Wednesday, January 10, 2018

DIY Star Wars Spinner Card: My Rebel Heart

I'll admit it's early for Valentines, but you guys, I needed a project. I've been lagging hardcore since New Year's, so out of desperation I started brainstorming crafts for the next holiday I could think of, and I happened to be looking at Star Wars stuff at the time, soooooo here we are:

 

 Ready for the big reveal?


Can I just say, I am so pumped this worked.

Plus this doesn't HAVE to be a Valentine; it could work for birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers... well, maybe not baby showers. But maybe baby showers? Or, since the spinner section is made separately, you could add just that part to a card you make yourself.

I originally sketched this as a necklace, but almost immediately hit some roadblocks in the skills department - or lack of skills department, I should say. I love the idea of a heart hidden inside the Rebel symbol, though, so don't be surprised if I revisit this idea later.

For now, though, LET'S MAKE SOME CARDS.

You Will Need:

- white card stock
- black card stock
- red paper (or card stock)
- glue stick
- black mini brads (the teeny tiny ones that look like this:)

Mine came in a multi-color pack from the scrap-booking aisle in JoAnn's.

Tools:
- printer
- thumbtack or small nail
- scissors


This is a pretty quick craft, since John and I've done all the hard stuff for you. (It took a lot of hours of tweaking and prototypes - I'm still finding paper shards all over the office.)

So first, print out my two page template from the bottom of this post. Print the text page on white, and the circle page on red.


I have an alternate poem I like better down below, btw, but I was afraid to post it up here because it's kind of... awful? Funny, but awful. :D  I'll give you both options in the downloads, so be sure to tell me which you like better. (AWFUL PEOPLE UNITE!)

There are two of each template on the red page, enough to make two cards. If you're just making one card, though, don't bother cutting out the duplicates.

Roughly cut around the heart circle(s) and glue them to your black card stock:


Let that dry while you cut out the "Is You" circle(s).

Glue the "is you" circle onto the front of the white card, directly over the printed guide circle: 

(The guide is hard to see in photos, but it IS there.)

 

 Next we're going to poke a hole, so open up the card and place it on a piece of cardboard or an empty box:


 Use a thumbtack (or small nail) to poke through that guide mark in the center.

 Like so.

Your glue should be dry enough by now, so go back and cut out the heart template from the black card stock. Flip it over to the red side, and poke a hole through that guide mark, too.


Now use the metal brad to attach this final layer to the card, being careful not to bend or crease it. (It helps to twist the brad through, as opposed to jamming it straight in.)



If it bothers you that the brad's prongs show inside the card, just glue the left over heart piece from your circle template on top of it:



And that's it, you're done!
 Ahhh, but remember I said something about an alternate poem? I'm just not wild about the Darth Maul line, to be honest, and my initial draft, "Crait dirt is red," was confusing, since most fans don't know that planet name. 

So instead I came up with a line that made John shout with laughter and then immediately judge me. Let's see what you think:

 

Yes I'm terrible. But it's funny, right? Right? Guys?

Well, anyway, there you go: an extra option for Porg haters and/or those of us whose humor is on the Dark Side.


(For the record, I have nothing against Porgs. Honest. :D)

And finally, a completely optional step is to trim down the top and bottom edges by about half an inch:



Unless you're worried about fitting a standard A4 envelope, I prefer it this size. Just a little less dead space.

And that's it! Hope you guys give this one a spin! (Eh? A SPIN?)

 Oh, and if you've been with me for a while and want to see me and John keep doing what we're doing - ie, all the free tutorials and photos and general sharing of stuff - then maybe consider throwing a few bucks our way each month over there in the side bar, the one that says "Epbot Is How I Feed My Cats." You can also support us for free by shopping through our Amazon link, or by just sharing my posts on social media, which is honestly the best compliment you can give a blogger these days.

I dream of a day when I can rip every ad off this site and still keep offering everything for free - no pay-walls or tier-subscriptions or locking away exclusive content. That's probably a long way off yet, but every dollar you guys pledge brings it a little closer, so thank you.

See how I made you read all that to get to the templates you need? I'm sneaky and SUPER subtle like that.

Ahem.
And now, THE TEMPLATES:

 




Click each one to embiggen, then right-click and save to your desktop.

I'm open to alternate poems, by the way, so if you have a better "red" line, lemme hear it in the comments! You know, along with whether I'm the only person awful enough to laugh over "porg meat."


UPDATE: KatyJo in the comments had a really fun alternate - and it's a whole new poem! - so I made that up for you guys, too:
 And the new circle template with just "you" in the middle:


I really like the (literal) twist in this one, since at first it looks like you'd rather have the Rebellion, but then, nope! ROMANCE. Hee! Thanks, KatyJo!

***
 Want more? Then go check out my Craft Page for over 150 fun projects and tutorials like these!
http://www.epbot.com/p/tutorials.html

32 comments:

  1. I laughed at the Porg meat line. And I love Porgs. This is awesome.

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  2. Porg meat is funny but Crait dirt separates the men from the boys as far as superfanship goes. That gets my vote.

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  3. This is so cool! It could also be fun to do the "I love you" at the top with "I know" as the hidden part, even if that exchange is maybe a little overused. I love the whole concept so much, though!

