Five Projects You Can Walk In And Make Today (With No Class)

As you probably already know, here at MAKE, we offer classes in a variety of mediums designed for people with absolutely no experience. It doesn’t matter if you have never cut glass or wielded a soldering iron before: in just a couple hours, you’ll have your very own, handmade stained-glass suncatcher.

But you might not also realize that the workshop is available to you any time we’re open—even without a membership!

A day pass gets you full access to the makerspace and all of the tools we have (the woodshop requires a Safety and Basic Use class first).

And I know better than most that if you don’t have a project in mind, staring into a shop filled with tools and materials can be pretty intimidating.

That’s why today, we’re giving you five projects that you can walk in and make with no experience, no special skills, and no class.

Abstract Tiles
Have you never had much ability in the artistic sector? Do paintbrushes seem to jump wildly in your hand of their own accord?

Luckily, you don’t need to know your way around a palette to make beautiful coasters using alcohol ink.
Because rubbing alcohol has a different density than ink or paint, it causes brilliant patterns when they mix.

You just pick the colors and slowly pour it on the tile. The materials will mix at random. Spray it with a seal to lock in the design, add some felt feet to the bottom to use them as coasters, and voila! You’ve got a beautiful set of tiles that will impress your friends—or make a great gift!

Polymer Clay Creations
Who didn’t love Play-Doh as a kid? But unfortunately, it was never a great choice for preserving more detailed sculptures.

If you were a veritable Michelangelo with a can of Play-Doh, you’ll love polymer clay.

Polymer clay is much more flexible than conventional clay, which allows you to work with more detail with less effort. Polymer clay also comes in a variety of colors, so you don’t necessarily need to paint it afterward.

Also, polymer clay hardens in a toaster oven—like the one we have in the shop for that exact purpose. For examples of beautiful polymer clay jewelry or characters, visit Pinterest.

Comic Book Decoupage
Who doesn’t love superheros? It’s almost impossible to find a movie theater that isn’t playing a comic book movie.

And maybe you decided once that you were going to become a “real” fan, so you marched to the comic shop and started a collection.

Then you realized the unfortunate truth: comic books are expensive. You have to keep buying them if you want to know what’s going on. And when you’re buying 5-10 titles every month, that can add up. So now—if you’re anything like my husband Nat—you have a pile of old comic books sitting on your shelf, unread, unloved, and unappreciated.

But don’t let the art inside those comics go unappreciated. Use them to create beautiful decoupage.
Decoupage uses a specialized adhesive to bond paper cut outs onto an object. It could be a coffee table, a wall hanging, or wooden coasters. And using the art from these comic books, you can create cool collages that would enhance any TV room or man cave.

Don’t cut up your actual comic books though—use our color copier. Then you can sell the comics online for some extra cash. Follow the link for more about selling comics online.

Custom Stamped Statement Ring
A great ring can make a statement. Especially if the ring has that statement literally stamped into it.

It’s easy to make a simple, stamped statement ring like our famous Bad Mood Rings. You simply cut a thick metal wire to length, stamp whatever word you want to use, and bend it into shape using a ring mandrel. Make the perfect gift or just let the world know what you have to say.

You don’t have to limit yourself to rings though—our letter stamps can be used on most types of metal. Make keychains, metal cuffs, charms, or necklace pendants.

Good Ol’ Fashioned Painting
Few art forms are as universal and versatile as paint and a canvas.

From the dramatic scenes of Caravaggio to the surrealistic portraits of Frida Kahlo to the chaotic abstracts of Jackson Pollock, painting can be whatever you want it to be.

And according to a 2016 study, painting can greatly reduce stress—even if you’re not very good.

Whether you want to practice your portraiture, do your best Bob Ross impression, or just conjure emotional responses from shapes, we have everything you need here at the shop.

Bring your own canvas or buy one from us. We have brushes, palettes, paints, easels, and more.

What Will You Make?
All this and more is available to you when you purchase a day pass. Stop in for an afternoon and try your hand at any one of these projects. If you get stuck, someone will be around the shop that can help.

Since there’s no obligation to keep at it, this is a great way to try something new. If you hate it, you can just move on to something else.

But if you love it, maybe you could upgrade that day pass to a monthly membership.

​