Well begun is half done

Hello again!

Thank you so much for popping by.

I challenged myself to make my brother's 20th at least semi-memorable.  It took me a while to come up with a smart yet simple project that would:
● need minimal resources, so I didn't have to leave the house ;-)
● be 'mature' as his uni friends would be present and I really didn't want to embarrass him (or them).
● be interactive, a talking point.

My brother, who was born a dozen years after me, and I get on like a house on fire. He loves taking pics and is a huge supporter of Instagram and other image sharing networks. Thus, I decided to make some fun Photo Props for his big day.

Now, having good ideas may be my forte, but getting the job done is another story all together!

That's where my favourite 'Mary Poppins Philosophy' - "Well begun is half done" - comes in.

"In every job that must be done,
There is an element of fun.
You find the fun and... SNAP
The job's a game!"

I started off by searching Pinterest and Google Images for ideas.  When I found a few which I liked, I grabbed some paper and a pencil and began to sketch. One could have, obviously, simply printed some templates off the Net.  However, I didn't have that luxury (hence, 'minimal resources').

I never realised I could sketch. I'm not the arty type like that. But I think the adrenalin helped. Although there was a lot of erasing involved, my fingers just took to it like a fish in water. For symmetry, I folded the paper and sketched half-images along the fold. I sketched a few templates and was semi-pleased with the result.

Next, I needed cardboard. I found some old calendars which were printed on good quality card.  Oh well, they'd have to be cut up, wouldn't they? I wasn't too sorry.  All in the name on recycling!

I traced my templates onto the card and whipped out Little Man's paints and brushes. This made him super-interested and also made me super-territorial :-/

I painted the tracings. This part was the most fun! I've decided to do more painting activities in future. It's really therapeutic.

Once they were dry, and they didn't take long at all to dry, I cut out my props. I used Ponal Wood Glue and attached bamboo skewers to the props. I paid attention to the angle I placed the skewer so that the 'holder' didn't look too awkward with prop in hand. On hind sight, however, I should have made some left-handed props too.

I also made a 'polaroid' prop. Too easy. Simply cut out a large square from a larger rectangular card. The calendar was perfect for this. I 'laminated' the polaroid so that users could write personalised messages to the birthday boy using a white-board marker.  I made a laminated speech bubble and thought bubble, too.

It all looked very smart (see the pics) but I was still looking for a way to encourage guests to share their pics via my brother's beloved social networks... So, thanks to Pinterest again, I did what you see in the final picture. 

All in all, they were a great success. I'm very pleased with my efforts. And it sure was a lovely surprise for my not-so-baby brother.

I have come to the end of my ramblings and I will keep you no longer.  Please feel free to use my templates.  If you attempt any of these, could you share some pics?  I'd love to see how yours turned ouGo well!

Till next time, Peace :-)