When the sisters team discovered Transformer comics (Go WindBlade!) they wanted a whole city of Transformers to play with. While that was way too expensive, they could build their own shape-shifting toy robots out of wood.
Getting Started
Borrowing from wooden dolls, we settled on a design with rubber bands attaching the arms and head to the body and a bolt to attached the legs enabling the robot to shift forms.
Drilling to holes
First we cut and drilled all the wood based on a working design.
Assembling Begins!
We used lego wheels for the robots that transformed into cars.
Fitting the rubber bands
Attaching the rubber bands proved difficult. We used a jewelry tool to thread the rubber bands through the holes in the wood (many broke in the process).
Final Touches
A few more adjustments, including sanding the edges, and widening holes.
The robot is complete!
By using springs in the legs, the toy robot can hold a standing position.
The assembly line
After we perfect a design, it was just a matter of creating a assembly line to crank out droids! We did some that turned into cars, some that turned into bugs, and some that turned in to other forms!
Severus Snape and Professor Sprout are two of our favorite characters in Harry Potter, and their story inspired the sister team to begin exploring potion making and herbology.
From our hidden garden in the city, the HipMonsters sister team will bring you tips on growing herbs in a city, how best to preserve and prepare your herbs, and how to have fun!
Our herb Garden
We started our herb garden by clearing and preparing several patches in our yard that were suitable for growing herbs. We ended up with two beds that received full midday sun and others that were in the shade most of the day during summer. Our yard is really old, so to prepare the beds we dug down 24 inches and churned in lost of fresh dirt. All of the beds had good drainage.
The sunniest bed after planting
After the beds were done, we observed how much sun they received and how the water drained. Using this information, we researched the best herbs for each bed focusing on herbs that were well-suited for San Francisco’s climate. Here is a good article to start your research.
Sage in Bloom
Here is a list of some of the herbs that worked best:
Thyme
Yerba Buena
Rosemary
Sage
Oregano
Tarragon
Red Veined Sorrel
Chives
Basil
Parsley
Onions
Wild Garlic
Roses
Borage
Lavender
English
Spanish
Mint
Spearmint
Mojito
Peppermint
Our Flower Garden
Most of our yard has is dedicated to native plants or flowers that are good for bees. This gives us flowers nearly year round. The credit for most of the planting is the prior owner who took great care to attract bees and birds. We have tried to follow in her footsteps and have several bumble bee nests throughout our yard as well as lots of honey bees from neighboring hives.
Many of the flowers are perfect for drying but most are not good in flower arrangement because they die too quickly once cut. Here is a great article on the types of flowers in our yard. Even though most of the flowers are native, we still need to care or them and fertilize the beds a few times a year using liquid kelp. The most important thing is to never rip up the flowers after they die. We leave them to assure the seeds will spread for next year’s crop. This does look a little unkept but the next spring will make up for it.
Potion collection
And now our Harry Potter fandom kicks in. Given our growing collection of herbs and dried flowers, we decided to make to our own potion cabinet hidden deep in our basement!
Our well-used mortar and pestle
From our store we craft little bags and jars filled with ground up herbs and flowers as presents.
Herbs ready for cooking
We also bottle up our best dried herbs to be used in our cooking and potion-making!
The HipMonsters team does not like trees going to waste, so whenever we stumble upon a piece of wood too rotten or misshapen to be used for our projects, we create a wooden monster!
Allie!
Born from a dead branch of a juniper bush, this monster is built to protect a child’s room. It is very possessive and will only allow one monster in the room at a time. Perfect for making sure human children have a restful nighttime sleep.
Allie from the front.
We made Allie’s eyes out of two styrofoam balls.
Allie from the rear.
Allie was one of our first monsters and is at the front of our house very Halloween!
When we go hiking, we sometimes pick up some good pieces of wood to make into staffs or other creations. We found this one in a park close to our house, it was made from a fallen eucalyptus branch. Every staff we craft has a unique mythos and special spell. This staff is called the Twisted Wave.
Mythos
The staff Twisted Wave craves unexpected journey and visitors. Travelers should only journey with Twisting Wave if they want to encounter potential friends, it is a peaceful staff, and does not like engaging in battle.
Special Spell
Amicitia (Friendship)
Twisting Wave is 5 feet high, perfect for navigating tricky terrain. The wood was spoke shaven, soaked in oil with a red clay then polished with bee’s wax.
Every wand we craft has unique mythos and a special spell. This wand is called the Crimson Lava.
Mythos
The wand Crimson Lava pulls in the magic of volcanos so needs an especially strong witch or wizard to wield its power. It is said to have been crafted on the Big Island of Hawaii during a large eruption.
Special Spell
Accive Sassa Liquefacta (Summon Lava)
It is 13 1/2 inches long. Made of poplar grown in the Hip Monster’s realm. The wood was spoke shaven straight, soaked in oil with a red clay then polished with bee’s wax.
Is it so wrong I keep thinking about chicken and waffles after just one random encounter at Little Skillets? The chicken was so tender they must have been raised in some beautiful land where a hug is given out for free, waffles so sweet I strongly suspect they did something unnatural, not to mention illegal in most states, with donuts and drinks so stiff years of yoga would still make their downward dogs look like a plank. I sit in bed conjuring up the memory of piles of food before me with a burning drinking making it ways down my throat and wonder again and again, “Is this wrong?”
Grub is the foodie hub in Mission. Causal with home style meals it is a special start to the day. Proportions are large so perfect for sharing. The endless mimosa are refreshing.
Want to bring out the inner monster within? Just go to Anthony’s Cookies and your inner cookie monster will spring to life in no time. Hidden near where Cesar Chavez street meets Valencia street in San Francisco, Anthony’s Cookies is one of the best a boutique cookie stores we have found.
With a wonderful menu of cookies to choose from you are sure to find a favorite. We love to get a mixed box (which is lovingly secured with neatly tied twine) but always make sure to get at least two cookies and cream.
Anthony’s Cookies are cooked to perfection with high quality ingredients, elegant recipes and care. They have traditional flavors as well as seasonal specials like banana walnut. The chocolate chip cookie (the measure of any cookie maker) is exactly what one would expect – wonderful chocolate chip goodness wrapped in a well balanced cookie dough.
Its decor is clean and simple with seating up front to watch people stroll down Valencia Street showing off the latest fashion. Just get some cookies and milk then sit back and enjoy the City.
1417 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-425-2822
http://www.anthonyscookies.com/
