Hardware Collage and Foil Prints

Jasper is always happy to help out in the garage, but he's not quite as handy as he'd like to think.  Enter the hardware collage!  This really fulfilled his love of anything garage-related, and he was happy to spend a lot of time carefully picking out what he wanted to include in his collage.  We sorted through all the little jars and bins  assorted hardware goodies that Daddio's collected over his years of puttering.

Materials:

• a medium-sized scrap of wood (heavy cardboard would also work).
• wood glue
• spare hardware stuff: nuts, bits of chain, washers, small-headed nails, hooks, eye-bolts, screws, etc (if you don't have anything like this, check out the individual bins at Lowe's)
• foil (heavy-duty works best, but a double-thickness of regular-weight is fine)
  
• a stiff scrub brush
• old toothbrush 

How-to:

• Have the kid drizzle glue liberally over the piece of wood.  You don't want it to be too, too thick or you won't get good definition in your print, but it has to be thick enough to hold onto whatever you're putting into it.
  

• Let the glue dry thoroughly.  This may take a couple of hours or as long as overnight if you're in a humid climate.  Jasper was totally happy with the finished product, but we decided to take it one step further.  
• Lay your foil over top of the collage.  You can either use it as it comes off of the roll, or crinkle it up and flatten it out for a different effect.  Secure by folding around the edges of the wood.  

• Bam, smash, or pounce (if you're not a three-year-old male) your stiff brush all over the foil to press down around the objects underneath.  Use your old toothbrush to press down further, and smooth the foil with fingers to really make the objects stand out.  Experiment to see what works best for you!

So what have you been working on?  Any new boycraft ideas to share?