Blog #13: Crayon Purse Report

Right well.....  So I think I've worked this little bastard out. After a good half hour walk to the nearest known thrift store I managed to find exactly what I was looking for: Two little coin purses with them little snappy metal clamps. With some nervous wielding of a very sharp knife I was able to liberate the cloth/plastic sack from the metal on one of them. From that I had a basic pattern for cutting out my crayon box. To get the size and look. I want I'm gonna have to most likely sew two pieces together. But how the hell does one sew cardboard?

So I had to find a way to treat the cardboard so it would be more flexable and durable. This was a pleasant case were my first experiment proved to work. I disassembled the cardboard box and got it wet. I then crumpled the cardboard into a soppy heap and then carefully flattened it out as not to rip it. Then I repeated this process a few more times until the material had been thoroughly creased. Then I dried it out in the oven. The result is a leathery paper that has still retained it's printed surface. However, to make it just a bit more durable I'm going to later attempt soaking the brown side with a clear wax. I'll take some wax shavings, sprinkle it on the brown side, stick it in the oven and let heat and osmosis do their thing.

The coins were more little pains in the tucus. First, I tried making molds from sticky tack....no good. I'd make a print of the coin, pour the wax in which would dry but then not come apart from the tack. Then, I tried heating the coins and dropping them on plastic....no good. Too hot and the coin just melted right through. Too cold and the coin did nothing. So then I realized the wax didn't stick to the coins themselves and I figured it were the images that people recognized on our coins more than the writing so I've gone with that. also to keep the wax from spilling all over the place I'm using parts of an orange prescription bottle as a well. So I'm pouring wax on one side of a coin and popping it out. Then I do the other side. With the remaining wax I stick the two pieces together. Wear the sides down appropriately and then I apply the original crayon wrapper back on with the cunning use of hairspray. That stuff is AMAZING!