in the process of re-drafting the first book and will be re-releasing them in the next few weeks. Click the link below to be redirected to part 1 of book 1.

Campfire Stew

 Video HERE

We bought a slow-cooker some time ago and it has been gathering dust in the corner of the kitchen, with the occasional experimental attempt to make something tasty. I must say that many of our earlier attempts have been disapointing. Something different happens in the machine and my trusted recipes just do not translate from the oven... disapointing... that is until I found a book of Slow-Cooker recipes that have - so far - not failed. That being said, the first S-C recipe I'm showing you this year actually comes from Pinterest via the Mum-telegraph...

Ingredients:
1 Onion, chopped
3c Garlic, crushed
2 cans Baked Beans (low salt/fat)
1tsp Chilli Powder
2 Bell Peppers, chopped*
1tbsp Smoked Peprika
6tbsp Tomato Puree
Small piece of Pork (5-800g)**

*Whatever colour you like, I lean towards red as they have some sweetness but not as much as yellow or orange varieties.
**The recipe says that you could use a smoked gammon. We tried that first and found the stew to be really excessively salty. You could try soaking the joint in cold water for a couple of hours before cooking it, or just go with a piece of pork leg or shoulder.

Method:

1. Put everything but the meat into your slow cooker and mix to combine.
2. Remove any binding and trim away all visible fat from the meat. You could also cut the joint into 2 or 3 pieces. Turn the meat to coat in the sauce, then push it down to the bottom of the croc.
3. Turn the slow cooker to HIGH for 1 hour, then down to LOW for at least another 5 hours.
4. Lift out the meat and pull into shreds with two forks, then return to the pan to heat through for 15-20 minutes, or keep warm until ready to serve.

As someone who really doesn't like baked beans I was dubious about whether this would work, but it is remarkably good and most of the beans break down to be unrecognisable. I think this would work well with jacket potato, pasta, rice or mash.

Enjoy!

CD Mozaic Trilogy Boxes

Video HERE

Is it showing my age to admit that I used to use floppy disks for all my files...? As a slightly over-organized hoarder I feel the need to save all my videos. Although they are cheaper, the downside of using write-only CD's is a growing collection of used or failed disks. I always try to avoid throwing things away if they have the possibility of a second life, so this seemed an ideal opportunity to find a place for my shiny former coasters...

You will need:
Old CD's *
Sturdy scissors or craft knife and pliers**
Wooden boxes (Fittings removed)
Sandpaper
Acrylic paint (choose deep or dark colours to create a contrast to the CD material then silver for the detail)
Brush/Spreader
Tweezers
Masking Tape
Resin


*I used both CD-R and CD-RW's that had been filled or failed formatting which created a variation in colour for the final mosaic. Unless you want a mixture of tones I would suggest sticking to one type.
**Although I cut out most of the process it took some time to find a good technique. In the end I resorted to scoring with a blade then snapping off pieces - which led to a number of shards of plastic pinging across the shed. There is probably an easier and safer way, but I didn't find it before I had enough pieces to work with. Eye protection would be handy, just in case.

Method:

1. Cut your CD's into interesting shards. I didn't attempt to try for particular shapes or sizes, but having three sizes of box meant that I could pick through the pot for different pieces to fit the space. I did a couple of dry runs to see how well the boxes were covered, thinking about placement and spacing in a random style - if you have more of a design in mind you may need to be more particular.
2. Sand the boxes and apply a first coat of paint. Once dry give the sides a quick sanding, then a second coat, don't worry about the top.
3. Squidge a splodge of paint onto the top and spread into an even layer. Working quickly with tweezers place the CD shards into the paint then leave to dry completely.*
4. Using thin strips of masking tape create a random angular design around the sides of the boxes. Mask off the lid and paint a strip around the bottom edge if you like.**
5. Mask off the sides of the lid then pour on a layer of resin, spreading to cover the CD pieces and fill the gaps in between.
6. Remove the masking tape then add a few strokes of silver blended with a little of the background colour to create a highlight on the painted shards.
7. Apply a couple of coats of varnish to the sides, then line and finish with foam on the bottom.

*You could use glue, but I find that it is visible beneath the resin, and I prefer this paint-glue technique as it provides a solid colour base behind the CD.
**I did this, then masked over the top for the resin, which pulled off a lot of the paint that I then had to re-paint... choose your own order for this process.