Shake it, Baby

My regular readers know that I am big into photography. So much so, that I have lately channelled most of my creativity into photography and been neglecting Craft-Werk. It takes a photography-related project to get me posting again. And here it comes: salt and pepper shakers for photography enthusiasts. Check this:

Now, if you were born after 1990, chances are you have no idea what this is (apart from salt and pepper shakers, obviously). Well, sit down kids, and let Auntie Sonja tell you: Long ago, in the days before everything turned digital and swish and instant, those of us who liked to photograph had to insert a spool of light-sensitive material into a recess behind the lens of a camera. It was on that material, that the light would record what the lens caught in that split-second glimpse at the world. And those two cannisters, well, that is what the light-sensitive material, also known as "film", came in.

Ok, joking aside - chances are that you have long left your film days behind you. So have I - except I have reconnected with analog photography through college and keep a whole big stash of films in my fridge. And I have a heap of those film cannisters. I cannot believe it was only today that it occurred to me to use them as salt and pepper cellars, though. And I can believe even less that I have never seen anything like this before - neither on all my favourite photo sites, craft blogs or in novelty shops. Maybe I should have this patented...

Anyhow, here's what you do: First of all make sure you clean out your film containers thoroughly. No kidding, people. We are talking silver halides here - not something you would want on your food, photography-enthusiast or not. I put mine in the dishwasher, to be sure.

Then grab a candle and a thick sewing needle. Heat the tip of the needle in the candlelight and then push holes into the plastic cannisters. Over here in Ireland, the salt cellar has one big hole and the pepper shaker has many small ones. So I had to move the hot needle in that hole a few times to get a suitably large hole.

And there you are! This has got to be the quickest and easiest craft project I have ever done. So fast, actually, that I am not sure it qualifies as crafts at all. It took me all of five minutes to make this. And yet I am chuffed-er than chuffed about this teeny-weeny little, jokey project of mine. I am sure you well-endowed ... ooops... -equipped crafters out there probably also have a silhouette machine that would cut out some swirly, fancy P or S to stick on the little shakers. I quite like them simple and unadorned as they are.







A word of warning, though: This project will get your needles dirty! Check the image on the right: Dirty or what?

So no sharing of needles!!



This could be an easy-peasy pressie for the photo-enthusiast in your life. Anyway, get shaking, baby - let's put a bit of salt in the soup of our lives.

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

Best,