Will Kalif's Blog: Will's Blog, page 3

Make a puzzle out of cardboard

I really have a fascination with what you can do with cardboard.

I don’t think I ever mentioned it but when I was a kid growing up my dad spent his whole working career at a cardboard box factory. Yup. He operated the corrugator that put the wrinkled layer in the middle of cardboard.

So, It is understandable why I have always been fascinated with cardboard. Well, I do have a book of cardboard projects coming out…. and here is my latest project. It’s a fun and easy puzzle you can make.

With the big thing being that you can use your own picture to personalize the puzzle.

The tutorial, with video, is here. Make a puzzle on cardboard

Stamp collecting and Castles

I love both of these subjects and they nicely overlap as hobbies.

Stamp collecting seems to be experiencing a rebirth. People are getting interested in the hobby again. Woot! It is one of my favorite hobbies.

One of the things I like about stamp collecting is how it can enhance other pursuits. As an example I am a real big fan of castles. And well.. all over the world, and throughout the history of stamp collecting, there have been issues of many different castles on stamps. Got to love that!

Edinburgh Castle Stamp from the UK.

This particular style of collecting is called “Topicals” because the stamps are all about a certain topic. And just about any topic you can think of is covered from puppies to astronauts.

So, if you have been thinking about starting up the hobby give some thought to the idea of starting with topicals. It’s really a lot of fun.

My castle stamp collection is quite large and I keep it all in a special book.

If you want to learn more about stamp collecting I have a whole section of my website devoted to it right here. And I also have an article devoted strictly to the subject of collecting topicals.

Friday Fish & Chips 25: Upon finding a cricket in the bathtub

Make a waterfall with a soda bottle and caulk

My most popular tutorial with over 4 million views on youtube

I came up with this tutorial years ago and it has proven to be a perennial favorite of web visitors. I would imagine that there are lots of dioramas out there with this waterfall.

It’s a clever idea where you cut a strip from a soda bottle and use that as the base to make the waterfall.

simple idea for a great waterfall

If you enjoy making dioramas and want to add a nice waterfall effect I have the tutorials for you in two different ways. The website tutorial is right here: Make a waterfall

And if you like video tutorials I have the tutorial on my youtube channel right here

Castles, rumors, and movies

Castles are visually appealing and they are often rumored to be the inspiration for movies and more

I recently completed a trek around the USA visiting all kinds of sites including lots and lots of castles. It was a wonderful trip. And one of the by-products of the visits to castles was the rumors and stories each of them have. Here are two quick rumors about a couple of castles.

The Wizard of Oz Castle

Castle Rock hidden in New York State

This is Castle Rock. It is a private castle that you can’t get close too. But, being perched up on a hill like this means that you can get some pictures of it from afar. Like I did with a zoom lens in this photo. I am actually a couple of miles away from it.

Anyway, this castle is purported to be the inspiration for the Witch’s castle in the Wizard of Oz. It definitely has that feel to it.

Hogwarts Castle

This is a castle turned private school in Great Barrington Massachusetts. It’s called Searles Castle (Now the John Dewey Academy). And it is purported to be one of the inspirations for Hogwarts Castle. I can see it.

if you love castles like I do be sure to visit my website devoted to them: Medieval Castles

Make a mini cardboard catapult

I have an obsession with siege engines

And I have completed a tutorial on how to make a powerful little catapult out of cardboard. It’s a fun little project and all you need is a piece of cardboard, a rubber band, a toothpick and some glue. I also give you the template which makes it very easy for you to make.

You can make one and then compete against somebody else to see who’s catapult goes the furthest. You can also use the same catapult to compete with someone else and try to get the projectile into a cup.

There are lots of creative and fun ways you can use this catapult.

The tutorial for how to make it is on my youtube channel right here: Make a Miniature Cardboard Catapult

Thoughts about Traveling and Writing

It is definitely a different kind of writing

I had recently taken a road trip around America. It was a beautiful trip through an amazingly beautiful country. You can read about it and see pictures/videos on my website here: Will Travels Medieval America

And the whole experience lead me to some interesting observations about the processes of writing and of traveling.

