Picnics and outdoor parties

It is summer now and we've been enjoying lot of outdoor activities. Eating outside would be stylish with this cool bowl from Morph. I love the form, and can totally see the opening being used as a handle. Great for carting outside!

R2D2 has left the house

Last Halloween my friend asked me to help her make an R2D2 costume for her five year old. What? Dress up? Costume? This was right up my alley and I was happy to dive in. I bought a large trash can in the right shape and planned to cut arm and leg openings in it. But my friend had a good point, it would make a heavy costume for a small kid. So she suggested using their wire and mesh laundry hamper for the shape. I drew out the design on posterboard and wrapped it around the hamper. For the head I spray painted a candy bowl from Target ($1 !!). I glued a shampoo cap for the protruding part of the head and taped the bowl to a bike helmet. The costume was a big hit, and was economical and lightweight to boot!

But then I was left with a trashcan that I couldn't return. I got a suggestion from another friend that I could turn it into an R2D2 laundry hamper, to replace the one sacrificed for the Halloween costume. I loved this idea. But months went by and the thing languished on my stair landing. Finally, FINALLY I got around to working on it and finished it the other week. Hallelujah!! I'm so happy to have this thing done and out of my house!! I hadn't realized how oppressed R2D2 was making me feel. Whooeee!

I liked how the trashcan/hamper turned out. It was a lot harder to draw on the cylindrical trashcan than I anticipated. Working on the posterboard version was easy because it laid flat and I could use my mayline and drafting triangles to quickly put down the lines. For the hamper, I used a downspout gutter scrap I picked up at Urban Ore along with some foam core to make the arms. A plumbing cap was the right size for the protrusion from the head. And for fun, I added casters on the bottom so the thing rolls. :) Here's a look.