Vintage

Toys

Time to make some toys. Again, I am not sure what Chris and Tracey have in the nursery. So, I created some toys my children and now my granddaughter plays with.

Corn Popper

Start with a tiny 1/16" dowel and wooden bead for the handle. Paint these blue and glue together. The clear plastic dome is made from the clear end of a medicine capsule. The colored balls inside the dome are cookie sprinkles. The red wheels are slices from a 5/16"dowel and the white bottom base from a 7/16" dowel slice. The axel from a 1/16" dowel. Drill a slanted hole in the round disk close to the edge and at an angle. Glue the blue dowel and bead together. Then glue this into the hole on the base. Open the capsule and empty the contents. Cut the clear end about 1/4 inch from the rounded end. Put multi-colored sprinkles in the "dome" and glue to the white disk. Make sure you allow to dry upside down or the sprinkles will melt.

Glue the axel to the two red wheels. The axle/Wheels to the base. Reinforce glued areas.

Stacking Rings

The next toy to make is a replica of the stacking rings that my kids and even my granddaughter has enjoyed playing with.

I cut a 3/4" length from a 7/17" dowel and cut the length in half. Actually, I made one side smaller than the other and used the smaller end. Next I cut thin slices from 3/16", 1/4", 3/8", and 5/16" dowels. At first, I had planned on placing a 1/16" dowel in the center of the base. However, in working with drilling holes in the circles, I found that things weren't working out as i wished. So, I decided to paint and stack the rings on the base and top with a yellow bead. Before painting, I used a Dremel™ tool to round the edges thus giving each ring more of the look of the original. I glues the rings to the base and topped with a yellow seed bead.

Pounding Bench

I decided to add a pounding bench to the toys. This is an easy toy to reproduce in miniature.

To make the bench, I cut two pieces of 1/8 "wood, 5/8" x 3/8"; one piece, same thickness, that is 3/4"x 3/8". I also cut a 1/16" dowel into six 3/8" pieces. I painted the two end pieces red, and two dowel pieces red, two blue, and two yellow. Next, I drilled six holes in the base which was left a natural color. Inserted the dowels and glues to the ends. Last, I made the mallet. I cut a 1/16" dowel 9/16" long for the handle. I cut a 1/4" piece from a 1/8" dowel. I drilled a hole in this piece and inserted the handle piece. Lastly, I painted the mallet yellow. I touched up any spots on the bench that needed more paint.

The Completed Mini-Nursery

Chris and Tracy had their shower on Saturday, April 5, 2003. I was een invited and hand carried this precious gift to them. I hope that they will get as much enjoyment from this room box as I have gotten from making it. Some have asked how I can give up something I worked so hard on. From the beginning, I have had fun creating this room with Chris, Tracy, and Kennedy in mind.