Saturday, May 22, 2021

Custom Toppers

All work and no play makes for a long week.  Like I said the other day, this week Eliot and I have been hyper focused on our businesses and cleaning the house.  It's been going well, but it's also been a lot of work.  So the past few days, I have taken a little bit of time during the day to have some creative fun in between tasks.

The hot weather arrived sooner than I was hoping.  I always say that by Memorial Day weekend, we need our AC units set up and ready... and I kind of forgot that Memorial Day usually falls closer to this week, but it's late this year.  I thought we might have one more week before the hot days, but we've actually had a few days in the high 70s.  

That's made things a bit more interesting with cleaning during the day.  Eliot's been going to work at a more normal time this week (instead of a late shift), so I've found myself trying to clean during the middle of the day when it's the most hot out.  Thus, I've had to take breaks to sit down, cool off and hydrate before going back to work.

On Thursday, I had a bit of a craving to make something... but not something for the businesses.  Sometimes, that just feels like work and I want to make something that's for myself.  I decided to dive into the 3D printed glasses toppers Eliot had made me a few months ago.  I joined a group on Facebook that makes custom toppers that fit the ones I bought from Pair Eyewear.  I've actually bought a few from three other sellers, but I also downloaded the 3D print file in the group so I could make my own.

Eliot went print crazy a few months ago when things were more quiet with both of our businesses.  Now, we wouldn't have time to print them, even though they only take about 20 minutes per topper.  Thankfully, he had already printed me a ton of them.  I have over 20 different colors and then over 50 duplicates that I can play around with.

I wanted some magical designs for my collection and since Pair still hasn't released official licensed Disney designs yet, I decided to dive in.  I grabbed a hot pink and red, and before I knew it, I had two polka dot Minnie toppers.  I loved how they came out so much; the paint wasn't even dry before I grabbed a black and polka dotted that too. 

During another break, I used the new sealant (that was suggested in my group) that I just got to seal the silver glittered toppers that I made weeks ago.  I had already sealed them with clear nail polish, but I wasn't thrilled with how it looked so flat.  After using this new stuff, they look so much better, shiner and more professional.  I ended up adding a second coat to them, and then I put some on all three polka dot toppers.

Later in the evening, after Eliot was home, I wanted to make another one.  I grabbed a blue topper and the new supplies I bought back in April.  Before I knew it, I had my Sorcerer Mickey toppers designed.  I asked Eliot's opinion and he liked how I'd laid it out- so I glued the moon and stars down.  Once they were dry, I sealed those too!

I love how all of my new glasses toppers came out!  I've got so many ideas for different designs.  I'm hoping that I can make more for my collection when I have time!  I was hoping to make a few more designs on Friday, but I've decided to wait for the time being.  I really do need to focus on cleaning and organizing the house.  Plus, I think it makes sense to get these finished.  They're done design wise, but I still need to shape them to my glasses and add magnets.  (The first set of magnets I ordered are smaller than I wanted so I need to order larger ones.)  But I'm happy with my first five topper designs!  I'm sure I'll make plenty more of them in the future!

In fact, I really have to figure out how I'm going to store and display all of these.  I have an embarrassing number of official toppers from Pair, plus the custom designs from others and now I'm making my own custom designs!  I'm definitely going to need a dedicated place for all of them so I can find what I'm looking for easily!  

I can't wait to rock my new handmade glasses toppers with my Disney outfits!  They are definitely going to take any outfit to the next level!  °o°

4 comments:

  1. Where can I download the 3D file to print at home?

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    Replies
    1. It's in a Facebook group called Custom Toppers. (I'm not sure if the files are still on there though!)

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  2. Please tell me what group to join or where to find the 3D print file! I have been scouring the internet and I've had no luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's in a Facebook group called Custom Toppers. (I'm not sure if the files are still on there though!)

      Delete