Flat Cap Necklace

I have a large supply of caps.  That is no secret.  If you have beer drinking friends, it is surprisingly easy to get them to save you caps.  Which just goes back to my inner psychologist idea that everybody deep down really does want to help others out.

For this one, I wanted to flatten them.  For a while I was using pliers to smoosh 'em down and that was a nightmare.  It works, but it is slow and it will make calluses.  So I did something I am very good at to smash them...beat the crap out of them with a hammer :).  That is not only faster, but it is fun AND a great stress reliever.  I have no desire to buy another machine just to smash them, and I am not looking for perfection.  I love the dents.  SO I smooshed and I smashed and I smashed and I smooshed.

I have a double top secret extensively larger project in the works as well, but since I do not know which of all my friends reads this I cannot tell you what it is.

Here are my smooshy caps.  I laid them out in the order that I wanted them as I wanted to put some on top of others. 

For the ones I wanted to be on the bottom, I drove a hole in the middle of them with a hammer and nail.  Super simple, very quick. 

For the ones that would be on top, I punched a hole in each side.  My goal was to end up overlapping these. 

I originally tried to tie them together with cord.  Does not work, at all, so I opted to just use thin wire. 

Here is a shot of how I "tied" these together with the wire.  I only looped it around once because I want them to be able to move and shift a bit.

I laced it through both and twisted the back like a bread tie to secure them.

I cut the remaining wire and continued lacing down the line.

Once I had all these laced together I used wire to connect them to the chain. 

I currently have these on a chain long enough so that the whole thing fits over your head.  However, I would suggest making it with a closure and making it more around a 16inch length.

If you were to prefer a bracelet, try lacing these with wire to small sections of chain so that they can move.

That could also be done with a necklace for a completely different look.





I would also like to take a moment away from crafting, and tell you about something I am happy to reveal.  If you are solely here for crafts feel free to go back to web surfing and pinteresting.

I recently downloaded the app from Maryland Community Church which is in Terre Haute.  I used to go to it and really enjoyed it, and finally realized I could have it with me anywhere that I go.  I was watching a few of the sermons and one was about having a functional life.

And they spoke about how people in Africa have basically next to nothing and yet they are so happy.  They are content without all the stuff and happy to have their life and their family and their surroundings.  Yet here in America, we have managed to work ourselves into a frenzy about having things and about storing things up yet never are satisfied.

So I thought to myself, why aren't we?  What is it that makes us so unhappy?  And here is what I have decided:

First, we try to fill holes and mend scrapes with material things.  Instead of trying to work things out we go shopping.  Or instead of trying to mend a relationship, we go buy a new tv.  Because we are unhappy with something or someone in our lives, we become unhappy with our stuff.

Instead of fixing our REAL issues, I think we try to fix our material issues. 

So I started examining me.  What was I holding on to that would make me unhappy with things.  I love to get to the bottom and psychoanalyze myself even though I am not trained in psychology.  I watch a lot of TV, and that is pretty close to certification.  I watch cop shows all the time :).

Anyway, I realized that I was still unhappy with past relationships.  I had never really forgiven and let go the things that I should have.  So I sat myself down and looked at my life.  And I realized, that it was all for the better.

I very likely would not be where I am today if I had stayed in those relationships.  If Jordan had not married someone else, I might have dated him again.  If I had stayed with Brian who knows if I would have wanted to go away for 2 more years and get my Master's Degree or if I would have opted to come home, or go to a lesser college just to be closer. 

Girls are stupid when it comes to boys and that is all there is to it.  We make dumb choices in attempts to keep boyfriends and think that if we lose them we will never be able to find another.

My response to that...

GO GET YOUR DEGREE.  If the boys are worth it they will wait.  If they are not they will prove it.  If they aren't you will find a better one.  But you owe it to yourself to do it.  And the same for boys. 

I also think I might have had a few remaining issues over the hole "dad never being around thing" and what I finally figured out in life was God gives you exactly what you need.  Some of us don't need a male to look up to in our lives to make it.  Do we make it as easy as those who do? No not always.  Does it potentially give us issues relating to a figure like God since our father was never around? Possibly.  But I think we are also given the abilities to get passed that.

I needed a father to get me on this planet.  From there on out I truly believe that I was given the ability to make it without one here.  And I don't have a bad relationship with mine by any means, I just don't really get to see him.  But if I have a crisis he does help out.  And really, I am ok with that.

So finally, I have been able to let go of what has been holding on to me and bringing me down.  It has been a huge relief.  I think you can really see your baggage when you look at your blocked list on your facebook.

And now I have a new prospect of someone to hang out with, and could not be happier.  I truly believe God puts in your life who you need there.  And the ones who have walked out may very well have brought you down.

I also feel like this may be a more common occurrence, crafts with deeper analysis.  I miss my soapboxes.  Crafts are cool and all, but there is so much more to it than that. 

NOW GO UPCYCLE SOME CAPS DANGIT!