Traveling is exhausting, especially when you get older! You have to give it a lot of energy. And because you are doing new things and seeing new things it also absorbs a lot of physical, and mental, energy.

This means that I didn’t write like I normally did. I just didn’t have the time or the energy for it. And, I did a lot of driving which absorbed a lot of time and energy.

But, I did take notes and keep a calendar with notes. And that has proven very valuable to me. Because now that the trip is over and I am back to a normal setting I have the time and the energy to write. And the notes and calendar have proven invaluable.

Doing this also helped me to soak in and appreciate my travel more. The travel wasn’t just about doing a job. It was about experiencing that in my life primarily. Writing about it was secondary.

Pictures and videos

There was a very profound benefit to me taking lots of pictures and videos during my trip.

Now that I am writing about the whole experience I am reviewing thousands of videos and pictures. (And that’s an accurate number. There are thousands of them!)

I previously thought of pictures and videos as a means of support. I thought I would write about a place, castle or museum and then I would dig up some pictures to enhance the writing. It turned out to be much more involved than that.

Bourbon Street in New Orleans

Going through the pics and vids brought up previously forgotten memories, and feelings. So, the enhancement to my writing wasn’t secondary. It took a very strong primary role. And this isn’t something that I anticipated. It caught me by surprise.

Well, to summarize all of this I just wanted to impart on you some advice. If you are traveling, or going to travel, I recommend you take lots of pictures and videos! They are so much more than just support for your writing.

Friday Fish & Chips 24: Museum

Every Castle has a story

Even the younger ones in America have a story to tell.

It isn’t necessarily about castles; it’s more about human beings and the things we do. People have been people since the beginning of time. And this means, victories, triumphs, betrayals, murders, disappearances and stories of human effort and triumph.

But these stories tend to stick around with castles because castles tend to stick around. So, there is an anchor that keeps the story going. In some cases for hundreds of years.

Last week I told you about my journey around America in my quest to visit many sites including castles.

I have been thinking a lot lately about writing a book about the interesting stories of American castles. Send me an email if you think this is a good idea. Or if you know a story linked to a castle.

And just as a teaser … I included in this post a picture I took of a castle. It is called “Castle Rock” and it is in New York state. You can’t get anywhere near it. It is on private land and you can only get pictures of it from a distance like I did. But an interesting story about this castle is that it is rumored to be the inspiration for the Witch’s castle in the movie The Wizard of Oz.

Want to learn more about castles in America? I have a whole section of my website right here: Will travels Medieval America

Paper Castle and More Paper Castles

I have had an obsession with castles for a long time.

And this obsession took a peculiar turn when I got a Christmas present from a family member.

I had never thought about the possibilities of paper castles until I got the christmas present of a cut and make paper castle (Caernarvon Castle).

My first paper castle

And I was hooked! I absolutely love this kind of project. And since that first paper castle I have made quite a few more of them. But I also have expanded my love of paper castles into the realm of designing and printing my own paper castles. Yup… and they are all available for free right here on my website. So, if you want to make a paper castle but don’t want to spend any money feel free to either follow my tutorials on how to do it or even download one of my free packets that you can print up and make.

I promise lots of free fun.

Here are my paper (and cardboard) castle making projects for you:

Easy Paper castle for kids to make

Some paper, some glue and four bathroom tissue tubes is all you need to make this castle It’s very popular with kids and I have hundreds of pictures sent in from people who have made this project. You can do this project right here: Make a Paper and Cardboard Castle

Merry Mead Paper Castle

This is a pdf that you download, cut out and glue together. It includes everything you need. And it comes with all the instructions on how to make it. Download this free pdf right here: Merry Mead Paper Castle

Castle – in a box

This is a fun little project. You download it, print it up, and put it together. It is inspired by the Japanese art of Tatebanko which is a scene box. In this scene is a castle. Castle in a box

My latest project is a castle made out of a single cardboard box. It is a fun and easy box project. And the kids will love it. There are two benefits to this project. First you have the fun of making the castle; and second you and the kids have the fun of using the castle for play! I love it.

You can watch the video tutorial on my youtube channel right here: Make a castle out of a cardboard box.