Sunday, June 30, 2013

Yerking A Deceased Equine

When I was younger, I used to love playing thesaurus -- i.e. coming up with unnecessarily big words to say something simple -- and this game got better when I discovered the TV show Pinky and the Brain. At the end of the credits, they always had a random vocab word, and one of the few that stuck with me is yerk, which is when you beat something vigorously. Groaking also stuck with me, because I do that quite a bit to Mr. Cation. Anyway, all this to say, teh interwebs really doesn't need another steampunked Nerf gun. It may be beating a dead horse, but there's something therapeutic about turning this dollar store water gun:


into this:



Okay, I know, just because it's got brown "wood" bits and brass-colored bits doesn't make it steampunk anymore than sticking gears on clothes does, but work with me here, okay?

I just really needed a fun project that didn't involve sewing, and getting my hands dirty with paint fit the bill. I also learned that painting plastic with nail polish is difficult...possibly because nail polish is meant to, you know, go on nails, not cheap plastic, so I did something like ten coats to get it to look normal. Then again, that might just be because I never paint my nails, so I have no idea if there are any special techniques to minimize obvious brush strokes. 

There's not much to say about this project that I didn't already say about my previous steampunk gun, other than that I might have gotten a bit overeager in my weathering process. The black paint is quite a bit heavier...I guess this gun's just seen more action? And like my previous project, I glued on some stash buttons to pretty it up.

Button leftover from Elaine's elven gown.


So that's yet another painted plastic gun floating around the blogosphere now, and now I'm going to beat a different dead horse and join the list of bloggers who are like, hey, in case you didn't know, Google Reader is just like that dead horse, and if you want to continue reading blogs you need to take Drastic Steps! Subscribing via email, switching over to Bloglovin' or Feedly, etc. etc. etc. I'll also say that, thanks to summer vacation, I've been able to set up three additional forms of social media in case you need more Walnut Cation Designs in your life:
  • Twitter: Honestly, I'm still not sure what to do with this. I tweet random things when I remember to check it.)
  • Instagram: Mostly just Walnut pictures, so if you've ever wanted to see more of him, now you know where to find him!)
  • Facebook: Brand new page! Like it if you're so inclined. I'll post updates when I've got new blog posts, and it's an easy way to look at pictures of my finished projects all at once, without having to scroll to pages and pages of archives here on the blog.

What kind of projects do you do when you need to take a break from sewing? Or do you just never need to take a break from such an awesome hobby? 

19 comments:

  1. The next time you steampunk a gun (or paint whatever slick plastic), try giving it a sanding with some finer grit sandpaper first. The paint/nail polish should stick a bit better.

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    1. I did actually sand the plastic beforehand, and it wasn't so much a problem with it sticking as it was a problem with my brushstrokes being really ugly and obvious. Possibly also because the polish was really cheap and therefore kind of gloppy.

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  2. I never knew about those random vocab words, and I loved Pinky and the Brain! I do have at least one set on DVD, so I'll have to look for that.

    The water gun looks really cool! And I wouldn't put it so much as needing a break from sewing as also wanting to do other things that are sometimes more portable. So I took up knitting. And I also used to scrapbook a lot, and am trying to get back into it, because chopping up bits of paper and collaging is fun. Sometimes I make jewelry, but that's usually when I want something new to go with an outfit that I've sewn.

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    1. I have the hugest stack of vacation photos and memorabilia that I need to scrapbook, but I've never really gotten into it! I think I need to do it with somebody else who enjoys it in order to feel properly motivated.

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  3. I love your gun! Who cares if there are millions of decorated waterguns out there - it's still cool! =)

    You really need to stick around on Twitter for a while and jump in some lively conversations as they are happening. The "tweet and run" isn't quite as fun, hehe. We #sewcialists have a great time when lots of us are on at the same time. Seems to be a little more dead in the summer (I joined up in January when lots of us were stuck inside), but there are still times a handful of us are chatting live. And don't miss the #FabricChat on Fridays at 4pm EST (I think that's 1pm your time). =)

    And btw, you can also "tag" people in Instagram to make sure they see a photo or your reply to their comment - same as you address them with @username in Twitter.

    ~ Brooke

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    1. Thanks for all the newbie tips! You are always so helpful!

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  4. Wow, great job on the gun! It looks marvelously steam punk :)
    I am going to like your page! I am in the same boat as you, what to do with Twitter and Instagram, dunno yet. I do have a Facebook page (Zomaar Een Dag) and I use it as a sort of mini blog :)
    Have a great day!
    Barbara

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  5. hahaha pinky and the brain! loved them. sweet water gun, the paint job looks awesome!

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    1. Thanks Lisa! Always good to meet another PatB fan!

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  6. I'm not sure what's going on with Google Reader; my blog feed still works. Do I have to wait a little more, or what?

    Anyway, even though there's a saying in Czech that says "A repeated joke ceses to be a joke", this is not a joke, so hey, nice! You have some pretty buttons in your stash, Ms Cation, and a pretty fun use for them.

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    1. Thanks for the helpful proverb, and I'm glad that my gun doesn't fall into that category. All of these buttons are from when I grabbed a huge bagful at some discount store, only they don't all match!

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  7. I knit as a hobby from sewing, and therefore have started to acquire a knitting stash. It's not really helpful :p

    (Also, first time commenter! As another Bay Area sewing cat owning nerd, I greatly enjoy your blog!)

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    1. So many sewists seem to also be knitters, but a yarn stash is the last thing I need right now!

      When I move up to the Bay, we should totally hang out!

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  8. That gun looks awesome. How did you do the weathering process?

    When I need to relax from sewing I go back to my knitting. I had it abandoned for a couple of months but it's coming back again.

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    1. I weathered it by painting it with watered down black paint. After it dries a tiny bit, I wipe it off the main areas, leaving the black "dirt" in the nooks and crannies.

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  9. I LOVE this gun! The first thing I thought when I saw it (before I read the text below the picture) was: OMG SHE MADE A FIREFLY GUN!!!! Love love love.

    Sometimes I do other crafts too. Awhile back I made my sister--who has a photography business--a bunch of flower headbands out of silk and hand-made felt flowers. These days, when I want to craft and sit in front of the TV, I knit.

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    1. Hahaha I did have that in the back of my mind, for if I ever want to do a Firefly/steampunk mashup ensemble! And how awesome that you're able to help someone else out with your crafting!

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  10. This looks amazing and I can't believe you did it with nail polish! Hmm, my neglected nail polish collection might have a reason for existing after all...

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