Monday, April 28, 2025

Batman Day coming up!

 Welcome!

(Revised 5/30/25)

Unknown, Pinterest


There’s still time to get ready!

May 1 is the Official Batman Day!!!

I have collected a few quick and easy ways for you to celebrate this 

Important Holiday Occasion!

With no time to waste, let’s put on our Batman Thinking Caps and get going!


Icedragon529, Deviant Art


The holiday does not state which Batman we are honoring, so we probably should just do all of them.

Here’s what my son calls 

The Blue Batman

LIFE, March 1966

BB, as I fondly call him, gave us wonderful new words to use in work situations, as needed.

(You should be prepared with extra samples as your co-workers will most likely want some for their work-day usage  also!)


Delving into the rich history of the American Language, BB has given us choice words to use for everyday encounters - such as:


Red Bubble

No need to resort to childish cuss words - you can Batmantize them!

I have found this…


…to be oddly satisfying.

And versatile!

Sometimes we get flustered while trying to remember just all the special words we want to use in a situation.

Can-O-Batman fixes the problem.


All you need do is grab 1 or more sticks and insert the chosen word(s) into your sentences. It’s even okay if you repeat a word a few times. This can add to the authentic BB Effect.


To make your own get some wood skewers (your local grocery store probably carries them), some fun foam and some good glue. I like Aleene’s Tacky Glue in the gold bottle. Hot glue gun might work if you are adventurous.

Trace and cut out letters. Refer to the above photos. Layer letters onto spiky-cut  fun foam backgrounds, sandwiching the skewer between 2 layers. Cover a large, clean can with fun foam. Add a Batman symbol to the side of the can. Place florist styrofoam or something similar in the bottom of the can. Glue in place. Stick skewers in a pleasing arrangement.

Pinterest 
Later you can recycle the can to hold pens and pencils.


The ‘Gray Batman’ comes next.
In fact, he is a lot like the Blue Batman.
Let’s call him GB.
Pinterest

How about we paint an easy to do Batman Clay Pot?

Pinterest, no credit found
Don’t want to get that fancy? Then just paint his head!

You will probably need a clip board or file folder at some point May 1. (After making this one, be sure you need one!)
Here’s a fun idea-


Folder, construction paper or cardstock, Batman logo, glue. Optional: clear Contact paper to cover all as a protector.
Look at the photo again. It’s made up of circles, triangles, rectangles and ovals!
Here is a symbol you can use for any of these projects, just resize to your item:
I found many Batman logos on Pinterest. 

Are you in the mood for Batman Day yet? I sure am!

Let’s give a brief nod to 
Batman’s Essential Sidekick-
Robin.


(Please please add an apostrophe in ‘we’re’. Can’t believe all the grammatical snafoos out there now…)

There have been so many versions of Batman you can celebrate whatever vision you choose - they are all Batman!

Unknown, Pinterest

Lastly, we have ‘The Dark Knight’ or 
The Black Batman.
I’ll call him DK for short.

Christian Bale as Batman

I always thought it humorous that directors seemed to think that in the movies, the Batman with the funny lips would be unrecognizable if they put a mask on him.
Seriously?

Batman Foreve

Let’s make a cool corner bookmark that you can adapt to so many more ideas-
Here is the basic fold:


Marigami.com

Now make a Batman symbol to be glued onto your corner bookmark-


Drawingtutorials101.com

…and the finished bookmark-


Now fold and cut 5 more for your friends!

Let’s end today’s blog with some Bat Treats. After all, it is for a 
‘Special Batman Holiday-

 Dip marshmallows in some melted chocolate wafers (our craft stores carry these in the party/Wilton aisle) Place on a wire rack to let excess chocolate drip off. Set in refrigerator or freezer until firm. 
Cut strips of crepe paper, with jagged ends to look like bat wings. Place marshmallow in center and wrap and tie both ends. Refer to the photo.
Jolly Rancher hard candies would also fit well for inside the bat.



Keep these in a bowl close-by to give to whomever happens to be walking by.

That’s it for today.

‘Til next time,
inkspired





 

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Recycled Game Pieces

 Welcome!

DesignDistressed; Etsy

Recently I have been bitten by the 

Spring Cleaning Bug.

 I’ve been going through boxes that I haven’t looked at for a very long time. I am determined to get my craft room and basement organized! Everything has a place or out it goes.

Yikes!

I am finding all sorts of treasures. Which brings me to today’s theme -

Game pieces

Most of us have a favorite game tucked away with missing pieces, but we can’t quite bear to throw it away.

Etsy

Let’s get those out and craft something with it instead!

I have grouped ideas by game piece type, starting with Monopoly.

Monopoly money is a natural to use as a decoupage paper:

K G
Here is a playful way to add some fun to your family room:

Messy Mimi; Pinterest

The money is also a perfect size for bookmarks:

NovelIdeasByHannah; Etsy


This clever crafter turned it into a rolled paper money bracelet:

Etsy

You can turn almost anything paper based into kitschy little notebooks:

BeachBumPanamaCity, Etsy

Shannon Klint; Pinterest

Which brings me to the property cards and a unique necklace:

Bridget VanGinkel; Pinterest

I’m not forgetting the board itself; here are a couple clever recycle ideas:

Emily Minter-Phakos 


A cork bulletin board!

Or perhaps a jewelry box?

Pinterest

I found several different styles of purses made from game boards:

ReFunktionJunktion; Etsy


Mugwump; Etsy


Smith Galleries; Pinterest

You can easily find directions on how to make these on Pinterest.

Here’s a larger notebook, using the game board:

Artsy Lady Book by photos; Flickr 

There are so many creative ideas out there for repurposing the Scrabble tiles. Here are just a few:

A resurfaced side table:

Daniel Aisenbrey; Pinterest

…clever coaster sets with scrabble tile words-

Nana; Pinterest

Pinterest

Why not make a few custom keychains as gifts?:

Handmadebyjmt; Pinterest

Next I have some ornaments. You can take just about any ornament idea and adapt it to these game tiles-

ScrabbleTileOrnament; Etsy

Marie Huerta

Original scrabble tile ornament by inkspired

Here’s a clever idea if your dishwasher has metal on it:
EtsyCA; Pinterest

How about a message board for jotting down notes, poems or inspirational ideas? I like this one that is metal, covered with old dictionary pages. Then each letter has a magnet on the back-

Homemade is better; Pinterest

If you have been around kids at all you have probably come across a stray Lego piece…or two. Next I have found a few ideas about things to create with Legos-


Pinterest

I like the idea of a little platform at each hour, so you can change your Lego clock pieces around to suit the seasons or your mood.

Next, 2 uses for a cup shaped from Legos-
Photo Grid; Pinterest

…and a tissue box cover-
Found many styles on Pinterest

Office decor more your style?-
BuzzFeed; Pinterest

I love this Lego cable guy!

You can make tacks easily, although I would glue them together so the tack doesn’t fall apart with use-

PillarBoxBlue; Pinterest

This color coded key rack would be perfect for a house with many cars, or padlocks, mailboxes, etc.-
Awesomer Media; Pinterest

Let’s finish today with some ideas for all those dice that are rolling around in your game drawer. Spiff up the family room decor with drawer pulls!-

Dollar Store Crafter

Add in some cool wall decor-
My Artist’s Home

…and a charming bracelet for that game girl you know-

Etsy Ireland


I hope you have been inspired to try out a few of these ideas. I know I have!
Check with your friends also, they may be very happy to give you game pieces from partial games they no longer play. I have found several pieces at garage sales too.

‘Til next time,
inkspired