Here is another update from Giordi, a book fairy in New York state! Please click here to start at Part 1. This is in Giordi’s own words.
Part 3: A Little Dash Of Green
Transforming the vending machine was a pretty simple task, for the most part.
First, I used a cloth to clean up the dust and dirt on the old vending machine. I then removed any floating or easily removable parts. Once that was complete I taped up all the metal edging to prepare the machine for it’s new coat of green!
My wife will tell you that my painting skills are about as good as a dog running through the house with a wet paint brush. And if that analogy is not clear enough: I’m not very good. So, I did a coat of green spray paint everywhere that was currently covered in red. I had to do several coats because the paint would run and I’d have to clean it up with a brush.
Once I was satisfied with the color, I replaced all the parts and put the vending machine back together. Then it was time to get the wings ready for lift off!
Part 3A: Wingin’ It
After staring on the Book Fairy logo for a good twenty minutes, I started sketching the wings I wanted to cut on paper. This help me for two reasons: I made sure I knew what they would look like before outlining it on the wood. And I wouldn’t have to cut a million pieces of wood trying to get it right without sketching it.
I cut the first wing using a jigsaw. Once I sanded the edges down, I traced that wing on the next piece of wood, that way the wings would be as close to identical as possible.
With both of the wings now cut, it was time to get painting. I grabbed some weather resistant paint and laid down a white base on both wings. Then I had painted the green highlights onto both wings. I debated on whether or not to age the wings, but I decided to stay as true to the Book Fairies logo as possible.
The last step was figuring out how to attach the wings to the vending machine securely. I thought this would be the easiest part, but that was foolish of me. In addition to being very OCD about aligning the wings just right, I also hadn’t given much thought as to how I would attached them. I thought about adding a nail and hanging them, but then they wouldn’t be stable. I also considered adding them to the bookcase instead, but that looked horrible. Finally, I thought I’d give some very hot glue a try. I used thin plywood to make the wings, so they weren’t heavy. With a big glob of glue and some finessing, I was able to get both of the wings on and as perfectly aligned as I could.
Thank you once again to Giordi for keeping us up to date with the Little Free Library! We are so excited to see the progress. Click here to read the final part!