Month: February 2020

Make Your Own Cast Mold, Re-Usable

Two Ingredient Casting Mold

  • Silicone
  • Maizena or cornstarch

The Other Stuff

  • Whatever you want to mold. I used my shapely pear 😉
  • Plastic knife for mixing
  • Mixing container
  • Caulking gun
  • Sharp knife
  • Super Glue
  • Gloves
Check out how to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY
https://acraftymix.com/blog/two-ingredient-mold/

Prepping the Form for Molding

Wash and dry the pear, or whatever you decide to cast. Since I’ll be filling the mold with concrete once it’s dry, I stuck a pen lid into the bottom of the pear. It helps keep the pear upright while the mold sets and will leave a hole that’s the right size for pouring in the concrete mix later.

Check out how to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

See what I mean about the cute pear butt 😉 I stuck the pen lid into a bit of polystyrene before mixing up the mold. It’s a trick I learned when painting polystyrene balls 😉

Mixing the Two Ingredient Mold

Put your gloves on and throw some cornstarch into a container. Cut the tip off of the silicone tube and put it inside the caulking gun. Squeeze some silicone into the cornstarch. Roughly the same amount. Then add some more cornstarch on top of the silicone and stir using the plastic knife. It’s probably best to do this outside. Silicone has an incredibly strong vinegary smell. When it looks like it’s almost mixed, start kneading the mixture until it forms a stiff paste that resembles bread dough.

Check out how to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

If the mixture is too tacky or sticky, add some more cornstarch. If it’s too dry and flaky, like in the piccy above, add more silicone. Once it’s ready, flatten it out a bit and wrap it around the shape you want to cast. About 7 to 10 mm thick is perfect. That’s about 1/4” to 3/8”. Make sure you squish it into all the nooks and crannies.

Check out how to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

Sit back and wait for it to dry, probably about ½ hour depending on the silicone you used. Use a sharp knife to cut the mold and remove your form. The two ingredient mold is very pliable so you can just peel it off. If you’re molding a pear, please don’t eat it. Rather wash it off again and add it to the compost heap.

Check out how to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

Use super glue and carefully glue the two halves back together again, and it’s ready for casting.

Check out how to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

Casting the two ingredient mold

You can either use concrete or plaster of Paris. I didn’t have to add any kind of release agent, I simply mixed up some concrete and poured it inside the mold. Just make sure you shake it around a little to get rid of any air bubbles. Once the concrete sets, carefully cut along the seam lines and remove your form.

Check out how to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

The two ingredient mold can be reused over and over again, just wash it off, and you’re good to go.

How to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. It's reusable and really easy to make #mold #mould #concrete #DIY #acraftymix #2ingredient #concretemold

To finish the pear off, I used some copper paint to create that 5-star restaurant look and added a bent, rusty nail as a stalk. The leaf was cut from a piece of metal that’s been lying outside in the rain for a few months.

See out how to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

A little bit of rust always works for me.

Ever wanted to make your own silicone molds? All you need is two ingredients and you probably have them at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

The easy two ingredient mold works really well and can be reused over and over again. And I do so love that combination of concrete, copper, and rust.

Ever wanted to make your own silicone molds? All you need is two ingredients and you probably have them at home already. #mold #mould #concrete #DIY

Just a word of warning. Once you make your first mold, everything looks moldable 😀 We’ve turned an old broken doll into a garden ornament and even created our own Egyptian cartouche using the two-ingredient mold.

And if you like the idea, don’t forget to save it to Pinterest so that you can find it again!
How to make your own molds using two basic ingredients you probably have at home already. It's reusable and really easy to make #mold #mould #concrete #DIY #acraftymix #2ingredient #concretemold

Link-Hummingbirds

returntonow.net/2019/08/15/watch-out-for-hummingbird-nests-when-pruning-branches-us-fish-and-wildlife-service-urges-gardeners/

Ladybug- Did You Know?

Poem

If by MwsR

If I’d known it would have soon been your end
My badge of pride I would have made bend.
If my heart knew it would lose a piece of itself
My notes and letters would have left that shelf.
If you ever knew that I cared…I wonder.
If I’d been more vocal ….ah but that was my blunder.
If life could have been kinder to us
Maybe we would have had less fuss.
If you hadn’t let guilt drag you away
My life would have turned out another way.
If people knew the struggle we both shared
The consequences and actions we both dared.
If the rejected soul of mine had found a home
It would have changed my inner need to roam.
If lost and hopeless was how you felt… as I had
And sleepless nights thinking of all the bad.
If anything, we shared that and had the same dreams.
Longing to change the impossible
If only that would have been possible!
If dreams had made wishes come true…
It would never be without you.

