Fun things to make with Simbrix this Christmas - Part 2 - Glass markers and table decorations - advanced designs

Fun things to make with Simbrix this Christmas - Part 2 - Glass markers and table decorations - advanced designs

Hello everyone,

Heres part two of the Fun things to make with Simbrix posts, this time I'll be concentrating on a few designs which require a little construction to make them work out.

If you'd like to try your hand at a few easier designs first here's a link to my first post containing a few fun things to make:
Fun things to make with Simbrix this Christmas - Part 1 - Easy designs

First up are some markers to wrap around your wine glasses to help you renember who has which drink.

Flat glass markers

Here are a few examples of shapes which can be used for the flat glass markers, renember each one needs to be different to help tell apart the glasses. They can be different colours for each glass or mix up the shapes for each person.
To attach them to the glass split your finished design in half and reconnect the Simbrix around the stem of the glass. My glasses are standard thin stem glasses, if your wine glasses have thicker stems you may need to make the hole in the middle a little bigger to fit your marker around the glass.

Christmas tree Glass marker

This one is a little complicated to build and the exact number of pieces that you will need will depend on how tall the stem on your glass is. For each piece split it in the middle and re-form it around the stem. It is easier to attach the bottom pieces first and work up. 

For my glass I used:

3 x shape 1 (shape one is the trunk of the tree)

2 x shape 2

3 x shape 3

2 x shape 4

1 x Shape 5

1 x Shape 6

For the green shapes feel free to mix up the greens between the light and dark green to give your tree a more natural feel. Id you'd like to make more than one as a glass marker why not replace a few of the edge Simbrix with other colours so that it looks like your Christmas tree has a few colourful Christmas baubles. 

For special occasions my Mum let me drink my lemonade out of a wine glass. I felt so very grown up with my fizzy pop in a wine glass. However it was revealed to me later that the wine glass was rather small compared to our large tumbler glasses and it served a second purpose of making sure I only had a small glass of lemonade. :) It worked though and in fact I still do it today.

Standing train decoration

 

 

For this design make one copy of the train and three copies of the stand (the shape at the top) Once all of the pieces are made simply slot the stand piece into the gap in each wheel and your train will stand up.

This method can be used for all sorts of standing sculptures just make sure to leave a gap of two Simbrix spaced evenly on your sculpture to fit the stands in.

 

 

3D Christmas tree

This cute little Christmas tree sculpture is made from two pieces of Simbrix sculpture slotted together.

 

Simply build the two pieces as shown above (feel free to mix up the greens on the tree or add bricks of other colours to look like decorations)

Then slot the two pieces of Simbrix together to create the 3D tree.

 

Why not use these to give your favourite toys a Christmas tree. My tree ended up just the right size for the kids room in my dolls house but it could also be used as a mini tree for Barbie sized dolls so they can join in the Christmas fun.

 

Table markers

 

 

This is a little idea for a table marker, it is made to place at the dinner table to remind family, friends and guests where their seat is for their meal.

They can be made plain just like the picture above or made with a letter in the middle to represent the first letter of the name of the person who will be sitting in that place.

 

To put your table marker together build the marker and two stands (the shape on the left), then slot the stands into the gaps in the place marker section. With two stands your place marker should stand firmly without wobbling.

 

 

These colours are only suggestions of course. Why not make each one in the favourite colours of the person who the stand is being made for? Alternatively the stands could be made to match the table decorations or just at random with whatever colours you find fun to use.

 

Anyway I hope everyone has a awesome Christmas, if you get a bag of Simbrix under your Christmas tree have a great time making some fun sculptures!

 

Much love and happy crafting.

Gemma x

For more information about Simbrix here are some links:

A preview of Simbrix - Interconnecting bricks for creative sculptures
Fun things to make with Simbrix
Fun things to make with Simbrix this Christmas - Part 1 - Easy designs

However if you are here for a few christmas cross stitch designs here are some links

Christmas designs
Christmas stocking maze
Christmas bauble collection
Gingerbread people
Colourful Christmas Crackers
Christmas bauble maze
Cute advent calendar motifs
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse - card and bookmark design. 
Pengiun in a Christmas hat
Making friends - Santas Elf making a snowman
Fur topped stocking Christmas card design.
Sprouts! Just say no! Christmas cross stitch design for sprout haters! 

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here. 

Fun things to make with Simbrix this Christmas - Part 1 - Easy designs

Fun things to make with Simbrix this Christmas - Part 1 - Easy designs

Hello Everyone,

This week I got my Christmas present early and it was a big bag of Simbrix, a bead toy where each bead slides together without a need for a peg board or like other bead sets it does not need to be ironed. None of the items I have in the above picture were ironed, they stayed together long enough to put on display and better still can be taken apart again to make brand new designs whenever you like. 

