RSS

Tag Archives: shrinky dinks

Love + Action • June 15th, 2016

June 13

rainbow-flag

This WednesdayJune 15th, 2016 from 9pm until midnight (or later) at Akbar, it’s CRAFTNIGHT. 
Project: Love + Action   
$3 Processing fee, please
$4 Drink Specials at Akbar

Re: The Shooting in Orlando

I cannot find grace, and I cannot find comfort. I’m cracked in half.

Fighting back with love, that’s what monks do, right? Where you breathe in all of the world’s hatred and breathe out something more palatable with every chant?
What if I’m breathing fire?
What if I can’t breathe?
What about smashing things?
What about never stopping crying ever, or being dry-eyed and catatonic with emptiness?
We’re going to address as many feelings as we can at CraftNight this week with varying activities:

1.) Shrinky Dinks = Creative outlet. If you want to make something for yourself, for a friend, for anyone, we will have the supplies for you to do it. It can be about something, it can be about nothing, it’s a shrinky dink, it’s just the most distracting and rewarding craft I can offer at a time like this. If you don’t know what a shrinky dink is, then that’s it: for you, CraftNight this Wednesday is mandatory, you need to know.

2.) Send support: Many organizations have stepped forward to help, and here is the main fund through Equality Florida. I will have resource sheets for you to take home where you can find more ways to help.

3.) Cards and Letters for The Pulse: The Pulse is a community haven. They are in shock and mourning, but at some point, their doors will open again, the people need them. I’ll have pens, blank cards, paper, envelopes and more so that you can make and send healing, queer, sparkly, love-filled messages to The Pulse about how valuable and important they are, and how we stand with them in solidarity.

4.) Letters to Elected Representatives About Gun Control – I will have the letters, I will have stamps, I will have envelopes. Write one, and I will send it for you, or you can send it yourself.

5.) Curl up and watch the Akbar Jumbotron – If you want to cocoon and be in some pillows and hide and be comfy, we’ll have a dark space on the dance floor for you to be cozy and quiet. We will play promisingly distracting things on the screen, and we will have snacks.

6.) Have a cocktail. Sometimes a drink is a useful thing.

7.) Together Time: Akbar is a refuge for eastside queers over 20 years strong. CraftNight has been at Akbar for over 8 years now, we are part of the rainbow coalition, and these colors don’t run. It’s time to be together. Come and get your love.

See you at the Craft Table,

JP Craft Captain

 

 

Posted by on June 13, 2016 in Coloring Craft, Heat-based Craft, Multi-Variety Craft

Comments Off on Love + Action • June 15th, 2016

Tags: , , , , , ,

Shrinky Dinks: THE SEQUEL • Sept. 23rd, 2015

September 23

piano_fantaseh_001

TONIGHT! Wednesday, Sept 23rd, 2015 from 9pm until midnight (or later) at Akbar, it’s CRAFTNIGHT!!!
Project: Shrinky Dinks THE SEQUEL 
$3 Processing fee, please
$4 Drink Specials: Fall in love with cocktails all over again. 
NEXT TUESDAY SEPT 29th: BET YER BOTTOM BINGO at Akbar 8pm to 10pm • Take a chance on big bottles o’ booze, boys, girls, balls and so much more!  

The Autumnal Equinox IS HERE!!! We are officially IN the Fall season!
This means you will get less flack for wearing a winter scarf and boots even though it’s in the 90s this week. And speaking of this week, LAST week had all of you staying at home, watching the debates and seeking higher ground in case of tidal waves from the earthquake in Chile.

At least, that’s what I think everyone was doing, because it was so quiet, so weirdly and unnervingly quiet on Sunset Blvd. last week that we’re just going to hit the reset button and repeat last week’s craft. I NEVER DO THIS. But I feel that Shrinky Dinks is simply not to be missed. You can’t miss them. It’s criminal to keep yourself from this project. It’s so insanely cool that the three people who made Shrinky Dinks at CraftNIght last week TOTALLY FREAKED OUT. They screamed, they marveled, they were full of joy, they were elated.
I want that for you too, girl.
Seriously, I’ve got jewelry findings so you can make EARRINGS and BRACELETS.
I have templates for you to use if you need to trace.
Here is last week’s post so you can read about how cool this craft is, and believe me, I NEVER repeat Crafts two times in a row, but as a Craft Captain, I believe that this is the most responsible thing to do. Come in and make a pumpkin pendant, a charm bracelet, a choker, a pair of earrings. Make as many as you want, it’s incredible, for $3 the world is your oyster!!!!

