Crazy mirror construction

[Glenna Rose]

Little ones have a ball with things like crazy mirrors. Today, I bought two scrap pieces of "mirror" acrylic/plastic. One piece (11-3/4"x18") will become a mirror to use, but the other piece (8-3/4" by 3-1/2') will become a crazy mirror to hang on the wall. The smaller piece will be mounted (maybe glued at the edges) on pressed hardboard and framed nicely.

The crazy mirror's construction is not yet determined. I could use two strips of plywood (or 1x2 solid stock or larger and cut it down) for the sides and route a gentle S-curve in them (to "seat" the plastic) but I'm not sure they would be a close enough match without first making a guide for the router to ensure they match properly. Of course, with a child's crazy mirror, it probably would not matter.

Another way would be to cut two strips of plywood (back to back at the same time, resulting in four pieces, two for each side) and then put the plastic between them and then frame around that . Either way, the back of the crazy mirror would be pressed hardboard, attached to the frame, to keep it reasonably unscratched. I will frame the entire mirror somehow so it looks good though won't spend a lot of time on the frame (best laid plans). I'll probably paint the frame white and let her color it with permanent markers to make it a really crazy mirror. (She'll be six on her birthday so this will be a cool thing for her to do. Last month, I cut snowman shapes, painted them white, and the two of them had a ball coloring them with markers.)

The other grandma in town is a big Nordstrom's shopper type and definitely not an arts and crafts type person, so it's my quest to be certain those two little girls learn about the "things-not-from-the-store" side of life as well. They love "working" in the garden, picking things, feeding the chickens, helping with simple sewing projects, etc., so so-far-so-good. (*And* they love to dig in the dirt which they cannot do anywhere else, and have special garden clothes and boots here for that purpose.)

So routed or cut? Or is there a better way?

Glenna

P.S. I checked SunTouch's web pages; HD does not carry the mats here but Lowe's does. There is a Lowe's on the way to/from work so will stop there on Monday to check out the mats. I'm thinking, even before I do anything in the garage, that I'll make my started-spraying-now-outside tomcat a platform on the patio with one for cold weather (or might change to a plant starting heating mat if price is prohibitive for a naughty pet). He has stopped using the box with the heating pad in it though he used it all last winter.

Thank you for the info and the pages!!!

[Dan Valleskey]

don't bend that stuff too sharp. It will break. DAMHIKT.

Those little girls can have a blast with mirrors. Bet they love it!

-Dan V.

[J T]

Sat, Jan 8, 2005, 7:50pm (EST-3) [e-mail] (Glenna=A0Rose) says: The other grandma in town

I take it you mean your grandkids' other grandma, and not the only other grandma in your town? Just curious.

I'm thinking shoulda got enough pieces for several of the crazy mirrors, each bent different. Maybe I'll try to track down some, and make some for the grand-dau.

JOAT Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.

- =A0Dale Carnegie

[Glenna Rose]

No worry, I won't bend it too much. It only takes a slight curve to really distort the reflection.

They are very much at the face-mak> I take it you mean your grandkids' other grandma, and not the only

Yes, silly. They do, however, have several grandmothers. In addition to the two of us, they have three great-grandmothers and a great-great-grandmother (*my* grandmother!). In that line-up, being

*just* a grandmother seems somehow not so much. LOL It's only the two of us that are in town, everyone else is long-distance and doesn't get to see them very much so we get the bulk of the spoil-time. Sadly, the uncle that would spoil them most isn't with us anymore. It's interesting to hear them talk about him, like they know him because of hearing us talk about him . . . "when your daddy and brothers were little boys" etc. In many ways, that is good because when they lose us two grandmothers, they will know we are still "around" because they remember though that is not likely to happen until they are truly old enough to understand. It only comes to mind because the other grandmother has been to hell and back this past two months with a shoulder surgery resulting in massive blood clots in her legs and three surgeries to clear them and many reactions to medications along the way. Today, the grandmother of a friend of theirs died so they will be hearing their friend talk about grandma dying.

It seemed good to start with just one for now and bend it into a gentle "S" which will give both larger and smaller distortions. If it's as big a hit as I think it will be, I'll do more later and let them help decide how much bend to give it (within reason, as Dan said, it will break). I'm thinking a round one, raised in the middle with a circle of plywood on top of the base, perhaps several very thin circles in progressive larger sizes, would make an interesting table top, or go down in the middle. The one I'm going to make for her to actually use (the smaller one), I'm thinking of cutting a "D" (her first initial) for a frame and putting it in that, routing the frame edges and perhaps staining it pink (that Rit dye someone here was talking about?) since they love pink. Before that, I need to decide if it will go on the wall or if it will be a stand-alone. I've considered not using the "D" idea and making it a triangle with a shorter base (front to back) and an open frame on the back that she can put her own pictures in from the top and change them all the time.

There are so many possible ways to use this reflective plexiglass/acrylic with little folks, including a mirror at the back of a toy shelf for favorite toys, and much less expensive than stainless steel! Of course, it will get scratched, but they always have fun with things anyway. It's only us adults that freak about the scratches and dents.

