Just Listed-Mario Brothers Toiletry Bags

Happy Monday!

I’m so happy to introduce a new set of Toiletry and Make Up Bags to the Pink Toe Press Etsy Shop!

These bags are a  fun bunch! They feature everyone’s favorite Italian Plumber: Mario …and all his friends!  A great gift for boys and girls, these bags are durable, attractive, and spacious. There are TWO sizes available: One Boxy Bag ( think DOP Kit) and a smaller pouch (for pencils or makeup).

The bags are of durable construction and fully lined. You can see the bright, colorful lining in the photos above. The bags are sturdy and quilted with an interfacing to maintain their shape. The boxy bags will hold up in your carry-on or your suit case  on travel trips. Tuck one in your book-bag to keep your computer chargers, stylus, and mouse all in one place! I keep one in my purse with my phone charger, a spare pen, and lipstick!

 

Two awesome Mario   fabrics make these a great gift for girls, boys, or adults!  One features all your favorite characters from the games. The other design (in blue) shows a few of your favorite characters running along blocks with Piranha Plants and Goombas. Also shown are the matching hair bows/ bow ties. Get a complete set for a Christmas or Birthday gift! Available online  and at my upcoming craft fairs this summer!

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How to make your own DIY Hylian Shield Tutorial PART ONE

I’ve already talked about my love for Zelda. Now its time to geek out over my love of making things!

I love working with new or challenging materials. Initially I had wanted to make my shield out of wood, but without a proper workspace, shared walls, and older neighbors, I thought that may prove to be too messy and noisy. I have worked with wood before, but always in a proper workspace. After successfully creating a tiny version of the Hylian Shield, I decided it was time to get started on my FULL SCALE version of the shield!

Step 1: Gather your materials:

YOU WILL NEED:

Foamcore (in large unbent pieces): I sourced mine from my local art-supply store. Michaels may have them large enough. Be sure they are at least 20 inches (50 cm) square.

Newsprint: (or other scrap paper) to make your template drawings. Or print them out from images you find online. Be sure to make drawings for the front of the shield AND for the back of the shield.

Pencils and Bold Markers to make your drawings on the newsprint and on the cardboard.

Brads: buy a lot of them, I went through close to 75 of them between both shields..

Glue: I used Aleene’s Tacky Glue and it worked quite well.

Masking Tape: .5 inches to 1 inch wide

Rust-oleum “Hammered” silver spray paint

Rust-oleum Primer (White)

X-Acto #11 Blade and Knife

Scraps of Leather or other durable brown fabric or felt.

Paint and Paintbrushes: I used Martha Stewart’s High Gloss Acrylic Paints and an assortment of brushes

Measuring tools: Ruler, compass, protractor, measuring tape, etc.

Handle: Purchase a drawer/cupboard handle and its hardware from your local hardware store. Be sure to use one that fits your hand nicely. This will be the handle on the back of the shield.

Wooden Buttons: approximately 1.25 inches in diameter. Embellishments on front and back of the shield.

Chipboard or (non corrugated) Cardboard for some of the detailing on the front of the shield.

Embroidery Thread: or yarn in several shades of brown.

Step 2: Draw out the templates for the front AND back of the shield. Be sure to make them the exact size that you want them to be. For me, that was 20″ tall and 18.5″ (approx. 50 cm by 45 cm). The shield may need to be larger or smaller to suit your needs.

Make sure you include all details too!

Once you’ve drawn out your templates from newsprint, cut along the outside like in the above photo. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble by cutting the templates out this way. This would be a difficult project to freehand. Next, trace around the templates onto the sheets of foam core using your pencil. Carefully cut along your pencil line to cut out your first part of the shield.

While you’ve got your ruler handy, make some guide lines on the shield to help you orient the template onto the center of the shield. Make one line down the center and another 1/2 way down the shield. Cut out and mark 3 shield parts in the SAME way.

Step 3: Cut out the interior of the FRONT Template. This will assist in keeping the shield pieces symmetrical Using an X-Acto blade will be much easier than trying to use scissors. You will be using the inner pieces as a guide in our next step. Keep all shield pattern pieces.

Cut inside this boarder with an X-Acto knife.

Once you have cut out the boarder, place it atop one of your shield pieces. This piece will become the top layer on the front of the shield. Use a tiny bit of masking tape to secure the stencil to the foam-core. Trace the inner boarder with a pencil. Use an X-Acto bade to cut out the design. Save the pieces from the center and set aside.

Make sure you secure the stencil/template or it may shift during tracing/cutting.

Here you can see the stencil/template and the pencil lines. Ready to cut!

Step 4: Do the same thing for the back of the shield. 

But here is where things may get a little tricky… or at least different. Depending on the size of your handle and your personal preference, you may give the supporting cross on the back different dimensions. I made the horizontal arm on the cross slightly smaller than the size of the handle. This way, the handle goes around the cross instead of on top of it.

This was cut after careful measurement.

Measure twice, cut once.

Carefully cut out the cross pattern and outer boarder. Make sure that you give the outer boarder a uniform thickness. For my shield, I gave it a 4cm thickness (see photo). This will make it look more finished and will also provide more stability.