In addition would you believe that all of these designs came from one Crafter kit, I did not need to dip into the collection of Simbrix I already owned. 
If you'd like to visit the Official Simbrix page to find out more heres a link: http://www.simbrix.com/

There is also another blog post to help you create some more difficult items in the above picture such as the train, 3D Christmas tree and glass markers. Find the post at the following link
http://buzybobbins.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/fun-things-to-make-with-simbrix-this_23.html

Without further ado lets get on to a few easy Simbrix designs:

A simple Christmas present with a bow. 

This is a little christmas present, feel free to change up the colours to any ones you like. With 17 colours in each Simbrix set you'll have loads of combinations to add to your decorations. 

 Music Notes

A pair of Christmas Angels

This is a pair of cute angels, feel free to change up the colour of the dresses, hair and skin to make a selection of angels to match the decorations you have. 

Cute little mouse

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse! 

Why not pop this little mouse up on your mantlepiece to keep an eye on the goings on in the house and to wait for Santa to deliver the presents. 

Doctor Who's Sonic screwdriver

This is the Sonic Screwdriver for the 11th Doctor, just the thing to make while waiting for the Doctor Who Christmas special to begin. Watching the Christmas special is quickly becoming a tradition within my family as we follow the adventures of our favorite TV show. 

Snowman snow globe

Heres a super cute little snowman in its scarf sitting inside a snowglobe, it was inspired by one of my Christmas ornaments on my bookshelf. If you like the Snowman can be made separately as a small simple design without the snowglobe.

Pokeball and Great Ball from the Pokemon Series

So how many people are waiting for Christmas to get their copy of the latest Pokemon game - Pokemon Sun/ Moon? I personally can't wait to open this present. I may be a little bit behind my friends but I know I'll be picking Popplio and with that super cute little seal by my side I'm sure I'll catch up in no time!

Simple flower 

With this little flower you can change up the colours in any way you fancy. If a few of these flower patterns are joined together in a rectangle this pattern could be used as a coaster or a place to rest the Christmas sweet bowl. Making a few of these to join up could be a fun project for kids to do together. 

Christmas candle

This is a little candle based on the classic Victorian candle holder design, the holder will also look good in yellow as if it was a brass or cold covered design. 

If you can't get enough Simbrix designs part two of this post for more advanced designs can be found here:
http://buzybobbins.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/fun-things-to-make-with-simbrix-this_23.html

For more information about Simbrix here are some links:

A preview of Simbrix - Interconnecting bricks for creative sculptures
Fun things to make with Simbrix
Fun things to make with Simbrix this Christmas - Part 2 - Glass markers and table decorations - advanced designs

However if you are here for a few christmas cross stitch designs here are some links

Christmas designs
Christmas stocking maze
Christmas bauble collection
Gingerbread people
Colourful Christmas Crackers
Christmas bauble maze
Cute advent calendar motifs
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse - card and bookmark design. 
Pengiun in a Christmas hat
Making friends - Santas Elf making a snowman
Fur topped stocking Christmas card design.
Sprouts! Just say no! Christmas cross stitch design for sprout haters! 

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here. 

Fun things to make with Simbrix

Fun things to make with Simbrix

Hello everyone

Last week my Simbrix arrived! For those who don't know they are cute little building blocks which have recently been funded via Kickstarter. The fun thing about these bricks is that they stay together fairly well normally but can optionally be ironed to make a creation permanent. None of the following projects have been ironed so can be re-used for another creation.
Here's a link to their website: http://www.simbrix.com/

Anyhow I have been spending loads of time coming up with fun things that we can do with the Simbrix so here's a few ideas and templates if you happen to have your own Simbrix. If not then these templates can also be used for tiny little cross stitches too. Remember though finished items in cross stitch will be smaller than items in Simbrix.

Simbrix Photo Frame

To make this adorable photoframe I built the frame with the middle hole slightly smaller than the picture. The outer edge can be as wide as you like but remember it will need to fit on the shelf. 

To attach the photograph to the frame I used a small amount of photo friendly masking tape on the back. When you want to re-use your Simbrix for another creation the masking tape peels right off again. 

Be careful not to use regular sellotape for this since it could damage your picture/ photograph.

In this particular design I used the heart shape from the coaster below. 

Simbrix drinks coaster

Heres a very quick design for a drinks coaster. If your favorite mug or glass is larger than mine then add some extra bricks around the outside of the design until it fits. If you intend to re-use your bricks I don't recommend using this coaster for very hot cups. 

Simbrix Christmas decoration

This is a Simbrix creation I turned into a Christmas decoration. It perched quite well on the branches of my tree. I didn't even have to iron this one to work well as a decoration because on the tree it isnt handled so won't fall apart easily. 

Here's a design for this decoration, it looks like a brightly coloured cracker, though my friend swears it looks more like a wrapped sweet. I guess it could be either. 

Simbrix selfie accessories

A cheeky little sunglasses and mustache combination for accessorizing your selfie.