BTW, grandsons would like them as well. Kids so love things like that. They are so easy to please when they are little people and get so excited about some of the simplest things. One set of nightgowns I made them came with matching scarves for dolls; when I made Christmas place mats for their table, I made little ones for their playroom table; they get so excited about such things. The DVD I gave them of themselves with a dozen or so chapters on it was a big hit as well; they got to choose which segment they wanted to watch, over and over and over. Yup, they're a mite spoiled, but still as sweet as little ones can be. :-) For Delaina's fifth birthday last year, I made her a hooded Nemo jacket with pants and skirt; she's the only one in the world with one; she had a Nemo birthday party at pre-school so I took it to her that morning so she could wear it to her party. It's been a long time since I did similar things for my little boys; they've grown up as children are prone to do; it brings back very good memories.

We're supposed to build a playhouse next spring and have been talking how it should be. With chalk, we drew the 4x8 outline on the garage floor and they drew where the windows and doors should be and what they would put in it. It'll be 4x8 because last summer I scored on some 4x8 skylights for $50 each. Two will be greenhouse roof and one will be their playhouse roof. It won't be fancy, but they'll have fun with it. They've sort of outgrown the plastic one (the Toys-R-Us variety), and it doesn't hold much other than the built-in table. They have a kitchen, washer/dryer, etc., that I've picked up here and there for their house so it'll be fully furnished as well. Grandparents' houses should always be fun!

The window panes will be fake cross-pieces over plexiglass, not about to make more than one frame per window!

Glenna not the least bit biased where granddaughters are concerned

[J T]

Sun, Jan 9, 2005, 1:17am (EST-3) [e-mail] (Glenna=A0Rose) says: No worry, I won't bend it too much. It only takes a slight curve to really distort the reflection.

Ah, that expains the bathroom mirror.

BTW, grandsons would like them as well. Kids so love things like that. They are so easy to please when they are little people and get so excited about some of the simplest things. One set of nightgowns I made them came with matching scarves for dolls;

Those grandsons are soooo gonna need therapy when they grow up.

JOAT Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.

- =A0Dale Carnegie

[Glenna Rose]

Methinks that is a totally other issue.

LOL!!! I can see why you thought the nightgowns were for grandsons. Sadly, I have no such creatures, only two granddaughters which is all there will ever be. My eldest chose to not become a father, my youngest left this earth, so it's only the middle son who has children. With his wife blind, she has her hands full with the two though I'm sure my son would really like a houseful under different circumstances (and a better economy). He thinks two are a houseful sometimes. He told me one day, "You have no idea what it is like to have two pre-schoolers." After I finished laughing, I reminded him that he was one of *three* preschoolers at one time, and in a house much, much smaller than theirs, *and* I had to work outside the home part of that time as well as attending some classes at the college. I recall saying something like I had no sympathy. Grandchildren are, indeed, justice for our children.

Two daughters and lots of space in his garage for a workshop, even an 6x10 area designated for a workbench, sort of in an alcove that could be partitioned off from the rest of the double garage (one vehicle so much more space there). When they moved into the new house, he had big plans for an elaborate workshop and has not had/made the time to steal for that purpose. His little brother did a lot more construction projects than he has; his brother (who was an actor) did set design and construction for several local plays as well as helping friends with many projects, and with no workshop and no tools (tools supplied by the recipient of his work), proving once again, if we really want to do it, there can be a way.

Oh, and yes, those little girls *will* learn how to saw and nail. In fact, we are going to make a tool box for their dad for his birthday next month. This time, G.G. will do the sawing, but they will nail and paint. Yes, paint but that's so they can decorate it and make it more their project. Normally, I wouldn't paint a toolbox. It'll be plywood with a pipe handle (pipe doesn't break) much like one their dad's grandfather had, and I think the inside will not be painted (his has no paint).

Glenna

[Charles Spitzer]

make a shade for it inside. i don't know where you are, but if you can make a greenhouse out of these, the playhouse will also be a greenhouse, if not a cooker.

[Glenna Rose]

Thank you, Charlie.

There will be some sort of shade system for it, to be determined later. I'll allow for some type of "roller" system as I'm constructing. I've considered placing it so it's in the sun during the non-summer days and shaded by the apricot tree in the summer, taking advantage of the natural shade. I'll be watching that particular spot closely the next few months to see if that would be a good idea or not. On the other hand, that particular spot would be perfect for cool weather crops.

At our neighborhood cleanup last year, I collected many windows for the greenhouse (terrible recycler am I) and am waiting for my engineer son to draw some plans utilizing what I have. He'll be asking what I'm planting before long so it'll be an appropriate time to remind him the garden delights will be ready sooner if they get a greenhouse start. He did think that the skylights were a great score even though he'd prefer his mom stay away from the rebuilders' stores and second-hand stores to which I'm so addicted. (I remind him better than booze. LOL)

Actually, shading for the playhouse it won't be necessary because the playhouse will be under the Evergreen Magnolia tree so will be shaded all day.

We are in the Portland, Oregon, area, but on the north side of the Columbia. Mild climate, usually, though no one would have said that 53 weeks ago.

Glenna