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  4. As a porg enthusiast...I think that's hilarious! And what an inspired idea with the heart, so clever.
    Still trying to think of potential other non-dead-porg fits though. Hmmm C-3P's arm is red? Rey's Speeder is Red?
    Oh! A full alternative:
    Kylo's sword's red
    Vader's was too
    They both had an empire
    I'd rather have you

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  5. These are just SO. AWESOME.

    I always use the CW link for Amazon (and I might have an Amazon problem...) and I tell everyone about all the cool stuff on both sites! You guys are the best!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Allyson! I know a bunch of you have already been supporting us for years, and it means the world. <3

      Delete
  6. I love the card and KatyJo's suggested poem! I was trying to think of how to use the red to reference the Empire and I think she's got it!

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  7. Sith 'sabers are red, maybe? What a great idea with the rotating heart!

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  8. Imperial Guards Red
    Luke's Lightsaber Blue
    Pick your Rebellion
    And Pick Me too!

    (I'm an old school movie fan, original VHS tapes anyone?)

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  9. Oh goodness, these are fantastic! Even as a porg lover, I got a good laugh out of that version. Wish I had a valentine to make one for, but I might just have to make one and give it to my mom or something, because those are so fun.

    Have you ever considered signing up with Patreon for support? As someone who doesn't have a paypal account (I know, in this day and age?!), supporting through that isn't really an option for me. I try to remember to use your link every time I shop on amazon, but I'd like to do more. Patreon might be a option to look into.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Laura! And re: Patreon, we consider it about every 3 months, ha. I think they even reached out to us personally at one point and asked us to sign up with Cake Wrecks. I have a lot of hesitations in taking on such a big commitment, and I worry about having no tangible rewards for you guys - and I don't want to lock away exclusive content, for both your sakes AND mine.

      That said, I know that cutting out ads and being supported directly by readers is the only viable way forward, so nothing's off the table. And the more votes I get for Patreon, of course the more seriously we'll consider it!

      Delete
    2. Another vote for Patreon, here! Even without exclusive content, or something as simple as "here's a sneak peek photo of an upcoming post," I find it a lot more convenient to add a dollar or two on to my monthly Patreon payment than try to keep track of which creators I've given to lately and how much, etc.

      Delete
    3. I don't think anyone who reads your blog would worry about getting rewards for supporting. Reading the content and getting inspired by you guys and your passion and creativity is reward enough! :) That said, I'm not sure how the "creator" side of Patreon works, just the supporter side, so I'm sure it's a huge thing to have to consider all the details. But keep us posted, just the same. :)

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    4. I'd definitely support you on Patreon! And I agree that simple sneak peeks would be awesome rewards ��

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  10. Ahhh, Porg meat had me loling!! My honey is in love with the lil porgies so this must be his v-day card for sure. Thank you very much!!

    And I shop Amazon exclusively through your link. Do you still get to see all the weird stuff people buy? Every time I buy something weird I think "Jen will laugh at this" haha :)

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    Replies
    1. I had to ask John, but it turns out we CAN see purchases made through Amazon, just not who makes them. So now I'm curious, lol. If you guys get REALLY creative, maybe we can have spotlight feature each week on the purchase that amused me the most. :D

      Delete
    2. OH, yes! Please do this! I'm amazed at some of the items for sale on Amazon. And even more amazed at the items in my order history!

      Delete
  11. Just swapped from Cake wreaks to Epbot and that heart looks like a bare botty. Its all those poo wang butterfly ladygardens!!

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  12. Yay for another craft tutorial!!!! I'm not sure which poem I like best. *reads your notes about the Amazon links* Um... *awkwardly fidgets with a lock of my hair* Thank you for reminding me of one of my reason why I should get a job! :-D Can't support your awesomeness if I don't even have money to do it with yet, Lol.

    Pinkie Welborne, 17
    Indiana

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    Replies
    1. You support me with your awesome comments, Pinkie - don't rush into getting a job 'til you have to. Trust me, the novelty wears off pretty fast. ;)

      Delete
    2. Thanks, glad to know I am doing something! I'll try to remember to write comments more often, then. :D
      Pinkie Welborne, 17
      Indiana

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  13. Jen,

    As for a necklace, couldn't you take a couple of metal blanks, paint them, cut the shape on one and rivet them together so that they would spin? Do you and John have the tools for this? Maybe the Dremel would work. Love you ideas!

    Maureen

    P.S. It was great to see you in Pittsburgh!

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  14. I love this so much! My husband and I are both huge Star Wars nerds. I may try to DIY my own version for him. I have something a little saucier in mind, like:

    Sith swords are red
    Twi'leks are blue
    My rebel base
    Belongs to you

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    Replies
    1. This is awesome! I want to use this for my hubby! :)
      -Ally

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  15. We normaly don't do anything for Valentines, but this year I just might have to! We've successfully created a tiny Star Wars fan, so our house is full of everything Star Wars these days.

    And I second (tirth?, twentyfivend?) the vote for Patreon. We don't need any special rewards. If Patreon demands you have rewards you can send out thank-you e-mails, or sneak peak photos, like others sugested.

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  16. Ack! I love these so much! Thank you for these! These would be perfect for my nerdy friends. ^_^

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  17. I would pay money for a "Diagona pie is red" one. :D Fabulous tutorial, thank you!

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  18. Jen- I made the Valentine for my Star Wars hubby and he was thrilled! Grinned from ear to ear and said it was the best Valentine card ever! Thanks so much for the tutorial.

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