This design is pretty simple to make and in Simbrix is in proportion to an adult face. The glasses and mustache can be separated and used individually if preferred but I really like the way they look as one piece. 

Anyway thats all for now. I'll be posting some more Simbrix designs once I have another collection ready for a post.

Much love and happy crafting

For my first review of Simbrix heres a link: http://buzybobbins.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/a-preview-of-simbrix-interconnecting.html

For a few Cross stitch designs which could be used for Simbrix (designs with whole stitches only work really well for this) here are a few links:

Little Rainbow over the Hills Cross stitch design
D20 small dice design
Easter egg alphabet
Colourful Christmas Crackers

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.

A preview of Simbrix - Interconnecting bricks for creative sculptures

A preview of Simbrix - Interconnecting bricks for creative sculptures

Hello everyone,
This week I took a trip to Nottingham to check out the Gamecity event and the happenings at the National video games arcade. While there I made an amazing discovery, there was a stall showcasing Simbrix a toy/ creative tool currently raising money through Kickstarter.

Here is a couple of the sculptures which had already been make out of the Simbrix, a whole load of the bricks and the custom cloth bags that come with each kit to keep them all in. 
The Kickstarter is only active until the 11th of November so if you want to take advantage of the offers to Kickstarter Backers better hop over there fast: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/simbrix/simbrix-art-and-craft-bricks-for-makers-creators-a?ref=hero_thanks 

I spoke to Assim the inventor of this neat little toy and let me know that in fact the design has had 400 prototypes before coming up with the perfect one! When I mentioned the similarity in practical application between this and Hama/Perlier beads he mentioned that the idea was inspired by his children playing with their favorite bead sculpture kits and working out ways to improve them.

It's true that when not ironed normal peg bead sculptures can fall apart which does cause frustration for my younger nieces. More than once a pegboard has gotten jogged causing the beads to go flying which generally causes someone to fall out with someone else. (and good ol' Auntie Gemma picking them all up) So I am very much looking forward to grabbing a bag of these and see how they like these beads. They are bigger than a standard Hama/Perlier beads so bear in mind all sculptures will be bigger and bead for bead slightly more expensive. 
However the joy I found in these is that they are reusable when not ironed. It is easy to slide the beads apart again to create and re-create until you are totally happy. An unironed sculpture looks to be sturdy enough to place on a shelf or pop on display in an area it won't be heavily handled. 
 It is possible to iron the beads to make a solid plastic stricture. With our regular beads we would use the ironed piece for drinks coasters or to string up for Christmas decoration and it is easy to see that Simbrix can be used for similar functions. 

For a little comparison heres a picture of some of the many, many sculptures displayed in the Toast Bar at the National Videogames Arcade. You can easily see here that the Simbrix are larger 

Made of Simbrix in the picture is the Sword, minion and blonde girl. (or is this a game character I don't know? Let me know in the comments) The Professor Layton is made with more traditional beads.

Another comparison shot, The Pokeball here is made of Simbrix. I couldn't help think that White Mage is super adorable though. 

Finding designs to use with this set could not be simpler. Many of the example pieces I saw were made using pixel art from retro games which I know a lot of people use for existing bead kits. Simple pixel art pictures can also be used along with existing designs made for Minecraft pixel sculptures due to the blocky nature of the Minecraft bricks. 
 While at the moment the colour range isn't as large as the Hama range which is currently at 50+ colours. The Simbrix starter pack will contain 16 colours, incorporating dark and light versions of colours to allow for some simple shading.
 I even had a go at turning one of my own cross stitch designs into a piece of beaded art and as you can see by the start I made it they do translate really well from a cross stitch design with whole stitches only. I just didn't finish the design because a very polite little boy wanted to use the blue for a Pac man Ghost and well.. how could I say no?

Heres a link to the design in full: http://buzybobbins.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/cute-bird-in-bushes-cross-stitch-design.html

I have ordered a really big bag of the beads to play with. Once the Kickstarter project is finished and bags are being sent out I'm definitely going to try out making some designs with Simbrix in mind, taking into account the colour selection and size of the bricks. So please pop back for them, I'll post them up here once I'm done. 

OOH look at all those colours!



Now don't be fooled by the fact that these bricks are referred to as a toy. While checking out the stall at the Arcade there were children and adults alike playing with the bricks and creating all of their own sculptures!

You don't just have to take my word for it though, My good friend Jason Silverain of the Sword and Torch inn has also written up a post about these lovely bricks. You can find the post here: http://swordandtorchinn.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/simbrix-curious-hybrid-of-lego-jigsaws.html

Important links: Go on pop on over you know you want to...

Simbrix Offical website: http://www.simbrix.com/
Simbrix Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/simbrix/simbrix-art-and-craft-bricks-for-makers-creators-a?ref=hero_thanks

National Videogames Arcade website: http://gamecity.org/visit/

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.