I found it helpful to use a ruler to cut straight lines.

Here are the front AND the back of the shield.

Above are the two pieces we just cut atop the two shield pieces we cut from before. We now have two “front” pieces and two “back” pieces. That’s all the major cutting we have to do for today. Next we will add some of the hardware that gives this shield its character and believability. Gather your hardware and tools and meet me back here ASAP!

Click here to continue on to PART TWO.

Tiny Hylian Shield Tutorial Part TWO: Steps 6 through 10

Yesterday I started showing you how to make your own tiny Hylian Shield from the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Today I am back to finish up the tutorial.

Step 6: Detailing What would the Hylian Shield be without its fine detailing? A Deku Shield? There are a lot of options for adding details to the center of your shield. With this smaller shield, I chose to use a combination of materials. For the Triforce, I used some thin cardboard. For the bird motif, I used my hot glue gun to paint the design. If you are not very good at freehand-drawing, I would suggest cutting out the design from your template. This was a little tricky, but I am pleased with the results. I may try something different on the larger shield, though.

The glue gun added a nice texture, but was difficult to control.

Step 7: Prime This is especially important if working with cardbard. The dark surface will be difficult to paint if you do not prime it.

The front after one coat of primer.

Be sure to get the front and the back. Let it dry completely between coats if a second coat is necessary.

The back of the shield after one coat of primer.

Step 8: Spray Paint Now it’s time for the fun part. Once you’ve let your coat of primer dry completely, you can add a coat of your Hammered Spray Paint. This paint is textured and does a great job of covering most surfaces evenly. I did not have any problems with my shield, but you may need to touch-up or add a second coat of paint. Be patient and let each coat dry before applying the next one.

Also, if you did cover the outside of the shield with masking tape, bear in mind that the paint will remain tacky there for a little while longer than it does on the cardboard. Be mindful of this when setting the shield down on surfaces while it dries.

Paint both sides of the shield.

Shield front after one coat of Hammered Silver paint.

Step 9: Paint and Detail. Once your silver paint has dried, it is time to add detail to the shield. I used a variety of small brushes and my acrylic paints to add the color to the front of the shield. I did the blue base first and then painted the red bird and Triforce, leaving the silver parts

Carefully adding blue paint.

Don’t forget to paint the back!

You may need to add several coats of paint. Depending on the type of paint you are using, you may also want to cover the shield in a clear gloss coat. As all of my paints were glossy, I did not do that for my shield. Once the paint has dried on the front and the back, it is time to add some hardware. On this small shield, I added a little loop to be used to hang or secure the shield. On a standard-size shield, it is even more important to add the correct hardware. This small loop will do for now, but if you make a larger shield in the future, be sure to make the straps and handle more secure.

Brads have proven to be very useful for this project.

Step 10: Sit back and admire your handy-work. Even if you have never touched a tool in your life, this project can be easy enough for any skill level. While this shield may not be big enough to defend yourself from even the smallest of Deku Shrubs, it is cool enough to display in your home or office. Many materials are ones that you may have on-hand.

With the leather loop on the back, you can easily hang this small shield somewhere where it can be seen!

I hope this tutorial was helpful! If you have any questions regarding the instructions or photographs please let me know. Share your finished projects too!!!

Want to see STEPS 1 – 5? Click here!

Can You Guess What I Am Making

This October I will be working on a couple DIY projects. In the spirit of Halloween, they will have a similar theme. I am wondering if you can guess what I will be making based on the supplies I am using!

These are most of the supplies I will use. I will also be using larger materials like paper, cardboard, and foam-core.

HEY LISTEN! Here are a few hints:

It’s something that you can hold. It won’t be too big nor too heavy, unless you are quite young.

It’s something that I’ve talked about before on this blog.

3 is an important number.

New Legend of Zelda Buttons

“It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.”

New pin-back buttons from Pink Toe Press.

Confession time: I’m a Gamer Girl. I really love video games and have an especially soft soft-spot for the Legend of Zelda franchise. I still remember the day that my parents got me a Gameboy that came with the Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening game cartridge. I was completely unable to put the game down for days, captivated by the characters and puzzles. After that came my first love, the Nintendo 64. My siblings and I didn’t leave the house for days and we barely slept or ate. All we did was play Mario Kart or similar racing games for hours and hours. But then…Then came the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. I must have logged 100’s of hours on that game. I could go on and on. But… “Hey Listen!”

The Hylian Shield buttons are a fun new addition to Pink Toe Press.

That brings me from the true topic of this post…Pink Toe Press’ newest addition: Retro Zelda Hylian Shield Buttons. With designs drawn by yours-truly and made into 1-inch pin-back buttons, they are the perfect addition to your bomb bag or tunic! I currently have designs from Link’s Awakening and a Link to the Past as well as the Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Each shield was hand-drawn and colored. They were a lot of fun for me to make and I look forward to making similar projects again in the near future! Stay tuned!

Here is a sneak peek of some of the new items you’ll be able to find at Pink Toe Press:

Can you guess what these are?

Are you…STUCK?

(they’re stickers…coming soon!)