EPBOT

Epbot reader Robyn R. made a special outfit for her daughter to wear in her Father's Day themed photos this weekend -  and I think you guys might approve:

This little darling is definitely being raised right, you guys. Need further proof? Here's one of her previous photo shoots:


(When I went to grab this pic just now I realized we've never actually posted it on Cake Wrecks. How is that possible?! I'm so sorry, Robyn - I'll be sure to correct this grievous oversight immediately.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

I know it might come off as bragging when I show you guys the cool things your fellow readers send me, but in all honesty: no one else understands why I get so excited about this stuff. So I have to share. You know, for the geeky moral support.


After all, who else but my fellow Dizgeeks would appreciate tiny vintage glass plates from WDW?






Misty sent these all the way from Indiana - it's like they're coming home again! They're each about the size of my fist, and are a real bugger to photograph, since they're translucent with lots of shiny gold leaf.  LOVE the vintage Jungle Cruise & Small World ones.


Next, a drool-inducing bag of shiny craft gears from Sharyn (yes, THE Sharyn, for you CW commenters):




Hoooo yes. The possibilities! (Seriously, Sharyn, you've got to stop spoiling me like this.)



Next, the one thing I spent all afternoon trying to get a decent photograph of, because my pictures just CANNOT do this beauty justice:

Janet, I want you to know that something on my office walls is getting the boot to make room for this. It's next to my monitor right now, but I sense some office redecorating on the horizon!

Janet is both a kindergarten art teacher and an artist, so you can see more of her beaded beauties at her etsy shop, and her clever classroom art projects over on her school blog.




As if that weren't enough for one day, there was one final package today that John made me wait to open last. (He opens and inspects all my mail before letting me near it. Yes, he's really that awesome. I know.)


First, some quick background: reader Diane e-mailed me last week for my address, saying she'd spotted something at E3 (the big video game convention) that she thought I might like.


I immediately turned to John and launched into a babbling fit that went something like this:

"Ohhh, do you think it's the ears? WHAT IF IT'S THE EARS?! That would so soooo awwwwesome.
AAAA!! But, no, I'm not going to get my hopes up. It's probably not the ears. I'm sure it's something else. I mean, it's just sweet that she thought of me, right? Right. Of course. Whatever it is will be nice. I hope it's the ears."

John, meanwhile, had NO idea what I was going on about and so was giving me a panicked look of pure terror. Which was kind of awesome.



Ok, enough background: now for the dramatic un-boxing:







All flailing aside, though, it's the sweet notes you guys send me that mean the most. I keep every single one of them - e-mails, too! - and store them up like Scrooge McDuck with his money vault. Not sure I'll ever swim in them (helloooo, papercuts!) but they really do get me through the rough times.


Anyway, thanks for letting me share the highlight of my week, guys. I knew you'd understand. :)

I've been experimenting with fused bubble wrap this past week, something I've wanted to try ever since I spotted this awesome bubble wrap pendant over on Craft:.

Here's what I came up with:

There are lots of fused plastic and bubble wrap tutorials out there you can Google, but fortunately the process is really simple: just sandwich your plastic between two sheets of parchment paper and iron the bejeepers out of 'em. (Do this in a well ventilated area, since the fumes can be toxic.) I did learn the hard way that you really need to pop all the bubbles in your bubble wrap first - otherwise it won't fuse down properly - and you should iron one layer at a time. Other than that, easy-peasy!

The resulting fused plastic is relatively smooth, but has a nifty crackly look to it, almost like frosted ice. The Craft: tutorial said it's often mistaken for mother-of-pearl, but without any iridescence I don't really see it:

Maybe in small quantities it's more pearl-ish.

Anyway, after brainstorming a while I decided to take advantage of the icy look with snowflake earrings. Well, ok -  plus the only punch I own is a snowflake. That helped narrow things down a bit. :D


They're pretty shiny when the light catches them, which adds to the ice illusion.

These were made with four layers of fused bubble wrap, but I'd advise only using three layers if you try this yourself, since my poor punch almost didn't make it through the thick plastic.

You can see the texture a bit better here, plus the slight translucency:



The beads and wire I already had in my cannibalized-jewelry stash, so this was a no-cost craft. (My favorite kind!) I used a fat needle to make the holes in the snowflakes, and some tiny scissors to clean up the edges of the plastic, since you can see my punch left a few nits and jagged edges behind.

You could further jazz them up by gluing on rhinestones or adding glitter, but I like the look as-is.

The great irony, of course, is that I don't have pierced ears and so can't wear these - and because I had to paint my gold hooks silver, no one else can wear them, either. (Painted earrings are a big fat no-no.) Still, I had a lot of fun making them, and I hope they inspire some of you to give this a try!



Now, stay tuned while I figure out what to do with my favorite fused plastic/bubble wrap experiment so far:

I sandwiched a sheet of iridescent cellophane between two layers of small-bubble bubble wrap. It didn't melt, but it's stuck nicely inside the bubble wrap sandwich. Kinda looks like a butterfly wing, or rainbow lizard skin. If you guys have any suggestions for what I should do with it, let me know in the comments!

The story that goes with this snapshot is an amazing tale of love and loss and celebration, sent in by Epbot reader Ron and starring his son, Ben. Ben is autistic, and one of his favorite things in the world - the ride Snow White's Scary Adventures in the Magic Kingdom - closed for good last month on May 31st. This was a ride Ben had been on literally thousands of times (they counted!), and Ron details the story of Ben's touching final goodbye over on his blog.
 
So many people - Disney cast members, friends, and even perfect strangers - came together on that last day to make it the most magical celebration Ben could ask for, and I'm not gonna lie: I cried my way through most of it. I don't want to spoil all the surprises for you, though, so just grab a box of tissue, clear your schedule for the next fifteen minutes, and go read the story. It will renew your faith in humanity, and give you an extra shot of pixie dust along the way.