Hair Help

Harmful Plants For Your Loved Pets

What Plants Are Toxic to My Pet?

Kitten eating grass
http://www.eatingwell.com/article/291107/what-plants-are-toxic-to-my-pet/

It can be amusing to observe your pet munching on a a clump of grass in the backyard, but if you see your cat eating grass, you probably also know that he or she is probably about to throw up. Cats lack the necessary enzymes to break down vegetation like grass, but often graze on it to purposely rid their digestive tract of fur, parasites or bones from any prey they may have been lucky enough to catch. Dogs eat grass too, but are less likely to vomit from ingesting it. (If a dog is eating grass on a regular basis, you may want to check with your vet to see if he or she is getting enough fiber.)

But while eating grass is fairly harmless habit for both dogs and cats, there are some plants that can be toxic to pets. So whether your pet roams the backyard, or your indoor pet stalks the houseplants, know what toxic plants for pets you should keep an eye out for and try to help them avoid.

Lilies

While they look beautiful in a flower arrangement and can be a very attractive addition to your landscaping, lilies are especially harmful to cats (and certain species are toxic to dogs). Even small amounts of any part of the plant can cause severe kidney problems. Consider swapping out your Easter lilies for another early-blooming flower, or put vases and potted lilies in an area that’s inaccessible to pets.

Oleanders

Oleanders are shrubs with white, pink and red flowers. They’re beautiful, large shrubs that are native to the Mediterranean and thrive even in hot, dry climates. Yet even though oleanders are often planted along highways to block noise/pollution and are often incorporated into residential landscapes, all parts of the shrub are poisonous to pets (and to people). Oleanders contain compounds called cardiac glycosides, which can cause heart problems, hypothermia or death. If you have oleander at home, be very careful when pruning it to avoid leaving small, easily ingested pieces around your yard for pets or kids to find.

Sago palm

Sago palm grows in southern states and along the West Coast. It has a crown of shiny, dark green leaves on a thick shaggy trunk. Eating this plant can be fatal to pets in up to 75 percent of cases. Look for neurologic changes, seizures and liver failure. Symptoms can appear within 15 minutes to 3 days. All parts are toxic, but the seeds are the most dangerous. Keep your pets out of range of this palm if at all possible.

Marijuana

As marijuana becomes legal in more places, watch for this plant. Consumption of any part of the plant can cause mild neurologic signs (stumbling or altered mental state) or more serious complications, like seizures and even a coma.

Visit the ASPCA’s website (aspca.org) for a full list of toxic plants.

Foods That Lowers Blood Sugar

Alright by MwsR

Life is like a thief to our souls

It pretends to offer us a million chances, a million dreams

But it is never really that way, or so it seems.

Life is so complicated,

Not by choice but rather by right

Some have a whole year, some have only a night.

Who is to say who deserves this or deserves that,

Why must it be this array?

Has everyone not came into the world, the same way?

Life steals all that it can

It pretends to matter, it pretends it doesn’t demand.

Secretly it plots and delivers each blow

I bet you all have experienced this,

I bet you all know.

Life shows us beauty, that lasts for a little while

It displays smiles on the faces of babies

But after that we only have mere traces,

Of the thing that once brought us that smile.

Our minds are the worst pawns in this game

They often forget,

But always seem to remember a regret

A shame, a forbearance, a pain.

That is why we all are the pawns in this crooked game.

Sure we have good followed by fair,

Sometimes we have wishes, but only if we dare.

We may all succeed in what seems a personal challenge or contest

But are we ever truly able to rest?

Will our legacies be enough?

How about all of our stuff?

Maybe just ourselves, will be enough.

Will having the upper hand,

Make us a very content and happy man?

In our courage or fame,

Will we be offered more of the same.

Is all that we are, under our birth name,

Or is it how we survived all our pain.

How we dealt with it,

How we rose despite it

What we learnt from it.

I am not sure

Sometimes even writing is a chore.

Perhaps there are other things for which to write,

Alright!