High Joy Love: BTS Making a Cardboard Boombox and Microphone for THRIFT WORLD 2023
Hi there! It’s Heidi Joy here today. I started to type this up on IG then realized there’s more I want to write than what is limited by characters on there so LET’S WRITE UP A BLOG INSTEAD! So here I go:
Part of healing my own inner child has been crafting with recyclables. I grew up in the generation of watching PBS ZOOM, Out of the Box, & Nick Jr’s Blues Clues (with Steve) & LOVED anytime I was allowed to actually make a mess by attempting to do one of their projects.
Seeing that I am a child at heart with kids full time, I encourage creativity exploration by always giving them their own area & materials to craft, complete with items saved from the recycle to always be able to make things upon their inspiration & imagination. To reduce what ends up just in the landfill or to repurpose materials into something new has been an important personal mission. I by no means can claim a zero waste lifestyle but feel proud of my family’s growing effort and awareness!!
I love hearing Leo say, “actually, I think I want to keep this box so I can make a craft with it later!”
So for Earth Day 2023- J & I were asked to host the bi-annual Thrift World Expo - the most amazing curation by our homies, Global Threadz & Thrifts, of local businesses of thrifted goods, vintage, nostalgia, antique, tattoos, & so much more!! How appropriate for this to be on Earth Day, I mean, this literally is a place of items saved for sometimes decades of time instead of ending up in the landfill- it is saved by a vendor who knows there is someone out there longing for this piece of nostalgia to take home.
I knew immediately that I was gonna make something out of recyclables. I decided that I wanted to design and craft up a cardboard boom box (that would actually “play” music aka slot for our Bluetooth speaker) & microphone (with cord to plug into its “sound pack”) to walk around with. I mean, this is my real life job now to do what we love and share excitement for others doing what they love. How amazing that me taking it seriously means I get to do even MORE fun stuff like MAKE CARDBOARD CRAFTS?! 😂
Boom Box:
-Main Body: Merrell shoe box- Lennon just got his first pair of Merrell sandals from his Nanny- it was the perfect color and size for my boom box. I outlines the edges with a thick Sharpie to give it more of a pop!
-Handle: Appalachian Ginger Beer & Steward[‘ Fountain Classic Orange N’ Cream 4-pack bottle cases- the perfect handle plus the bottle holder was the exact size I needed to snugly fit our bluetooth speaker inside.
- “FUN” knob: OJ top + pencil - I wanted a knob that actually spins, so I attached a pencil to the inside of a OJ top and poked a hole for it to slide into. This way, I was able to ask guests to “TURN UP THE FUN! (you can only turn it up tho, never down)”
- Speakers: tops from delicious @mymamaskitchenva strawberry smash dessert cups I crushed. Literally one of my hands down favorite desserts from Norfolk, VA
-Retracting Antennae: Wooden flower Leo painted for me slid through with some cardboard through a red, syrup bottle top so it could actually be pulled up & down. Was actually quite proud of getting this mechanism to work. Simple but satisfying.
-Changeable Radio Tuner: broken plastic spoon handle that slides
Bonus: I am an Asian American woman and had to rep some Asian snacks, so I had a secret compartment inside the boombox made with a Strawberry Pocky box!
Microphone:
-I didn’t even know what it was called but I had envisioned from the start making a microphone with one of those box things around it you’d see on the news. FYI: I know now that the little box thing is called a flag!
-I used a paper mache ball & wrapped a black produce netting around it for the top part of the mic. Two paper towel rolls for the handle, a butter box for the FLAG (adorned with our stickers & cut up Thrift World flyer), then a metal Topo Chico top shoved into plastic soda top for the button. Finished with adding some leftover pink camping cord for the wire.
Mic Sound Pack: paper towel roll with a chopstick for an antennae
Of course, had to add my doodles on the boom box and mic for some personalized touches and VOILA! In less than 2 hours, my masterpiece is complete!
Probably one of my favorite pieces I’ve made; vendors and guests LOVED it at the event. It was hilarious to get to interview people and tap on the mic to ‘test’ first if it was on.
Appropriately, on Earth Day, the first song we played while walking into the event was the amazing HILA THE EARTH’S WET ASS PLANET (if you don’t already know: Hila the EARTH’S Wet Ass Planet song)
Me (Heidi Joy) debuting my newly crafted cardboard boom box & mic FIRST THING IN THE THRIFT WORLD MORNING to Hila the Earth’s “Wet As* Planet”
Is this my real life? Amazing. I’m so grateful. I think I’ll be posting more behind the scenes type things cause why not? Hope y’all make something fun today!! Or everyday!
Stay True to You, Love Always!
xo, Heidi Joy