Music Box Carousel Any idea what this project started as? If you've visited our message board or checked out our contest info you may know that this project started as the base of an empty CD spindle case! It is based on the winning entry in our Autumn "Recycling Contest". We picked the item to be used. You made the projects using your computer for at least part of the project. HJ of New York designed that winning entry and also this modified version of that project! The difference? This one is a revolving music box! HJ says whenever she creates a new project she is never satisfied the first time around. So she inevitably winds up taking it apart and changing things. That's what she did with this gorgeous carousel! By adding a small music box movement with a turntable attachment and a wonderful satin ribbon as a base cover, the carousel now becomes the perfect gift! Great for a baby shower, birthday present or for any special occasion! MATERIALS: Empty 50 CD spindle case Cardstock ¼” Wired Ribbon Polymer clay (optional) 1” or 1 ¼” plastic, wood, or Styrofoam ball Wind-up Music Box movement and 3” turntable Decorative lace trim Two feet of 2” wide wired ribbon (to cover base) Carousel horse clipart Rounded toothpicks (for the horse poles – you can paint them yourself ahead of time or buy them already colored) Decorative cording (optional to wrap around base of the center pole) Glue Scissors INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Open a blank page in your graphics program. Measure the diameter of the circular base of the CD spindle case. Draw a circle on your blank page in that size (usually about 5 1/2 “) and fill with whatever color or design you wish. Center it on the page. (Our contest winner actually printed her flooring from a doll house website she found! What a cool idea!) 2) Measure the diameter of the post in the center of the spindle base and add a smaller circle in that size to the center of the larger circle on your page. You will be cutting this inner circle out so the “floor” will slip over the spindle and sit on the bottom of the base. 3) Print the page on cardstock and cut out the large circle, cut out the smaller circle in the center and slide the floor over the spindle. Trim as necessary to fit the base of your spindle case and glue the floor in place. 4) Measure the height of your center spindle and on another blank page in your graphics program draw a rectangle to that height and about 3” wide. Add color or art to match your flooring. Print this rectangle on cardstock and cut out. Run a line of glue (or use a glue stick) along the longer edge of one side and wrap the rectangle into a cylinder. Once dry, apply a bead of glue to the inside of the bottom rim of this cylinder and slide it down over the CD spindle. The bead of glue on the inside rim should adhere the cylinder to the flooring. (Note: If you want to make your center pole sturdier, you can double up the cardstock on this part.) Here’s where you can add a bit more decoration – glue some decorative ribbon around the cylinder and some cording around the base of the cylinder. 5) On another blank page in your graphics program place your carousel horse clipart. You will need five horses for this project so you will be printing 10 of them (to make them all double sided – JUST REMEMBER TO PRINT ONE SET MIRRORED OR “FLIPPED”!) The horses should measure only slightly shorter than the center pole you glued on to your spindle case. 6) If you are not using the colored toothpicks for the individual horse poles, you can add poles to your graphic simply by drawing a skinny rectangle and placing it behind your horses before you print them. If you will be using the toothpicks you can leave that part out. 7) Print your horses on plain paper first to make certain the size and layout is correct. If you’ve done it correctly you should have five horses facing in one direction and the other five facing the opposite way. Glue the matching pieces together and make sure the fit and layout works on your CD base before you print them out on cardstock. Once you are satisfied with the horses print them on the cardstock, cut them out, glue all the matching pieces together and allow to dry. IMPORTANT! If you are using the toothpicks for the horse poles glue one in between the sides of each horse before you glue the horse together! If you painted the toothpicks yourself be sure the paint is dry before you glue them to the horses. The last thing you want to do is have paint running from inside the horse! 8) Attaching the horses to the base can be done in a variety of ways. Our contest winner made small cones of polymer clay and baked them prior to gluing them to the base. (DO NOT bake clay ON the spindle case – the case WILL melt!) She also added small embellishments made of polymer clay to other areas of the carousel – all baked before being applied to the spindle case. If you do not want to use polymer clay you can make small cones out of paper, glue them to the base of the CD case and insert the horses into them, or try small cones of Styrofoam painted or glittered or otherwise decorated to match the rest of your design – or get out that trusty glue gun and make little mounds of hot glue and insert the horses into them. If you work quickly enough you can even add some embellishment by sprinkling some glitter on the hot glue mounds before they totally cool. (HINT: Practice the hot glue mounding on a piece of cardboard before you attempt it on the carousel!) 9) Attach pieces of your ¼” wired ribbon to the top of each horse pole and glue the other end to the top of the plastic spindle center. The ribbon ends will be covered by the ball glued on top. 10) Glue your plastic, wood, or Styrofoam ball (you can paint or embellish it before-hand – how about covering it in glue and sprinkling on some glitter?) to the top of the center cylinder. Add some of the cording around the base of the ball to match the bottom of the cylinder. Embellish the ball further as you wish. 11) Insert the turntable into the key hole in your music box movement. Center the carousel on the turntable and glue in place. Glue the 2” wired ribbon around the edge of the UNDERSIDE of CD case bottom (almost all of them have a little ridge on the underside that’s perfect for gluing this ribbon to) and then glue some decorative lace trim around the edge of the base. Trim where the ribbon meets. If you wish, you can pull the wire through on the bottom edge to bunch it up a bit more. That’s really all there is to it! Now wind that baby up and listen to the beautiful music. And get ready...all of your friends and family will want one! So start stocking up on those empty spindle cases!