Also: we will be serving Brach’s “Carmel Macchiato” flavored candy corn, and “Pumpkin Spice Latte” M&M’s in our quest to help you decide what best way there is to rot your teeth this fall. Join us!

JP Craft Captain

NEXT WEEK’S CRAFT: Your Autumn Leaf Craft! 

www.crafthead.com

www.akbarsilverlake.com

 

Posted by on September 23, 2015 in Coloring Craft, Heat-based Craft, Wearable Craft

Comments Off on Shrinky Dinks: THE SEQUEL • Sept. 23rd, 2015

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Shrinky Dink Jewelry • Sept. 16th, 2015

September 16

painting_boss

This Wednesday, Sept 16th, 2015 from 9pm until midnight (or later) at Akbar, it’s CRAFTNIGHT!!!
Project: Shrinky Dink Jewelry
$3 Processing fee, please
$4 Drink Specials: Unleash the Beast 

The Autumnal Equinox will arrive. Once that happens,we will launch a bountiful harvest of artsy-fartsy projects from our cornucopia of crafts! For now, however, in our last week of non-autumn, there is one glaring omission from 2015’s craft roster.

We haven’t made shrinky drinks ALL YEAR!!!
Such a thing must be remedied immediately, and this is the perfect time.
Shrinky Dinks are the ultimate test of a crafter’s faith. They really take you through an emotional journey, one that involves hard work, anticipation, abject horror, and then jubilant celebration. If you don’t know what a Shrinky Dink is, then I think you’d better get in here and make one, because these plastic miracles are game changers for your life.
Not only is it an easy project, but it’s lots of fun, looks dangerous but isn’t, and creates a fine keepsake that will last for years.
I’m going to bring jewelry parts so that you can make a pair of shrink dink earrings.
And I’ll make it possible for you to also make a matching necklace pendant or charm bracelet.
Also: Like Mod Podge, Shrinky Dinks are a “right-on-woman” craft, invented in 1973 by Betty Morris and Kate Bloomberg of Wisconsin. These two home makers and best friends were seeking to make a cool project to do with their sons who were in Cub Scouts. This highly unusual plastic styrene craft trend exploded in the 70s, and then tapered off to a nice mild existence that is kind of unbelievable. Generations of people have grown up without them, but whenever I introduce crafters to shrink dinks for the first time, they freak out yelling “How did I not grow up with this?!?”
I always try to give an understanding nod when this happens.
I’m not kidding about the therapeutic value of shrinky dinks either.
Got problems? SHRINK ‘EM!!!
I mean, you take thin plastic, draw on it, cut around it, put it in the toaster oven, and watch it transform into a durable object… it is the perfect metaphor for shrinking a problem to a size that is manageable. I mean, you can even make shrinky dinks of things you want to work on, a bracelet of “health” charms, for example, a drop of water to remind you to hydrate, a salad leaf to remember to eat your greens. You can make small totems that will act as motivators, reminders of goals, evidence of achievements.
You can really delve with shrinky dinks, they can be as meaningful or as frivolous as you need them to be, so please come in and make yourself or someone you dig a few unique pieces of hand hewn wearable art.
See you at the Craft Table,

JP Craft Captain

COMING UP SEPT 29th: BET YER BOTTOM BINGO!!!! FIFTY CENTS A CARD!!!
AKBAR >> 8pm to 10pm >> Booze, Boys, Balls, Girls, Prizes, Gambling!!! WOOOOOO!!!!

www.crafthead.com

www.akbarsilverlake.com

 

Posted by on September 16, 2015 in Coloring Craft, Wearable Craft

Comments Off on Shrinky Dink Jewelry • Sept. 16th, 2015

Tags: , , , , , , ,