Home made "projects"

[Chiisai_Neko]

I'm curious if anyone has ventured into actually making homemade stuff.

My boyfriend and I are both really creative, artsy people (he's an artist and I love crafts) so we love to make our own stuff when we have the time (which, sadly, isn't very awesome between both of us working AND going to school). There are already a lot of really good ideas here and I think someone mentioned that when you make your own stuff you can customize it and make it look as pretty (or menacing) as you like.

He just made me this for Valentine's Day.

We'd seen these "bone whips" (although they're really more like floggers) made from leather strips tied to a fake bone at the Renaissance Fair last fall and rather than spend $25 on one there he said, "We could make that and it would be a lot cooler." And it is (it's a lot fuller with more straps than the other one, so the leather made it cost more than the original but it's worth it, and the bone is a real turkey leg bone that he cleaned and bleached).

We've also made/rigged up our own bed restraints and such things, but I'm so in love with that "bone whip" I just had to show it off.

 

[Gunny_G]

some of my works1

 

[Gunny_G]

more of my work

 

[Lizzie_Borden]

Nice work

I like the rainbow coloured flogger

 

[Stricturism]

Beautiful work! What materials are the paddles made of & where can I get some of my own?!

 

[Gunny_G]

the paddles are old ceil fan blades, with handles cut out and reinforced. paint and holes and texture added for effect. they tend to be stingers not thudders. The make a crisp crack , almost a pop sound. They will break easily if the handle isn't reinforced and when stiling use the end of the paddle farthest away from the handle. These were from a production run I made 10 yrs ago. I made 20 or more, sold some broke some. The leather ones sold well.grips can be yard, leather shoe lacing, or a very wide variety of other materials.

I would do some raw teting before doing any finishing or decoration, as it can be very disappointing to break the nicest one you've made the first time out. These can also be made from underlayment (1/4" plywood) used in construction. The edges need alot of work though to keep from splintering and or cutting. Underlayment does tend to be stronger though. If planning on doing leather surfacing the edge issue is covered and not an issue.

Good luck.
Old ceil fans can be found at salvation army or other thrift stores. New ones can run less the $20 at most major home stores.