rolled paper ice cream

Has it really been over a week since I last crafted?  Our summer in Toronto has been Tremendous and who wants to offend the sun by staying indoors?!  When I started the full-time job in March, I would scramble home to make sure I could craft before sunset.  I absolutely refuse to take pictures at night (I’m sure you can tell which crafts were made at night from their poor pictures) and I have yet to build a “studio” or light box of sorts where I can take pictures under artificial light.  I was under the assumption that come warm weather, I would have extended hours, as late as 9 pm, to craft and take pictures with natural light pouring through the windows.  Right.  Of course.  Well that theory is out the window!  Extended hours so my crafts could see sunlight?   How about me and my very vital human need for some Vitamin D?  Yes, that’s where I have been — scarce and out of doors and making up the weight I lose in sweat by gorging on an equal (or greater) weight in summer treats.  How has your summer been?  By no way is this question an affront to those in the opposite hemisphere undergoing the opposite.  It’s just that our summer has been gorgeous.

Speaking of gorging on summer treats, here’s one that is guilt-free.  I’ve wanted to make these rolled paper ice creams since I rolled paper ornaments for Christmas.  In fact, I’ve had planned for a long time now to make rolled paper everything.  We’ll get to that later (if ever!…or at least not during these summer days).  For now, rolled paper ice cream!

You will need construction paper, double-sided tape, mounting tape, and 1/8″ red ribbon.

1. Cut construction paper lengthwise (9″ long) in 1/4″ increments starting from 3″ wide down to 1″ wide (e.g. 3″, 2-3/4″, 2-1/2:, 2-1/4″ and so on until 1″).  Take the widest piece (3″) and adhere mounting tape across the center.  Take 8″ of ribbon, fold, and place on the mounting tape.

2. Roll.

3. Take the second widest piece and adhere mounting tape across the center.

4. Center the strip on the previously rolled strip and roll.

5. Repeat, going from widest, until you’ve rolled the 2″ piece.

6. Adhere mounting tape on the bottom.

7. Take a brown sheet of construction paper.  Cut into an 11″ circle.  Cut circle into quarters.

8. Take one quarter and place double-sided tape on one of the edges.

9. Roll on top of the mounting tape to make a cone.  Peel off the double-sided tape and affix.

10. Continue steps 2-5, by rolling the remaining strips (except the narrowest strip).to form the ball shape of the ice cream,

11. When you get to the narrowest strip, place the mounting tape directly on the center and cut it about 3/4″ from where you began.  Place double sided tape where the seams will meet.  This will ensure the final seam is flat, and not raised.

12. Roll the final piece only once around and cut at the seam.

14. Cut red construction paper into 4-1/2″ length and 3/4″, 1/2″ and 1/4″ strips.  Repeat same rolling process to make a cherry.

Hang them up as fun summer party ornaments — how about some ice cream bunting?!

 

ice cream charms

I realize the crafts I’ve most enjoyed making on this blog are ones inspired by my musings at hardware stores.  In hindsight, the four years I toiled running a hardware store customer service desk during my late teens have paid off in dividends in the form of knowledge of unlikely crafty materials.  I hope you enjoyed this week’s no-carve stamps made of caulking because I am not done with caulking yet!

These teeny tiny ice cream charms are made of caulking.  And wooden dowels.  And screw eyes.  Yes, all hardware store materials.  And to make them, you will need hardware store equipment.  Don’t be alarmed, these cute charms are amazingly simple to make!

a. 1/4″ wooden dowel.

b. 13/16″ screw eyes.

c. Tube of white caulking/sealant.

d. Pencil sharpener.  A regular sharpener will do, however, I used my electric sharpener.

e. Hack saw.

f. Drill with the smallest bit you can find.  Drilling is optional, but I promise it makes things a lot easier.

With under $5 worth of materials, you can make dozens of ice cream charms to give away this summer!

1. Sharpen the dowel.

2. Using a hack saw, cut the sharpened point of the dowel into a cone.  I literally did a hack job.  The cut edge does not have to be perfect because it will be covered with caulking.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have as many cones as you need.

4. Using a drill, create a very shallow pilot hole on the flat end of the cone.  This will help ease the screw eye through.

5. Screw one screw eye into each cone, only deep enough to secure the screw eye, ensuring most of the length remains exposed.

6. Cut the tip of the caulking tube to create a hole no more than 1/8″ in diameter.  Squeeze the caulking out onto the flat end of the cone, covering the edge. Continue squeezing the caulking while twirling the cone until you reach the eye of the screw.

7. Press each charm upright into a Styrofoam block to dry.  Let cure for 24 hours.

I must say, this is a project I contemplated long and hard since my first caulking project, candy heart coasters, back in January.  It was almost natural to arrive at the visual idea of soft-serve ice cream from caulking, however, I spent an absurd amount of time considering the material of the “cone”.  At first, only considering the shape and size of what is available in stores, I thought: wall anchor.  But the color selection and the disproportionate ridges left me with little interest to undertake the craft.  I eventually considered cutting the shafts off of wooden golf tees and keeping the top wider portion of the tee to create flat-bottomed ice-cream cones, as most soft-serve typically come.  But I wasn’t happy, I wanted a cone — pointy, as it should be, in the truest meaning of the word.  Then yesterday, with a conscious glance at my pencil (the very one I use everyday to log my ideas on paper) it occurred to me that my pencil sharpener could go on a dowel-sharpening mission  It’s almost miraculous that we can alter our perspectives when are minds are willing to do so!